Olympic Arms 9mm AR

[samson7x]

Anyone have experience with this brand? I found a few at a local dealer and have always been intrigued by 9mm in AR platform. I decided that a dedicated 9mm lower is the way to go and I would eventually like to convert this to an SBR.

Any info/opinions much appreciated

[Dolomite_supafly]

They use a non standard setup.

They are NOT like Colts or at least weren't in the begining. Colt pattern is the standard and if you do get an Olympic upper you need to have a special bolt for it that is rare as hens teeth. If the upper doesn't come with the bolt you will likely never shoot the upper.

Dolomite

[samson7x]

They use a non standard setup.

They are NOT like Colts or at least weren't in the begining. Colt pattern is the standard and if you do get an Olympic upper you need to have a special bolt for it that is rare as hens teeth. If the upper doesn't come with the bolt you will likely never shoot the upper.

Dolomite

Bummer. The mags looked proprietary but I wasn't sure. The one I found was the complete gun but I may just look for an alternative. Ive seen the CMMG in stock also. Is it safe to say you would prefer the CMMG over Oly Arms then?

[Dolomite_supafly]

Absolutely. CMMG makes a nice Colt pattern 9mm. They also make a dedicated lower that is cheaper than the mag blocks. A friend has one and it is a great gun. WIth discount their 9mm lower is $155 from Brownells.

My wife's is a homebuilt Colt pattern gun. We have 7K to 8K rounds through it now. WIth FMJ it is 100% reliable. With certain HP's they can be a bit finicky but I have only found two types that cause problems.

Dolomite

[samson7x]

Absolutely. CMMG makes a nice Colt pattern 9mm. They also make a dedicated lower that is cheaper than the mag blocks. A friend has one and it is a great gun. WIth discount their 9mm lower is $155 from Brownells.

My wife's is a homebuilt Colt pattern gun. We have 7K to 8K rounds through it now. WIth FMJ it is 100% reliable. With certain HP's they can be a bit finicky but I have only found two types that cause problems.

Dolomite

What discount is available right now? Promo code or something? 155 is not bad at all IMO and I would rarely, if ever, use HP's as this would be a range plinkster.

[scoutfsu]

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. Please, learn from my horrible, horrible experience. I was even local to those hacks at the time.....mine was the one that took Glock mags. I took a bath when I sold it

If you're going to get a 9mm AR, stick with a known quality like Colt...possibly RRA or CMMG.

[scoutfsu]

Also, IMO a 9mm AR is better in thought than in practice. I also had a MRP 9mm conversion w/ a dedicated 9mm RRA lower. If you're looking for AR alternatives that are cheaper to shoot, you can't go wrong with the S&W 15-22.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Our 9mm AR is the gun we use as the house gun. That is over a 5.56 or 300 blackout. 9mm makes more sense than either of these for several reasons. The biggest is muzzle blast inside the house. Firing 5.56 in a house can be very disorienting, even with hearing protection. With the 9mm that is not the case. It is also less dauting for a women shooter. If you choose the right ammo overpenetration is not an issue either. Overpenetration is not a concern for us so we have it loaded with 124 grain FMJ's.

Our 9mm is the most shot gun we own. It is fun and reliable. It works very well as a defensive firearm because you get 357 magnum ballistics because of the extra barrel length.

The discount is what Brownells gives to LE or MIL or FFL's.

Dolomite

[TMF]

You're getting better muzzle velocity off that 9mm in a carbine too than you would from a 5 in barreled pistol, right? I don't have a 9mm carbine, but I would say that is the next best thing to a 12 GA shottie for home defense. I'd never use a rifle caliber... too loud, too much penetration for living in a neighborhood like I do. I use a pistol as my go-to home defense. All my rifles stay locked up... I got kids.

[Jon_L]

For the love of God, stay away from the Lonewolf Glock-mag lowers. Nightmares.

http://www.shop.doublediamondsupply.com/Custom-AR15-Glock-Mag-Lower-Receiver-DDARGLC.htm

[Dolomite_supafly]

You're getting better muzzle velocity off that 9mm in a carbine too than you would from a 5 in barreled pistol, right? I don't have a 9mm carbine, but I would say that is the next best thing to a 12 GA shottie for home defense. I'd never use a rifle caliber... too loud, too much penetration for living in a neighborhood like I do. I use a pistol as my go-to home defense. All my rifles stay locked up... I got kids.

Whatever bullet you shoot it basically turns it into a 357 magnum. Our 9mm is our SHTF/defense gun for the house. It is the only gun that remains ready to go 24 hours a day. It is blowback so it will run no matter what you feed it. Not need to worry about the gas system getting dirty. You can shoot big and slow or light and fast equally well and not have any issues.

They make frangible 9mm rounds that would make overpenetration a non issue. And the wound cavity would be expansive as would the hydrostatic shock. We have ours loaded with FMJ's now but did have FTX rounds in it at one point.

Once I get my 300 dialed in I will be loading it with 240 soft cast bullets. They will tumble and squish out of shape creating a substantial wound cavity. And when I get a can built for it the rifle will be like shooting a pellet rifle.

Dolomite

[xRUSTYx]

Dolomite,

Do you mind sharing your 9mm AR build? I want a 9mm AR, and figure, I'd like to try and build one. My DD I have now, I didn't build.

Thanks!

[samson7x]

Dolomite,

Do you mind sharing your 9mm AR build? I want a 9mm AR, and figure, I'd like to try and build one. My DD I have now, I didn't build.

Thanks!

I'd like to see your build list as well Dolomite...if you don't mind that is.

[Glock30]

I am building a 9mm Glock magazine-fed rifle, based on a DDLES lower. Everything I'm reading suggests they're as good as advertised. Now if they'll just get here already...

I've read a lot of unfavorable reviews about the Oly builds, though I have no personal experience. Keep in mind, there are a couple different options on 9mm builds.

1. Standard lower with 9mm magwell block.

2. CMMG/DDLES purpose build 9mm lowers (Colt style)

3. Oly Arms/Lone Wolf/DDLES purpose built 9mm lowers (Glock style)

You may be surprised, but buying a dedicated, purpose-built 9mm lower is roughly the same cost as a standard lower + magwell block. The plus is that there are no adjustments or potential frustration to start up. It's "plug and play". The minus is that it's a 9mm forever. You can't part it out if you want to do something else.

Figuring out what you want is half the fun.

[Dolomite_supafly]

It was actually a Garrison manufacturing kit. I used a Hahn dedicated block. I took the barrel and thinned it to reduce the weight. I recently added a Ranier Arms tube/rail, MFT grip, an offbrand stock, offbrand AFG and a trigger kit. It used to wear a Kobra red dot but recently went back to Magpul Irons.

Before all the updates it had went through hell because we shot it all the time. It had a Hoge grip, UTG quad rails (which are pretty good BTW), several red dots and several stock. It also suffered a krylon paint job for the first 5 years we owned it. It also had a Magpul rifle length forearm stock set on it for a bit as well for a Dissipator look.

At one point it was a take down gun as well. It would all fit in a briefcase sized box.

Dolomite

Edited September 21, 2012 by Dolomite_supafly

[Dolomite_supafly]

I am building a 9mm Glock magazine-fed rifle, based on a DDLES lower. Everything I'm reading suggests they're as good as advertised. Now if they'll just get here already...

I've read a lot of unfavorable reviews about the Oly builds, though I have no personal experience. Keep in mind, there are a couple different options on 9mm builds.

1. Standard lower with 9mm magwell block.

2. CMMG/DDLES purpose build 9mm lowers (Colt style)

3. Oly Arms/Lone Wolf/DDLES purpose built 9mm lowers (Glock style)

You may be surprised, but buying a dedicated, purpose-built 9mm lower is roughly the same cost as a standard lower + magwell block. The plus is that there are no adjustments or potential frustration to start up. It's "plug and play". The minus is that it's a 9mm forever. You can't part it out if you want to do something else.

Figuring out what you want is half the fun.

The dedicated CMMG lowers are $155 (with deaer discount). The Hahn, which is the best, magblocks run $160-$200 not including the cost of the lower. There is a plastic magblock out there but not sure I would trust it just yet. I have a freind that has the CMMG dedicated and it runs like a champ.

I would go with a standard Colt pattern over anything else.

As far as parting it out it will never happen. They are great guns and that is why you don't even see a used one for sale. Once you shoot it a few times you realize it is a keeper.

Dolomite

[nightrunner]

Might look at thureon defense

[samson7x]

reviving this thread because Im almost ready to start ordering parts. Here is my list so let me know what you think:

CMMG dedicated lower - 175

CMMG enhanced bolt (uses 5.56 hammer) - 210

DPMS upper - 87

lower parts kit - 60

ADCO 6" barrel - 160

pistol buffer tube kit - 70

Freefloat rail - unsure yet

Total - $762 + shipping + $20 transfer fee

I'm not sure what buffer to use with 9mm? What spring?

Edited October 3, 2012 by samson7x

[atlas3025]

Definitely agree on avoiding the Oly.

I had short barrel Colt setup I used to run full auto on a registered lower. It was fun at first, but for whatever reason, I just got tired of shooting it. I used the aluminum mag block that goes in from the bottom and modified Uzi mags. It did run great, but I think the reason I got tired of it is because without handloading for it, it was impossible to get a round to stay subsonic through it. I ran my 9mm can on it and it was louder than any of my handguns...not sure why. I switched to 300 BLK for this reason. And it was heavy.

Not sure about a carbine length barrel (mine was 9 inch), but selling the thing was like trying to get rid of herpes.

[samson7x]

Well I started ordering a few parts so Ill begin my build within the next few months and will update as I go. I asked this question in another thread but how do you modify Uzi mags to work? I figured this might be the way to go since they are much cheaper.

[atlas3025]

You just cut a notch in the side of the uzi mag so that an AR mag catch will latch into it.

Take out your mag catch and run the uzi mag up into the magwell (with mag block installed) until it tops out on the ejector hook (part of the mag block), then you can mark on the magazine through the hole in the side of the lower where the mag catch would be. Then take the magazine back out and use a dremmel to open up a hole where you marked.

[samson7x]

You just cut a notch in the side of the uzi mag so that an AR mag catch will latch into it.

Take out your mag catch and run the uzi mag up into the magwell (with mag block installed) until it tops out on the ejector hook (part of the mag block), then you can mark on the magazine through the hole in the side of the lower where the mag catch would be. Then take the magazine back out and use a dremmel to open up a hole where you marked.

Seems simple enough. I found a youtube video on the subject as well. Thanks.