What's that sticking out of the back of an AR-15 Pistol?

[Scradoozy]

Wasn't sure whether this belonged I in the handgun or long gun forum, but it is called a pistol right?
Please excuse my ignorance on this, but I have exactly zero experience with the AR and no close friends who own to ask without feeling bad for not already knowing.

Most, but not all, AR pistol pics I have seen have a tube sticking out of the back. I assume this is to allow the bolt to blow back? But you know what happens when you assume :-/. is this because of the fact that this is supposed to be a rifle but is in the form of a pistol?

Are the pics I see without this tube actually some other make? Not an AR? What are they?

I think they are cool and look like a fun range toy as well as a home defense tool, but as I said, exactly zero experience.

Again pardon my ignorance and any info on these weapons would be appreciated.
What are the guns I see without the tube?

[Guest 6.8 AR]

That's the buffer tube that holds the spring for the action to cycle. It's also what the stock hangs on

to on the rifle.

 

The ones you see without it have a different way to cycle the action. The AR pistol was designed off

of the AR15 platform. The others are designed from different and/or original purpose built platforms.

Quite a few of them around nowadays, You should shoot one, some time. I'd just as soon use mine as

a first line of defense for its compact and lethal package. It is essentiall a rifle without a stock and has

a smaller footprint. Obviously not a long range weapon, but what it is is a standoff weapon to get you

out of harm's way. At least that's the way I view it.

 

They are fun to shoot. :D Some can be quite loud, also.

Edited July 15, 2013 by 6.8 AR

[monkeylizard]

Just one example of one without the buffer tube is the Sig P556. It uses AR mags and .223/5.56 ammo, but its action is different so it doesn't use a buffer tube. Look closely at the main body of a P556 and a "normal" AR pistol and you'll see other differences besides the buffer tube.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Before I got a .223 pistol, was of the opinion that the buffer tube was not a good feature. Maybe sometime will get an additional rifle caliber pistol, but got a PLR-16 (which is a mutant action borrowing some features from AK) because it didn't have the buffer tube sticking out the back.

 

But some folks get use out of the buffer tube for "quasi-rifle" shooting stance, sighting with cheek laying on or close to the buffer tube. In retrospect after shooting my PLR-16 that sounds like a good thing, to have another option of shooting stances. I can hold the PLR-16 in a "quasi-rifle" stance, but without anything sticking out the back it is a wobbly, unsupported-feeling way to shoot the pistol.

[mikegideon]

To be clear, the buffer tube doesn't just hold the spring. The bolt carrier enters the tube when the action is cycling. If there wasn't a tube, the bolt carrier would have nowhere to go.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Now that's a good point . :D

[Scradoozy]

I suspected the bolt went back into the tube as in cycled. Just wanted to confirm.

On another topic I suppose, I have an AK47 with a thumb hole stock. Probably imported in the early 90's. Am I allowed To, legally, put a pistol grip stock/pistol grip only on this? I think I have read that it is legal but you have to put at least 6 US made parts on it if you make any mods at all, but it is confusing. Is that true?

This would give me the look of the AR pistol with a lesser amount of cash.

It is still fun to shoot as is, but it could use some updating. Edited July 15, 2013 by Scradoozy

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Probably not, but why waste such a good shooting piece of Russian heritage? Find a cheap lower, cheap short barrel

and other associated cheap parts. You'd be surprised how cheaply they can be made. I remember the flak I got mentioning

my AR pistols in the past. They seem to be gaining a little traction as far as popularity goes. They are convenient for us

folks who sometimes want to play, and can't hold a rifle up for very long. :D

[Scradoozy]

How cheaply could an AK " kit" be put together? I thought the days of the AK build party's were pretty much over because the guns could be purchased for about what they could be built for, or less.

Just need to figure out how I want to go about this. If I can change the stock and foregrip on my current AK to a synthetic, legally, I think that's what I will do. Really just need to find out if its legal.

Maybe I need to start a new thread to find out where to look.

[Oh Shoot]

....
Just need to figure out how I want to go about this. If I can change the stock and foregrip on my current AK to a synthetic, legally, I think that's what I will do. Really just need to find out if its legal.

 

I don't claim 922r expertise, but whatever you do to conform to that, the firearm must still remain with a 16" or more barrel and a legal overall length of 26" or more. Otherwise you will have made an illegal SBR (since you can't make a legal pistol out of a firearm that began life as a rifle).

 

- OS

Edited July 22, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[monkeylizard]

What OS said. If you want to change your furniture on your AK rifle and keep it a rifle that's not an SBR (change your 90's AWB workaround rifle into one that looks like a regular AK), then look at the rules for 922r. X# of US made parts. Plenty of threads here and on other forums about the most convenient parts to change out. It may already be 922r compliant, but had the thumbhole stock to not run afoul of the old AWB.

 

If you want to change your AK rifle into an AK pistol, I don't think there's a legal way to do that.

Edited July 22, 2013 by monkeylizard

[SupaRice]

:pleased:   Like this....

 

[Oh Shoot]

...

If you want to change your AK rifle into an AK pistol, I don't think there's a legal way to do that.

 

Correct. You could only change it to a Short Barreled Rifle with a tax stamp -- you could then configure it as pistol, though it would still legally be a rifle regardless of what it wound up looking like.

 

The simple way to get an AK pistol is to buy a Draco or whatever similar is out there.

 

 

 

- OS

Edited July 22, 2013 by Oh Shoot