Ar-15 9mm For Three-gun?

[surfmaster]

Is the 9mm AR-15 legal for three-gun competition?

Also, my same 9mm AR-15 isn't a flat top and I want to mount a red-dot scope. I know it's a disadvantage to mount the scope on top of the carry handle since close-range shots will hit higher than say, 25 to 50 yard, shooting. Are the tactical mounts that mount over the carry handle and extend over the handguards a recommended option? Thanks in advance for your comments.

[Garrett]

Sure 9mm is legal. It's not done much at the big matches because the range is limited. However, pistol calibers are a viable option for matches that have short bays. Just be sure that your ammo makes minor.

[Clay1]

What is minor for a rifle for a PF?

[Matt Cheely]

What is minor for a rifle for a PF?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

150 i believe ?

[Clay1]

If it is 150 that ought to be easy enough to make. 9mm factory Blazer makes 140 out of my 34. Put that same stuff down a 16" barrel and I would think that it would make it easily.

One of these days I am going to have to own an AR.

[Carlos]

THere are threads on this if you use the search function; I bought a 9mm Colt upper & as long as: 1) the shots are not over 75 -100 yards and 2) you really really know your gun & where it hits at distance, then its viable. I do not think its an advantage though - at least not my 9mm AR.

[kellyn]

Just get a .223 AR from Bennie Hill or JP, it will be much easier in the long run. I would not put any $$ in trying to make a 9mm competitive.

Check on Bennie Cooley's BC-Cam at Benniecooley.com for your dot mounting issue.

[surfmaster]

I appreciate all the information. First off, I'm glad the 9mm AR-15 is legals. Glad someone asked about the minor powerfactor for a rifle (150); I thought it was the same as the pistol minor (125).

Anyway, the reason I'm asking about the 9mm AR-15 is that we shoot in Hawaii, which has a 10-round magazine limit despite the lifting of the magazined capacity limit law. This means if you have a .223 AR-15, you can only load 10 rounds and have to do constant magazine changes. With the 9mm AR-15, it's legal to load more than 10-rounds, giving the user a tremendous advantage. In addition, we're shooting no farther than 40 to 50 yards so I think the 9mm would be an advantage.

Based on this information, it seems like it would be feasible to enhance my 9mm AR-15. Does anyone have any experience with the scope mounts that mount over the carry handle, with the scope being mounted over the handguard? Thanks.

[Garrett]

...we shoot in Hawaii, which has a 10-round magazine limit despite the lifting of the magazined capacity limit law. This means if you have a .223 AR-15, you can only load 10 rounds and have to do constant magazine changes. With the 9mm AR-15, it's legal to load more than 10-rounds, giving the user a tremendous advantage.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How does that work? I was always under the impression that you were limited to 10 rounds in any gun in Hawaii.

If >10 mags are okay in "pistol calibers", you might take a look at the Mech-Tech carbine uppers for a Glock or 1911 pistol. It would probably be a lower cost option than a 9mm upper for an AR15. Also, you would already have the mags & pouches, and the mag changes are easier than on an AR.

[surfmaster]

...we shoot in Hawaii, which has a 10-round magazine limit despite the lifting of the magazined capacity limit law. This means if you have a .223 AR-15, you can only load 10 rounds and have to do constant magazine changes. With the 9mm AR-15, it's legal to load more than 10-rounds, giving the user a tremendous advantage.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How does that work? I was always under the impression that you were limited to 10 rounds in any gun in Hawaii.

If >10 mags are okay in "pistol calibers", you might take a look at the Mech-Tech carbine uppers for a Glock or 1911 pistol. It would probably be a lower cost option than a 9mm upper for an AR15. Also, you would already have the mags & pouches, and the mag changes are easier than on an AR.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are generally limited to 10-rounds for both pistols and rifles in Hawaii. However, one of the few exceptions is the 9mm AR-15 because the magazines for that rifle do not fit in any handgun, so we're allowed to have those that hold over 10-rounds. This is a really cool exception that allows us to use 32-round magazines, which is a tremendous advantage. Those with .223 AR-15s are limited to loading 10 in the magazine because there's an AR-15 pistol that can use the same magazines, making anything over 10 illegal.

Thanks for letting me know about the Mech-Tech carbines. I've seen someone use them at a match. I'll look into them.

[Badkarma]

Mech-tech uses pistol magazines... so you're limited to 10 in Hawaii.

[Sterling White]

Someone in your group should put out an interest announcement for a match and see how many gunners from the States would respond. It might spark enough interest during the winter months to get a pretty good turnout. I'm not sure about getting pistols and mags into the State!? BErs vacation in paradise!

[Garrett]

You are generally limited to 10-rounds for both pistols and rifles in Hawaii. However, one of the few exceptions is the 9mm AR-15 because the magazines for that rifle do not fit in any handgun, so we're allowed to have those that hold over 10-rounds... Those with .223 AR-15s are limited to loading 10 in the magazine because there's an AR-15 pistol that can use the same magazines, making anything over 10 illegal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have been thinking about this a bit. How exactly does the HI mag ban work? Do they ban any +10 round mag that can be used in a pistol? But any rifle mag is okay, as long as there is not a pistol that can use it?

The problem with a 9mm AR (if I understand everything correctly), is that your mags would become illegal if someone were to produce a 9mm pistol version of that gun. Or any pistol for that matter, as long as it could use Colt 9mm mags.

I'm sure that there have already been 9mm pistols built by individuals using a virgin AR15 receiver before.

What about other rifles that have mags that fit no pistol? I don't believe there is a pistol version of the Mini-14 (less expensive than a Colt 9mm). What about the semi-auto Styr AUG? (More expensive) Would these be legal to use with big mags?

How about semi-auto versons of the BAR and BREN? (can anyone say Heavy-Metal?) While both much more expensive than a Colt 9mm, I believe I'm quite safe in stating that there is no pistol that uses BAR or BREN mags.

One other thought. If Colt 9mm mags are legal in HI, can you use a Beta-C mag with a Colt tower? You'd never have to reload then.

[SinistralRifleman]

Individuals are already producing 9mm AR pistols from kits...take a look on AR15.com