AR-15 pistols certainly aren’t new, but we’ve seen an explosion in the platform over the past two years. A combination of new product designs and some favorable opinions from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms have propelled these firearms into mainstream use.

Depending on your requirements, an AR-type pistol platform may be a great solution for you. Let’s consider pros and cons between the traditional AR-15 rifle and the AR-15 pistol.

Portability and Maneuverability

One benefit of the standard AR-15 platform is the use of an adjustable stock. While all rifles don’t have that feature, you can consider it “standard” as most come with that configuration. If yours doesn’t have one, it’s simple and inexpensive to add.

While handy, and light as far as rifles go, this is not "small" especially for indoor use.
While handy, and light as far as rifles go, this is not “small” especially for indoor use.

By definition, a rifle must have at least a 16-inch barrel. Add to that about eight inches for the receiver, so no matter what you do with the stock, you’re looking at 24 inches of minimum overall length. Most collapsible stocks are about 7 ½ inches long when fully collapsed. If the muzzle device isn’t permanently affixed, you’ll need to add another two inches, give or take, because a removable brake or flash hider doesn’t count as part of that 16-inch barrel length. If you total all that up, you get a minimum overall rifle length of about 34 inches in its most compact form. When the stock is full extended, add about four more inches.

Read the rest: Should You Choose an AR-15 Rifle or Pistol? | OutdoorHub