E-Mail 'Brace Yourself: A Game Changer for American Shooters' To A Friend

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1. I am making good use of them too, the ak pistol and and ten inch ar is now a useful weapons now being able to shoulder them now for a solid hold.

2. I’ve never had the slightest interest in these, I don’t see me ever having are practical use for one. A standard m4 is plenty compact enough.

   1. Can’t say I have much interest in them myself. Always struck me as more of a niche item. Each their own though.

   2. Have you ever handled or shot a short barreled AR/M4? They’re pretty slick. Once you get used to one a 16” AR feels like a Kentucky rifle in close quarters. Rounds like the .300 Blackout don’t really give up any ballistics out of a short barrel, either. A 9” or 10” AR is a VERY handy and versatile little gun.

      1. Since I use KY rifles on a regular basis with barrels up to 50 ” long I find any rifle with a barrel shorter than 30″ to be on the stumpy side. My AR15 Armalite national match with it’s 20″ bull barrel seems ridiculously tiny. I do have a couple M4’s with 16″ barrels but rarely have any desire to shoot them, my KY rifles are just as accurate at 100 yards….but somewhat slower on a follow up shot!

3. I generally carry a M1911 in a hip holster when hiking or riding in the wilderness. Attaching a brace prior to use makes the holster unusable, and attaching it while under attack is unlikely. Also, if the threat is far enough away that I would need the extra stability of a brace, I am probably far enough away that I can avoid the encounter. If there is a known threat in the area, I will either avoid it or carry a rifle in addition to the pistol. Sporting use of a brace seems to be the main reason someone would want one.

4. I think some of the folks commenting here are missing the point. It isn’t so much that adding a brace to your carry pistol is a great idea. It’s that you can use a brace to build a rifle-based “pistol” that’s functionally identical to a short barreled rifle (SBR), legally, while avoiding the cost, hassle, and restrictions of going the NFA tax stamp route. A short barreled rifle or carbine has great merit as a defensive or utility gun so a similarly configured braced pistol is also very useful. Not to mention that the gun remains legally a pistol so it can be carried and used in a lot of situations where a rifle legally couldn’t be.

5. Generally speaking, my accuracy improves with barrel length when other factors are similar. Looking forward to using my 8.5″ barrel quiet 300 AAC Blackout. Like the Physics brainiacs tell us, “Velocity is fast, but Mass kicks ***.”

   The 220 grain slug out of the 300AAC at 900FPS will take care of many things.

   And having much practice clearing rooms with my M4gery, I recommend much shorter barrel if you can afford one. My full upper was only 275 bucks with BCG and CH at Palmetto State Armory.

   1. What about a 230 grain slug coming out of a 5″ 1911? How is that any different than the 300blk, save for the more compact pistol package?

      1. Terminal ballistics *might* be comparable between subsonic .300BLK and .45 ACP (“might” because I’m simply not sure. Never looked it up). But most of the advantage would be in the fact that an AR-type gun has a standard mag capacity of 30 rounds while the 1911 is 7-8 rounds or so. That’s a big difference in onboard firepower. Also, the ability to shoulder the braced AR pistol and the fact that it has a fore end for an additional point of contact, plus the ability to easily mount optics or at least have a much longer sight radius, all add up to potential for much greater accuracy, especially at longer ranges.
         Nothing wrong at all with a 1911 or any other carry pistol. They’re great for carrying around all day either concealed or just for general purpose. But if I found myself in a bad situation I’d take a fighting rifle (or rifle-based, braced “pistol) every time. As it stands, I’ll take both

         1. Comparing a 300 Blackout subsonic round to a .45 ACP round is like comparing a 1lb rock to a 1lb spear. The BC or ballistic coefficient (the ability to overcome air resistance in flight) is completely different between these rounds. Sure, at the muzzle, these rounds are similar, but when was the last time you walked up to a deer and shot it “Richard Kuklinski” style (look it up)? A 225gr 300 BLK OTM has a BC of .629 while a Buffalo Bore 230 gr HP has a BC of .143 (in this case higher # is better).

            What does this mean? At 50 yards, a 300 Blackout bullet will have lost 15 fps, while a .45 acp will have lost 64 fps, which is a little over 4x the velocity loss. At 100 yards a 300 Blackout bullet will have lost 28 fps while a .45acp will have lost 114 fps.

            While I agree that a subsonic 300 Blackout round might not be ideal for large game, saying that it is comparable to a pistol round is just not true.

      2. Richard Hertz, that is a great question. I like my 1911 and have animated discussions with friends who are instructors and experts with various 9mms. I point out my Army heritage education from soldiers who prefer the .45 caliber in all wars and insurgencies from 1860’s through the 1980’s, over anything smaller. I prioritize the judgement of those old combat survivors as higher level expertise.

         Yes, more rounds is the bottom line. But with the .300 AAC you have more choice in types of rounds as well. And the trunk monkey concept applies. Or backpack monkey. And like I said, longer barrels give me more accuracy which also means better effects at further distance for me.

         I have qualified expert on Army pistol ranges with both the M9 and 1911, and rifle as well, back in the day. If you only have a pistol it becomes your primary. While my 1911 (8 plus 1) might be my primary in an emergency situation, it would be a backup in it’s holster if I have time to grab a .300 or 5.56.

         The 9mm is a good functional gun and round, but remember the advice of those who have been there: an enemy perforated full of holes can still kill you before he dies. Even way back in the fighting with the Moro tribes, our grunts were pretty angry about the weapons they had to use, if they had less grains of lead than a .45. And slow 220 grains is better than hypersonic 55 or 62 grains from an M4gery at distance below 200 yards, speaking for me alone.

6. I think an Auto Ordnance 1927A5 would make a great candidate for an “arm brace”. Anything in the regulations say a brace can’t be made of wood?

   1. I built a 10.5″ barrel .300 blackout pistol with an arm brace early last year, thinking I would use it with a suppressor once they no longer required the tax stamp. That didn’t quite work out as planned, but even without a suppressor, it sure is a sweet-shooting little gun, especially with the 220 grain ammo. Far easier to get rapid hits on targets at 50 and 100 yards than with a Glock.

      When I travel across state lines, I no longer have to take a rifle in a locked case in a separate compartment of my vehicle. The .300 blackout with an arm brace serves the purpose just a well and is legal to have in my back seat, even if it is hidden under a blanket — at least as long as I stay out of places like Maryland and New Jersey (which is just good common sense for a gun owner in any case).

      I agree with Jim — get your arm brace(s) while you can. SB Tactical reportedly has a six-week or longer backlog when dealers place orders.

   2. Sadly, each new brace design must be submitted to the ATF for approval.

7. A government big enough to give you anything you want is also big enough to take away everything you have – Thomas Jefferson. A few more “school shootings” and these will go bye-bye, along with the Mossberg “shockwave” shotgun/handgun and its Remington equivalent. Why buy and use something which puts you on the Leviathan’s radar?
   Hard times are coming, with more SJW-COSMIC WHITE MILLENIALS reaching eighteen and registering to vote. POTUS has bought us a little time, but my focus is on standard defensive-caliber firearms used by the police and the military. And, I never display or use them in front of others. Sub-caliber practice, gray-man tactics, and a taciturn demeanor will serve you greatly. Think about it, my friends. The armies of darkness are getting stronger; even(to my great disappointment) here in North Idaho. Bleib ubrig.

   1. My freedom with firearms legally purchased will not be determined by a criminals misuse of such. Should we turn in our vehicles because a terrorist ran down people on a bike path ?. The last assault weapons ban from 1994 to 2004 was a cosmetic ban on features and a 10 round limit on future magazines built. I say by all the legal arms you want and stack deep the magazines.

8. As Jeff Cooper and many other tac savvy people have noted a pistol is what you use to fight your way to your rifle. I would much rather face 5 guys aremed with only pistols than 5 guys with rifles/ Carbines. Another use that the pistol brace “ carbine “ is it packs much easier into the BOB pack due to the shorter length. My .300 BLK upper/pistol brace lower tapes out at 27.5 inches. This is very compact so putting in your pack is very discreet when you want to maintain a low Grey man profile.

9. My freedom with firearms legally purchased will not be determined by a criminals misuse of such. Should we turn in our vehicles because a terrorist ran down people on a bike path ?. The last assault weapons ban from 1994 to 2004 was a cosmetic ban on features and a 10 round limit on future magazines built. I say by all the legal arms you want and stack deep the magazines.

10. I too jumped on the AR pistol bandwagon.
    After several builds I have a few favorites
    5.56mm with a 10.5″ barrel. 5.56mm ammunition looses power rapidly with decrease in barrel length.
    http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/2011graphs+/223ME.html
    Hornady even came out with SBR specific 5.56mm ammunition and recommends it with 10.5″-11.5″ barrels
    https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/5.56-nato-75-gr-interlock-hd-sbr-black#!/

    Sig Sauer MCX “Rattler” .300 blackout with 5.5″ barrel.
    .300 blackout was developed to achieve full power in an 8.5″ barrel, and we have an .300 AR in the 8.5″ length with the very compact Maxim defense brace which we like VERY much, but when the Sig Rattler was it became the game changer. The Sig MCX Rattler is a ready made “anti – terrorist/ anti-active shooter” package which could/should be discretely deployed at churches and schools and other places of lawful assembly across the country by responsible citizens and law enforcement.
    If I understand correctly, .300 blackout supersonic ammunition from the short 5.5″ Sig barrel slightly exceeds ft lbs of energy of the 44 magnum of the same barrel length, but in a much more controlable package, with 30 rounds of semi auto as a standard load.

    Actually we have switched over to the Lancer 20 round magazines for the AR SB brace pistols for the first loaded magazine to make the firearm more compact and easier to maneuver in tight confines. follow up mags in pouches and bags are 30’s but the “carry mag” is a Lancer 20.
    We have AFGs and WML type 400 lumen lights mounted on these. optics are either the Sig Romeo 5 red dot on the shorter ones, or the Primary Arms 2.5 ACSS fixed power compact CQB optic on the 10.5″.
    The 10.5″s also get backed up with “fixed” 45 degree offset sights, as proven to be faster to transition too than “flip ups”.

    If I add another type in this category; I agree w/ JWR about chambering one in a heavy cartridge .450 bushmaster (or .458 SOCOM) for predator protection; and would set it up short and discreet with a 7.5″ barrel, short under 2″ muzzle devise and use the durable twin steel rail pistol brace by either Maxim Defense or SB PDW brace.

    What I would also REALLY like to see is one chambered in 2.5″ .410 gauge 000 buckshot and slug loads.

11. 10.5″ 5.56 ARs good for suppressor. No suppressor, then move to 11.5-12.5″ for reliability. For instance, BCM only runs 11.5″ or greater due to reliability reasons. Personally, I think 12.5″ is the minimum that makes sense for 5.56.

    BUT to note short barrel 5.56 guns put much more wear and tear on your suppressor than do longer barrels. In this light, sub 10″ 9mm is probably the best option, sub 12″ then 300 blk, sub 14″ then 7.62×39, 14″+ (or sub 16″) then 5.56, and 16″+ .308. Both from blast and flash and cartridge ballistics out of respective barrel lengths.

    300 BLK is good for short barrel ARs, but there’s also substantial risk for Kaboom… If wanting subsonic for primary use, I REALLY think that 9mm makes the most sense. Better peforming projectiles at subsonic speed, and weight per cartridge of 9mm is less than .300 blk. Supersonic short barrel, .300 blk is the clear winner, but again Kaboom. At 12″+ 7.62×39 actually performs well and much cheaper per round than .300 blk. And much less risk of 5.56 and 7.62×39 mixup kabooms…

    Suarez is a joke. He looks for niches to make $ first and foremost and sells the “latest and greatest” as defined by his profit margins/what he can sell to his fans. Also a lot of reports of unprofessional conduct, both as a cop and w/ his current business.

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