Editor’s Introductory Note: I am belatedly posting the following article that was submitted to SurvivalBlog back in August of 2021. I held off running it because at the time the owners of arm-braced pistols were in legal limbo. But as of January 15, 2025, the BATF has finally conceded to the Fifth Circuit Court’s November 8, 2023 nationwide injunction of not enforcing their on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again ban on arm-braced pistols. That was reinforced by an Eighth Circuit Court decision in August, 2024 that called the ATF’s ban “arbitrary and capricious.”
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I refer to myself as a Semi-Prepper because I live in a Homeowners Association (HOA) governed neighborhood in a small college town adjacent to a large Southern City. I’m 75 years old and I just can’t see myself becoming completely self-sufficient. I honestly feel that as a nation we are now living in “la-la land.” I spend a lot of time reading about history and the failures of leadership, empires, and countries.
Some historians will tell you the flourishing life of an empire is about 240 years, many disagree. Do the math since 1776. While I have to admit the history of the United States is filled with many problems, we were on the right side of fixing our problems. I don’t think we are going in that direction right now. If we keep going this way we will be gone in 200 years.
Think of our recent wars:
- Korea: Prior to the North Korean invasion, Dean Acheson, the US Secretary of State at that time stated Korea was not part of our sphere or zone of influence. That was a green light to the North Koreans to attack. He was the top guy in the State Department and a very idiotic thinker, everybody loved him.
- Vietnam: It was covered up as we knew Diem was corrupt and worked to destroy the Buddhists. LBJ kept going as he wanted to win reelection and McNamara knew it was a hopeless cause early on but kept lying.
- Somalia: I knew we were in trouble when Clinton said on television that we were going to bring democracy to Somalia. They are clan oriented, can’t read or write and Clinton should be in jail.
- Afghanistan: Very tribal. The British learned this in the late 1840’s. Presidents should read more history and hire anthropologists. Bush should be in jail, Cheney should get worse for the Iraq WMDs.
I feel therefore I should be prepared for some kind of failure in the USA. So here is another practical article about firearms.
My previous article was about using a red dot sight with a pistol. For those of you not at 75 years old, believe me that your shooting skills do degrade as you age. Looking for something to improve my accuracy with a pistol I proceeded to get a pistol with stabilizing brace.
At left is a picture of the firearm I’m discussing now. It is a legal AR pistol with a pistol brace. It has flip up sights, a red dot sight and a 3x magnifier. It is a 9mm that takes Glock magazines. In the photo, the protective shield is off the red dot, as I was cleaning it. The gun is an Angstadt Arms UDP-9. I added a red dot sight, Sightmark magnifier and the flip up sights. I picked this because I hurt my shoulders a few years ago exercising (my friend who is 74 asked his Doctor what he should be exercising with his arms and shoulders and the doctor replied: hefting small tuna fish cans.) Old guys deteriorate quickly. He went to a rehab shop and I just waited til it didn’t hurt anymore. His still does. Sooo, sometimes now I cannot use my left arm properly and I like a longer sight radius. (More about that later).
The Pistol’s Dimensions: 9-3/4 inches high, 21-3/4 inches long (or 26-5/8in with brace extended) and 2-1/2 inches wide. But it is 4 inches wide if Sightmark magnifier is folded off to the right as firearm is pointed. Attached to the Picatinny rail, the magnifier can be flipped off to the side away from the sight picture, it is easy to install and use. At further distances, that is what I need. The total weight is 6 pounds.
Comments about the braced pistol
[In 2021] the ATF closed the period for comments their latest proposal to harass legal firearm owners using pistol braces. I have read their entire proposal. To me it reads like they are trying to make law (which in this case only Congress can do that) and in the end they are going to try to reclassify braced firearms (legal for years) into short0barreled rifles (SBRs). And their rationale? Who knows? An SBR requires an additional $200 and about a year waiting time for ATF approval. The ATF is not specific; their proposal basically says “We’ll know it when we see it.” I’ve tried to find a country but I think the US is the only country in the world with the SBR restriction. Typical US government overreach. I predict that the attacks on legal gun owners will continue.
The components
The gun is an Angstadt Arms UDP-9 with a lot of upgrades. The receiver is made from 7075 aluminum and takes Glock magazines. The magazine release is bigger and easier to use than most ARs.
The forward lower grip is M-LOK AFG – Angled Fore Grip, the flip-up sights (Magpul MBUS) and the pistol grip (Magpul).
The brace is an SB Tactical SBA3 pistol brace.
The red dot sight is a Burris Fast Fire 3 with Strike Industries mount to the Picatinny rail. The Burris mount is okay but it’s just a nut to turn to tighten while the Strike Industries is a screw that can be easily tightened, much easier to use and holds zero quite well. To turn on the red dot, I have to use my left hand index fingernail. It is sometimes difficult to turn on because it’s recessed and difficult to reach (I should keep my fingernail longer so that I can turn it on.). It comes with a protective cover that works well. It turns off after 9 hours. It will run on 1 battery for 5,000 hours. In addition, it has 4 adjustments that take place as you keep clicking the “on” button. It used to go from larger to smaller then off. The first one, after a few seconds goes from larger to a light adjusted size. Also, it does not hold the adjustment it was last on, you have to turn it on and select the size of the red dot. A benefit is that an extra battery can be stored in the sight.
The Sightmark 3x magnifier comes with a quick disconnect so it can be removed from the Picatinny rail easily. Left on the rail while I am holding the pistol, it can easily be rotated off to the side if I don’t want to use the magnifier.
The ambidextrous safety selector and charging handle are from Radian Weapons.
The trigger is a CMC. The trigger pull is 3.0 lbs. I never gave any thought to triggers before as I use the factory triggers but this CMC trigger has made my accuracy much better.
I had never given much thought to “improving” selector switches, takedown pins, triggers, etc. But I now realize their benefit. They are worthwhile.
Sight radius: Sight radius is defined as the distance from the rear to front sight. This does not apply to the red dot but if you have to go to ”iron sights”, the sight radius is much larger for the braced pistol than for a standard pistol. For example, the full-sized Springfield XD I have is 5-1/2 inches. For the braced pistol it is just less than 9 inches. Why am I concerned? The red dot is battery-operated. Ask the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan how many batteries they carried. I believe there might be a time when I must be prepared for no batteries.
With no batteries (and thus no functioning red dot), I will have to rely on the “iron sights’, note: Magpul sights are very sturdy plastic and metal.
So, how does it shoot with iron sights and the red dot? How is accuracy affected? Remember, if you’re shooting with both hands you will be more accurate if your hands are not close together (as with a pistol). Thus, with the braced pistol, my hands are much farther away from each other than with a pistol when shooting with both hands. With one hand my shooting is a lot worse than with two hands or using one hand and leaning on a support.
A slight deviation in aim for a pistol may mean the shot will be missed but with the same deviation of the braced pistol the shot will hit closer to the target. This is one reason why Col Jeff Cooper wrote: “…a pistol is what you use to get to your rifle”. The photo at right shows 5 bullet holes together below the bullseye. Using the red dot, shooting was at 25 yards with me sitting at a target stand, 5 rounds. The photo at left shows results using the red dot and standing at 25 yards, using just my right arm and leaning my shoulder against a vertical support, about 7 bullets.
Using the iron sights my accuracy was less in both cases.
I used Federal 9mm 95 grain Jacketed Solid Point; these are like semi-wadcutters which I purchased at a gun show several years ago. I cannot find them anywhere now. The cartridge is copper-clad with lead inside, the outside serrations are what you will find on Jacketed Hollow Point self-defense rounds.
Generally, wadcutters are more accurate than hollow point or target ammunition. I don’t think Federal makes 9mm wadcutters anymore as they are not shown on their website. Wadcutters are good for determining accuracy of the firearm but not for personal protection.
As things heat up, I’ve given thought to getting a sling bag to carry the braced pistol. But times will have to get a lot hotter i.e. The End Of The World As We Know It. The braced pistol will comfortably and discreetly fit in a sling bag.
God bless you. Pray to the Lord for guidance.