Well guys and girls of course, i know theirs ladies out their that know just as much about guns as guys. anyway i have two questions first, about my new ar15 and another is about the best type of home/self defense to use for both uses. well my first question, iam just about done paying off my very first ar15 which is the bushmaster XM15 E2S M4 post ban with 16'' barrel instead of 14'' AND a collapsable telestock that only goes out so far for legel reasons but still is allowed to be a collapsable stock. it also has a mini Y comp muzzle break, well the question is... besides shooting .223 ammunition what other type of round can i put through my XM15E2S M4. i like the .223 but sometimes something bigger would be nice to shoot as well,maybe something like .bouwolf, .308 or something little bigger then .223 i still like .223 though. 2nd about the handgun i want to get next year iam 20 and will be 21 next year, and yea i know i have a year still ahead of me to be worrying about this but i want to get started cause it will take just about a year for ME to pick out my pistol and then get my liscense and be able to legally own my own handgun, as well as see if i can get my ccw permit if i can get one in new york state. but iam paralized from the waist down. i have full use of my hands arms and all upper body, so as for someone who would like to get himself a handgun for both fun at the range but deffinetly conceal carry if nessary i hope that never happens but if it does better safe then sorry. id like something a medium to small size handgun that can be nicely powerful. preferably .357, .38, 9mm, and my fav the .45 hollowpoints or regular .45 cal round.
2 questions 1st on my ar15 2nd on best home/self defense pistol
- Thread starter ny_vin18
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Lupinus
Member
Im not so sure you could do this. I know you can buy a 40 and for many weapons get a 9mm conversion for the barrel but aside from that I don't know. Esspecialy when you are talking a jump like that if you want .308 youd probably need an outright new receaver and everything and b ythe time you do all that you might as well get a second one. Though Im not extremely familer with the AR15 or conversions in general so I might just be wrong.
For the handgun you have a lot of good options. Do you want auto or a revolver? Me I personaly prefer autoloaders. I would look into a Springfield XD. It's a nice gun at a nice price and comes in a few different sizes depending on what you are after. They are based on wither 9mm 40 S&W and they also have some .357 sig.
They also have a model that comes in the 45 if thats what you really have your sights set on. For concealability having a wheel chair you jsut may be able to easily conceal a handgun much larger then most people.
XD comes in a sub compact model with a 3 inch barrel, service model that is a 4 inch barrel and also a larger five inch barrel tacticle. There is also a seperate model of the XP called the XD GAP that fires the .45GAP as apposed to the everpopular .45ACP though supposidly they have the same power according to ballistics but the GAP round is shorter then the ACP. The XD GAP comes in both 4 and 5 inch barrel modles.
Personaly I would go for the 9mm or 40 S&W but thats just me. Ammo probably easier to find/cheaper you get better magazine capacity and the gun itself is cheaper. Also if yo uget the 40 caliber ones you can buy a conversion kit for 9mm to my understanding.
http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-xdpstl-45gap.shtml
That'll take you right to the 45 to look at and from there you can compare it to the other XD modles.
tater_salad
Member
I believe with any AR variant rifle, you have to have it chambered in whatever caliber you are going to shoot. At very minimum, I believe you would need a new full upper receiver chambered in .308 to shoot that. (If that's the case, you can order one online pretty easy as the lower receiver is what's considered the actual firearm, so you don't have to deal w. a ffl dealer, etc.) With your current setup, you're restricted to .223 (or 5.56mm if you prefer).
+1 for the Springfield XD
I have a 9mm Service (4" barrel) and I find it to be a very nice piece. If I were to get one for CCW, I'd probably get a .40 subcompact and keep one compact magazine in the gun for concealment and one fullsize mag w/ sleeve on the side for a little higher round capacity. After all, if you need to blow through a full mag and reload another, concealment has pretty much sh-- the bed anyways, right? Another benefit to the XD .40 is you can get a conversion barrel to shoot 9mm for target practice to get used to shooting/lower target ammo costs, and then replace it with the .40 barrel and some good .40 JHP ammo for carry/SD. Just my .02 How do you like the Bushmaster btw, I hear they make pretty good AR variants.
+1 for the Springfield XD
I have a 9mm Service (4" barrel) and I find it to be a very nice piece. If I were to get one for CCW, I'd probably get a .40 subcompact and keep one compact magazine in the gun for concealment and one fullsize mag w/ sleeve on the side for a little higher round capacity. After all, if you need to blow through a full mag and reload another, concealment has pretty much sh-- the bed anyways, right? Another benefit to the XD .40 is you can get a conversion barrel to shoot 9mm for target practice to get used to shooting/lower target ammo costs, and then replace it with the .40 barrel and some good .40 JHP ammo for carry/SD. Just my .02 How do you like the Bushmaster btw, I hear they make pretty good AR variants.
I'm pretty sure to jump to .308 from .223 you'll also need a new lower. At the very least I don't believe the magazine wells on most .223 lowers will fit a .308 mag. If I'm not mistaken, Bushmaster is one of them.
You could get a .22 upper for your AR though.
As far as the sidearm is concerned ... read here a lot. There are enough different people around here so that you'll be abel to wade through brand loyalty to actually find out something more about a piece than what's popular. Sometimes, it's nice to know what other shooters like, but not nearly so useful as knowing why they like them. Try to learn to understand when you're simply looking at regurgitated marketing rhetoric.
Figure out how you might carry so you know what might work. Try to learn what other people shoot and why. Given your particular circumstances, you may find that you like a full size service pistol (or revolver) rather than what some may consider a "traditional" carry sidearm.
Then, when you have some ideas, try to find a range where they rent and go shooting. Shoot as many as you like/can. Find what fits right in your hand, you'll know it when you shoot it. While nice to have, contrary to popular belief you probably do not have to have a caliber that begins with a '4' either. If you find you can get 100% shot placement with a 9mm, and it drops to 60% with a .45, then get the nine. Shot placment and penetration come ahead of most other issues in calliber.
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You could get a .22 upper for your AR though.
As far as the sidearm is concerned ... read here a lot. There are enough different people around here so that you'll be abel to wade through brand loyalty to actually find out something more about a piece than what's popular. Sometimes, it's nice to know what other shooters like, but not nearly so useful as knowing why they like them. Try to learn to understand when you're simply looking at regurgitated marketing rhetoric.
Figure out how you might carry so you know what might work. Try to learn what other people shoot and why. Given your particular circumstances, you may find that you like a full size service pistol (or revolver) rather than what some may consider a "traditional" carry sidearm.
Then, when you have some ideas, try to find a range where they rent and go shooting. Shoot as many as you like/can. Find what fits right in your hand, you'll know it when you shoot it. While nice to have, contrary to popular belief you probably do not have to have a caliber that begins with a '4' either. If you find you can get 100% shot placement with a 9mm, and it drops to 60% with a .45, then get the nine. Shot placment and penetration come ahead of most other issues in calliber.
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grimlock
Member
The replies above are correct as to the AR. You can shoot .223 or 5.56 out of it now. If you want, you can buy a drop-in .22LR kit that replaces the bolt.
If you want something bigger, you can replace the upper receiver with one in 6.8 SPC or .50 Beowulf. These will still feed from magazines, and since the lower reciever is the registered item, you can order them over the internet to your door.
You could also get single-shot bolt action uppers in .50BMG and maybe .308/.30-06 if someone makes them.
As for the handgun, what you can conceal will depend greatly on where you're concealing it. If you're in a wheelchair, it should be pretty easy to have a bag in the seat with you that could conceal pretty much anything. Also, good luck getting a permit in NY.
If you want something bigger, you can replace the upper receiver with one in 6.8 SPC or .50 Beowulf. These will still feed from magazines, and since the lower reciever is the registered item, you can order them over the internet to your door.
You could also get single-shot bolt action uppers in .50BMG and maybe .308/.30-06 if someone makes them.
As for the handgun, what you can conceal will depend greatly on where you're concealing it. If you're in a wheelchair, it should be pretty easy to have a bag in the seat with you that could conceal pretty much anything. Also, good luck getting a permit in NY.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
You can buy a .50 Beowulf upper from Alexander Arms. The round is sized to fit in standard AR magazines.
If you are looking for something more like a .308, you could also get a 6.5mm Grendel upper from the same company, but you may need different magazines. It will work with your current lower, though. 6.5mm Grendel and 6.8mm SPC each have their advantages and disadvantages, though 6.8mm ammunition may be easier to come by.
http://www.alexanderarms.com/website/
AR with .50 Beowulf upper
If you are looking for something more like a .308, you could also get a 6.5mm Grendel upper from the same company, but you may need different magazines. It will work with your current lower, though. 6.5mm Grendel and 6.8mm SPC each have their advantages and disadvantages, though 6.8mm ammunition may be easier to come by.
http://www.alexanderarms.com/website/
AR with .50 Beowulf upper
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