I just have a few specific questions that I've been wondering for a while, and never really got around to asking. I've looked at the AR platform for when I do get around to getting a rifle, but I haven't actually made the jump to it yet. Most of my experience has been with autoloader handguns.
1) Magazines and wildcat (or accepted, non-.223) cartridges: I've read several times on some cartridges "you can use standard AR magazines, but it will only hold X instead of 30". I find this a bit weird, mainly because I use pistols a lot, and if it fits in the same frame, it often needs magazines specifically for that caliber (i.e. 9mm vs. .40 S&W). So how is it that these rifle magazines work better, and would it work better if there was a magazine built specifically for that cartridge?
2) Adding a folding stock: I've seen a few models on the market of AR-style weapons that do not require the buffer tube, such as certain AR pistols or some of the newer guns that are coming out (many of them I believe look like ARs, but aren't quite exactly ARs). I've also seen the folding stock on the market that will work with a buffer tube, it just won't fire without the stock in place.
What I'm wondering is this: would it be possible (and if so, what would be required) to convert an AR from one that requires a buffer tube to one that does not, for the sake of either turning into a pistol or adding a folding stock?
3) What makes a gun an "AR" vs. "not an AR"? Kind of in-line with #2 above, but there are a lot of newer guns on the market that have similar ergonomics to ARs, albeit with some differences. I'm especially thinking of a lot of the newer 5.56 rifles on the market, such as SCAR, HK 416, SIG 556, etc. How does one determine whether or not such a weapon is close enough to classify as an AR?
1) Magazines and wildcat (or accepted, non-.223) cartridges: I've read several times on some cartridges "you can use standard AR magazines, but it will only hold X instead of 30". I find this a bit weird, mainly because I use pistols a lot, and if it fits in the same frame, it often needs magazines specifically for that caliber (i.e. 9mm vs. .40 S&W). So how is it that these rifle magazines work better, and would it work better if there was a magazine built specifically for that cartridge?
2) Adding a folding stock: I've seen a few models on the market of AR-style weapons that do not require the buffer tube, such as certain AR pistols or some of the newer guns that are coming out (many of them I believe look like ARs, but aren't quite exactly ARs). I've also seen the folding stock on the market that will work with a buffer tube, it just won't fire without the stock in place.
What I'm wondering is this: would it be possible (and if so, what would be required) to convert an AR from one that requires a buffer tube to one that does not, for the sake of either turning into a pistol or adding a folding stock?
3) What makes a gun an "AR" vs. "not an AR"? Kind of in-line with #2 above, but there are a lot of newer guns on the market that have similar ergonomics to ARs, albeit with some differences. I'm especially thinking of a lot of the newer 5.56 rifles on the market, such as SCAR, HK 416, SIG 556, etc. How does one determine whether or not such a weapon is close enough to classify as an AR?