with the ar-15 commonly described as america's rifle the most recently introduced pistol variant of the iconic firearm is rapidly gaining attention making selecting a good one from the now crowded field a challenge ar pistols excel in home.

Defense situations truck gun use competition shooting and backpack guns for hiking or hunting this is because of their compact size low weight durability and ease of use pistol ars give you more mobility a lighter package and an arguably more capable close quarters platform.

Than most traditional ar rifles unlike short barreled rifles ar pistols are not subject to nfa regulation though there are additional restrictions to remember when building a pistol for example ar-15s cannot feature a rifle stock or vertical grip but a pistol brace may.

Be used for additional support with the user's dominant arm otherwise ar pistols are extremely compatible with standard ar-15 parts and components but with so many products available and at such polarizing price points separating the good from the bad is no mean feat.

Luckily we put together a list of the best ar pistols including our top picks from most popular brands there's no single best option so what you want will depend on how you intend to use the gun your budget and what you're ultimately looking for in your new pistol.

The protector arp from wilson combat has been designed from the ground up to offer peerless performance in a portable durable ar pistol package at the heart of every protector is our wilson combat match grade precision button rifled barrel renowned in the firearms community as one of the most accurate barrels on the market.

Mated to a black nitride treated mil-spec bolt carrier for a lifetime of high performance using a cnc machined mil-spec forged upper and integral trigger guard lower receivers the protector series ar carbines and pistols are lightweight and fast handling.

Wilson combat match grade precision button rifled stainless steel barrels are tested for accuracy and finished off with our q-comp muzzle device that provides excellent flash suppression and recoil control without exacerbating blast back to the operator.

The wilson combat exclusive two-stage tactical trigger unit is utilized for a trouble-free superior crisp trigger pull every time with a modular construction that simplifies takedown and cleaning after high round count training sessions ergonomic comfort features like our wilson combat bcm pistol grip.

And ghw tail hook adjustable arm brace complete this high-performing package that is optimized to maximum performance for self-defense or tactical applications in the smallest package while maintaining excellent reliability  available in 556 nato 300 blackout.

Are the hard-hitting 300 hammer calibers the protector will become your top choice when effective self-defense is a top priority this is the faxon bantam a nine millimeter pistol caliber carbine available in 16-inch rifle and ten and a half inch pistol configurations as part of faxon's first line the bantam.

Is feature packed while maintaining great value for the shooter the bantam is easily upgradeable but you'll never be unsatisfied with the heart of the gun making it the perfect choice for a first time pcc buyer each configuration features our classic nitrided.

Nine millimeter pcc barrel enhanced forged receiver set with tensioning screw last round bolt hold open faxxon second generation nine millimeter bolt carrier group m lock aluminum handguard and glock magazine compatibility this is the bantam series of nine.

Millimeter pcc's backed by faxon's lifetime guarantee introducing the arrow precision epc-9 the epc or enhanced pistol caliber is designed to change the landscape of the pcc market engineered from the ground up this product line was built on the foundation of superior american quality and.

Precision manufacturing you have come to expect from all aero precision parts and components the epc is compatible with glock magazines and features of flared mag weld integrated trigger guard threaded bolt catch and patented last round bolt hold open functionality.

The platform is designed with a minimal amount of proprietary parts giving complete power and control to the builder standard compatibility with ar15 and many ar9 parts gives you the freedom to build exactly to your specific needs available as individual components or.

Complete assemblies the epc is here to meet the demands of your next pistol caliber build today i'm here to talk to you about the mark 18. the mark 18 comes in many different configurations and in front of us we have a couple of the options up front here we have our mark 18 pistol in black it's.

Going to ship with our sba 3 brace in the back we have the mark 18 black with lock tactical folding adapter as well as the sob brace these two configurations can be purchased without having to file for an nfa tax stamp and are a great option for you guys that.

Want to get into the nfa game but don't want to wait in my left hand here i have the mark 18 sbr the mark 18 sbr is of course an sbr or short barrel rifle and does require an nfa tax stamp all of these configurations are going to come standard with a daily fence flash hider.

As well as a 10.3 inch barrel and a carbine length gas system they will all ship with a daniel defense 32 round magazine as well as an ambidextrous selector lever and daniel the fence rubber over molded furniture the mark 18 has been utilized around the globe by enablers and.

Assaulters alike and is one of the most popular firearms on the commercial market for us today in the pistol configuration that is mostly due to the fact that is a short barreled pistol or rifle and also the ridge2 rail system which is found on the m4a1 just in a.

Shorter configuration still is durable still is reliable and overall just a fantastic rifle i can guarantee you will have more fun with this gun than any other gun in your gun safe what i've got right here the sig mcx vertice this is not just another ar-15 in fact.

This is not an ar-15 this is the perfect rifle our engineers have been working a long time with operators throughout the land to develop the perfect rifle and here it is right here the sig mcx vertice specifically this one is the mcx vertice patrol.

And this is a 16 inch gun available in 5.56 or 300 blackout a lot of special features on this gun that i want to get to a lot of talking points let's start right back here on the tail end of the gun how about that right there while this gun is fully functional with.

Their side folded stock folded up that is very unique so there's obviously no buffer tube on the back of this gun fully operational like this in fact with it closed up i still have complete use of all my controls and not only is it a side folder but it is also a five position stock so.

You can adjust your length of pull so that is really cool gonna come with a lancer smoke magazine and it is somewhat transparent so you can see how many rounds you have in that magazine nice feature let's move up the gun a little bit right here ambidextrous charging handle.

That's our charging handle a little gas buster design right there feels real nice nice smooth operation of that charging handle i want to kind of fast forward to my favorite part and what i appreciate on any nice gun and that's going to be the trigger this trigger right here wow i'll tell you what nice slick.

Trigger feels really really nice that trigger right there that is our proprietary design that is our match light duo trigger so a light trigger nice finish on it make it real smooth and duo obviously that means it's a two-stage trigger what a dream to shoot this gun.

With that trigger i'm looking right here and i see multi-cal why multi-cal because the sig mcx is a complete versatile system and you user can actually swap out calibers from that 300 to 556 which is really nice with that being said this is the patrol this is the full length version.

You can also get this in a sbr short barrel rifle configuration and with a psp your pistol stabilizing brace on the tail end which is nice and a nice compact package what we've got on the mba on the mcx is you've got some user configura configurability so you can throw one of.

Our suppressors on the end of this with the tapered design and this is a heavy paper barrel by the way which is extremely accurate our cans are going to mate up there real nice and right here i've got to increase window size right there so i can get it right there for adjustability.

From suppressed to unsuppressed this handguard feels real nice and we've got m-lock compatibility all your lights lasers whip antennas whatever you want to throw on this rifle rifle is absolutely ready to go out of box and let's just discuss shootability i kind of talked about the trigger on this.

Gun and that trigger really makes it what a smooth trigger but if you've never fired an mcx it's a unique experience this is actually the perfect rifle it's you don't really get that that clunky feel it's not a snappy feel when you shoot it just a very very smooth rifle staying on target.

Getting on target quick quick follow-up shots combined with that trigger what a dream to shoot this rifle you