Radical Firearms 5.56 AR Pistol 10.5 in. Threaded M-LOK 30+1 Black – Superbly Compact

Description

The Radical Firearms 5.56 AR Pistol is a complete AR-pattern pistol – ten and a half inches of threaded Melonite barrel, a free-float M-LOK handguard, a hardcoat anodized receiver set with a full-length top rail, and a bare pistol buffer tube where a stock would be on a rifle.

It is a pistol in law and in fact: there is no shoulder stock and no brace fitted. That is what keeps it an ordinary firearm rather than a National Firearms Act item, and it is the whole reason the format exists.

Part number FP105556M410RPR, UPC 816903022434. Deep stock.

What the Radical Firearms 5.56 AR Pistol is

• AR-pattern semi-automatic pistol in 5.56x45mm NATO, 30+1
• 10.50-inch black Melonite steel barrel, threaded 1/2×28, 1:7 twist, A2 flash hider fitted
• 10-inch free-float M-LOK handguard
• Pistol-length gas system and a MIL-STD charging handle
• Black hardcoat anodized aluminium receivers with a full-length Picatinny top rail
• Black pistol buffer tube – no stock and no brace
• Black polymer grip
• Right-hand ejection

What a 10.5-inch 5.56 actually does

• The Radical Firearms 5.56 AR Pistol loses velocity. A 55-grain load that makes around 3,200 feet per second from a 20-inch barrel makes closer to 2,500 from ten and a half. Inside a hundred yards that matters very little; past two hundred it matters a great deal
• You gain enormously in handling. The whole gun is about the length of a submachine gun, which is the point – vehicles, doorways, tight spaces
• Muzzle blast and flash go up sharply. Unburnt powder that would have burned in a longer barrel burns in front of the muzzle instead. It is loud and it is bright
• Barrel life is shorter than a 16-inch, because the gas port sees higher pressure
• Heavier bullets suffer less from the short barrel than light ones. 62 to 77 grain loads are worth trying if you shoot past a hundred yards

Radical Firearms 5.56 AR Pistol specifications

• Manufacturer part number: FP105556M410RPR
• UPC: 816903022434
• Calibre: 5.56x45mm NATO (also fires .223 Remington)
• Capacity: 30+1
• Barrel: 10.50 inches, black Melonite steel, threaded muzzle
• Handguard: free-float M-LOK
• Receivers: black hardcoat anodized aluminium, Picatinny top rail
• Buffer tube: pistol tube, no stock or brace fitted
• Gas system: pistol length
• Twist rate: 1:7
• Muzzle thread: 1/2×28, A2 flash hider fitted
• Action: direct impingement semi-automatic

Read this before you change anything at the back

The Radical Firearms 5.56 AR Pistol is sold and transferred as a pistol because it has a bare pistol buffer tube and no shoulder stock. Fitting a stock to it creates a short-barrelled rifle, which is a National Firearms Act item requiring ATF approval, a tax stamp and a wait before the work is done. MAG5 Firearms does not sell NFA items and cannot advise on that process – talk to a dealer who handles NFA transfers first if that is your intention.

Because it is a handgun in law, handgun transfer rules apply rather than long gun rules, and those differ by state. Check yours before ordering. Pistol braces are a separate and changeable area of regulation, and we are not in a position to advise on it.

5.56 NATO and .223 Remington

A 5.56 NATO chamber fires both 5.56 and .223 Remington safely. The reverse is not true: 5.56 runs at higher pressure with a different throat, and it should not be fired in a .223-only rifle. This one is chambered 5.56, so either is fine. Both are published by SAAMI.

For volume shooting we stock Sterling M193 55gr and Federal 5.56 55gr FMJ by the case.

The rifle version and the alternatives

If a 16-inch barrel suits you better, the Radical Firearms RPR 5.56 rifle is the same build with a 15-inch handguard and a B5 stock. The Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport III and the American Tactical Alpha Maxx are the other complete builds worth comparing.

Why the Radical Firearms 5.56 AR Pistol earns its place

• A complete AR pistol with a free-float M-LOK handguard at a price most entry-level rifles do not match
• The Radical Firearms 5.56 AR Pistol has a threaded muzzle and a full-length top rail, so nothing needs machining
• Melonite barrel treatment, hard and corrosion resistant inside and out
• About the handiest 5.56 you can legally own without paperwork
• Deep stock, so no waiting

Two honest points. There is no optic, no sights and nothing at the rear but a bare buffer tube – budget for a red dot at minimum, and think carefully about what you are going to do about the back end within the law as it stands where you live.

And the blast is real. A 10.5-inch 5.56 on an indoor range or at a crowded outdoor bay will make you unpopular, and it is genuinely unpleasant without good ear protection.

Understood for what it is – a very short, very handy 5.56 for close work and vehicle carry – the Radical Firearms 5.56 AR Pistol does the job at a price that leaves room for the optic. MAG5 Firearms ships to your FFL under handgun rules.

State restrictions on the Radical Firearms 5.56 AR Pistol

The distributor flags this model as no direct ship to Rhode Island or Washington, and no sale to Illinois under PICA. AR pistols attract more state-level restriction than rifles do and the rules change, so if you are in one of those states contact us before ordering rather than have the order taken and then cancelled.