A Comparison of the AR-45 ACP vs AR 9mm

If you want to build a custom pistol caliber AR, there is one major decision to make first. Do you want to build it in 9mm or .45 ACP. There are differences and benefits to both. Lets Review them and go from there.

9mm, which is one of the most commonly used rounds today in the world, is always a favorite.The benefit of the 9mm is the controllability and the capacity, not to mention that these days it is fairly inexpensive to shoot.Some believe the 9mm is better for home defense because it will not penetrate as much as the .45 acp The 9mm also has less felt recoil than the .45 acp. 9mm has been used in our Military for over 30 years, and continues to be used today.

For the .45 ACP, the round has survived two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and has been used in our military up to the 1980s. Famous for major stopping power. It does have more penetrating power than the 9mm, and some believe bigger is better.

It is personal preference and either one makes a good choice for building an AR pistol or rifle.

6.5 Creedmoor VS .308 Cal

There are alot of people moving into the 6.5 Creedmoor category, moving out of the .308 game. The 6.5 Creedmoor uses skinnier, lighter bullets and its faster downrange than a .308.

However, the 6.5 Creedmoor is very popular as a great selection for medium to long range (500-1000 yards) shooting. Which is why the military has added this caliber   into some of their rifles for long range targets shooting.
Ballistics speaking, the skinny 6.5mm bullets perform exceptionally well, very closely matching the ballistic profile of a 300 Winchester Magnum, but with much less recoil and cost.

It’s possible that the popularity shift to the 6.5 Creedmoor, is the better ballistic cartridge than .308 Cal due to performance consistency. The .308 was designed in 1952 for a semi-automatic military rifle, while the 6.5 Creedmoor was designed in 2007 for better long range target performance in a bolt action rifle. Which now has evolved into the AR platform of weapons

.223 Remington vs 5.56 NATO (5.56 x 45mm)

We have alot of customers that ask us what is the difference between the .223 Remington caliber and the 5.56 Nato caliber. They are concerned about which ammo to buy and which they can shoot safely in their rifle. We are going to explain the difference.
The common mistake people make is that they think the two are the same.  5.56 Nato and .223 Rem are in the same family, but still different. This can be a problem and lead to a dangerous situation. The case dimensions are the same, but there are enough other differences that make the two not completely interchangeable.
One big difference is pressure. Another big difference is length. 5.56 Nato , or 5.56 x 45, is slightly larger than a .223 Remington.

Customers ask what is safe? It is safe to shoot .223 Remington cartridges in any safe gun chambered for 5.56×45 mm. But also, it is not recommended and it is not safe to shoot 5.56×45 mm cartridges in a firearm chambered for .223 Rem.

When shooting .223 Rem. cartridges in a firearm chambered for 5.56×45 mm, it’s likely the shooter will lose accuracy and muzzle velocity.

What does this mean to you? If you have an AR-15 rifle chambered in 5.56×45 mm, you can shoot either .223 Remington or 5.56×45 mm safely. If your barrel’s twist rate is 1:7″ you should use bullets weighing 60 grains or heavier. If you have any rifle with a 1:12″ barrel twist you should use bullets of 60 grains or less for best accuracy. If you have a .223 Rem. rifle of any type, it is not recommended and not safe to use 5.56×45 mm ammo.