Increasing crime, violence, and political polarization in our likely future. Even without the unrest of our very contentious elections this year it’s going to get worse before it gets better. A quick trip to the hardware or grocery store could put you in the middle of a riot, group theft, or any number of potentially violent situations that would have seemed unthinkable even a few years ago. What a backpack gun allows you to do is to conceal carry a rifle in locations you previously conceal carried a pistol. Such a rifle is a compromise that necessitates a very short barrel, a folding stock, and hopefully some sort of noise mitigation to prevent permanent hearing damage. Due to the very short barrel requirement 5.56 or rounds like it are poor choices. I’d recommend the much more efficient 300 BO in this case as the 6” or shorter barrel loses surprisingly little velocity over the more common 8” and above barrels. Personally not interested in PCC calibers as they offer no better firepower than does a pistol which is far easier to carry and conceal. The advantage of a rifle is more accuracy and power. The disadvantage is weight and bulk. A backpack gun should mitigate those disadvantages as much as possible without compromising it’s function. I was intending to do this write up showing my completed solution, but I’m still a few weeks out from completion, mostly due to my decision to Cerakote my standard color scheme. Before I get into that some really good “off the shelf” choices are: PSA JAKL – cost effective, reliable, side charging, FDE same price as black. Only real drawback is the 8.5” barrel making sound mitigation options for the shooter extremely limited given a bag it can fit in that does not draw attention. Sig Rattler in 300 Blackout - Priced between the JAKL and the Honey badger this is another excellent and reliable option. The 5,5" barrel leaves room for sound mitigation. The only drawbacks are price, some ergonomic issues,and it's also a SBR so tax stamp and associated delays apply. Q Honey Badger – the Bently of backpack guns. Reliable, ergonomic, compact, 5.5” barrel. The only drawback of the price tag as well as some non standard parts. Another drawback is that it’s an SBR, meaning you have to wait for NFA approval. My solution is to take the “Budget Badger” approach by using commonly available AR-15 parts to effect the same thing for a lot less money and incorporate a few advantages. The chief disadvantage is that the rifle must be unfolded prior to firing it. The good news is that with a proper bag it can be drawn and ready to fire very quickly. I began the design process with the bag itself. The bag needs to pass the urban sniff test and look like a common commuter type small pack. The type that likely has a laptop, perhaps some sales literature, etc.. You see them everywhere. The bag should blend in with the others avoiding any tactical appearance such as color or MOLLE, etc.. Take a long hard look at the Vertx packs shown in the videos, especially the last one. This is where tactical meets covert. My choice ultimately was a Vertx Commuter 2.0 due to size, features, color, with the most important aspect being a sling bag that can go from my back to my belly in a second allowing access to rifle and protection that fast. Note that level 3 armor inserts are available for these bags to protect you from pistol rounds and stabbing. With the bag selected I had the dimensions I needed to work within. This is the bag I purchased. I caught it on sale as a discontinued color option, but I think it would be hard to beat. It fits right in as a commuter bag, but also would blend in nicely in a park or even the woods My Budget Badger Design overview: I’ll go into build details in a few weeks after assembly and tuning is complete. Some parts are currently being Cerakoted thus the delay. The basic rundown is that the design is small enough to fit in a typical commuter bag with a suppressor attached. No, really! It will also use the still and likely permanently legal pistol brace. As a pistol (and not an SBR) I can legally carry it concealed using my CPL. Basically a quality Mil Spec AR pistol with a LAW adapter and an amazing 6” barrel that spins the bullets at a fast 300,000 RPM to impart maximum energy on impact. There is a lot of refinement in this design and a proper selection of parts (as always) to ensure the kind of reliability you can trust with your life. The short barrel necessitates an efficient gas and buffer system, with the super efficient SOLGW bolt carrier group at it’s heart. In addition, with the suppressor installed the weight balance is calculated to center over the mag well. This balance placement allows for faster target acquisition as it remains constant regardless of ammunition as opposed to the rifle becoming more or less nose heavy. It's very subtle, but having a rifle that "floats" this way greatly simplifies follow up shots. Some additional videos
I went backwards and went back to the HK-33 I built years ago when it comes to compact, they don't get much more compact then this, just waiting on the .300 BO barrel and a set of modified mag followers to correct the feeding! I really HATE delayed roller rifles, and I hate forward charging handle rifles even more, but you gotta work with what ya got, and untill someone comes out with something much more betteror, I'm rockin this! Going too cut it all down to 8" barrel, already got the MP-5K forend and modified piston and gas tube, gonna be FUN when it's done! Yes, i'm setting it up for a suppressor, got my YMH front end I pirated from an abandoned AR project that I can use! Sure wish I had bought a few of these kits back in the day, the prices are sky rocketing on flats and parts kits!
Been doing a bunch of load development for the .300 BO, wanting both a sub sonic round for an 8 inch barrel, plus playing with velocities with different suppressor length and what effect that might have, and also developing max velocity loads to see how far so can push things! Finally, playing with different bullet weights, the Ruger American Ranch I borrowed from my neighbor has been invaluable for testing loads and bullets, so by the time I get the HK finished, I should have working loads for that little carbine and shouldn't need to tweek anything! Fingers crossed the HK likes the bullets I end up settling in! So far, the 165 gr Swift Scriocco seems to be the most accurate, and the faster you push it, the more accurate it becomes, the real trick is getting the Sierra Game King 190's to work at the lower velocities a short barreled suppressed carbine needsto run properly and accurately!
My similar Blackout like 150 grain Speers best. I’m zeroing in on a load that duplicates the Federal Fusion line. I’m curious about your subsonic development….I’ve given up for the now, was using the Berry’s 220s with a variety of powders.
Me likey! Reminds me of my favorite Christmas movie, too! With an 8" barrel it's in the range of what could be concealed in a commuter bag as well. Edit: You may need to make some changes to the mags if you have feeding issues with subsonics. Magpul makes mags with specially shaped lips and follower for that reason, and Lancer with shorter steel lips uses a longer spring to apply more force. If you run into that just take a look at some comparison pictures This is pretty close to what I'm putting together, though my barrel is an inch and a half shorter. It will also be paired initially with a Witt SME and hopefully before next Christmas with one of their Dirty 30's I have living in NFA Jail. Total length with either ear saving device folded in under 18".That's only about an inch longer than what you see in the picture below! Witt SME and Dirty 30 Neither of those will make the rifle Hollywood quiet, but will prevent permanent ear damage, since nobody has time to put in ear protection. Axil wired ear pro does do in the bag in the unlikely event that there is time for that. BTW the Dirty 30 is inexpensive - I bought a pair of them for under $500 during their Christmas sale and they are normally just under $300 each. Witt's goal is to make this can available to the shooter for under $500 inclucing tax stamp. The lack of QD is a non issue as this will always be attached. The design goal on both of them is noise reduction at the shooter's ear and fook everybody else. Perfect for this application!
Keltec CMR with an optic and light. Definitely not over powered. But it is light, quick, and accurate. I have no reliability issues. I can't tote a battle rifle and combat load for miles anymore. My health and budget are not up to it these days.
I will not buy another gun. I will not buy another gun. I will not buy another gun. I will not buy another gun. I will not buy another gun. I will not buy another gun. I will not buy another gun. Dammit, now I want another gun...
This is where the whole argument for an AR pistol comes to mind. While a 7" barrel isn't going to give you much accuracy, increasing that to 10" (versus a 16" minimum for an AR rifle) isn't getting too long, while giving you likely better accuracy. With a pistol brace and a legal (not fixed vertical) hand brace on the barrel shroud, you have the best of both worlds, for anything close in. And when the SHTF, I'm betting there won't be an ATF agent standing nearby, to see you snug that pistol brace back into your shoulder!
Also note that a 125gr 300 BO supersonic round out of a 6" barrel has more energy as does 5.56 out of a 12.5" barrel. The Faxon 6" barrel has a 1:5 inch twist like the Sig Rattler barrel and both are known for better accuracy than they should have compared to 1:8 inch and slower. That Faxon barrel also has a large 1/8" gas port to help with low pressures. I'm not as worried about Hollywood quiet as I want to be able to shoot in an emergency without having to take the time to put on ear pro, so supersonic is fine. I'm looking for the most lethal round at CQB distances. I have some pretty good ideas but still lots of testing to do in order to have time to stockpile the chosen ammo. I should have started this project a year ago. During SHTF I'm likely to open carry a non folding rifle, though I could still see the advantage of a bag gun when open carrying a pistol during a "friendly" exchange like trading goods. I see bag/backpack guns being at their most useful during the transition to SHFT from normalish times like we have now.
I have my little Kel-Tec SU-16 Cali Spec that I did as an SBR, it's super slick and it's 11 inch barrel is Just Right for 5.56 accuracy! Folded up, it's even shorter then the HK, and much lighter, so it works as a back pack/bad gun, and I can toss it to the wife and she runs it just fine! I also still rock my old stand by AR Carbine, she still runs like a swiss watch, and is VERY accurate with it's 11.5 inch barrel! Plenty enough for counter sniper work if needed!
Krappy will just stick with his little .500 S&W magnum HPs for SB Urban CC. .500 s&w magnum - Google Search
@Tempstar It's light, quick, and accurate. Reminds me of shooting a 10/22 but the 22 Mag. has more oomph, of course. The ergonomics are surprisingly good for such a bare bones build. Mag reloading is not quick with feed a couple, tap, feed a couple, tap... There's been a lot of talk about reliability problems but I never had any. I kinda hoped I would because any warranty returns go through the Keltec Pro-shop. For accuracy, it prefers heavier bullet options but is serviceable in all I have fed into the 30 rd mag. I wanted a lightweight quick shooter for deterring multiple close threats and a stand-off gun to keep me out of average accurate pistol range. I think I got it.
Remember, the guys that designed many of these guns were geniuses, if Eugene Stoner though the M-16/Ar-15 platform worked better with a 6" barrel he would have made it like that. The same goes for Browning, Mauser, Winchester, Ruger, Remington, and Kalashnikov. I prefer to keep my firearms just as GOD and the designer intended.
I just never have cared for my Krinkov, Draco, or others' AR pistols. The ergonomics just don't work for me. The ammo/mags set is bulkier and heavier than I care lug around now, too.
You only shoot 20" barrels on your AR-15? That's how he designed it along with a single piece bolt and buffer and the charging handle was inside the carry handle. Stoner was indeed a genius and designed the most versatile platform ever and it would be a shame to not take advantage of that.
The reason for an AR pistol is to have an SBR without a tax stamp. It's not a replacement for a conventional pistol, but something different entirely.
