Micro ARP

One of the most important decisions you can make before setting out on a micro ARP (besides what upper/barrel length to choose) is what caliber, specifically, what cartridge, to focus the build around.

Broadly speaking, you will ultimately need to go with either a pistol caliber or a rifle caliber. There are advantages and disadvantages to each which, from a high level, will be covered here.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Pistol Calibers

In the world of pistol calibers, the 9mm reigns supreme, though there are also other options, like .45 ACP. Regardless, the relative advantages and drawbacks of each are more or less the same. 

With a pistol caliber, ammo will generally be cheaper and more available. They also produce less recoil and tend to perform well from shorter barrels. Some pistol calibers also produce a smaller risk of overpenetration. 

Another thing about pistol calibers is that the ammo is compact and usually pretty light, which means they work well with smaller, micro ARPs where size is a concern. 

Additionally, there are bufferless micro ARP uppers that you can choose for some pistol calibers that will cut back on the size and overall footprint of the platform even further.

Now, the tradeoff with choosing a pistol caliber is that it almost invariably won’t offer the same stopping power as a larger rifle cartridge. 

The other thing is that pistol calibers also perform pretty poorly across the board at greater ranges – but that should not be a concern here as most micro ARPs are destined for close-range engagements. 

Benefits and Drawbacks of Rifle Calibers 

You’ll have a lot of options when it comes to rifle calibers for your micro ARP, too. Some of the more popular ones are 5.56, .223, .300 BLK, and 7.62 Soviet, although there are others, too. 

These offer higher stopping power across the board, so they give you the benefit of the “rifle firepower in a pistol footprint” argument. 

They are generally, however, more expensive, and they will produce a lot more recoil. Some also don’t perform as well out of shorter barrels, too.

A big outlier here is .300 BLK, which actually performs very well not just from very short barrels, but from suppressed barrels, too. 

Overpenetration at close ranges can be a risk, but since you get the extra power, it’s sort of a balance.

Also, despite the shorter barrel, rifle calibers tend to perform better at greater ranges. Although,  to be fair, as with the pistol caliber argument, micro ARPs are usually reserved for fairly close engagements.

One other potential drawback to rifle cartridges is the amount of space they take up, and thereby the weight.

Where to Get Parts for Micro ARP Builds 

At the end of the day, whether you choose to build a micro ARP around a rifle caliber or a pistol caliber is completely up to you. There is no universally right or wrong answer to this question, and there will be relative benefits and drawbacks to each proposition. 

That said, there is one solid answer to the question: where is the best place to get micro ARP parts online, and that place is MCS Gearup.

MCS Gearup is fully sold into the super-short ARP craze and carries a ton of parts for truly micro-sized AR builds, including assembled AR15 pistol uppers, barrels, muzzle devices, and much more. They even carry completely bufferless builds for AR pistols.

For more information or to see what sorts of options they carry, take a closer look at their website via the link above. 

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ARPs, or AR-pistols, are becoming increasingly popular, and give most shooters the flexibility to leverage full rifle firepower in a pistol-sized format. 

What’s more, since ARPs are considered handguns and not rifles, they don’t fall under the NFA restrictions associated with SBRs, or short-barreled rifles. 

ARPs, as a result, are popular for sport shooting and just for fun at the range, but they are also popular for defensive applications, such as home defense or as truck guns.

Now, one trend that’s dominating the ARP sphere is the rise of the micro ARP. While not new, micro ARPs are enjoying increasing popularity for their even more compact size when compared with traditional AR-pistols. 

Change the Muzzle Device 

One of the best things you can do to shave off an inch – or a few – from a micro ARP build is to remove and replace the muzzle device. 

Suppressors are fun, but they add a lot of length and weight to an ARP. You are working against yourself if you need a really compact model and suppress it anyway.

But there’s more; most micro ARP uppers come with threaded barrels that already have flash hiders installed. 

You may know this, but flash hiders don’t really do too much of anything. Sure, they will disperse the muzzle flash a bit to preserve the sight picture, but with an ARP, you’re going to have a big muzzle flash regardless. 

So take that thing off and install thread protectors instead. You’re going to have a brighter muzzle flash, but the whole thing will be more compact. 

Go Bufferless or Get a Short Buffer Tube 

If you have a micro ARP upper that requires a buffer system to operate, swap the one you have for a micro buffer system. There are super short buffer systems out there that are just over 3 inches long. 

Shortening the buffer tube can have a nearly revolutionary impact on how big the gun feels and how it handles. Along with removing the muzzle device in favor of thread protectors, it is one of the biggest upgrades you can make to a micro ARP. 

Now, if you really want to elevate a compact build to an art form, then skip the buffer system altogether by building bufflerless. There are ARP uppers that utilize blowback operation, rather than gas impingement, to cycle the action. 

That means no buffer tube at all – and, as you can expect, a much more compact overall micro ARP. Just think about it. Removing the buffer tube can take off 3 inches if not more from the overall build.

You’ll have to skip the pistol brace, but then again, think about this rationally. A pistol brace is just another part that adds length to a micro ARP that isn’t needed. If your goal is a compact profile, skip the brace too. 

Where to Get Micro ARP Parts and More 

Already have a micro ARP and just looking for creative ways to boost performance by making the profile more compact? Or are you staring down the potential of building your first one? 

The best place on the web to get micro ARP parts is MCS Gearup. They carry bufferless AR pistol uppers, short buffer tubes, tons of muzzle devices, and complete assembled uppers for micro ARPs, of which some are 5” or even less. 

They are ultra-compact, highly concealable, and set new standards for what the term micro ARP even mores. If you crave lightweight performance and easy handling, then take a look at what they offer and get started on your project today. 

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