An AR 15 is typically a handgun that is built using AR-15 rifle parts. The AR pistol has the same upper and lower receiver, buffer system, lower parts kit, and bolt carrier as the rifle. The only difference is that the AR-15 pistols are smaller than the regular rifles.

The AR-15 is referred to as a pistol and not a rifle despite having almost all the same features because of the absence of stock. Its barrel is shorter than 16 inches, and it is less than 26 inches all over.

How do you build an AR-15?

The AR-15 pistol will need to be built from scratch, for which a lower receiver will be required. The receiver is what may be considered as the actual gun. It sits above the pistol's grip, holds the hammer and trigger, and has the slot to load the magazine, without which it cannot fire a bullet.

The receiver is sold as a receiver and is not specific for a pistol or a rifle. You could also use an 80% receiver and work your way upwards to build your unique AR-15 pistol.

An AR-15 buffer tube and\or an AR-15 buffer tube assembly is used to build an AR-15 pistol. A pistol buffer will not allow you to attach a stock which is the main difference between the two.

You will then put together the upper assembly.

There are various types of AR-15 upper assemblies available, and you may check them out here.

An existing rifle cannot be changed into a pistol, but once you have built your pistol, you can later convert it to a rifle and then back into a pistol if you wish to do so. As we already know, a stock cannot be added to a pistol, but you can add several different accessories to suit your requirements.

A vertical foregrip cannot be attached to an AR-15 pistol, but an angled foregrip can be attached, which provides more control over the weapon.

Building your own AR-15 Lower Receiver

If you have decided to build your AR-15 pistol right from the word go, you will require an AR15 Lower parts kit and the AR15 Trigger Assembly kits. Putting together your weapon will provide you with a better understanding of its various parts and its mechanisms. You will be able to work the weapon with a lot more confidence and respect. We also cannot deny the fact that it will be a fun learning process as well.

Putting the gun together will require some amount of work, a whole lot of patience, and a reasonable amount of time. Before you begin the building process, it would be good to conduct your research on the various lower receivers available in the market. Take time to pick out the specific accessories that you would like for your pistol. Go ahead with the purchase once you have clarity on all of the things mentioned above. 

Parts of the AR-15

Several parts, both big and small, will be required to put together a working lower receiver. You will need a stripped lower receiver body, a buffer, a buffer tube, a buffer spring, and so on. Several smaller parts, such as magazine catch, end plate, bolt catch, etc., may also be required. Acquiring all these individual parts may seem a little overwhelming, so getting an Ar-15 lower parts assembly kit would probably be better. This assembly kit will include that you require to put together your pistol. 

All AR-15 lower part kits are not identical. You will have to figure out what it is that you are specifically looking for. Since many parts are involved in the whole lower part kit, certain manufacturers may break them down into smaller kits to make them more user-friendly. You are likely to find the following things in standard AR-15 lower parts kits:

1. Trigger
2. Trigger Spring
3. Hammer 
4. Hammer Spring
5. Hammer and Trigger pins
6. Bolt Catch Roll Pin
7. Bolt Catch Spring
8. Bolt catch plunger 
9. Bolt Catch
10. Disconnector
11. Disconnector Spring
12. Buffer Retainer Spring
13. Buffer Retainer
14. Pivot Pin
15. Take down Pin
16. Safety Selector 
17. Safety Selector Detent
18. Safety Selector Spring
19. Magazine Release Button
20. Magazine Catch Spring
21. Magazine Catch
22. Trigger Guard
23. Trigger guard Rear Roll Pin
24. Trigger Guard Front Screw (or a roll pin)
25. Pistol grip 
26. Take down Pin Detents 
27. Take Down Pin Detent Springs

The right AR-15 Trigger and Lower parts kit will make the whole process of building the AR-15 a very simple and less cumbersome process that you will thoroughly enjoy. It will be a fruitful effort as you will end up with a beautiful and fully functional AR- 15 pistol.