Manufactures of Pre 1994 AR style 223 pistols,

[mac1911]

Been poking around looking to see what was manufactured pre 1994 AWB for AR style pistols :
Detachable magazine that does not go in the pistol grip.

 

[AKR]

Rocky Mountain Arms made something called the Patriot. This one used a short pistol buffer tube from the factory. Olympic Arms made the OA-93, which has a unique above barrel captured recoil spring while still being direct impingement, requires no buffer tube. Both are very cool, super rare and have gone up in value considerably over the years, expect to pay $3k plus if you can find one. Those are the regular production models which were made before the 94 ban in limited quantities. There are some pistols built on pre-94 AR lowers floating around too that were made here and there - also very rare. Good luck.

 

[JRT]

By sheer numbers the Bushmaster has to be the most prolific pre-ban AR pistol. They stated producing them in the 70s. The OA-93 was cool when I was a kid, it was in a few movies so it was popular. There really weren’t that many companies back then making ARs and pistol variants compared to all the choices we have today.

 

[enbloc]

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

View attachment 441841

That's DI and not a short stroke gas piston?

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

Blow-back.

Got it. Though that was the OA-93 that AKR mentioned.

 

[enbloc]

Got it. Though that was the OA-93 that AKR mentioned.

Oops.

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

Oops.

View attachment 441843

Thanks! Interesting though. The top left pic shows a rear charging handle, but the pic of the removed upper (and I could be wrong) looks like a side charger. And then the pic you showed before this doesn't have a rear charging handle. Were there multiple versions?

 

[enbloc]

I did see somewhere that there was an ambi charging handle. I'll look it up. Maybe the OA-98?

Edit: Nope. That ambi was on a RRA buffer tubeless...

 

[enbloc]

The top left pic shows a rear charging handle, but the pic of the removed upper (and I could be wrong) looks like a side charger.

Photos are as you say. Left photo a prototype maybe?
Article said that the OA-93 'Prototype' had issues at the Shot Show...

 

[enbloc]

Interesting vid. Mentions the OA-93, OA-96, and covers the OA-98 with disassembly...

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

Interesting vid. Mentions the OA-93, OA-96, and covers the OA-98 with disassembly...

lol...This is driving me nuts. The screen cap of that video shows one without a rear charging handle, but no right side charging handle. So the side charger is on the left? Nope. Your first pic says "no".

I'll have to watch that vid later tonight.

 

[enbloc]

lol...This is driving me nuts. The screen cap of that video shows one without a rear charging handle, but no right side charging handle. So the side charger is on the left? Nope. Your first pic says "no".

I'll have to watch that vid later tonight.

I think the side charger was ambi and could be assembled with it protruding out either side.

What this product (and manufacturer, Olympic Arms) shows me, is the unrealistic 'hoops' the gun industry was forced to jump through to bring (and sustain) a
firearm to market. The AO-98 is an abomination in my opinion. It looks like it would not survive real world use...

 

[enbloc]

and here is the OA-96...

 

[enbloc]

So the side charger is on the left?

After thinking a bit, wouldn't a left-side charging handle be best for a pistol-grip only firearm? For a righty, at least...

 

[AKR]

Regular production models were side charging and not Ambi. Never thought of trying to take it apart to see if it could be reversed. The upper seems well built but the charging handle seems a little wonky - I always assumed it was due to the design and geometry of the recoil system. They made a rifle version too which is also very rare.