The author took the excellent 9mm M4-LE from CMMG and enhanced it to the next level with a full complement of Magpul gear. Perfect for LE requirements in any environment (left), the use of 9mm allows for ammunition compatibility when transitioning between carbine and handgun.
BROWSING THE AMMUNITION DEPARTMENT at the local store that everyone loves to hate, I surveyed the prices of training ammunition. The best deal I could find for FMJ .223 was $7.99 for a box of 20. Round it up to eight bucks and the quick division comes out to forty cents a shot. Moving over to the handgun section I found Federal’s 9mm FMJ in the maroon box for $9.49 per box of 50. Referring back to our calculator, that’s approximately 19 cents a shot for the 9mm.
To ensure proper fit and flawless functioning, the 9mm M4-LE’s lower receiver features a dedicated “filled” mag well.
If you like to shoot, to actually press the trigger versus standing around talking, any time you can save money on ammunition is a good time. Question: Why are we talking about .223 and 9mm ammunition in the same paragraph? Answer: They are both cartridges chambered in modern Stoner-based carbines.
A straight blowback system of operation is employed, with a bolt carrier assembly featuring greater mass than that of a .223 AR.
There have been AR-carbines chambering the 9mm cartridge for better than 20 years now. I can recall the great fervor that surrounded the Colt CAR-15 in 9mm when it was first released. I was only 19 years old when my local gun shop received a 9mm CAR-15 and hung it up on the wall. If memory serves, the price tag on that gun was around $450, nearly a month’s pay for me at the time and far out of my price range.
