whats the pros and cons? looking to build or buy an ar... and didn't know if going the pistol route makes any sense

Smaller than a rifle, depends on your intended purpose.

I don't see much point in it.

home defense, plinker, hogs, the occasional doe if the wife wanted to shoot or something.

for that I would just go with a carbine sized AR.

Yep. Really they just exist to put a SIG brace on or SBR easily. You can keep it as a pistol, but they're really bad at doing nearly everything like that.

I'd just go with a regular AR for your purposes. Especially with hunting on your mind, the extra barrel length of a traditional rifle will give you much better ballistics.

Based on the design of the AR, I've never really seen the point. But I've always wanted to build one just for the heck of it.

It is my assumption that people build AR pistols for the cool factor and so when they go out to shoot on private property they can throw the upper on another lower and use it as an SBR without going through the correct process.

Mostly just to be cool though bc they have zero purpose IMO.

I know a guy that has an AK pistol. He uses it for hog hunting. Hasn't killed any hogs since I've known him.

At least with an AK pistol there's no buffer tube.

I see no practical purpose. On top of that, they're too dang loud.

So you can tell yourself that your Mr cool

Mine shoots great, quick target accusation and sighting. Accurate up to 200 yards. It's great for tactical purposes, not for long range shooting.
I'm just as good with my full size ar so like others said depends on what you gonna do with it.

Forgot to say it only has iron sights.

Perfect for NV Hog hunting. Small lighter platform. All of my night hog hunts have been under 100 yards. Most being under 50 yards. I can count on 1 hand how many times I've shot over 70 yards at night.

What if you were looking for a compact truck rifle? Something more than a pistol? I think it would be ideal, plus you have many more rounds, if needed.

In what way is a pistol better than a standard carbine length AR for this purpose?

you see you put that soft end on the pistol buffer tube right on your chin then you can use your PVS-14s to acquire your target without the butt stock getting in the way haha

I love mine in 300 blk out. Seems to be my go to hog gun. Probably going to use it on some does this coming season. 10.5in barrel sure is handy in a tree stand..

Since I built this, I never grab a carbine out of the safe..

Shoots 125 grain Hornady Amax great by the way..

Do you shoot that thing from the shoulder or strap it on your arm? I keep toying with building a pistol with one of the stabilizers but they seem kinda flimsy and gimmicky.

admitting he places the SIG brace on his shoulder like a butt stock I believe would be a felony for not using it for its intended purpose.

How is a super light weight tiny AR that fits in a breifcase and can be deployed like a pistol in a vehicle not a good idea...

Exactly. Driving around the farm and see a group of pigs and try getting a normal AR out the window vs an ar pistol. It's perfect for that and yes it happens fairly often out here.

I have an SBR in 300blk with an 8.2" barrel so it's definitely a short rifle. I like that I can put the suppressor on it and it ends up the same length as my 300blk with a 16" barrel. It's not loud since it shoots 300blk. The short length makes it great for a ranch truck rifle or using it in a stand. I never take the 16" 300blk out of the safe anymore. I've shot a 5.56 pistol without a suppressor and that was VERY loud. I don't even want to be around one of those again.