New For 2023: Bear Creek Arsenal Bufferless 9 mm Semi-Autos

by
posted on November 1, 2023
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Bear Creek Bufferless 01
Images courtesy of Bear Creek Arsenal.

North Carolina-based Bear Creek Arsenal has become a firearms innovator, from modern sporting rifles chambered in belted magnum cartridges to the company's own striker-fired handgun design. Its latest offerings are AR-15-style rifles and handguns chambered in 9 mm Luger using a patent-pending design that dispenses with the traditional AR receiver extension and buffer system.

Right side of Bear Creek Arsenal's bufferless 9mm pistol-caliber carbine.Bear Creek’s bufferless 9 mm firearms have many of the features of the company’s conventional AR-15s, yet use an innovative action design.

Bear Creek’s bufferless 9 mm firearms share many features of the company’s traditional pistol-caliber models. Handguards are free-floating and have Picatinny rail sections on the top and M-Lok slots on the sides and bottom. Barrels are an M4 contour with a 1:10" twist. The action is blowback-operated, and upper and lower receivers are machined from billet. Magazine wells are compatible with Glock-pattern 9 mm pistol magazines.

Stock attachment point of Bear Creek Arsenal's bufferless 9mm carbine design.The bufferless design allows for a compact overall size and the ability to attach a folding stock to the rifle.

Where the design steps away from the traditional AR-15 form is that the recoil spring is contained within the bolt-carrier group inside the receiver. This allows for a more compact design and, in the case of rifles, a folding stock can be used. The bufferless design has a Picatinny rail section machined into the rear of the lower receiver for attaching accessories.  

Left side of Bear Creek Arsenal's bufferless 9mm AR-style design.Bufferless 9 mm pistols will be offered in three different barrel lengths. The 10.5" model is pictured.

Handguns will be offered with 4.5", 7.5" and 10.5" barrels and use Bear Creek’s Gen 2 reciprocating right-side charging-handle system. Sixteen-inch barreled rifles have a reciprocating left-side charging handle and are supplied without a stock so that the customer can use the design of their choice.

The Bear Creek bufferless 9 mm rifle has a MSRP of $516, and the 10.5" pistol version is $469. For more information, visit bearcreekarsenal.com.

Latest

man inspecting a cartridge with a magnifying glass
man inspecting a cartridge with a magnifying glass

The Drawbacks of Being a Numbers-Oriented Gun Guy

Like any hobby or pastime that is in any way even vaguely related to machines or technology, firearms attract a (possibly) disproportionate number of “right-brained,” STEM-oriented personalities who like numbers.

First Look: MDT Hand Cannon Slingshot

Slingshots are fun, but they can also be a legitimate backup defensive tool—in 2023, a 13-year-old Michigan boy saved his 8-year-old sister from being kidnapped by using a $3 slingshot to fire a marble and a rock at the assailant, striking him in the chest and head.

The LCP Meets Magpul: Ruger's LCP Max with Magpul's EHG

Over the years, Ruger has enhanced its LCP with the introduction of the LCP II and LCP Max. New for 2026, Ruger is offering a new version of the LCP Max with the addition of a Magpul Enhanced Handgun Grip.

Review: 945 Industries Q.A.P. Series Off-Body Carry Bag

Off-body carry can be somewhat controversial, but choosing the right gear can go a long way toward successful carry. One good option is the Q.A.P. Series of bags from 945 Industries.

At 75, CCI is Offering Even More

In 2026, CCI Ammunition—formally Cascade Cartridge, Inc.—marks its 75th anniversary with a fitting tribute to innovation and American ingenuity.

Gun of the Week: Powder River Precision Rubicon Icon

Powder River Precision has taken the basic Ruger 10/22 rifle concept and enhanced it with its Rubicon Icon design.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.