A large deflector was added to deflect the extra gases away from the shooter’s face. The magazine well is fitted with an adapter to accept modified Israeli UZI magazines. The Colt magazines have narrow feed lips. They are very hard to load, prone to double feeds, and wear quickly.
Inspired by the SMG, several companies have re-invented the AR in 9mm and addressed the magazine issue by adopting the solid and available Glock mags. With the problem of the magazines solved, now we must move on to excessive bolt speed.
The blowback operation of the 9mm AR-15 drives a very heavy bolt (normally 16 ounces) much harder than a standard AR-15 BCG. The energy of the 9mm bolt needs to be dampened to reduce wear, reduce recoil and minimize sight movement. Hydraulic shock absorption is very effective—it is science.
The Blitzkrieg buffer shoots softer and runs quieter than any conventional AR buffer. Its weight and length have been optimized for the 9mm application so it runs reliably, softens recoil and stops the bolt just behind the bolt catch using any 9mm ammo type. It dampens bolt impact for a soft landing which completely eliminates spring vibration and noise.
Blitzkrieg Components is a small, veteran-owned company. They are easy to talk to and eager to share information with interested customers. The owner, Brian C. Hormberg, studied manufacturing in college and joined the Marines. In the kind of happy-ending story we all love, after 20 years shooting rifles, pistols, and tank guns, Brian and his wife established Blitzkrieg Components to develop innovative, high-quality products for serious shooters.
I talked to Brian and figured out there was something to his buffer. He sent one out and I rushed home to throw it into a gun and get to the range. As promised, installation was simple—you just replace the buffer. For 9mm ARs with 14.5″ or 16″ barrels, Blitzkrieg recommends using a JP Enterprises AR-10 spring. For an unsuppressed SBR or pistol with a shorter barrel, they suggest a SPRINCO Orange AR-10 carbine spring.
Installation video
I gathered my equipment for the test. I had an assortment of 9mm ammo, but I mostly used Georgia Arms 9MM Luger 115gr Plated Total Metal Jacket. It is great ammo at a fair price. I used LULA loaders for the Colt mags and the Glock. Some people ridicule loaders, but when you are loading 1000 rounds at a time, it makes a difference. I had plenty of Glock factory mags of various sizes and some 33 rounders of uncertain Asian origin. The SMG mags were all Colt.
9mm ARs used:
- Colt SMG with a 10.5-inch barrel with AimPoint T-1 mico
- JP Rifle JPGMR-13™ 9mm with a 14.5-inch pinned barrel with Trijicon Reflex Sight
- Lone Wolf G9 Carbine with a 16” upper with Aimpoint Comp-M
I started with a Colt SMG as the baseline. With a Colt recoil spring and a black Colt buffer, split times between rounds are almost exactly .09 seconds. That is 666 rounds a minute. Installing the Blitzkrieg with the stock Colt recoil spring had no measurable difference in cyclic rate. I did notice a reduction in muzzle climb and better target transition. There was a slight reduction in felt recoil.
I had several springs available, but the best match across all the guns was the Sprinco ORANGE .308 Carbine spring. A simple test is to load a magazine with one round, load the SMG, and fire. If the bolt locks back, your bolt is going all the way back. If it fails to lock, your buffer and spring are probably too heavy.
I strongly recommend this buffer and spring combination.
The Lone Wolf G9 uses a proprietary buffer which runs great. I used it with their high quality 9mm and .40 caliber uppers. Because the system is direct blowback, I am concerned that over the life of the gun, the recoil forces will cause rapid wear. The Blitzkrieg buffer and Orange Sprinco spring made it run like a Swiss watch—timing everything perfectly while reducing felt recoil.
The JP Rifle JPGMR-13 did not like some of the conventional buffers I tried, but it ran flawlessly with the Blitzkrieg buffer and Orange Sprinco spring. It lacks a bolt hold-open; you have to run it like an MP5 or AK.
When I was at MP5-instructor school, I asked the HK guy why there was no bolt hold-open. He replied, “You don’t want the enemy to know your gun is empty.” I thought about that for a minute and said, “Shouldn’t at least one of us know the gun is empty?” Aggressive tactical reloads and 33-round mags help a lot. The worst sound in the world is a click when you really wanted a bang.
The Colt magazines are very hard to load without a LULA. As said before, they are prone to rapid wear and double feeds because of the narrow feed lips. I ran every size 9mm Glock magazine in the catalog from 10 to 33 rounds without complaint. Even old magazines from the Clinton era work great if you change the springs. The aftermarket magazines were hit or miss with a lot of jamming—don’t waste your money.
I ran over 2000 rounds of every stray 9mm round I could find through all the guns I had. All of them, even +P loads, cycled fine, but you could sure feel the difference in recoil. I have come to realize that many of the problems I had attributed to magazines or just bad karma were timing issues eliminated by the Blitzkrieg Hydraulic Buffer.
My overall impression was that this product yields less felt recoil and smoother operation, producing less movement of the sights during recoil for faster shot-to-shot recovery time. It keeps the rifle in battery slightly longer, so the extractor has an easier time doing its job, and has more inertia when bringing the bolt forward—ensuring more reliable chambering of the next round.
Constructed from 17-4 stainless steel, the Blitzkrieg Components 9mm AR-15 Hydraulic Buffer is built to outlast your gun. The hydraulic seal and porting was designed using highly advanced automotive technology. Quality materials and precise manufacturing make Blitzkrieg confident enough to offer a 10 year, one-million-round warranty. I am currently looking for sponsors to provide the ammo to test that warranty.
I didn’t shoot the buffer long enough to see the impact on parts wear, but it makes sense that dampening energy will reduce bolt-carrier speed, reduce wear on parts, reduce shock and vibration to optics, and suppress bolt bounce. I believe that this buffer will more than pay for itself many times over in saved repairs and reduced aggravation.
Blitzkrieg Components 9mm AR-15 Hydraulic Buffer
- Price: $139.95
- Buffer Length: 3.90″ (when compressed)
- Buffer Weight: 6.0 ounces
- Machined 17-4 stainless steel buffer body
- Most recoil reduction of any 9mm buffer made paired with the right spring
- Smoothest running 9mm buffer available
- Faster follow-up shots
- Quiet buffer operation
- No spring noise
Blitzkrieg also makes a pistol buffer kit. Because it lacks a gas system, the 9mm AR makes for a very reliable pistol. Near maximum velocity is reached at 10.5 inches, so a 16-inch barrel is overkill.
This article is courtesy of The Arms Guide.
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