I dabbled in the AR pistol for a very short time, then just went NFA SBR. The ‘pistol’ is really not very practical with just the buffer, and the brace is really creating an SBR, so I just went the SBR route with real stocks.
Personally, I dont mind a 16” barrel, preferably a pinned 14.5” barrel. I dont want it too long for carbine work, and I dont want it too short either. The reason I went with 11.5” SBRs was to be able to put on a can and still be under 16”.