AR-15 convert to Pistol Rules

[quesogrande]

Can I just convert my ar-15 to a pistol.

[Magiccarpetrides]

no

[nightrunner]

nope, once the lower receiver is registered as a rifle, it is ALWAYS a rifle, whether it has a buttstock or not, and it can NEVER have a barrell attached that is less than 16" unless registered as a SBR(short barrel rifle)

[LA_357SIG]

Oct 29 1992

Dear Mr. XXXXX:

This refers to your letter of October 1, 1992, in which you inquire

about the legality of manufacturing a handgun which utilizes a rifle

type receiver.

26 U.S.C. Chapter 53 # 5845(a)(4), the National Firearms Act (NFA),

defines the term "firearm" to include a weapon made from a rifle if

such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches

or a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length.

Utilizing the receiver of an existing rifle for the purposes of

manufacturing a handgun would constitute the making of a firearm as

defined above. Individuals desiring to make such a firearm must first

submit an ATF Form 1, Application To Make And Register a Firearm and

pay the applicable $200 making tax.

If an individual were to obtain a rifle type receiver that had not

previously been utilized in the assembly of a rifle, a handgun could be

made and not be subject to the provisions of the NFA. Verification

must be obtained from the manufacturer of the receiver to establish

its authenticity.

We trust the foregoing has been responsive to your inquiry. If we may

be of any further assistance, please contact us.

Sincerely your,

(signed)

Edward M. Owen, Jr.

Chief, Firearms Technology Branch

The AR15 PISTOL INFORMATION THREAD !!! - AR15.COM

Doesn't have to be stripped. It can be distributed from the factory with internals, grip and NO buttstock assembly installed. Just make sure your FFL writes "pistol" or "unassembled lower AR15 type reciever" on the 4473.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Keep the rifle and get a lower. when you transfer it, have your FFL list it as "Other receiver". You can build that into a pistol. Don't ever put a stock on it. I think that's what the form has on the identifier boxes. Either what LA 357SIG or mine. We're both

right. And if you have several lowers, don't play swap around.

[dralarms]

Oct 29 1992

Dear Mr. XXXXX:

This refers to your letter of October 1, 1992, in which you inquire

about the legality of manufacturing a handgun which utilizes a rifle

type receiver.

26 U.S.C. Chapter 53 # 5845(a)(4), the National Firearms Act (NFA),

defines the term "firearm" to include a weapon made from a rifle if

such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches

or a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length.

Utilizing the receiver of an existing rifle for the purposes of

manufacturing a handgun would constitute the making of a firearm as

defined above. Individuals desiring to make such a firearm must first

submit an ATF Form 1, Application To Make And Register a Firearm and

pay the applicable $200 making tax.

If an individual were to obtain a rifle type receiver that had not

previously been utilized in the assembly of a rifle, a handgun could be

made and not be subject to the provisions of the NFA. Verification

must be obtained from the manufacturer of the receiver to establish

its authenticity.

We trust the foregoing has been responsive to your inquiry. If we may

be of any further assistance, please contact us.

Sincerely your,

(signed)

Edward M. Owen, Jr.

Chief, Firearms Technology Branch

The AR15 PISTOL INFORMATION THREAD !!! - AR15.COM

Doesn't have to be stripped. It can be distributed from the factory with internals, grip and NO buttstock assembly installed. Just make sure your FFL writes "pistol" or "unassembled lower AR15 type reciever" on the 4473.

So the one I bought that they put "multi" under the type can be made into a pistol?

[nightrunner]

Im 95% sure you can NOT. I think its just multi-CALIBER.

[Guest JHatmaker]

Im 95% sure you can NOT. I think its just multi-CALIBER.

You are correct.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I'm not an FFL, so I don't know the form they use to transfer(4473) to you, exactly. The form was updated recently according to my FFL.

Just tell the FFL that you are going to make an AR pistol. He will put it in the "other

receiver" There is a box for him to check like "rifle", "pistol", "other receiver". It's how it is logged on the first transfer that determines whether you can use it as a pistol or not. An AR lower is not a pistol receiver, but it can be classified as "Other" and be built into a pistol configuration, the way I learned it, and have bought two like that.

When Anvil Arms was in business they sold and represented their pistol lower as

"Registered Pistol Receiver" and it was printed on the lower like that. They claimed

it had to be marked that way. It ain't so. It only has to be a virgin lower and transferred as "Other" for it to be okay. The lower doesn't have to be categorized any other way that I'm aware of. Lowers don't have to have a caliber designation either. That's why Mega and others stamp theirs as

"Caliber Multi" instead of 5.56, .223, or 6.8mm, etc.

Both I bought for this purpose were transferred this way.

That letter is dated 1992 and it was probably listed differently than today's form.

[LA_357SIG]

So the one I bought that they put "multi" under the type can be made into a pistol?

Do you mean "multi" as in type of firearm? I made sure they wrote down and called in "stripped AR15 lower reciever".

*If it didn't come with a buttstock assembled when it left the factory you can.

It also depends what your FFL called it in as.

The manufacturer probably has a record of what lowers left the factory in what configuration by serial number. if it was stripped make it a pistol.

*I am not in any way an authority on firearms law. My words are only from my own experience when I made my AR pistol. If you do somethimg and get busted do not tell the ATF LA_357SIG said I could.

Edited January 28, 2010 by LA_357SIG

[Guest libertarian]

I'm a bit confused with this thread. I want to buy a 7" upper receiver and buy the lower separate. Does the lower need to be a stripped or just w/o buttstock option? Does registering it as a pistol mean I can't install a buttstock ever? I want a short barrel rifle but don't want to have it as a pistol that has that buffer tube just sticking out there.

[Dolomite_supafly]

The receiver must have been received or transferred as either a stripped receiver or a pistol receiver in order to be legally assembled as a pistol. If the receiver has ever been assembled or transferred as a rifle it can not be legally assembled as a pistol. A receiver that has been received or transferred as a stripped receiver or pistol can be assembled as either a rifle or pistol but not a combination, ie pistol length barrel on a rifle receiver. The only deviation is if your rifle receiver is a registered SBR and in that case you can put a barrel shorter than 16" on it.

Any receiver can be assembled as a rifle but a rifle receiver can never be assembled as a pistol.

By adding a buttstock the firearm becomes a rifle and must have a 16" barrel or be approved as a SBR. You can add a buttstock at any time but you must follow the rules for a rifle when you do. You can not have a barrel less than 16" and install it on rifle receiver without it being a SBR.

The easiest way to remember" Once a rifle, always a rifle".

With regard to the "multi" marking on the receiver it refers to caliber and not firearm type.

Dolomite

[MacGyver]

Pistols, rifles and SBR's are all mutually exclusive.

A pistol has to start that way on the 4473. You can build with a stripped lower that is transferred to you as a "handgun" on the 4473. To put a stock on a pistol is illegal.

Once it's a pistol, it's always a pistol unless you fill out a Form 1 and pay the $200 maker tax. At that point it's an SBR an can never be anything else again, as it goes on the NFA registry.

A rifle cannot be shortened to an SBR configuration without filing the Form 1. Again, once done, it's an always an SBR.

As was said earlier, don't mix and match parts between builds. Possession of parts without appropriately registered receivers may be considered "constructive intent", and likewise illegal.

[Guest libertarian]

I have to have the buttstock.

So the process is, have the FFL order the lower receiver and register it as a SBR with NFA and I can use it with the 7" barrel and have a buttstock on it, correct? Does that require the additional $200 to do?

[MacGyver]

You're dealer will get it transferred to him on a Form 3. He will transfer it to you on a Form 4. This is the step that will cost $200. Once you receive your stamp, you can take posession of the receiver and assemble your SBR.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Rather than pay the high prices for factory SBR receivers do this. Buy a regular AR receiver. Once in your posession fill out the paperwork for you to get approved, it is the exact same paperwork or at least close enough to be a mute point. While you are waiting on approval send the receiver off to have it engraved with your name, city and state. Generally less than $50 to have this done. In the mean time you can use your receiver in rifle configuration while you wait on approval of the shorter barrel.

One more question, why a 7" barrel? That is if you plan on using 5.56.

You loose so much from having such a short barrel. You are seriously in the low 2000 fps range with a 7" barrel. You also get tons of blast pressure that can be disturbing to say the least. Getting them to run can be a challenge as well.

The problem is not the 5.56 cartridge itself, it is what the military has tried to do to "improve" it that has ruined it. The 5.56 needs barrel length to be as effective as it can possibly be. The next problem is barrel twist, too much twist and the bullet overstabilizes which leads to even more problems. An over stabilized bullet that doesn't have enough velocity to come apart upon impact will not tumble and will only punch a neat little hole through the target. Even if it does tumble it will likely be through most of our enemies in the middle east by the time it does. Most males over there are concentration camp thin. An Afghan male that weighs more than 130 pounds is a big Afghan and most come in under 110 pounds. They are very, very thin and as such we need a round that will tumble or fragment within the first few inches in order to eb effective on these targets.

The military ruined the cartridge by increasing the twist and using heavier bullets. The heavier bullets require the velocity to be reduced this reduces the chance the bullet will disrupt on impact and the increased twist decreases the likelyhood of the bullet tumbling upon impact. Believe it or not but by taking the 5.56 and reducing the velocity to less than 2000 fps it will increase its penetration because the bullet no longer tumbles or disrupts on impact. This is the reason we are hearing of all the problems with it overseas. The military is trying to take a short to medium range caliber and turn it into a long range caliber.

Here are some interesting reads on the effectiveness of the 5.56:

Do not hot link this but copy and paste it into a new browser to open it:

http://stevespages.com/pdf/5_56mm_military_info.pdf

This is the penetration based on velocity:

http://stevespages.com/jpg/bestbullet.jpg

Dolomite