AR pistol question

[nwdrifter]

I asked this in another thread but thought it would be better here.

I read how its a no no to put a pistol upper on a rifle lower

Ok here is a question.

I bought a finished AR pistol used from a private seller, how do i know if the lower was registered as a rifle or a pistol and i am illegal with this pistol?

I dont need to get caught in some issue because the last owner did something bad and i am in possession of something i didnt know about..


It would be nice to make sure he didnt take a lower off a rifle and build a pistol with it

Read More

 

[handgunner]

I think as long as you have no butt stock, or any type of foregrip handle, you are okay. ATF has some good FAQ pages on this subject.

 

[Squidly]

What handgunner said. There is no registration for either configuration, just don't get it wrong.

 

[deen_ad]

Don't some of the pistol lowers come stamped "Pistol"?

 

[NOMOREBS]

Start reading.
AR Pistols - AR15.COM

 

[nwdrifter]

that's allot of reading, lol , I will read more tomorrow

I still cant find how i can tell if the reserver was sold as a rifle, pistol or striped lower to the original owner.

But again i will read more tomorrow

Thanks

 

[telero]

First place to check would be the manufacturer. If they will tell you that the serial number was originally sold as a pistol or stripped lower that would be good. If they say it was a rifle, that's bad. Hopefully they would tell you something. If they say it was a stripped lower then to really cover yourself you'd want to see the 4473 to see if it was transferred as a rifle, pistol, or other. I doubt that will be possible. If it were somehow possible and you found that it was transferred as an other (stripped lower), you'd maybe want an affidavit from the original builder affirming that it was first built as a pistol. It would still worry me not being the original owner or not having documentation from the manufacturer that it was made as a pistol.

 

[NOMOREBS]

Agreed

 

[chariot13]

I asked this in another thread but thought it would be better here.

I read how its a no no to put a pistol upper on a rifle lower

Ok here is a question.

I bought a finished AR pistol used from a private seller, how do i know if the lower was registered as a rifle or a pistol and i am illegal with this pistol?

I dont need to get caught in some issue because the last owner did something bad and i am in possession of something i didnt know about..


It would be nice to make sure he didnt take a lower off a rifle and build a pistol with it

Some of the newer pistols like bushmaster carbon 15 says pistol on the lower receiver. Many of the older pistols dont say it. You should be safe as long as you dont put a buttstock on it or a vertical foregrip up front. Use a sling around your neck & put pressure foward on the gun & it will greatly improve accuracy.

 

[nwdrifter]

Its an Aero precision lower with no rifle or pistol markings, i emailed aero, so hope they have an answer on how it was sold. I thought Aero only sold stripped lowers but i dont want to get jail time over some stupid law on a gun i didnt build

 

[KCB]

You can legally have a Magpul AFG as a foregrip on an AR pistol FYI

 

[mjbskwim]

Its an Aero precision lower with no rifle or pistol markings, i emailed aero, so hope they have an answer on how it was sold. I thought Aero only sold stripped lowers but i dont want to get jail time over some stupid law on a gun i didnt build

Uhhh,so why would you buy the gun then? I'm confused.

And are you planing on changing it? If it is configured as a pistol AND YOU DON'T SHOOT ANYONE with it,there should never be an issue,no?

Other options are get a tax stamp and make it a SBR or put a 16"+ upper and a stock on to make it a proper rifle. (pistol to rifle is cool)

But it baffles me as to why you bought it in the first place without asking these questions.

 

[nwdrifter]

Maybe because to the regular Joe like me a lower is a lower pistol rifle whatever. who knew there was some stupid law that says a lower can be made into a rifle or pestol but if a lower at any time ever had a rifle barrel mounted you could never put a pistol barrel on i again. How the hell is some non AR nut ever supposed to know such a crazy law is out there.
I just want to cover my a$$.i dont need some jack booted fed checking it at a range and getting lcking me up for 3000 years on soe gun laws.

 

[Nwcid]

Lets see here.

Guns can ONLY be transferred (since there is NO registration) as long gun (if built as one), as Handgun (if built as one) or Other (if not built into a pistol or rifle). So even a complete lower with buttstock is still an "Other" as it does NOT meet the definition of a long gun.

Just because a receiver is stamped with "pistol" on the side does not legally make it a pistol. They are meaningless words from a legal stand point.

You CAN LEGALLY make a pistol to a rifle and back but you can not make a rifle into a pistol ever legally.

 

[rdb241]

Its an Aero precision lower with no rifle or pistol markings, i emailed aero, so hope they have an answer on how it was sold. I thought Aero only sold stripped lowers but i dont want to get jail time over some stupid law on a gun i didnt build

If my memory is correct. If you start with a stripped lower, you can legally go any way you want and back again. You just can't have the pistol upper with a butt stock.

 

[ARKLITE881South]

Don't some of the pistol lowers come stamped "Pistol"?

yes

 

[ScorpioMk]

Lets see here.

Guns can ONLY be transferred (since there is NO registration) as long gun (if built as one), as Handgun (if built as one) or Other (if not built into a pistol or rifle). So even a complete lower with buttstock is still an "Other" as it does NOT meet the definition of a long gun.

Just because a receiver is stamped with "pistol" on the side does not legally make it a pistol. They are meaningless words from a legal stand point.

You CAN LEGALLY make a pistol to a rifle and back to pistol.

You can not take a factory made rifle and turn it into a pistol ever legally, it would be an SBR.

That makes more sense, I got what you were saying but to someone new it might be hard to understand. And the part about buying a completed lower that wasnt finished into a rifle is good for people to know.

If aero tells you that it was sold as a stripped lower, and the dealer that sold it isnt a 07 or 10 ffl it doesnt matter what they transferred it as, because even if they put rifle on the 4473 it wasnt actually a rifle. If the dealer is a manufacturer and they completed it as a rifle, paid the excise tax on it and then sold it I dont know how atf would see that.

 

[nwdrifter]

You CAN LEGALLY make a pistol to a rifle and back but you can not make a rifle into a pistol ever legally.

Everything i have read from batf says if a lower ever had a rifle barrel attaching it can not only be a rifle and never a pistol again.

By the way i got an email back that it was sold as a stripped lower so i feel better now

 

[Nwcid]

Everything i have read from batf says if a lower ever had a rifle barrel attaching it can not only be a rifle and never a pistol again.

http://www.atf.gov/regulations-rulings/rulings/atf-rulings/atf-ruling-2011-4.pdf