[chburnham]

If you buy a lower and transfer it as a pistol, can you put a stock on it or would that turn it into a SBR

 

[JMS39339]

My understanding of it is this (but I could be wrong):
Any stripped lower can be registered as either a pistol or rifle. Pistol lowers are normally marked as such.
If you register it as a pistol, you can make a rifle out of it too......as long as the barrel is at least 16".
If you register it as a rifle, you can never make it into a pistol.
If you have multiple AR's, always keep the pistol upper attached to its lower and never swap around. If you do so without thinking a lot about it, you could end up carrying around an unregistered SBR.

 

[chburnham]

So if it's registered as a pistol with a short barrel, and you put a stock on it it has then became an illegal short barrel Rifle.

 

[jbpmidas]

Yes.
Short barrel must be registered as a pistol (no stock) or SBR.

 

[jbpmidas]

I have seen some "pistols" with a buffer tube long enough to be used a stock.

 

[osucowboy8]

The previous posters are correct. You can have a short upper on a lower that is registered as a pistol BUT it cannot have a stock. Also, you cannot be in possession of a short upper (less than 16 inches) if you don't have a pistol lower for it. That assumes that you have ONLY non-pistol and non-SBR lowers.

I'm interested in building an SBR and every once in a while I'll see a short-barreled upper that I cannot buy until I have either an SBR lower or a pistol lower in my possession.

 

[jbpmidas]

I thought you could own one, just couldn't attach it until it was registered.

 

[osucowboy8]

I thought you could own one, just couldn't attach it until it was registered.

I could be mistaken (I often am), but my understanding is that you can't even own one unless you have a pistol lower or an SBR lower.

 

[osucowboy8]

One more point, you cannot under any circumstance attach a VFG to your AR pistol unless you file the Form 1 with the ATF and pay the $200 tax.

According to the ATF, a pistol is designed to be fired with one hand, and the addition of a VFG converts it to a weapon that is designed to be fired with two hands. Thus, by adding a VFG, you have "made" a gun and are required to file the form.

 

[jbpmidas]

VFG?

 

[osucowboy8]

Sorry, VFG = Verticle Fore Grip

 

[jbpmidas]

Gotcha!

 

[chburnham]

I've seen actual pistols with a fore grip attached does that make them illegal

 

[osucowboy8]

I've seen actual pistols with a fore grip attached does that make them illegal

No, you can legally own a AR pistol with a VFG if you've filed Form 1 with the ATF and paid the $200 tax. There's a great thread on this topic at AR15.com here:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=122&t=458387

 

[chburnham]

Yeah he said you can't have it on an ar pistol without paper work. What about actual pistols such as a glock?

 

[osucowboy8]

Yeah he said you can't have it on an ar pistol without paper work. What about actual pistols such as a glock?

I don't know the answer to that one. My guess would be no VFG without ATF Form 1 and paying the tax.

 

[jadams]

Not on any pistol.....at the time in which it does it is an aow which is a 5 dollar transfer but if you go form 1 there is a 200 dollar manufacturer tax.....