How To Register A Ar Pistol

There's zilch meliorate than shooting a sleek, powerful AR pistol… except shooting ane that yous build with all your favorite custom parts.

And then why doesn't everybody jump on lath the pistol-building express? 1 word: Feds.

But, with a trivial finesse and a lot of knowledge about your local gun laws, you likewise tin confidently build a swish AR pistol.

Note: This article is for educational purposes only; it is non meant to be construed every bit legal advice. You are ultimately responsible for your ain actions and we advise you to seek guidance from a legal professional person in your area before attempting any AR pistol build.

AR Pistol Laws and Definitions

The first matter to annotation about whatsoever custom build to brand sure you stay safely within the law is your local and country gun regulations. Call upwards your local FFL, and they should be able to get you that info pretty easily.

As a general rule, though, a short-barreled burglarize classification is what you desire to avoid.

How are those classified? A burglarize with less than a 16-inch barrel or overall length of less than 26 inches volition go you that unwanted $200 NFA (National Firearms Act) tax.

Another important notation is how the BATFE (Bureau of Booze, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) defines a rifle vs. a pistol.

In brusk, a rifle is annihilation with a stock that you fire from your shoulder.

The ATF defines a pistol as "…a weapon originally designed, made, and intended to burn down a projectile (bullet) from one or more barrels when held in ane hand, and having: a bedroom(southward) as an integral part(s) of, or permanently aligned with, the diameter(s); and a brusk stock designed to be gripped by ane paw at an angle to and extending below the line of the diameter(s)."

But, hang on. I've seen tons of AR pistols that look near identical to an AR rifle. What gives? And how are they fugitive the NFA tax?

The answer? Pistol braces.

Bracing for Bear upon

In an open alphabetic character to the BATFE, the question was posed whether a brace, which traditionally has hand-holds or arm straps to help the shooter stabilize their shot while firing with ane hand (fitting our pistol definition), would still classify the firearm as a pistol fifty-fifty if the shooter "happened" to "accidentally" place the finish of the brace on his shoulder.

Initially, their reply stated that this type of shouldering would qualify the weapon as an SBR under the NFA.

In 2017, nonetheless, that argument was amended to read every bit follows:

"With respect to stabilizing braces, ATF has concluded that attaching the caryatid to a handgun every bit a forearm brace does not 'make' a brusk-barreled firearm because … it is non intended to be and cannot comfortably be fired from the shoulder…Therefore, an NFA firearm has non necessarily been made when the device is non re-configured for use equally a shoulder stock — even if the attached firearm happens to be fired from the shoulder."

And so, if you're looking to add that actress stabilization to your build with a brace, the BATFE has given the light-green light.

Maxim Defense CQB AR Pistol Brace — Adding an AR pistol brace gives you like benefits to a stock, but doesn't require additional legal paperwork.

Keeping Your Weapon Legal

The main matter to make sure your build is legal is to go on it under the "pistol" definition. Here's how:

Use a stripped lower receiver that has never been barreled as a rifle activity. Or a receiver that started on a pistol in the outset place. If the receiver started on a rifle that has been classified every bit a burglarize, you're in trouble. Interestingly plenty, if the receiver started on a pistol, yous can strip it, put information technology on a rifle, so dorsum on a pistol with no problem.
Use an angled foregrip like the Magpul AFG that is less than 26 inches from the unadorned tip of the barrel to the stop of the buffer tube. A vertical foregrip is not immune on a pistol.
Stay under that 16-inch barrel length and 26-inch overall length.

Really, if you follow these guidelines along with your local laws, building a legal AR pistol is a piece of cake.

And at present, since I know you're wondering, here are some of my favorite components when building my AR's:

Magpul AFG2 AR-15 Grip — Be sure to employ an angled foregrip similar this Magpul AFG2, because you cannot use a vertical grip.

My Become-To Components

If you're anything like me, you've got an ideal product for every square inch of your custom gun. But, just in instance you're in the marketplace for some killer ideas, here are some of my acme choices for custom builds:

Blackness Pelting Ordnance AR15 Complete Lower Parts Kit Enhanced Version Magpul MOE Pistol Grip/BRO Drop In Trigger
Spikes Tactical Rare Breed Crusader Stripped AR-xv Lower Receiver
SB Tactical SBA3 Adjustable Brace
Aimpoint PRO Patrol Rifle Reddish Dot Sight
Yankee Hill Machine Ar-fifteen Muzzle Brake
Midwest Industries AR-15 Combat Rail T-Serial Gratis Float Handguard
CMMG AR-15 Complete Lower Parts Kit

Whatever parts you choose to build your perfect AR pistol, have fun with information technology and be sure to keep it legal with the above tips.

Accept you legally built an AR pistol? How did it turn out? Let us know in the comments below!

Richard Douglas

Richard Douglas is a firearms skillful and educator. His work has appeared on large publications like The National Interest, Daily Caller, American Shooting Periodical, and more. In his free time, he reviews eyes on his Scopes Field blog.