Originally Posted by Broadhead26
Originally Posted by hunterbuck
Originally Posted by Broadhead26
Originally Posted by daylate
If you ever remove a pinned and welded barrel attachment from a firearm that is not registered with the NFA and has a barrel less than 16" then you will instantly be in posession of an SBR while it is off. That is why they are permanent. Silly as heck, but that's the law as it was explained to me.


I mean, that kind of makes sense. You’re in possession of a functional rifle with a barrel less than the 16”. It’s not different than chopping a barrel of a 18” down to 10”. It changes the classification of that rifle.

Plot twist: just put a pistol brace on it (while they are still legal).


Second plot twist....that is in no way, shape, or form legal if the lower was originally designated as a rifle..

From a legal standpoint, by removing the pinned and welded attachment, you have turned a legal rifle into an illegal SBR. You can't turn an SBR into a pistol by putting a brace on it b/c the weapon was originally designed as a rifle. Instead, you have simply turned your NFA SBR (which it became the instant the attachment was removed) into a "weapon made from a rifle," which is still regulated by the NFA.

Hard and fast rule...if a lower was originally designated as a rifle, it will always be a rifle in your possession in the eyes of the NFA....unless you apply for a SBR tax stamp (in which case it's still a "rifle").


I’ve heard that before, but I really question how enforceable that is, if it’s even a thing. If you purchase a lower and put a sig brace with an 8” barrel, did you just build a rifle, or a pistol? If you then put that same lower on a 18” upper and a fixed stock with that same lower, did you convert a pistol into a rifle? What if you go back?

I can see going from a legit registered SBR to a pistol could possibly cause an issue because it’s technically an NFA registered weapon, but there’s no way anything other than that can be enforceable on an individual level.


If the 4473 lists the original purchase as a "rifle", it is both easily traceable and 100% enforceable.

Stripped lowers are mostly designated as "other" for this reason. They can be built as either rifle or pistol.

But, if you buy an AR15 rifle...it will be designated as a rifle on the 4473 and therefore will always be a rifle in the ATF's eyes. If that firearm somehow lands in their hands with a barrel shorter than 16" overall (including any PERMANTLY attached devices) without an SBR stamp, even with a pistol brace, someone is in A LOT of hot water with one of the worst outfits to be in trouble with.

Will the ATF go through all that trouble to run it down? Maybe, maybe not. But, the law is clear that a rifle cannot be converted to a pistol, and the punishment can be very severe.

"You think I care? Roll Damn Tide"

Have you tried Google?