Building an AR15

[Ron123]

Hi Folks:

This must have been discussed before but I missed it. I want to build an AR15 on a receiver I purchased. I know the completed rifle cannot have a pre ban muzzle brake, bayonet lug or a folding stock. I plan to build it on a fixed stock; however, some vendors are selling post pan muzzle brakes without a bayonet lug; would they be legal?
Some vendors have fake muzzle brakes that look like the real thing but are just for show, would they be legal?
If I build a pre ban rifle how would they know it is built on a post ban receiver unless they checked the serial number.

Thanks,

Ron

 

[Twigg]

Welcome to the forum !

IIRC it's flash hiders which are banned, brakes and compensators are not. Iffin I'm wrong they'll be a team of experts along shortly...

There are several current threads in discussion right now. Please go into your "User CP", select "options" and set it to "show all threads".

Then do a search.

You'll find your answers there.

 

[vellnueve]

Muzzle brakes are legal.

And telling that a receiver is postban is easy for many manufacturers.

 

[wheelgun]

Muzzle brakes are legal.

.

Yes, but just to be clear, they have to be permanently attached. And I read that pinning is insufficient, and that welding is required, i.e. barrels with functional threads are illegal.

 

[Twigg]

Yes, but just to be clear, they have to be permanently attached. And I read that pinning is insufficient, and that welding is required, i.e. barrels with functional threads are illegal.

Well, what if a brake or comp. is welded (Thus making them non-functional.) over the threads ?

I & 183 (and counting...) other folks here are currently anticipating building AR's and inquiring minds want to know.

 

[FalArAk]

Yes, but just to be clear, they have to be permanently attached. And I read that pinning is insufficient, and that welding is required, i.e. barrels with functional threads are illegal.

You can blind pin a brake,this is how the majority of manufacturers did it during the ban.The whole idea of doing it on a 16" or over barrel is so that it is not "capable of accepting a supressor" or some such BS.

Welding,or silver solder.The reason you can't use Loctitte or other stuff is that the FH or brake has to withstand something like 1200 degrees.Silver solder has the highest melting point IIRC.

I am no expert on the law,but these explanations are to the best of my very limited knowledge.

 

[vellnueve]

Correct, Red Loctite will fail long before silver solder.

 

[wheelgun]

Bushmaster offers barrel assemblies that are "post ban", meaning:

- No bayonnet lug
- pinned and welded brake
- or plain crowned (unthreaded) barrel

This includes things like a 14.5" barrel extended to 16" by the brake:

http://www.bushmaster.com/catalog_parts_barrels.asp#ABBL14M4IZFHA

P/N P-BBL-14M4IZA

Or a crowned 16" barrel, no threads, no lug. Same web page,
P/N P-BBL-16DM4A

In general the "P" in the beginning of the part number means post-ban, and such things meet the Mass. requirements as far as I know.

 

[drgrant]

If I build a pre ban rifle how would they know it is built on a post ban receiver unless they checked the serial number.

They won't... and I know everyone thinks "oh I won't get caught" (I've heard it from a few ignorant folks) but if you think long and hard enough about it, think about "exigent circumstances" which could cause your rifle to be "exposed" to law enforcement. I can think of a few things off the top of my head... say you have a psycho ex in your past, and she pulls a 209A on you, and then all of a sudden the cops show up and take everything you own. If it's an anti gun PD, I wouldn't put it past them, at that point, to try to nail someone on an AWB conviction... so now something which was merely a "costly court problem" is now you defending a felony conviction.

There are probably a bunch of other matters of exigency that could cause the same problem... like a scumbag stealing your rifle, etc, I could literally go on for pages about
all the possibilities.

The way I look at it- you can pay $300-700 for a verified preban lower (eg, one having been assembled into a rifle before the ban) now, or pay many many times that in legal fees later on... legal fees which may not be able to resolve your legal issues... When you start to think about it, it's cheap insurance.

-Mike

 

[vellnueve]

Exactly. I'd rather follow the laws as written and not have to deal with that kind of trouble later on.