Can I use a 80% to build a AR pistol?

[Ledd Slinger]

So your ASSUMPTION is that all 80% lowers are owned by gang members and felons?
If a person is not able to own a firearm legally why would an 80% be any different?

Never said all people. Was basically saying that it makes no sense to me for a person to buy an 80% receiver when a fully finished one is so cheap.

The difference is that there is no background check or ATF registration on 80% lowers. Just order them online and have them shipped directly to your house like an upper or any other gun part that is not a receiver.

Although it may not always be the case, it is undoubtedly a loophole for violent criminals to acquire firearms if they know how to finish the last 20% of the work on the lower because anyone can purchase and own them. So they just finish the lower and order an upper, which are not regulated by the ATF either, and a criminal can have a fully functioning semi automatic rifle or pistol.

From the ATF Q&A:

 

[Papa Charlie]

Let's try to clarify this. If you purchase a lower that is complete then it must be registered and only under certain conditions can it be reclassified from rifle to pistol or vis versa.

An 80% receiver that you want to mill yourself does no have to be registered and therefor can be interchanged at will. You can use that receiver with all the uppers you have. There are no forms to fill out and no record of what it is. If a FFL should build one, then he must register it.

Any person legally able to own a firearm can build as many firearms as they want as long as they do not sell them

Absolutely correct. The only thing that I will add is that if you have the lower with a rifle upper you can put whatever butt stock you want on it. If you use a pistol upper you have to ensure that the butt stock is classified as a brace not a stock. So to change from rifle to pistol requires that you replace the upper and butt stock to brace.

 

[Dirtball]

As it was explained to me, a receiver can be finished as a rifle or a pistol, a pistol can be converted to a rifle, a rifle CAN NOT be converted from or back to a pistol, with out a stamp.
Rifle: barrel 16" or longer, and overall length 26" or greater.
Pistol: Barrel less than 16" and overall length less than 26".
Shotgun, Barrel 18" or longer.

Dave

 

[Dusty Stevens]

As it was explained to me, a receiver can be finished as a rifle or a pistol, a pistol can be converted to a rifle, a rifle CAN NOT be converted from or back to a pistol, with out a stamp.
Rifle: barrel 16" or longer, and overall length 26" or greater.
Pistol: Barrel less than 16" and overall length less than 26".
Shotgun, Barrel 18" or longer.

Dave

Cant go back and forth legally either. We go thru this every year or so on xp rifle conversions

 

[Papa Charlie]

As it was explained to me, a receiver can be finished as a rifle or a pistol, a pistol can be converted to a rifle, a rifle CAN NOT be converted from or back to a pistol, with out a stamp.
Rifle: barrel 16" or longer, and overall length 26" or greater.
Pistol: Barrel less than 16" and overall length less than 26".
Shotgun, Barrel 18" or longer.

Dave

If it is a registered firearm yes,
? But we are talking about something that is not registered, logged or that can be sold. You can do whatever you want, as long as the combination of parts is legal within your state.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

Never said all people. Was basically saying that it makes no sense to me for a person to buy an 80% receiver when a fully finished one is so cheap.

The difference is that there is no background check or ATF registration on 80% lowers. Just order them online and have them shipped directly to your house like an upper or any other gun part that is not a receiver.

Although it may not always be the case, it is undoubtedly a loophole for violent criminals to acquire firearms if they know how to finish the last 20% of the work on the lower because anyone can purchase and own them. So they just finish the lower and order an upper, which are not regulated by the ATF either, and a criminal can have a fully functioning semi automatic rifle or pistol.

From the ATF Q&A:

View attachment 1217017

I will quote the FBI statistics from 2016. There were only 360 or so homicides in which any type of long gun was used. There were 30,000 homicides of which about 10,000 were suicides. Most were handguns and knife type weapons. A thousand or more were by hammers. Many of the others were termed justifiable. There was one gang in California that was recently arrested and charged with illegally making and owning AR type rifles. Another guy was charged with making and selling them. A third man was charged with allowing others to use the same equipment and allowing others to use his shop while he instructed them.

For a very long time, manufactures of 80% lowers and Jigs, have had waiting lists and it sometimes take several months for them to be able to make delivery. The jigs they now sell can be used for both AR 15 and AR 10. If all you want is a basic AR rifle, you can build the lower in 45 minutes with a drill and router. total cost for building a complete rifle is about $300.00 using parts bought from Midway US.

Are convicted criminals or wife beaters building them. Of course they are. But they aren't using them for committing crimes.

The FBI's own statistics counter any claim that the AR type rifle is the choice of criminals. They are too hard to conceal and are more trouble than they are worth as a crime gun.

It is unfortunate that Armalite named the rifle AR, which stands for Amalite Rifle. the powers that be, have mistook those initials for Assault Rifle, which is a misnomer.

 

[GuitarmanNick]

Gentlemen, let me start by saying there are lots of conflicting opinions in this thread.

Forgetting opinions, I have looked and have not found anything in the BATF regulations that separate 80% builds from stripped receivers. If you build it into a finished receiver, you must abide by all current laws and regulations, both federal and of the state in which you reside.

An AR receiver that is first built as a rifle and not registered as a pistol, may not be changed into a pistol without a tax stamp! It matters not to the BATF who finished the receiver!

Again, build it first as a pistol, photograph it, and save it someplace safe. Once built or registered as a pistol, it can then be legally changed to fit changing needs. This usually requires much more than just swapping the uppers. Simply swaping an upper could easily create an OAW in the eyes of the BATF and land you in big trouble.

I have seen nothing that indicated there is any limit to the number of times a weapon may be reconfigured contrary to some opinions, here.

I am not an attorney, never played one on TV, either. Since acquiring my 03FFL, I have read most of the regulations governing items I may or may not possess in an effort to stay in compliance.

The laws in Marylandistan are poorly written and intentionally vague. The federal regulations are pretty clear but must be read carefully to avoid misinterpretation. Each word is important and changing even one can completely distort the intent.

This matter has been discussed extensively on other forums that specialize in the platform. Some may not be familiar with them, but I have tried to share the accepted consensus above in addition to what I have personally read from the BATF.

In summary:
If you have one AR lower receiver that is either registered as, or was initially built as a pistol, you can take it to the range with a selection of uppers, mags, stocks, braces and optics. You can then legally assemble whatever you like that is either a rifle or a pistol according to the federal and state laws, and shoot without fear of having done anything illegal.

After all, isn't that the alleged purpose of having a modular platform?! Most find that building complete weapons is more convenient and reliable.

Do not forget, the unelected bureaucrats at the BATF cannot be trusted not to change things on a whim especially if China Joe is propped up in the White House.

Sadly, aliens beamed all my guns away one night.(In case the gooberment is monitoring our communications)