SBR or Pistol - ??

[BobbyJoe]

I’m sure it’s been posted before and I can probably do a search and read a hundred posts.... but, can someone give me a concise answer as to what qualifies as an SBR and what’s a pistol?? Sorry for my ignorance but I’m confused.

What differentiates the two? I’m thinking there’s a fine line and don’t want to get myself in trouble.

Not looking to get roasted, just needing some clarification.

I’m about to pull the trigger on a Springfield Saint Victor 300bo with a 9” barrel... does it need to be registered or is it a pistol I can shoulder?? Goal is to pair it with a thermal for hog hunting.

[Mike D]

An SBR is any rifle with a barrel less than 16” that is designed to be fired from the shoulder.

If the Saint has a brace on it it’s a pistol. If it’s a regular AR stock then it’s an SBR.

You’ll know when you go to buy it. The purchase process will be vastly different and if it’s an SBR you won’t be getting it for 9-12 months.


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[HighwayHunter]

It’s only an SBR if the government knows you have it. Otherwise it’s a cash expense for lawn mower repairs. [emoji1303]

Jk! The guy above me gave you a concise answer. I don’t see the need to wait for approval to buy an SBR. Throw a pistol brace on it and don’t let anyone catch you shouldering it.


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[BobbyJoe]

It’s only an SBR if the government knows you have it. Otherwise it’s a cash expense for lawn mower repairs. [emoji1303]

Jk! The guy above me gave you a concise answer. I don’t see the need to wait for approval to buy an SBR. Throw a pistol brace on it and don’t let anyone catch you shouldering it.


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That’s the confusing part. So the gun I’m looking at has a pistol brace... so if I shoulder it - it’s illegal??

[bowaddict40]

It’s only an SBR if the government knows you have it. Otherwise it’s a cash expense for lawn mower repairs. [emoji1303]

Jk! The guy above me gave you a concise answer. I don’t see the need to wait for approval to buy an SBR. Throw a pistol brace on it and don’t let anyone catch you shouldering it.


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I thought they reversed the law of the shouldering it?

[QuackHunter]

That’s the confusing part. So the gun I’m looking at has a pistol brace... so if I shoulder it - it’s illegal??

You can but you can’t make any modifications to the brace itself to make it more adept to being fired from the shoulder and making it more like a stock. In reality some of the options from SB Tactical are basically stocks but that’s not the question.
SBR = Sub 16” barrel with a stock
Pistol = sub 16” barrel without a stock or with a brace


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[TexasBob]

As long as we’re here... what is the requirement for the lower, other than a brace not a stock, to run it as a pistol ?


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[Dushon]

SBR or Pistol - ??

https://www.sb-tactical.com/product-category/brace/

Buy a pistol and slap one of these braces on it. No wait and they cost less than a tax stamp. They are a couple inches shorter than a standard butt stock but it doesn’t bother me that much


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[kmitchl]

I would be more concerned about the lack of knowledge of the BATF laws by local LEO’s. A $200 tax stamp could save you a lot of aggravation.

[bboswell]

https://www.sb-tactical.com/product-category/brace/
Buy a pistol and slap one of these braces on it. No wait and they cost less than a tax stamp. They are a couple inches shorter than a standard butt stock but it doesn’t bother me that much


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This but I prefer either the SBA3 or SBA4 adjustable braces.

[kck]

This but I prefer either the SBA3 or SBA4 adjustable braces.

I have the SBA3 on my pistol. It’s extendable and doesn’t shoulder real nice

[arrowsmack324]

I thought they reversed the law of the shouldering it?

There is no law just arbitrary "regulation" by the BATF.

[KX500]

Federal law says you can't take a rifle & make a pistol out of it, but you are free to take a pistol and make a rifle out of it.

The most critical part of this (if you want a pistol) is that the lower you buy is sold as a pistol lower. Second most critical then is that you don't put a buttstock on it. If you are going to use it as a pistol, it has to stay a pistol. The stabilizing brace is basically a huge loophole.

From what I have read, simply shouldering a pistol does not make it a rifle. And I have never seen a maximum barrel length stated for a pistol to still be a pistol - you do see pistols for sale with 16" barrels.

Seems to me the letter of the law is about how easy a gun is to conceal. A rifle is hard to conceal so you can't make it so that it isn't. A pistol is easy to conceal and if you choose to make it hard to conceal, no problem.

This became pertinent to me when the state I live in considered allowing the use of straight wall cartridges in rifles for hunting deer (currently only shotgun/ML). The bill didn't pass but these cartridges are already legal in handguns.

So after a little research into just what an AR pistol amounted to, I had my pistol lower purchased and on the way.

So my hunting pistol last year used that lower with the 450 Bushmaster 16" upper I already owned. Worked very well.

[QuackHunter]

Federal law says you can't take a rifle & make a pistol out of it, but you are free to take a pistol and make a rifle out of it.

The most critical part of this (if you want a pistol) is that the lower you buy is sold as a pistol lower. Second most critical then is that you don't put a buttstock on it. If you are going to use it as a pistol, it has to stay a pistol. The stabilizing brace is basically a huge loophole.

From what I have read, simply shouldering a pistol does not make it a rifle. And I have never seen a maximum barrel length stated for a pistol to still be a pistol - you do see pistols for sale with 16" barrels.

Seems to me the letter of the law is about how easy a gun is to conceal. A rifle is hard to conceal so you can't make it so that it isn't. A pistol is easy to conceal and if you choose to make it hard to conceal, no problem.

This became pertinent to me when the state I live in considered allowing the use of straight wall cartridges in rifles for hunting deer (currently only shotgun/ML). The bill didn't pass but these cartridges are already legal in handguns.

So after a little research into just what an AR pistol amounted to, I had my pistol lower purchased and on the way.

So my hunting pistol last year used that lower with the 450 Bushmaster 16" upper I already owned. Worked very well.

Any lower sold without an upper is classified as a “firearm” that’s why you have to be 21 to buy lowers. So as long as you buy a lower by itself either stripped or complete you can build a pistol, rifle, or SBR out of it depending on the amount of paperwork you want to do.


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[KX500]

Any lower sold without an upper is classified as a “firearm” that’s why you have to be 21 to buy lowers. So as long as you buy a lower by itself either stripped or complete you can build a pistol, rifle, or SBR out of it depending on the amount of paperwork you want to do.


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Sounds good.

I bought my pistol lower from PSA complete with its Pistol Stabilizing Brace, which even has those words molded into .

I wanted a receipt that has 'pistol lower' on it.

I have spent some time researching AR pistols but I'm not real confident that all DNR guys have or that they have gotten the memo.