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Short AR-15 barrel question

JackBwr
I should probably know this and it seems like I"ve seen them before for sale but, just wondering about what civilians are allowed to have. Are we allowed to get one of those short 14" barrels for the AR-15? If so, how much would an upper like that go for? I believe they usually have collapibe stocks. I'm sure everyone knows what I'm talking about. Not the 16 but the real short 14. Is that the shortest they go? thanks
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • ZERODIN
    There are 11.5" and 14.5" barrels. The M4A1 has a 14.5" barrel while Colt's "M4 Commando" model has an 11.5" barrel. The M16A4, of course, has the 20" barrel. I suspect that a 16" barrel is the shortest you can legally have without an NFA stamp, but if I'm paying a $200 tax to have a gun, it's not because it has a short barrel, so that's not my area of expertise. [:)]

    See Colt's own "Military" section on http://www.colt.com/ for more information on the differences between these models.
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  • Bison
    no, they make AR 'handgun' barrels as short as 7", if you put a barrel on a rifle, it either has to be 16" long, (here in the US, at least, Canada's diff, I heard) or you have to "permanently attach" a flashhider that is long enough to make the OAL come out to be 16+ inches,or you are afoul of Federal Gun Laws.
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  • brecht
    to bison:
    16" over all lenght of the barrel or the whole gun?
    and what distinguishhes the ar hadgun from the rifle?

    in a world full of compromise some don't
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  • ZERODIN
    Don't bother asking - if he knew he would've posted a whole topic just about that. http://www.scottsdalegunclub.com/classIII/NFAlist.html is from my local Class III dealer, defining a "short barrel rifle" as one with a barrel less than 16" or an OAL of less than 26". I'd tend to take their word for it. They were even able to explain to me the difference between two virtually identical shotguns, one of which was an AOW ($5 tax stamp) and the other of which was a short barrel shotgun ($200 tax stamp). [:)]

    And I honestly don't know for 100% sure what the difference is in an AR-15-based pistol that makes it legal, but I believe it's that there's no buttstock, meaning it was not designed to be fired from the shoulder. I could be wrong, though. I also believe CA happens to outlaw all pistols with the magazine in front of the pistol grip, just in case you live there.
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  • IAMACLONE_2
    6" is the shortest!
    Anything shorter than 16" with a buttstock is a NFA weapon SBR (short barreled rifle) requiring a $200 tax stamp.
    Pistols can have any length of barrel as long as a buttstock can NOT be attached & the current AWB requirements are meet.
    There is also a class called "AOW's" "all other weapons" $5 tax stamp. Of which I know of no ar-15's being in that class.
    The aow's a basicly pen gun's, shot guns mfgd with pistol grips with shortened barrels, dont know of any of the ar15 family being in that class.
    walte
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  • ZERODIN
    AOW's are a weird duck, indeed...pen guns qualify, for sure, but a short-barrel shotgun can be a SBS ($200 tax stamp) or an AOW ($5 tax stamp) depending on how it was manufactured, if I remember correctly. I think the line is drawn at whether it was manufactured as an NFA weapon or if it was later converted, but I'm probably wrong on this. All I know is that I have held two shotguns that I couldn't personally tell apart, and one was an AOW and the other was a SBS. Go figure.

    I think IAMACLONE_2 means '16" is the shortest' and 'as long as a buttstock can NOT be attached' for the pistols. I'm pretty sure he's right that there are no AOW AR-15's, though; and if you have an AR-15 with an 11.5" or 14.5" barrel it's an NFA item anyhow, so you may as well get it on a registered full-auto gun. [:)]
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  • Mooseyard
    Zerodin, There are a few companies that have made AOW AR-15's. If you take a FACTORY Ar-15 pistol, and add a forward pistol grip, you have just created an AOW. There was one for sale on GB for quite awhile, but I can't find it now. I think it was made by Pro-Ord or something like that. The same is true if you take a Glock or some other pistol with a rail on the front, and add a forward grip, then you have created an AOW. The key to an AOW is that it had to have come from the factory without a stock. That is why you see alot of Mosseberg AOW's because they have factory guns with pistols grips, that can be shortened and turned into AOWS. If you take regular Mosseberg, cut the barrel and replace the full stock with a pistol grip, then you have created a Short Barrel Shotgun (SBS). I hope this clears things up.
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  • brecht
    am I allowed to own:
    1 an AR15 pistol along with an Ar15 Rifle or
    2 an Ar 15 Rifle and an extra short pistol barrel

    in a world full of compromise some don't
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  • Mooseyard
    Brecht, you would have to have two seperate lower recievers. One would be classified as a rifle one as a pistol.
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  • ZERODIN
    quote:Originally posted by brecht
    am I allowed to own:
    1 an AR15 pistol along with an Ar15 Rifle or
    2 an Ar 15 Rifle and an extra short pistol barrel


    Sounds okay to me. They really only care about having M16 parts along with an AR-15, as far as I know. Just don't put the pistol-length barrel on the rifle.
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