Mainsail
Member
Can one buy an AR-180 lower and build it into a pistol? I can't find anyone that sells the parts.
AR-180 Pistol?
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Sam Cade
Member
I have never seen such a thing. If it were readily available it would be illegal to do so unless the AR-180 was entered into the NFA registry as an SBR.
( provided it was a rifle beforehand)
( provided it was a rifle beforehand)
Sebastian the Ibis
Member
Not unless you want to go the NFA route, because I assume no manufacturer registered one as a pistol. I could be wrong though.
nalioth
Member
Unfortunately, the odds of finding a virgin AR-180 receiver makes the odds in Las Vegas look like charity.goon said:
nalioth
Member
I think you need to review the laws on this, before you tease the gov into housing you for an extended period.goon said:
Good luck (you'll need it).
nalioth said:
Actually, if you read the original post, you'll see this isn't my question. I have no use for a pistol that should have been a rifle. I don't see why a stripped AR-180B lower that had never been built into a rifle couldn't be built into a pistol (because again, it's done all the time with AK's and AR's), but I'm also not a lawyer.
I was just giving Mainsail an idea to check into.
By the way Mainsail, I am not a lawyer. Check into any suggestion that I or anyone else gives you on anything gun related before you just haul off and try it.
Or just jump through the hoops, register an AR-180B as an SBR, and go to work with your favorite hacksaw. This should ensure that you avoid the "teasing" of the government that nalioth alludes to.
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Mainsail
Member
I was never a fan of the AR pistol myself until someone made a point I hadn't thought of. You see, here in Washington we cannot carry a loaded long gun in our car, but with a CPL we can carry a loaded handgun. This makes the AR pistol an interesting option. The AR-180 doesn't have the buffer tube and may be lighter, plus there's always that 'unique' factor.
In hindsight I probably should have posted this in the handgun section.
In hindsight I probably should have posted this in the handgun section.
MachIVshooter
Member
Of all the manufactrurers, my experience with Armalite suggests they might be the one company who would work with you...........except that they discontinued the 180 some time ago.
5 reasons i wonder if this is really a good idea:
1 horrific muzzle blast.
2 supernova fireball.
3 massive velocity reduction.
4 very hot empties bouncing around in the car.
5 likely the gas port would need to be moved in to correct cycling pressure.
gunnie
1 horrific muzzle blast.
2 supernova fireball.
3 massive velocity reduction.
4 very hot empties bouncing around in the car.
5 likely the gas port would need to be moved in to correct cycling pressure.
gunnie
nalioth
Member
Only if they're a manufacturer of pistols.calvin13 said:
If they don't, it's a "virgin receiver" until it's built into a rifle or pistol.
So, what you are saying is that a lower manufacturer, somebody that just manufactures lowers, can sell a lower and it can be built as a long gun or pistol?
From what I understand you have to use a registered pistol lower on a pistol. You cannot use a non-pistol lower on a pistol. The manufacture of the lower must register the lower as a pistol lower in order to build a pistol. You cannot use a regular AR lower on a pistol. But you can use a pistol lower on a long gun. I could be misreading the law though.
nalioth
Member
You have been misinformed.calvin13 said:
The law says a virgin receiver may be built into a long gun or hand gun.
You may be confusing "pistol" markings as "legally required". Under federal law, they are not.
nalioth
Member
1) Nothing I link you to is gonna help you much, depending on where you live (some states/localities DO require "pistol" markings).calvin13 said:
2) This particular subject has been discussed on THR hundreds of times. Did you look at the stickies in the legal section?
Why not just pick up a Kel Tec PLR 16 or other piston-operated AR-like pistol?
MachIVshooter
Member
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!
The PLR is actually very similar to the 180 in it's operating system. They're very light weight and compact, as well as accurate and reliable. That's why I have 2.
Prince Yamato
Member
I believe that some company- it was either Sterling of England or Bushmaster- made a pistol based on the AR-180 sometime in the early to mid 1980s. It doesn't look like an AR-180 though. In fact, it's a bullpup system, but the pistol is still based on the AR-180 action.
This is it:
This is it:
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