Making an SBR at 18

[12gaugeTim]

I understand that it is legal for an 18 year old to "make" an SBR but not purchase one. What does this mean, exactly? Do I have to build the gun from the ground up, or does that just mean cutting the barrel down without help from a gunsmith?

When you're talking about AR15's, could you get a store-bought lower receiver engraved, then submit the Form 1 for production of an SBR, then buy a <16" upper receiver once you're approved? Or does that mean you have to make your own lower receiver from an 80% with its own serial number that you gave it yourself?

What exactly does "make" mean?

 

[rjrivero]

I understand that it is legal for an 18 year old to "make" an SBR but not purchase one. What does this mean, exactly? Do I have to build the gun from the ground up, or does that just mean cutting the barrel down without help from a gunsmith?

When you're talking about AR15's, could you get a store-bought lower receiver engraved, then submit the Form 1 for production of an SBR, then buy a <16" upper receiver once you're approved? Or does that mean you have to make your own lower receiver from an 80% with its own serial number that you gave it yourself?

What exactly does "make" mean?

At 18 you can buy a rifle and then swap out the upper, or just the barrel to make a SBR. You don't have to make it from the ground up. In fact, it would be hard for you to do so unless you could find a lower from a private party. (See below)

You could also buy a pistol and put a stock on it, but at 18 you would have to buy a pistol from a private party in order to do that because you can't buy one from a gun shop until you're 21.

Similarly, if you get a "store bought" lower receiver, it would have to be from a private party because you can't buy one from a gun shop (as it could be made into a pistol) until you're 21.

"making a short barrel rifle" means putting the pieces together to make a shoulder fired firearm with a rifled barrel that is less than 16' or over all length is less than 26" or both.

 

[12gaugeTim]

Alright, so I'm good to engrave a lower I already own, submit the Form 1, then buy the short barreled upper once I get approved. Does this also mean I can chop the barrel on a rifle as long as I do it myself (and engrave+form 1 first, of course)?

 

[hentown]

So, an 18-yr-old qualifies for a tax stamp?

 

[MasterSergeantA]

Yes to both of the preceding posts.

 

[dprice3844444]

if you chop the barrel yourself,you might have to enlarge the gas port

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Better off buying a SBR barrel already set up with the optimum length and gas port diameter.

The ATF gets silly about trust names some time. Better not to engrave until you have at least one form approved for a given trust name.

Mike

 

[Russian Hammer]

You can also purchase NFA items in your home state as long as you buy from a private party. The only thing you have to be 21 for is to have an NFA firearm transferred to you through a licensed dealer.

 

[12gaugeTim]

The rifle in mind would be outfitted with a booster to keep it from short stroking. Thanks for the replies.

 

[rjrivero]

The rifle in mind would be outfitted with a booster to keep it from short stroking. Thanks for the replies

What exactly do you mean by "booster?"

I know suppressors with linear decoupling devices, Nielsen Devices, booster, or whatever you want to call it are designed for tilt barrel locking mechanisms.

But what are you talking about when you say "booster" with a "Short barrel Rifle?"

 

[12gaugeTim]

What exactly do you mean by "booster?"

I know suppressors with linear decoupling devices, Nielsen Devices, booster, or whatever you want to call it are designed for tilt barrel locking mechanisms.

But what are you talking about when you say "booster" with a "Short barrel Rifle?"

A gas boosting muzzle device. Examples would be the Noveske pig, the Bulgarian 4-piece, and the muzzle devices seen on Krinks and 102, 104, and 105 pattern AK rifles. I'm not sure how they work, but I know that their design is to increase the amount of gas used to cycle the weapon on short barreled rifles, in addition to hiding flash.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

The pig is a copy of the Bulgarian design. These were intended to be flash hiders optimized for short barrels (the idea of a cone flash hider goes back to the Lee Enfield Jungle Carbine, possibly older) and had the added benefit of increasing back pressure for guns with gas actions optimized for suppressed use when fired non-suppressed (especially for making AKs which have only one standard piston length into SBRs). They also assisted in cutting barbed wire using the slot in the muzzle end to position the wire.



Noveske is unique in that they port many of their barrels (all .300BK, for example) for suppressed use only. Most makers will port for non-suppressed use and the user will either tolerate a somewhat over-gassed gun for suppressed use or add an adjustable gas block.

A pig makes sense for tactical use of an SBR in darkness or for wire cutting. It also makes sense for occasional unsuppressed use of a gun set for primarily suppressed use, such as where the handguard is longer than the barrel. Otherwise (in my opinion) a long over-sized (nearly 3.3") flash hider tends to defeat the purpose of having a short barrel in the first place.

Now if we are talking about looking cool vs. function, my advice does not apply. However, I'm not sure I would count on enough boost to reliably function a chopped carbine length gas action with a carbine sized gas hole just by adding this device.

Mike