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(AR-15 q’s) Hello people of knowledge and experience
I think I need an AR-15 (WA State and DC have some serious political drama)
Thinking about starting with a
Make: Bravo Company
Model: BCMAction
Photo:
https://gearfireimages.s3.amazonaws.com/imagedb/image305123-1690e957728d8d9bae790c2f00c258d8.jpg
From what I understand I will recieve a weapon of the “other” category and can set it up interchangeably as a pistol and rifle (as long as I am careful about the order of shoulder-stock attachment/detachment and upper attachment of course)
I will need at minimumBOTH
•Bolt carrier group
•Reciever extension (buffer tube)
•Buffer spring
•Buffer
•magazine
•gas block
PISTOL
•carbine length gas tube (Q: WILL THIS WORK FOR 10.5 AND 16)
•10.5″ 1:7 twist rate barrel
TL:DR,
●The stock obviously is removable from any lower, including the Bravo Company BCMAction RIGHT?
●Did I missing anything that will keep the weapon from properly operating above [I can save the RIFLE upper, rails (maybe, I think), optics, lights, and whatever after after I know I have a reliable start, I will go 16″ 1:8 if the carbine gas tube works and 20″ 1:9 otherwise] ?
●is there any reason to avoid this particular lower, it’s not cheap but I hear good things and I may be stuck with it until lord knows when ?
●THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS, FIRST POST; ANY MISSED ETTIQUETTE IS UNINTENTIONAL
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7 Replies
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Short answer is this… A lower is a lower, is a lower. BCM or PSA, they will function great for 99% of the people out there. The small improvements of a “nice” lower over a budget one are not going to be noticed by the average Joe.
Buy the lower as a rifle lower. Then you are not stuck in a Pistol only configuration. Pistol buffer will work fine for up to 16″, and even 18″ possibly too.
For 16″ upper, I’d recommend mid length gas system. 10.5″, go with Carbine length, an 8″ or lower, pistol gas tube.
Regarding stock vs brace, in today’s world, who knows. Wait until ATF gets sued over the new brace rule. Until then, just go with 16″ upper and a stock.
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The reason I recommended rifle for your first is because of the recent pistol brace ruling. That combined with the fact that you are not in a politically gun friendly state. I do not know WA specific laws, but as I understand, they are more restrictive than here in TX. If you order just a lower, it will likely be classified on a 4473 as other at the FFL.
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Oh, and I agree on a plastic lower. Technically, they are legal now, but as you mention, they could be lumped in with “ghost guns – BOO!” easily. I didn’t mean buy a plastic one, they are actually not very common. And more expensive than aluminum oftentimes.
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As stated above, the rifle recommendation was simply due to current brace ruling. I certainly understand the preference for 10″ over 16″. I get confused about the whole you can make a pistol into a rifle vs making a rifle into a pistol. I’ve built all of mine from scratch, so they are all “other” on 4473.
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A pistols is generally a pistol going forward, never to become a rifle. Make absolutely sure your paperwork is “other”.
As long as you can verify the dimensions are correct, and the grade of aluminum, who makes the lower is really irrelevant. Higher end might equate to tighter tolerances. That chance and a name are all you are paying extra for.
The stock will be removable, yes. However, you must for a hybrid gun have 2 buffers, 1 that will accept a stock, the other, that will not. If you are going to interchange then the tubes will change to match whatever config you have the receiver in at the time.
Looks like you’ve listed the things that you need assuming I missed the complete upper somewhere when skimming. It’d be a good idea to probably get a couple of differently weighted buffers, almost certainly one isn’t going to work in both pistol and rifle configs.
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1. A stock on a “pistol” means it’s an SBR and you’ll need to pay the $200 tax.
2. Any incomplete firearm is transferred as other under Federal law.
3. If you assemble it as a rifle first it will always, legally, be a rifle. Putting a barrel under 16″ on it turns it into an SBR. -
Doood, wtf?! Why are you overthinking the shit out of this? An AR is a tool, one of basic functionality. Point, bang… did you hit what you were aiming at?
No one actually cares what parts something has and it’s really not worth all of what you’re typing to figure out.
