Question about Fixed Magazine AR 15

[Homies69]

A few days ago I picked up my first gun which is a Daniel Defense Ar 15 rifle.

I was going to go featureless but the really nice guy at the firearms store said if I put this juggernaut featureless grip on then I'll be able to drop my magazine easier and faster so it'd be worth going fixed mag.

So I've put my featureless grip on but that didn't do anything to make the mag drop. It's just a new grip on my rifle.

Is there a video anybody can link me on what to do or could somebody explain because this is my first gun ever and I rather work on it myself so I can get used to the ins and outs.

[SkyHawk]

First of all, that juggernaut grip is sketchy, legally speaking IMO. Bad choice. We have threads around here on what happens to people who use quasi-legal featureless grips - they get their rifle confiscated or worse. That grip still allows the web of your hand to be below the top of the trigger. That makes it illegal if also used with a removable mag.

Next, in order to be featureless you also have to pin the stock so it cannot move, and remove the flash hider.

Then and only then can you remove the fixed magazine mechanism and change it to a standard mag release.

Without knowing exactly what the current config of your rifle is, from tip to tail, and without knowing exactly what mag lock you have now, it is hard to give you any more advice. But I would take that grip back, and buy a Thordsen stock or a Sparrow grip or a good fin grip if you can stand having a fin.


More about the juggernaut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alS2cVFHIKM

[kcheung2]

Let's back up a bit here. The standard AR magazine release (aka the free state mag release) works fine. There's no products out there that improve upon it, other than cosmetics like a different color or a slightly grippier ribbing. In other words, there's no "rocket powered ejection seat" gadget that allows one to eject a magazine easier or faster.

That standard mag release is legally only allowed on featureless rifles. If your rifle is configured as featureless then the std mag release is allowed. If there are any features on your rifle, then the only legal method of compliance is with a fixed magazine setup.

You can look up the definition of what a feature is.

The grip itself does not make any other part of the gun work better or faster. It's just a grip. But legally, it's one compliance part which in conjunction with other compliance parts allows the use of a std mag release.

To reconcile what the salesperson said to what you think he said: by using a featureless grip (like the one he's selling) , (and if the rest of your gun is also compliant) one can freely drop magazines (using the std free state mag release) and it's faster (than using a fixed mag setup, which as the name implies has a fixed magazine so it's more of a process to remove it) and easier to eject a mag (in free states you just press the button, with a fixed mag one must pull the rear takedown pin, pivot the upper a bit, and then press the ejection button)

And to muddy the waters a bit, there's a bit of controversy as to whether the design of the Juggernaut grip is truly compliant. There are other grips which are very obviously compliant, and many people chose those instead.

[tabascoz28]

If your rifle came with a pistol grip and flash hider and an adjustable stock it was probably installed with a maglock. A standard release is just a button, not an arm. Take a look at how you release your mag. If this was a joke post, ha ha. If not, it's sad to see someone learn that a regular mag release is how the gun was designed to work.

ar1.jpg ar2.jpg

[edgerly779]

Essy to pin stock and put 16 buck muzzle brake on it. Then change standard mag release.

[tony270]

You can't legally convert a fix mag rifle to a featureless. That's my understanding, a featureless can never accept a magazine capacity of more than 10 rounds, freedom week and grandfathered mags are legal to use, but never in a rifle that originally had a maglock.

[edgerly779]

^^^ Nonsense only if registered.

[tony270]

^^^ Nonsense only if registered.

That's what I was told, if you buy a maglock AR it has to stay that way. That was during freedom week, posted here. It can be changed by the magazine limit doesn't, but they would never know that by first look.

[Homies69]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I hadn't realized that the salesperson was talking about turning my fixed mag rifle into a featureless rifle.

I totally thought he was talking about a different route for compliance with the laws but also going a route to make that mag drop easier without going full featureless.

Now I feel dumb for not just buying a featureless rifle in the first place.

In regards to the Juggernaut grip I'm going to stick with it because It's just a risk I'm willing to take and after research I never heard of anybody actually getting in trouble with that grip.

[OlderThanDirt]

That's what I was told, if you buy a maglock AR it has to stay that way. That was during freedom week, posted here. It can be changed by the magazine limit doesn't, but they would never know that by first look.

[tony270]

And how would anyone know if a rifle was originally configured with a fixed magazine? What law specifically addresses fixed magazine versus featureless? I’m pretty sure you DO NOT want to believe everything poster here.

If they took a second look, say they confiscated the rifle for a reason not the registered owners fault, then they take a second look at the AFL and find out it shouldbe a maglock rifle. May initially be able to find that out with a text or radio call.

[Quickdraw559]

You can't legally convert a fix mag rifle to a featureless. That's my understanding, a featureless can never accept a magazine capacity of more than 10 rounds, freedom week and grandfathered mags are legal to use, but never in a rifle that originally had a maglock.

That's what I was told, if you buy a maglock AR it has to stay that way. That was during freedom week, posted here. It can be changed by the magazine limit doesn't, but they would never know that by first look.

If they took a second look, say they confiscated the rifle for a reason not the registered owners fault, then they take a second look at the AFL and find out it shouldbe a maglock rifle. May initially be able to find that out with a text or radio call.

[edgerly779]

when the last round of registration occured I changed all of my ar's to featureless with original mag releases. just did a dros last week nowhere on dros or 4473 does it say how it was configured. I used a pop rivet to pin stock and put hammerhead grips on them and changed to brakes or barrel nut. average cost per ar was 40 bucks

[sonofeugene]

One can switch between maglocked and featureless and back again at any time.

[kcheung2]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I hadn't realized that the salesperson was talking about turning my fixed mag rifle into a featureless rifle.

I totally thought he was talking about a different route for compliance with the laws but also going a route to make that mag drop easier without going full featureless.

Now I feel dumb for not just buying a featureless rifle in the first place.

In regards to the Juggernaut grip I'm going to stick with it because It's just a risk I'm willing to take and after research I never heard of anybody actually getting in trouble with that grip.

There are 2 legal configurations for new long gun owners: featureless or fixed mag. Apparently you have a fixed mag setup, which means you can have all the features you want (except grenade launcher, I think that's still illegal).

Which means you can use any choice of grip you want. Be it the standard AR grip, or any number of more comfortable aftermarket grips from Magpul, Hogue, etc. You can even- if you want- use a featureless grip. However, there's no reason to gimp down your rifle doing so. People with featureless rifles use these non-pistol grips because they are the the least bad option, in exchange they get to freely drop mags. However, no one will say that these non-pistol grips are good. That's their compromise; funky grip but drop mags like the way the gun was intended. And use 30 round mags if obtained during Freedom Week.

Likewise, since you have a fixed mag setup, there's no reason to chose a sub-optimal non-grip. Get a real pistol grip. It's legal for a fixed mag setup. And far more comfortable. That's the compromise for fixed mag; it looks and feels like a free state gun, but there's extra steps to change magazines. And 10 rounds only.