ar15 pistol build.

[superman21]

Hello fellow calgunners.

Im in the market of building my first ar15 pistol. I have a question and that is the lower has to be new or the lower has to be printed saying pistol only or can I just buy a strip lower or used? Do I need a bullet button? Can I use 10 rnd mag or is it single shot and reload? Anyone selling pistol lower let me know. Any suggestion is welcome thank you for all your help. BTW im in west covina, ca.

[biglou]

You can only use a lower that has been registered as a pistol. It doesn't have to say "pistol" on it. You can't buy a strip lower and build it into a pistol, unless you initially register it as one. You can build one from an 80%, that would be your easiest way. Or shell out some ca$h and buy one already built.

[DuneShoot]

But to register a lower as a pistol it has t be on the roster (which none are) or SSE'ed. The 80% is the easiest way or buy one complete. I bought one complete and it had a zero round sled in the magwell which makes it SSE (singe shot exempt).

[Arkangel]

Yes AR pistols must have a BB and use only >10 round mags. Easiest way is to buy a complete pistol from a shop via SSE, PPT one or complete one from an 80% lower.

Remember that if building one from an 80% lower the SSE process must still be completed in order to not violate PC 32000.

Penal Code 32000 (was 12125.)
(a) Commencing January 1, 2001, any person in this state who
manufactures or causes to be manufactured, imports into the state
for sale, keeps for sale, offers or exposes for sale, gives, or lends
any unsafe handgun shall be punished by imprisonment in a county
jail not exceeding one year.

[killmime1234]

Yes AR pistols must have a BB and use only >10 round mags. Easiest way is to buy a complete pistol from a shop via SSE, PPT one or complete one from an 80% lower.

Remember that if building one from an 80% lower the SSE process must still be completed in order to not violate PC 32000.

Penal Code 32000 (was 12125.)
(a) Commencing January 1, 2001, any person in this state who
manufactures or causes to be manufactured, imports into the state
for sale, keeps for sale, offers or exposes for sale, gives, or lends
any unsafe handgun shall be punished by imprisonment in a county
jail not exceeding one year.

Just to add to this, the SSE procedure means the pistol must be built in a "single shot exempt" configuration. It must have the magwell blocked to only allow it to accept one round at a time, it must have an overall length of 10"+, and a barrel length of 6"+. (Most, if not all, AR pistols naturally fulfill OAL and barrel length requirements.)

Once it's been "manufactured" in this format, you can swap out the magwell block for a standard <11 round mag.

[OlderThanDirt]

Yes AR pistols must have a BB and use only ≤10 round mags. Easiest way is to buy a complete pistol from a shop via SSE, PPT one or complete one from an 80% lower.

Remember that if building one from an 80% lower the SSE process must still be completed in order to not violate PC 32000.

Penal Code 32000 (was 12125.)
(a) Commencing January 1, 2001, any person in this state who
manufactures or causes to be manufactured, imports into the state
for sale, keeps for sale, offers or exposes for sale, gives, or lends
any unsafe handgun shall be punished by imprisonment in a county
jail not exceeding one year.

Fixed it...

[dieselpower]

just to make this clear... you CANNOT use a lower that was once a rifle. All you are doing at that point is turning a rifle into a SBR.

[repubconserv]

Hello fellow calgunners.

Im in the market of building my first ar15 pistol. I have a question and that is the lower has to be new or the lower has to be printed saying pistol only or can I just buy a strip lower or used? Do I need a bullet button? Can I use 10 rnd mag or is it single shot and reload? Anyone selling pistol lower let me know. Any suggestion is welcome thank you for all your help. BTW im in west covina, ca.

OP, as others have said, you can SSE a fully built one, or you can build one from an 80%. You can not buy a stripped lower and turn it in to a pistol. If you build it yourself there is no need for any markings or registration.

Once you SSE the gun either by buying it or building one through the SSE process, you can take out the 0 rd sled and use 10 rd (or less) mags.

You can only use a lower that has been registered as a pistol.

Wrong, if you build one yourself there is no need for serial numbers, markings or registration.

just to make this clear... you CANNOT use a lower that was once a rifle. All you are doing at that point is turning a rifle into a SBR.

+1 to this. If it was ever a rifle (meaning even if it was not a registered rifle) you can not build it into a pistol

[biglou]

Wrong, if you build one yourself there is no need for serial numbers, markings or registration.

Not wrong, read the rest of my post.

[tanakasan]

You can only use a lower that has been registered as a pistol. It doesn't have to say "pistol" on it. You can't buy a strip lower and build it into a pistol, unless you initially register it as one. You can build one from an 80%, that would be your easiest way. Or shell out some ca$h and buy one already built.

^^This 100%

For Cali, a stripped/complete lower you buy and DROS will be a "long gun" or "other" meaning you cannot legally build a pistol out of it. Period. A lower alone cannot be DROSed as a pistol in Cali. It must be a complete pistol, built and registered as such though legal channels and procedures. It does not have to say "pistol" to be legal and saying "pistol" on is does not necessarily make it a legal pistol lower.

Easiest way to complete a pistol is an 80% lower that YOU finish machine, assemble with BB and go through the SSE BS steps. Get the lower finished before buying a <16" barrel/upper IF you possess a rifle lower.

Robert

[repubconserv]

Wrong, if you build one yourself there is no need for serial numbers, markings or registration.

Not wrong, read the rest of my post.

I did, you are correct that if you use a stripped lower it needs to be drosd as a pistol (which you can not do). Your statement sounded more broad however. you did not clarify that an 80% build does not need to be reg'd as anything. And you said a lower must be reg'd as pistol.

[superman21]

Thank you all for the good advice. So the easy way is just to buy a complete ar pistol lower? I saw one online complete ar15 pistol lower is that ok? Any help is much appreciated thanks again...

[superman21]

Where can I buy an 80% lower and where can I take it to complete the machining to be 100% lower? Once its done machining and its a 100% lower do I need to register it or can I just go and build my ar15 pistol? Thanks a lot for all your help and info. I have an ar15 but im not familiar with the ar pistol law....

[sfhondapilot]

Thank you all for the good advice. So the easy way is just to buy a complete ar pistol lower? I saw one online complete ar15 pistol lower is that ok? Any help is much appreciated thanks again...

I don't believe you can buy just an AR pistol lower as the sale transaction requires a safe handling demo which cannot be accomplished with solely the lower.

Where can I buy an 80% lower and where can I take it to complete the machining to be 100% lower? Once its done machining and its a 100% lower do I need to register it or can I just go and build my ar15 pistol? Thanks a lot for all your help and info. I have an ar15 but im not familiar with the ar pistol law....

Check out the commercial sales forum. You will need to purchase your 80% lower in advance of attending a build party as lower cannot be sold at build parties.

You are not required to register your lower once completed. You can simply build your AR pistol.

Since you already have an AR, be sure that you complete your AR pistol lower build before purchasing your AR pistol upper.

[asm_]

You are not required to register your lower once completed. You can simply build your AR pistol.

If the law does not require 80% built pistol to be register, why does any one build the single shot for SSE anyway?

In any case, will Bullet button with riveted magazine all the way to the top so it would not accept any ammo be accepted as magazine block?

B