Can I buy complete AR lowers without BB?

[jlist]

I understand that stripped lowers are fine without BB. My question is, can I buy complete lowers from an online store w/o a bullet button installed? I have read some old posts (such as this one.) The idea I get from those posts is that BB is only required for centerfired rifles. Before a centerfired upper is installed the complete lower is not a centerfired rifle so I shouldn't need a BB installed. Is this understanding correct? If yes, will the stores such as PSA ship complete lowers to CA? Thanks.

[NastyNate]

Yes. You can buy complete lowers without a BB installed.

[kapache]

I yet to seen a complete lower come without a bullet button in Kalifornia, unless its a featureless lower that has no pistol grip with the non collapsable stock.

[edgerly779]

How do you legally do a handling demonstration with one? As soon as you assemble with upper and it has no bb you have an assault weapon and a felony. All lowers with pistol grip should have bb installed prior to assembly or dros. Smart ffls make that mandatory. I guess if you bring in 22 lr upper and the lower says multi it would work.

[wchutt]

How do you legally do a handling demonstration with one? As soon as you assemble with upper and it has no bb you have an assault weapon and a felony. All lowers with pistol grip should have bb installed prior to assembly or dros. Smart ffls make that mandatory.

IF centerfire.

[madsend81]

How do you legally do a handling demonstration with one? As soon as you assemble with upper and it has no bb you have an assault weapon and a felony. All lowers with pistol grip should have bb installed prior to assembly or dros. Smart ffls make that mandatory.

Throw a rimfire 22lr upper on it, no AW, no felony, do the demo and your gtg.

[lorax3]

How do you legally do a handling demonstration with one? As soon as you assemble with upper and it has no bb you have an assault weapon and a felony. All lowers with pistol grip should have bb installed prior to assembly or dros. Smart ffls make that mandatory.

The same way you do a safe handling demonstration with a stripped lower. I think a "smart" FFL would not make their customer use a bullet button when one is not needed. I wouldn't want to spend an extra $20 for a bullet button for a firearm that may not need it.

[CrazyPhuD]

Would a complete lower without a BB be legal to transfer or have shipped from a number of out of state sources to your FFL? Sure, but being legal doesn't mean that everyone is comfortable doing it.

That said if you are looking to own a complete lower without a BB on it, you should have a legal assembly path possible for it(or no uppers that could be used with it)

This can include having a spare non-installed BB, a spare one of the featureless grips/stocks around or a spare 22LR upper.

Why? While there is technically no 'constructive possession' people have been charged with 'broken assault weapons'. Have an extra BB before you do the transfer, $20 is cheap insurance.

[knucklehead]

I have been to plenty of stores. Some of which are members/vendors here and bought complete lowers that didn't have a BB installed.

When I helped my buddy build his first AR. He had the well known store put together a lower he picked out from them.. We pick up after his ten days. And there's no BB. I ask and the guy that helped us said it's not required because there is no upper on it. We had to spend 20 on a BB.

He said as soon as we install an upper that's where we would get in trouble. But as it sits(complete lower) a BB is not needed.


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[jlist]

Thanks guys for all the replies!

bought my last complete lower from PSA. At that time I thought it wasn't legal to get the non-CA lowers so I went with the CA version with BB. I'll definitely try a non-CA version the next time I buy a complete lower from them because there are a lot more options with the non-CA lowers and they are usually cheaper even after adding BB cost.

[jlist]

Interesting. I was trying to buy this complete lower from PSA. At the end of the page, there is this line:

"Due to state laws, this item cannot ship to California."

They are specifically saying this is due to CA laws, and not their store policies.

[lorax3]

Interesting. I was trying to buy this complete lower from PSA. At the end of the page, there is this line:

"Due to state laws, this item cannot ship to California."

They are specifically saying this is due to CA laws, and not their store policies.

This is pretty common. Avoids any sort of liability and makes them a few extra bucks on a bullet button.

[boopiejones]

PSA will not ship lower parts kits to california without a bullet button installed. that is their store policy. i could be wrong, but i think all of PSA's "complete" lowers come with a buttstock, and more importantly, a pistol grip. the second you add a pistol grip, an AR requires a bullet button in CA (unless you add a 22 upper, but i think PSA is being cautious assuming that most people aren't using their stuff to build AR22s)....

so if you order a "complete" lower from PSA (and by complete, i assume you mean it has a lower parts kit installed), then PSA would require you to put a BB in your cart in order to complete the purchase.

I would email them to confirm that you can complete the purchase if you add a bullet button to your cart, or just buy a CA compliant model.