Preban ar15 question

I have a preban Colt AR15 built in 70’s, can I put a collapsible stock on it?
Practically speaking, almost certainly. Legally speaking, "it depends."

Did it have at least two of the prohibited features prior to Sept 1994? If so, then you're good to go.
If not, then you are still probably safe as I don't think anyone's been prosecuted based on the ATF's "not an assault weapon based on age alone" statement, but it's something to be aware of, even if a remote possibility.

Proving it, however, is not necessarily easy.
 
Yes, its preban so go nuts.
Thats what i thought but some one said i could not change anything. I swapped uppers to a m4 flat top, removed the front sight and bayo lug and replaced with low profile gas block and free float handguard. Now i want to put a quality collapsable stock, , i thought i was good till he said no
 
Thats what i thought but some one said i could not change anything. I swapped uppers to a m4 flat top, removed the front sight and bayo lug and replaced with low profile gas block and free float handguard. Now i want to put a quality collapsable stock, , i thought i was good till he said no

That's the whole point of buying a pre-ban AR, so you can put all the goodies on it that you can't use with a post-ban rifle.
 
Don't listen to the people who tell you no,.. GOAL.ORG is your resource. Read your own laws and be a sheep dog,... not a sheep. At the end of the day it's just you and your firearms attorney,...
"i thought i was good till he said no",.. Who's he? I'd listen to my Dad and not go there out of respect, but anyone else,.. most likely not. LEO or gun shop employee?
 
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A Colt from the 70s would be an SP1 which had a flash hider and bayo lug
If this is the case, then OP should be good to go.
I didn't know if was a "varminter" model or something that was featureless (apart from the grip).
 
If this is the case, then OP should be good to go.
I didn't know if was a "varminter" model or something that was featureless (apart from the grip).
What if it was? Prior the the ban I don't know why a gun would lack features. But if there was such a gun are you suggesting that if a preban gun lacked a feature that it couldn't be added now?
 
What if it was? Prior the the ban I don't know why a gun would lack features. But if there was such a gun are you suggesting that if a preban gun lacked a feature that it couldn't be added now?
It comes up with Mini-14s and whatnot, which of course have come in many flavors. It also comes up with stripped receivers.
As has been covered in a few threads, one of the ATF folks wrote (90s maybe?) that age alone doesn't define an assault weapon.

Edward M. Owen, Jr., as Chief of the Firearms Technology Branch of the BATFE:
"The fact that the receiver may have been manufactured prior to September 13, 1994, is immaterial to classification of a weapon as a semiautomatic assault weapon."

I have typically seen this taken to mean that your 1970-made Mini-14 that's been in stock "ranch rifle" configuration was not an assault weapon per ATF. therefore you do not have "preban assault weapon" since you never possessed an assault weapon prior to the ban.

It's been discussed here a few times and I think the general consensus is that it would be difficult to prove (unless you maybe had an affidavit from the original owner or something).

The bearing of this statement on MA law is likely unknown. As you are aware, the MA AWB and old Federal ban have a great deal of interconnectedness. I'd probably file it next to 922r type stuff, info that one should know, but likely not to be an issue.
 
Practically speaking, almost certainly. Legally speaking, "it depends."

Did it have at least two of the prohibited features prior to Sept 1994? If so, then you're good to go.
If not, then you are still probably safe as I don't think anyone's been prosecuted based on the ATF's "not an assault weapon based on age alone" statement, but it's something to be aware of, even if a remote possibility.

Proving it, however, is not necessarily easy.

I think even Maura laughed at this post, well done !
 
Practically speaking, almost certainly. Legally speaking, "it depends."

Did it have at least two of the prohibited features prior to Sept 1994? If so, then you're good to go.
If not, then you are still probably safe as I don't think anyone's been prosecuted based on the ATF's "not an assault weapon based on age alone" statement, but it's something to be aware of, even if a remote possibility.

Proving it, however, is not necessarily easy.
As far as I have researched ALL preban colts in ar-15 format were only sold as complete rifles with at least 3 [EDIT: with at least some] of the "evil features" (pistol grip, flash hider, collapsable stock)...Pre bans like Eagle Arms can get a little tricky, because they sold lowers- and although you cannot necessarily prove it was fully assembled in AW form prior to the ban, it would be on a prosecutor to prove that it wasn't, and that isn't even possible. Here's another beauty- people have found a rough estimate for Olympic Arms pre ban serial cutoff, but the records were lost in a fire so it gets tricky there as well. From what I can tell Colt is one of the best preban options you can choose (minus the annoying big pin and post89 searblock issues) because they only sold completes. Anyways op- the lower is the firearm, yes you can change everything else and it is indeed grandfathered in for use of a collapsable stock. If I'm mistaken about anything here and an FFL owner wants to correct me, I am open to the knowledge. Think I covered it though.
 
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As far as I have researched ALL preban colts in ar-15 format were only sold as complete rifles with at least 3 of the "evil features" (pistol grip, flash hider, collapsable stock)...Pre bans like Eagle Arms can get a little tricky, because they sold lowers- and although you cannot necessarily prove it was fully assembled in AW form prior to the ban, it would be on a prosecutor to prove that it wasn't, and that isn't even possible. Here's another beauty- people have found a rough estimate for Olympic Arms pre ban serial cutoff, but the records were lost in a fire so it gets tricky there as well. From what I can tell Colt is one of the best preban options you can choose (minus the annoying big pin and post89 searblock issues) because they only sold completes. Anyways op- the lower is the firearm, yes you can change everything else and it is indeed grandfathered in for use of a collapsable stock. If I'm mistaken about anything here and an FFL owner wants to correct me, I am open to the knowledge. Think I covered it though.

Not all Colt pre-bans had the large pin, you can find them with the normal pin if you're patient. They'll still have large trigger pins though but there's aftermarket large pin triggers available too.

The sear block can be ground down or just removed with a dremel tool and a little skill. The first one I did took about 30mins, now it only takes me about 15 mins even on the "impossible" one.

I've found the same info as you re: Colt only ever selling assembled rifles. They are definitely the safest bet for pre-bans. But as far as being impossible for the prosecution to prove a rifle was a rifle prior to the ban, that's not hard. They just have to follow the trail on the FFL books to see if it was ever transferred as a rifle. If it wasn't, then the burden will shift to you to prove it was an AW prior to the ban. That's going to be nearly impossible.
 
No, not all pre-ban Colts had collapsible stocks. I recently sold one and it came from the factory with a fixed stock. It had a birdcage, and bayonet lug.
 
No, not all pre-ban Colts had collapsible stocks. I recently sold one and it came from the factory with a fixed stock. It had a birdcage, and bayonet lug.
Noted and edited. Heard the owner threw a collapsable stock on for a few days though.
 
Even the last year colt ARs ( before the first national AWB) had two evil features, the pistol grip and the flash hider. Yes they had the searblock and they did not have bayonet lug, and were fixed stock. I still have the one I bought
 
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