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I appreciate the replies. Honestly, I was scared to mess with anything pistol due to having to change out buffer parts AND the somewhat gray areas surrounding what is legal. the lower I am using is this a new aero precision M4E1 carbine lower, it came without a stock. So if i understand correctly, this is a NOGO UNLESS I use a VFG of some sort? Then I can slap an SBA3 on there and be good?
I thought the draw of this SBA3 was that you could truly put it on any lower and go. My lower does not specifically say pistol or carbine on it, just M4 and CAL MULTI as far as markings that might help
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The VFG is a totally separate issue, and the markings on the lower are irrelevant to the matter at hand. He was just saying that if you're not using a "virgin" lower (specifically, a lower that has never been assembled with a stock to an upper), it could be issue. If you're starting with a lower that has never been assembled with a stock and attached to an upper, then you're fine. Even a complete lower that came with a stock would be fine as long as it was never assembled to an upper (and you removed the stock before assembling your pistol). When creating a pistol, the assembly history of the lower in question is paramount. The definition of a pistol requires that it was
originally designed as a pistol; which is why starting with a lower that was first assembled as a rifle - by you or a factory - isn't acceptable.
Being able to utilize a VFG on a pistol/"firearm" build is another matter, and it relates to overall length. If the OAL of the weapon is 26" or more, you can attach a VFG to the weapon and its classification would then change from "pistol" to the plain ol' catch-all of "firearm". Otherwise, attaching a VFG to a pistol that is under 26" OAL would create an illegal AOW (NFA regulated) weapon. If you don't care to utilize a VFG on your build, you don't need to even worry about it.
ETA: Sneaky bastard posted while I was typing :\.