Quick question for you guys. I currently have an 11.5" AR in 5.56. It was built by me on an individual form one. I am interested in building a second SBR (this one on a trust) and I am leaning towards the 300 AAC BLACKOUT, not 100% sure though. When I fill out my form one this time, should I just fill in 300 BLK for the caliber or should I go with a caliber that I know will be around for a while like 5.56. I am aware of the fact that I can have multiple uppers for one lower, but I figure why not set up another?
My concern is we never know what the future holds. I do not want to have a receiver registered as a 300 BLK and find out the cartridge disappears in 5 yrs. If I register two lower receivers in 5.56 with one upper that I will always keep, I will always retain the ability to put them back in the configuration it was registered in. On the other hand, If I register one in 300 BLK and it disappears in a few years, Then I won’t be able to sell the upper or reconfigure and get something else because I will no longer be able to put it in the config it was initially built in and if I wanted to change calibers it would require additional paperwork. This is mainly a result of ATF no longer accepting MULTI for caliber and barrel length.
This is a paperwork/legality question, not a this caliber vs. that.
If you make a permanent change you SHOULD notify the ATF of the permanent change in writing so the data base is up to date.
If you decide to sell the SBR as an SBR on a Form 4 and what you submit doesnt match the Form 1 data that is in the system, the Form 4 will get kicked back. Example: if you Form 1 this gun as 300BLK(.30 or 300 or whatever the e-form has if you are going the e-form route) but sell the 300BLK upper and move to a 5.56 upper and later decide to sell the SBR on a Form 4 and you submit it as a 5.56 SBR, the Form 4 will get kicked back because the original Form 1 is for an SBR in .30. So I will agree with BigWaylon that there is no LEGAL requirement(SHOULD statements dont imply that you MUST do something, which is legal mumbo jumbo for you HAVE TO DO IT), in the event of a sale, the form will get kicked back because it doesnt match the database.
Thanks for the replies guys. I guess it sounds like this doesn’t affect me too much then because I have no intentions of selling, and I doubt anyone would buy it with my trust info on it.
So just to confirm. The gun only has to be in its registered form at the time of creation, or when it is being sold. Otherwise an amendment to the paperwork should (not must) be changed.
As usual I am probably over thinking this.
I wouldn’t even go as far as to say “should”. The ATF recommends you notify them of permanent changes, because they can’t require it. That doesn’t even get into what the definition of permanent is, especially with an AR.
Any Form 4 could be accompanied by a letter to clarify the discrepancy. That’s a non-issue. But, I’d say there are few F1 NFA items sold. With an SBR, you can sell the two parts separately without any ATF involvement, but I’d venture to guess most people would hang onto the lower, especially if it was engraved. It could be used with a 16" (or greater) barrel and simply be a GCA firearm that just happens to have your info engraved.
Was the blackout really developed for short barrel rifles or to be suprresed out of an M4? 5.56 short barrel rifles are effective, but to only cut down three inches plus $200 and lose some 300 fps? Not my cup of tea but hey do what you want short barrels no matter the caliber are a joy to shoot. If its for plinking and shooting cardboard it isn’t as crucial.
I’m confused. First, BO was designed to use subsonic ammunition out of shorter barrels and provide better effects than 5.56 at 200ish and in. And if SBRs aren’t your “cup of tea” then why are you even reading this thread much less posting in it?
I’ve been under the impression 300 was designed specifically for low noise and short barrels. I mean you get full powder burn in, what is it, 9" IIRC? The only thing stopping me from building a 9" 300 for HD is the lack of cheap practice ammo. I can get away with expensive ammo on my 6.8 since it’s a hunting only rifle. Can’t justify that on a HD rifle…
OP, what makes you think .300 BLK is going to disappear? Build and register a .300 BLK lower. Who gives a shit. The round ain’t going nowhere. And if you’re really that worried about it start reloading your own ammo.
They rejected my first form 1 for listing 300 blackout. Supposedly their system doesn’t recognize the round, so if you do submit list it as 300 or 308.
They’ll take it on a paper form, or at least they did for me (submitted fall of '14). But EForms doesn’t like it, which is why I gave that same advice early in the thread.
I really appreciate the comments herein as I am planning on building Sbr but using 2 uppers. So I assume the need to do is to fill it out on the upper I will have first (300)
