RIFLE, SHORT BARREL RIFLE, OR PISTOL?
Under US Law, a Rifle is a firearm that is designed or made to be fired from the shoulder. A Short Barrel Rifle (SBR) is a Rifle with a barrel less than 16” in length or an overall length less than 26”. SBRs require prior registration under the National Firearms Act (NFA) and payment of a $200 tax. The possession and use of SBRs is more regulated than the possession and use of Rifles, Pistols, or firearms designated as “Other Firearms.”
There is s way to legally own an XCR with a barrel less than 16” in length and an overall length of less than 26” without NFA registration and payment of the tax. You can buy the XCR as a Pistol. (There is another way to own an XCR with barrel less than 16″, but the overall length must be greater than 26″. It’s referred to as an Other Firearm. Click here to learn about Other Firearms.)
A Pistol is a firearm originally designed or made to be fired with one hand. You can buy the XCR as a Pistol either without a buttstock or with an arm brace. Because of the word “original” in the definition, you cannot make a rifle into a pistol. So, if you want an XCR with a barrel less than 16” or an overall length less than 26”, you should consider buying it first as a Pistol.
As mentioned above, you cannot turn a Rifle into a Pistol. So, you cannot just put a shorter barrel in your XCR Rifle and remove the stock or add an arm brace and consider it a Pistol. Likewise, you cannot take your XCR Pistol and buy a buttstock for it. If you do either of these things, you are making an illegal SBR. Possession of illegal firearms or parts that if put together would make you in possession of an illegal weapon, can get you in big trouble.
If you want to add a barrel less than 16” in length to your XCR Rifle or want to add as stock to your XCR Pistol, there’s a legal way to do it. You can register your XCR as an SBR using an ATF Form1. You must have your ATF Form 1 approved before you make the changes.
DISCLAIMER!!! The foregoing is our best attempt to describe the law in the US as of the time of this writing. Some states have laws that are more restrictive. Laws can change quickly and frequently. Consult a firearms attorney. Your local FFL dealer should know what is legal or not in your area.
NFA
All NFA Rules Apply