Years ago there used to be very short pistol buffer that I remember being about 5-6 inches and had a long and much smaller diameter buffer spring that rode over a retainer and I also recall it had a steel cup that slid into the back of the AR-15 carrier to keep that end captured.  I am still searching my boxes of antique AR parts as I think I had that back in the mid to late 90s to see if I might still have it but I could have sold it.  What I do remember was it was a PITA to get setup but once the spring was the right length and you master putting it together with a lot of funky parts it ran fairly well.  

The second pistol buffer I had used was just a round buffer tube carbine length.  That was obviously much easier and far more reliable.  Sometime after guys started using these buffer tubes like these were available with foam padding to allow a shooter to hold it to your face to look down the sights.  

Finally, we are in today’s situation where the BATFE is expressing that a brace is now going to be considered an AOW and if you shoot from a shoulder you have a SBR (that’s what the letters are saying) do perhaps it’s time to focus on how to move back from the edge so we can still use our pistols without a potential 10-year or $100,000 felony that would prohibit ownership of any guns!

—— ——- ———

My plan is simple:

I have three AR-15 pistols, an AR-10 pistol and I may have one or more AK pistols (I won’t admit or deny)

First and most special of mine is one of the Colt roll marked lowers that left Brownells as a stripped lower.  It’s one of relatively few Colt AR-15 pistols out there  and I have  a Colt 10.5-inch upper on her.  I am simply going back to using one of the carbine  length padded pistol buffer tubes unless further regulatory changes.  

I also have an AR9 pistol and it had one of those hand catches on the Handguard. I removed that “hook” as it implies that the Handguard was intended to be used as a grip and likewise I am going to a straight buffer tube.  

Finally, my last two pistols, an AR-15 and AR-10 I am simply configuring as carbines until this dust settles.  The AR-10 has actually been in carbine form for a few years and the AR in 300 Blackout hasn’t been fired in almost as many years.  I’ll keep my 8-inch 300 BO upper and I can either run it on my Colt or someday reconfigure the pistol from a carbine back to a pistol.  

I see a lot of threads and posts of guys stating tough they will not comply but for me the risk of being a felon and loosing legal means to own firearms is too much.  So, this what I’ve done.  I am putting my braces away in case there is an amnesty period and if we can do a tax free Pistol Registration at a minimum I want to get my Colt and AR9 lowers done but the other two I’ll probably just leave as carbines.  

—- —- ——

I hope that someone may come to market with OE-93 style pistol uppers.  These were made by Olympic Arms and were pistol based with all the springs and mechanicals in the upper.  These pistols had NO buffer tube but instead and a threaded cap that sat into the buffer tube hole.  Alternately, if someone coup perfect some type of shorter buffer tube system it could allow use of the less expensive direct impingement uppers that are cheaper and far more common.

I get the emotion of many that are post on the internet that they are willing to become martyrs over this issue but before a whole bunch of people reply “Cold Dead Fingers” consider that if there is a way to fight this it has to be at the courts but I can’t afford those legal bills myself and worse I can’t afford the potential jail time or felon status that would strip me of legally owning any guns into the future.  In addition, with a couple simple changes I can still take mine shooting baring additional regulatory updates.  

JMHOs!

Like I said, I lack the funds to be the test case.  From the language of the letters it sounds to me that if you are resting the brace on your shoulder that action makes a SBR.  Their language also seems to imply they are considering all braced pistols to be AOWs.  If you have the funds to be the test case I’ll donate towards “your” legal Bill but letters are non-binding.  Hence, I am playing it safe.  I’ve already listed the worse that could happen.