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Posted: 11/28/2002 6:25:31 AM EDT
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I'm looking at an Essential Arms pre-ban lower that a local has. Can anyone provide me with any info on Essential Arms? Forged, cast, quality, what to look for etc, etc. The one I'm looking at is very gray in color if that helps. Thanks |
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Essential Arms J-15 lower, investment cast, word is cast by Ruger - extremely high quality casting. Company went out of business in 1993, machinery bought out by DPMS. Never made rifles, only lowers and kits. The finish is the original M-16 gray. Stripped expect to pay $600-$700, with lower parts and a stock, $750-$800. Have seen complete rifles on the EE lately for around $1000-$1000 in about 90% condition. |
| Cast lower. If you buy a stripped lower it loses its preban status and you now own a post ban. It must be purchased with enough parts to be considered a preban. This means either a complete carbine lower (collapsable stock) or a complete rifle with the regular stock. |
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Quoted: If you buy a stripped lower it loses its preban status and you now own a post ban. It must be purchased with enough parts to be considered a preban. This means either a complete carbine lower (collapsable stock) or a complete rifle with the regular stock. This is an opinion based on an opinion letter by [u]one[/u] person at the ATF ...don't take this as face value. Check the legal section, there have been MANY debates about this ...both for and against this "opinion". |
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It is an opinion letter by the Chief of the Technology Branch, who is the final word on BATF regulations. It wasn't made by some random phone answerer. And maintaining preban status would require buying a *complete* rifle capable of semi-automatic fire. A lower half in any configuration is not legally (or otherwise) a semiautomatic rifle, even though it is legally a firearm. -Troy |
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I'm waiting for that ruling to be challenged in court, and it will be. The problem is if you are a prohibited person and you possess a stripped lower that you are using as a paperweight you will be charged with a violation of god knows how many laws because the lower is a firearm. To turn around and say it is a firearm but not a rifle is splitting the hair so fine as to make the regulation absurd. So, if you strip your preban lower to have it refinished it ceases to be a preban because it was disassembled? Puhlease. What of all those who bought preban receivers before this hokey opinion, are they suddenly all illegal? First it was it had to be assembled before the date, not just manufactured - and there is a reasonable argument for that in my opinion. To however say it mysteriously loses status if you remove the upper and parts kit, for whatever reason, for an extended period is just splitting hairs too fine. |
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I think the "opinion" is that if the receiver is not in complete rifle form when transferred, it loses the preban status. You can take it apart / change configurations as many times as you like and it's still preban ...just don't transfer the receiver only. Again, this has been hashed / rehashed many times in Legal. |
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I don't know of the lowers being milled in TX, but they were investment cast by Ruger and milled in Krotz Springs, LA. A buddy of mine talked to the owner at a gunshow in the New Orleans area awhile back, and was told they were going back into manufacture of lowers again soon. |
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Here is what you do. You buy a complete preban rifle from the seller. At the same time you have the upper that you want to put on this rifle you are buying. You then purchase the rifle and then sell the seller back the parts you don't want. When you get the rifle you then install your parts on it. It was never stripped, there is no difference between being there in person or being 2,000 miles away just as long as it was a complete defined "assault weapon" before you bought it. Of course we won't get into the "prove it to me" argument here. Type in Dave G in search. hehehehe. "Essential Arms All are Pre-Ban as they went out of business in 1993. (DPMS bought them prior to the Ban) Call DPMS Lower receiver serial numbers begin with EA. Some or all lowers are cast. Light gray coloring. It is rumored that Ruger investment casted the lowers for Essential Arms." I don't know how they are going to make Essential Arms lowers again since DPMS owns them unless DPMS is going to make them ala Eagle/Armalite. |
| If you read the letter from the ATF branch director he states you cant buy just a lower because it lacks the features that make it "preban" and a complete carbine lower has enough features to qualify. That is how I purchased mine and I am not going to sweat it for even 1 second. |
| For the most part I agree with DevL (except the complete carbine lower thing [:)]). I personally woudn't hesitate to snatch up a cheap pre-ban lower. If you don't break the law with it, the chances it's status would ever be questioned are probably between nil and none. |
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Well wouldnt the pressence of a retractable stock, pistol grip, and the capacity to accept removable mags, classify it as a pre ban lower? that is assuming that the serial # falls within the preban list of serial numbers? just curios. FREE Quoted: If you read the letter from the ATF branch director he states you cant buy just a lower because it lacks the features that make it "preban" and a complete carbine lower has enough features to qualify. That is how I purchased mine and I am not going to sweat it for even 1 second. |
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