I'm sure the regulars here can answer this with ease.

Can a post ban lower be used with a preban upper as long as the comp. ( not flash hider ) is permanantly affixed?

I know it has been done frequently, is it fully in compliance with the letter of the law?

Is two spot welds enough? or is there a minimum area which must be welded?

Am I asking too many questions yet?

I'll stop now, before someone calls me names.

Excellent forum by the way.

Thanks in advance.

Travis F.

[i][red]Can a post ban lower be used with a preban upper as long as the comp. ( not flash hider ) is permanantly affixed?[/i][/red]

No, flash supressors are not allowed on post ban weapons, whether it's permenantly affixed or not.

nope, that would be illegal...have to wait till Sept. '04

Lets see,,,If you put the Brake on so it will not come off....Are over 16" overall.....and remove the bayo lug.....Then yes it is legal....But doing all this kinda makes it a postban upper wouldnt you say??...Not sure if there are any official regs about how the brake must be attached....But i would edge on the side of caution and put it on really well..Ive seen more than one so called fixed brake fly downrange...........UNDERDOG  Oh and welcome aboard [beer]
Edited to add: You ARE talking about a muzzle brake and not a flash hider right?

Well, here’s my rather foggy understanding.

First, just to be technical, flash suppressors aren’t specifically outlawed.  They’re one of a number of “evil features” that you can only have so many of on a post ban.

In theory, you could have a suppressor and give up another evil feature such as a pistol grip or a detachable magazine.

In reality, most folks give up the suppressor.

Again, technically your muzzlebrake doesn’t have to permanently affixed.  Armalite, for example, pins some of their muzzlebrakes on an unthreaded barrel.  These are removable.  However, if the muzzle is threaded, the threads [b]must[/b] be permanently covered!

Confused yet?

Permanently affixed muzzlebrakes are held on with high temperature silver solder or by welding.

The welded ones (that I’m aware of) are not welded to the barrel.  Rather, the muzzlebrake is screwed on and then a blind pin is used to hold it on.  The outside edge of the pin is then welded over to prevent its easy removal.  Thus any welding heat is kept away from the barrel itself.  

Incidentally, the muzzlebrake cannot be the same diameter as a military flash suppressor (something to do with fitting a grenade launcher!).

Also, bayonet lugs are an evil feature and are usually removed or modified so they can’t hold a bayonet.

This is my best understanding.  The AWB is an incompetently written law and thus is both confusing and illogical.

If I’ve made any mistakes, hopefully someone will jump in and correct me!

Edited since someone must've rearranged the keys on my keyboard!! [:D]

Hello TBF!

There's no such thing as a stupid question here - we're all AR15 fans, and check our egos at the door.

These guys are right - no flash suppressor on a post-ban.

But there's nothing wrong with a 'naked barrel' anyhow - and if the AWB goes away you can change it later.

As far as I know this is perfectly legal.

welding works, as well as high temperature solder (I'm not sure of the exact temperature)

Damn, I was hoping this would be a cut and dried, been there done that kind of question.

Yes, NOT a flash hider. A muzzle brake, compensator, or some other BATF approved post ban device.

And I figured the bayonet lug would have to go, cuz we all know how much more dangerous a rifle is when you stick a knife on the end of it.

I mean it sounds logical that permanantly affixing an approved device would be legal, but then I realize logic has nothing to do with it....

Travis F.

I can't believe how badly I misread that first post.

As stated before, the BATF approved muzzle device (brake, Comp, etc) does not have to be permanently affixed, BUT there can be no theaded muzzle that can accept a flash suppressor or grenade launcher.  I forget what company put out for a while a compensator with it's own unique thread so it wouldn't fit the Mil spec flash supressors.  The key for the muzzle is the threaded muzzle, BUT you can't have any type of device that will reduce flash, even if it's a crowned muzzle with set screws.

Did I make that less clear? [:D]

Yes, compensators are legal. Make sure the pre-ban upper has no other illegal features, such as a bayonet lug, or it is then illegal.

Not sure what the requirements are on affixing a compensator to a threaded barrel, but I have seen simple spot welds from factory, BATF approved guns.

A muzzle brake, like the Cavalry Arms 'CAV Comp' can be permanently attached to a pre-ban threaded barrel on a post-ban lower by the method already stated (thread on, drill and install pin, tack weld over head of pin). This particular brake looks very much like the military flash hider, so your rifle looks 'right'. Then, as long as you grind off the bayo lug and have a fixed stock, you're post-ban legal. However, I'd wait and see what happens to the AWB before messing up a threaded, lugged barrel.