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Posted: 2/7/2002 8:13:51 PM EDT
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OK....!! i done a search on this subject, "Essential Arms" here on AR15.com, read all the notes for 9 months back........., & i am still a bit confused..., i have had an AR15 for a long tyme but it sat unused for a few years, i never concerned myself over the AW-Ban Law, the rifle or anythyng else, i just decided to get it out & start shooting actively once more..... so i wanted another AR15, then another & another & so on.........! NOW HYPTHETICALLY !!!!!!!!!!! i am walking down a back country dirt road, i see a man walking towards me & he is carrying this "BLACK RIFLE", as we meet he asks if wud lyke to buy his rifle, i say shure.., let me look at it, it is all Black..! perfectly matching Black !! it is as beautiful as any of my Colt's or Bushies, very tight fitting, original military cleaning kit in buttstock... on the left side magwell is "Cal .223-5.56 J 15 SN 3xxx", a lyttle further aft is, "E.A. Kr. Spr. LA"........... yes !! it is an "Essential Arms" in full preban config., the guy says $500 cash !! no questions !! no paper work!! we go seperate ways....... can i legaly own that rifle in it's current config ?? altho i have no idea whether it was assembled in 1991 or 2001...?? would i get in trouble if i took it to the range to shoot & some BATF type got nosey ?? would it be legal in ANY circumstance if the upper were replaced wyth a "liberalized" upper ?? i have a chance to buy the above described rifle but i don't want any hassle........., oooh ..! that price is NOT the actual price !! |
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EA sold stripped lowers before the AW ban (that's the wordy way of saying its a pre-ban). At that price, I'd worry that the gun is stolen. The thief just found a sucker willing to pay $500 for stolen property. Worrying about being busted for your weapon's questionable heritage could be the least of your problems. |
Short of having some sort of proof of AW configuration before the ban, the gun, now assembled as an AW, would be an illegal assault weapon. Of this, there is no question. Would anyone care? Unlikely. Would you get away with leaving it in this configuration? Probably. But that is an entirely different, and non-legal (though certainly relevant), discussion. Would the rifle be legal if it was changed into "post-ban-compliant" configuration? Yes, absolutely. -Troy |
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Thank you Troy, OK..! next Gun Show that comes around, i'll look for a post ban upper, do you have any recomendations ? i was looking thru Shotgun News, most seem to be priced between $250 & $300....., is there any way of telling who made "unmarked" uppers ?? one of mine has what appears to be a large "A", but looking closer, it appeared to be an upside down "A", but looking closer it was an upside down "v" over an "H" wyth slanted sides, that mark is raised lettering & is forward of rear sight in carry handle area, there are no other marks........ |
No. And you'll get what you pay for, and sometimes not even that. I *STRONGLY* recommend a Bushmaster upper with a lightweight barrel in your desired configuration. The markings on the upper receiver mean very little. There are only a couple of major aluminum companies that produce AR15 receiver forgings, and all of the manufacturers buy raw forgings from them. What counts is how those raw forgings are machined, and how they are finished, and there's no way to know who did what unless you buy direct from the manufacturer. If it costs less, there's an excellent chance that some steps were skipped or inferior finishes were used. TNSTAAFL -Troy |
| Everybody buys forgings from a couple of forging houses. Only Colt and ArmaLite have their own forging dies and control the quality tightly. Depending on where in a die's life the builder gets his forgings, some are better than other. It's a cosmetic issue but not a functio0nal one. |
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