OK, i'm new here.  I've been able to get a great amount of information fro all the various posts, etc., and am in the process of purchasing an AR that was advertised on the website.

Is a 14.5 inch barrel legal on a pre-ban lower?  I'm buying a 16" barrel, but am curious, since Bushmaster offers both M4-type 14.5s and 16s.

BTW, what the heck does "BTT" mean?

Thanks.

J

You would have to add a flash suppressor to bring it up to the legal 16", or register it as a SBR (Shorth Barrel Rifle).

I believe BTT means Back to topic.

It would have to be a [b]PERMANENTLY AFFIXED[/b] flash suppressor that was long enough to bring the overall length of the barrel to 16" as measured with a dowel marked at 16" to--[i]I believe[/i]--measure from the closed bolt face to the end of the flash suppressor. The Phantom and Gemtech Bi-Lock are all long enough to make the barrel legal. A GI flash suppressor isn't long enough.

Permanently affixed means pinned and welded or silver soldered into place. JB Weld, epoxy and any other adhesives are not considered legitimate. If the BATF can get a wrench on it and twist it off, it's removeable.

BTW don't consider the Vortex since thay have a problem with tines (prongs) breaking off. I've had it happen to me twice, both times with units purchased directly from Smith Enterprises. They told me the first was a problem with a bad lot, and the second was the replacement they sent me in exchange. They didn't reimburse me for the $280 dollars I paid to have the original installed, then removed, the replacement installed, then removed and swapped out for a Phantom.

Replacement of the Vortex required removal of the barrel from the upper. Chucking the barrel assembly in a lathe. Machining off most of the weld and Vortex in order to expose the pin for removal so that the remanins of the could be removed. Timing the replacement flash suppressor and indexing it to drill a matching hole for the original pin. In other words, Smith Enterprises was a PITA.

Does anyone know if the "Vortex" + 14.5" bbl. meets 16" criteria?

Yes it does, but not for long. Read the post above yours.

Once they've broken off, you have an illegal SBR.

Ya, just that I like the looks of the "Vortex" more than the "Phantom".