Ok this is the situation and questions, I have looked through the majority of this section and did not find what I was looking for. If you all could help me out it would be much appreciated. Call it your good deed for the week. I am currently deployed and want to purchase my first SBR. I do not want to get a lower than an upper just a complete _____ SBR.

So, I place the order with ______ call them and get the serial number fill out my Form 4, Finger Print Cards, Certificate of Compliance 5330.20 and mail this to my CLEO to get his signatures. I called ahead and got the good to go from the CLEO. Than once they return from CLEO forward this paper work to BATFE.

I do not have a house back in the states and my wife is in NY with her parents. This poses another problem. Because I am technically homeless in the states on the form 4 do I give me last address (the one on my driver’s license) even though I am not moving back there, or give them a friend’s address, or give them my deployed address and ask them please?

Wonder if my legal officer can do my up a trust out here?... all hell I am thinking way to much about this. Any military with a trust for class 3, pro/cons?

Do I need to get this lower engraved?
Does the multiple barrels rule, for one SBR lower still apply?
Do I have all the required papers listed above?
Am I missing any information that might come back to haunt me in this endeavor?

Thank you all who ever may help me in this process. I hope to help others in a similar situation in the future from the knowledge I gain from this experience.

The gun will be transfered from the manufacture to a local NFA dealer in your home state who will fill out the form 4 for you.  You will then have it signed and sent off.  If the gun comes from the factory registered as an SBR then you don't engrave it.  If it comes as anything else it needs to be engraved by whoever builds the gun.  You are going to need an address to fill out the form.  It needs to be a current address you can't just use an old address that you have had.  The address determines who your CLEO is.  If you move out of state before the paperwork comes back it has to be redone.  Best advice is to wait till you are settled before you start the paperwork.

I was affraid that someone was going to say that. I should be home for atleast six months but i could move, deploy, or relocate within / or out of state before 6 months of being back. THhat is why I was trying to do it out here before I get back.

Thank you for the advice gun_nut. I will see what others have to say.

If anyone else replys could you please comment on gun_nuts advice for waiting.....Thank you all.

I'm active duty, I had the same BS problem. I was unable to do any form 1 or 4's for the last 8 months because I was approaching a PCS and the addresses wouldn't match up.

To put it simply - don't do the paperwork until you have a RESIDENCE that you can be reached at for about 6-8 months for supressor(form 4) and maybe 4-6 months for SBR (form 1).


Don't bother calling the ATF, and explaining your problem - they will tell you to wait or you are breaking the "law" as far as they see it.

And, NO, you can't "change" your address mid-stream. You can possibly move within the same state, but out of state is a no-go.

Hmm, seems like I must wait. This blows, well I guess I will go with a 16" than. Atleast I have a 14.5" while I am out here! Take that BTAFE! You would think there would be an active duty clause. What if I am other DOD and must compelete while deployed for gov't use, probably different channels. Well now I can get that mono-rail I wanted.

SBR you will be mine one day.

Or go 16 now and when you get settled do a form 1 on the receiver when you get settled and build the sbr off that.  Or go the pistol route and shoot it till your settled then do a form 1 and stock the gun.  

It is actually alot quicker to do the SBR yourself than to buy a factory SBR which not many companies do.  With a factory gun the factory fills out their paperwork on the gun.  They then do a form 3 to transfer it to a SOT dealer in your state of residence(which takes time, not as much as a form 4 but have heard people saying a month+ wait).  The dealer then does a form 4 on you and you send that in to get the gun transfered from the SOT dealer to you.  For this expect to pay 75 bucks+ for the dealers transfer fee etc which is going to be more than a regular firearm just because its more work for them.  If you don't have an SOT dealer where you live and have to go a regular FFL dealer the cost and time goes up.  Reason being the manufacture transfers it to the dealer on a form 4 and there is a 200 buck tax there and about 3+ months wait.  The dealer then has to form 4 it to you so thats another 200 bucks and 3+month wait.  So your out 400 bucks in tax stamps + whatever they charge for the paperwork.  

A form 1 have the receiver, fill it out on what your gonna build, send the form and 200 bucks in, have your receiver engraved and wait for it to come back and put it together

Yeah that sounds like what I am going to do. Thanks for the advice. Maybe by the time I am settled again the price will ahve gone down and stocks of SB uppers have gone up.