What are the BATF laws on turning a rifle receiver into a pistol?

If I were to take a rifle, chop off the barrel so it is 3-4", remove the shoulder stock and made it so a stock cannot be installed, and modify the receiver, is this still a "short barrel rifle" in the BATF's eyes?  Technically it is a pistol.  What are the regs on a non class 2 average Joe doing something like this?  Do I have to get it registered with BATF, or is it ok because it is a personal built receiver for my use?  Do I have to engrave serial #'s on it?  How does this work?

What if it was a preban receiver?

I would imagine the BATF would frown on it. It would not be BUILT by you but modified and if you had to put Serial# on it that would mean you removed the old ones(big no no). The guys in legal could help you more.

I think you need to have a pistol lower to do this or you could go the AOW route.

I suggest you ask over at the Legal Forum.

I think it must be a virgin lower, then you could go the AOW route and Form 1 it.  Can't have a buttstock and must have some type of forward verticle grip that is not readily removable.  Tax will be $200 with subsequent transfers $5, would be cheaper to contact an SOT to build it and then you could get it for the $5 transfer.

A pistol can become a rifle and go back to being a pistol.

A rifle can not goto a pistol but becomes a short barreled rifle.


A receiver unassembled is a neither. So buy a 10-22 receiver new. Assemble it as a pistol and document this. Then it can go back and forth pistol and rifle on and on.