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byFriends
B. Gil Horman
of NRA - Thursday, July 14, 2016
Ever
Thesince posting
Importance Building a Custom AR-15 at Home a couple of
of Incorporation
years
NRAago,
Clubthe interest in do-it-yourself AR-15 projects has
Insurance
continued to grow. In particular, more folks are considering
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AR-15 pistols for recreational shooting, emergency
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preparedness and even self-defense. The good news is that, just
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like their carbine and ri�e-sized compatriots, AR-15 pistols can
NRAbe
easily Business Alliance
assembled at home in the comfort of your own
workshop.
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Technically speaking, building an AR pistol calls for the same
JOIN | information
resources, tool set and instructional RENEW | as building an
AR ri�e. Because the build process is thoroughly covered in the
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previous article, this project was started with a di�erent set of
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goals in mind.
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A Few
NRA Legalities
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It always has been, and ever will be, the responsibility of the
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consumer to understand and comply with federal and state
regulations in the course of building a �rearm. Products and
features that
AFFILIATED are perfectly
CLUB, RANGElegal
ANDto own where I live may be
BUINEE
restricted or banned where you live. Conducting your legal
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research before buying any components will go a long way in
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avoiding Application unpleasantness with law
any unnecessary
enforcement o�cials.
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component
NRA Business that is legally considered the �rearm is the lower
Alliance
receiver (where the trigger group is housed and the serial
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number is located). This means the lower receiver requires an
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FFL transfer with all of the same paperwork and fees as a
complete gun. Every otherJOIN | AR
common RENEW |
component, including
pistol-length barrels and pistol bu�er tubes, can be ordered
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online and shipped directly to your home.
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Websites
The following information is by no means comprehensive but
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A factory fresh AR lower receiver that has never been part
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of a �rearm can be used to build a pistol, carbine or ri�e. If
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a lower receiver is built into and registered as a pistol �rst,
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it can be Place
stripped down and converted into a ri�e in the
Managefuture. If the receiver built into a carbine or ri�e �rst, it
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must always remain part of a ri�e and cannot ever be used
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to build a pistol.
tate and
It'sFederal Gun Laws to use a lower receiver stamped "Pistol"
not necessary
or one
NRA Online that is marked with the speci�c caliber of
Training
ammunition you plan to use when building an AR pistol.
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The markings are irrelevant just as long as the lower is
brand new from the factory at the start of the build. Many
companies
AFFILIATED areRANGE
CLUB, marking their
AND lowers "Multi-Cal" these
BUINEE
days in order to avoid confusion.
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Attaching a shoulder stock to an AR-15 pistol changes its
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legal statusApplication
from Handgun to a Short Barrel Ri�e (SBR),
which
NRA Club is a violation
Affiliation Renewal of BAFTE regulations. If you wish to
build
NRA Club an SBR,
Officer's ensure that all of the proper paperwork and
Guide
tax stamps are in order before attaching a shoulder stock.
The Importance of Incorporation
Attaching an AR-15 pistol upper assembly with a barrel
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shorter than 16" to a ri�e lower is also considered an SBR
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and will get you in trouble without the proper tax stamps
in place.
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Although
Gold Medal Clubs it's a common practice to attach a vertical grip
to the handguards
NRA Business Alliance of AR ri�es, attaching one to AR pistols
changes their legal status from Handgun to Any Other
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Weapon (AOW), which requires a BAFTE tax stamp like an
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SBR.
At this point in time, JOIN | toRENEW
it's legal own and |attach a
thisafest
Freedom's review.
Place
lineup would
NRA Club pit Renewal
Affiliation a high end AR-15 pistol against a budget build
at the shooting range for a much more informative venture
NRA Club Officer's Guide
than testing just one gun.
The Importance of Incorporation
at the
Gold company
Medal Clubs catalog), I learned that GZP o�ers AR pistol kits
with more bells
NRA Business and whistles at prices that free up cash for
Alliance
more aftermarket components. Now it was going to be a three-
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way competition at the range between a custom pistol, a budget
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kit and a mid-price build that would blend a kit with
aftermarket upgrades. JOIN | RENEW |
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Here's how the pistols turned out (a complete list of
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speci�cations is shown at the end of the review):
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Precision.
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The 7" free-�oat handguard is a Unique AR's Hex Hazard
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pattern with an optional proprietary aluminum 6.5" Picatinny
sight rail on top and a 2.2" accessory rail attached below to
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support afest
Freedom's an ultra compact Mission First Tactical TBLW tactical
Place
white LED light. The folding iron sights consist of a Troy HK
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BattleSight in front and a Troy Di-Optic BattleSight in back.
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complete bu�er
Club Leadership assembly and
& Development the handy
Webinar eries EBRv2 bolt release
which extends down into the trigger guard for �nger tip
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operation. The mil-spec trigger was replaced with a drop-in
Gold Medal Clubs
Timney Triggers AR Targa 2-Stage trigger group which provided
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a light 3 lbs. 6 oz. trigger pull according to a Lyman’s digital
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trigger Associations
gauge.
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The skeletonized milled-billet aluminum pistol grip is a sleek
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piece Guard
of industrial art from Naroh Arms sporting a burnt
orange hard annodized �nish. The threaded muzzle was �tted
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with a two-part recoil reduction system from Dead Air
Freedom's afest Place
Armament. It consists of the three-chamber Keymount
Manage Your Membership
supporting the perforated, can-shaped Pyro Enhanced muzzle
brake.ofThe
Friends NRApistol is shown here with a silver �nish C-Products
Defense
tate 20-Round
and Federal aluminum magazine. In this con�guration,
Gun Laws
the pistol has an overall length of 24.25" and an unloaded
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weight of 6 lbs. 2 oz. The total build cost was $2251.
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The upper
NRA tate arrives fully assembled with a forged �at top
Associations
receiver and a complete PSA bolt carrier group which is
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checked for head spacing at the factory. The 10" black nitride
barrel is �tted with an A2 �ash | RENEW
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carbine-length gas system,
an A2 front sight gas block and a mil-spec delta ring assembly.
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This con�guration allows the PSA standard polymer
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handguard to be traded out for a variety of M4 style
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handguards. A nice touch is the bu�er assembly’s Tactical Latch
end plate which supports hook type single-point sling
connectors.
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AR-15/M16 20-round
Club Leadership magazine,
& Development gaveeries
Webinar the �nished build a pro�le
reminiscent of vintage M-16s, albeit one that shrank in the
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wash. The overall length was 26.50" with an unloaded weight of
Gold Medal Clubs
5 lbs. 12 oz. If all of the components had been purchased at
NRA Business Alliance
suggested retail, the pistol would have cost $628.45. However, I
NRA tate
was able Associations
to pick up the PSA kit and UTG sight on sale which
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dropped the �nal price to $543.47, which was close enough to
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the desired $500 price for me. | RENEW |
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The Best of Both Build with Ground Zero Precision
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Friends of NRA
The and
tate twoFederal
previous
Gun builds
Laws are positioned at opposite ends of the
price
NRA and Training
Online feature spectrum. However, many home builders are
looking for a project that �ts somewhere in between. Ground
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Zero Precision (GZP) o�ers dozens of a�ordable pistol kits with
a variety of barrel lengths, calibers and handguard
con�gurations that ship for free. Customers can choose
AFFILIATED CLUB, RANGE AND BUINEE
between Quick Build (QB) kits with fully assembled uppers for
Benefits
an added of NRA Clubor
charge Affiliation
Standard kits with do-it-yourself uppers for
less.
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The Importance
Upgrades of Incorporation
to the pistol include a drop-in Rise Armament RA-140
single-stage trigger with a 4 lbs. 1 oz. trigger pull, Mech Armor
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TacOps-CQB
Club Leadershipcharging handle,
& Development Stark
Webinar AR grip with sling hook
eries
loop and battery storage plug, Yankee Hill Machine YHM-27-
NRA Club Awards Program
MB-A Annihilator muzzle brake, Blackhawk! oversized trigger
Gold Medal Clubs
guard, and a GZP milled aluminum Firepower Extension for
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Magpul PMAGs. The extension increases the ammunition
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capacity Associations
the PMAG20 to 24-rounds (shown), the PMAG30 to
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35 rounds and the PMAG40 to 46 rounds. The overall length of
the �nished GZP build wasJOIN | RENEW
23.75" with |
an unloaded weight of 5
lbs. 6 oz. and a total cost of $897.12.
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NRA Carr Guard
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convertible model
NRA Club Affiliation with dual QD sling mounts (right).
Application
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NRA Carr Guard
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s
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NRA Carr Guard
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s
AFFILIATED CLUB, RANGE AND BUINEE
AR
NRAmagazines and drums if you prefer a larger ammunition
tate Associations
capacity. Personally, I like the balance and handling qualities 10-
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and 20-round magazines provide for o�-hand and sling
supported shooting. JOIN | RENEW |
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Bench rested
NRA Club 5-shot
Awards groups were �red at 25 yards using a
Program
convertible Hyskore #30207 Rapid Fire Precision Shooting Rest.
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The front assembly is connected to the rear by two rails that
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allow it to slide back to form a handgun rest, forward to steady
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long guns or, in this case, a point in between. Bullet velocity was
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measured using a Lab Radar chronograph.
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Friends of NRA
Now that I'm on the other side of building and testing these
three ARLinks
Quick pistols with various price points, I can honestly say
that I found good reasons to like each of them.
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The full-custom WMD Guns Beast has the cool factor and
Freedom's afest PlaceI was striving for. The extended Phase 5
smooth operation
controls
Manage and
Your light trigger were a treat to work with. The Dead
Membership
Air Pyro muzzle break all but eliminated the felt recoil
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produced by the short 7.5" barrel. The trade-o� was a muzzle
tate
blastand Federal
that was Gun Laws
uncomfortably loud. The system is terri�c but
it's moving
NRA to a long gun.
Online Training
As
NRAfor the
Club Ground
Officer's Zero Precision kit, this turned out to be a
Guide
Goldilocks �nd
The Importance of in more ways than one. The diversity of kits and
Incorporation
components GZP has to o�er could keep any hobbyist building
NRA Club Insurance
for years. I'm impressed with the company's commitment to
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providing quality components at a fair price without skimping
NRA Club Awards Program
on customer service. All three pistols ended up with at least a
Gold Medal
little bit ofClubs
GZP product inside them because those parts were
just
NRA right.
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NRAand
tate Speci�cations
Federal Gun Laws
Suggested Retail:
NRA Club Awards $2251 (excluding taxes, shipping, labor and
Program
magazines)
Gold Medal Clubs
Pistol
NRA ClubTactical
AffiliationLatch Plate (For Single-Point Slings)
Application
Carbine
NRA Bu�er Spring
Club Affiliation Renewal
PSA Carbine Bu�er
NRA Club Officer's Guide
Stripped Lower Receiver: Blemished PSA Forged 7075-T6
The Importance of Incorporation
Aluminum
NRA Club Insurance
Trigger Upgrade: Ground Zero Precision Enhanced Fire Control
Group (EFC) & Development Webinar eries
Club Leadership
Trigger
NRA ClubPull:
Awards6l Program
bs. 3 oz., Single-Stage
Rear Sight: UTG Detachable A2 Rear Sight Carry Handle
Gold Medal Clubs
MNT-950
NRA Business Alliance
Magazine: Shown with Brownells AR-15/M16 20-Round
NRA tate Associations
Overall Length: 26.50"
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Weight: 5 lbs. 12 oz. Unloaded, No Magazine
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MSRP: $628.45 (excluding taxes, labor| and magazines)
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The Best of Both Build with Ground Zero Precision
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Manufacturer: Ground Zero Precision (GZP)
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Action: Gas-Impingement Semi-automatic
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Ri�ing:
NRA 1:7"
Online RH
Training
Grooves: 6
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Muzzle Threading: 1/2x28 TPI
Muzzle Device: A2 Flash Hider
Gas Block: .750" 4140 Steel Micro Low Pro�le
AFFILIATED CLUB, RANGE AND BUINEE
Gas Tube: Pistol Length (4")
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Handguard: Club Affiliation
TAC-HUNTER Free-Float
Handguard Rails:Application
NRA Club Affiliation Integral Sight Rail, Accepts Keymod
Accessories
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Complete Lower Parts Kit: Mil-Spec
NRA Club Officer's Guide
Pistol Grip: A2 Polymer
The Importance of Incorporation
Complete Bu�er Assembly Kit: Pistol Bu�er Assembly with
NRA Club Insurance
Foam Pad
Club Leadership
Stripped Lower & Development Webinar eries
Receiver: Anderson Manufacturing Forged
7075 T6 Aluminum
NRA Club Awards Program
Drop-In Trigger
Gold Medal Clubs Upgrade: Rise Armament RA-140 (Available
from GZP)
NRA Business Alliance
Trigger Pull: 4 lbs. 1 oz., Single-Stage
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Charging Handle Upgrade: Mech Armor TacOps-CQB
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Grip Upgrade: Stark Ri�e Grips AR Grip with Sling Hook Loop
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Muzzle Device Upgrade: Yankee |
Machine YHM-27-MB-A
Annihilator Muzzle Brake
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Flip-Up Sight Set: Diamondhead USA Polymer with NiteBrite
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Trigger Guard Upgrade: Blackhawk! Oversized Trigger Guard
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Magazine Base: GZP Aluminum Firepower PMAG Extension
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