Maryland legal AR uppper kits

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  • SkiPatrolDude

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 24, 2017
    3,331
    Timonium-Lutherville
    Colt SOCOM barrels are also heavy barrels.

    Daniel Defense Socom barrels are also good to go, if you can find one.

    Brownells sells a complete DD Socom Block ii clone upper with DD's heavy socom barrel. It's rarely in stock though. I managed to snag one and I've been truly blown away by it's accuracy using Black Hills 77gr OTM.

    https://www.brownells.com/rifle-par...om-upper-receiver-14-5in-5-56-prod136059.aspx
     

    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,282
    HoCo
    I know of at least one case where someone from DE was in OC and was caught with a non HBAR post 2013 AR.
    This was a few years ago.
    I may try to dig this up and look in the MD case search.
     

    454shooter

    LARGE Caliber
    Jun 20, 2020
    71
    Harford County
    I have been "scowled" at by a range "curmudgeon" when shooting a suppressed AR pistol...I offered him a chance to shoot it and remove the mystery, but he declined....lol

    I have never been asked by any form of LEO in regards to barrel profile or paperwork for NFA items. Full disclosure, I don't shoot at public ranges with my "special" toys.
     

    Ponder_MD

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 9, 2020
    4,559
    Maryland
    I was just thinking, has anyone ever been asked? Or even thought twice if someone’s barrel was HBAR or not?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    This is a reasonable question with a reasonable implication- "Why should I care, as long as I'm not committing any crimes?"

    I'm just normally a very law-abiding guy. I don't want to be pulled for a routine traffic stop and have an MSP trooper nab me on it. With my luck, I'd get pulled over by the one LEO who would recognize a normal barrel "on the spot." :rolleyes:
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,598
    Glen Burnie
    This is a reasonable question with a reasonable implication- "Why should I care, as long as I'm not committing any crimes?"

    I'm just normally a very law-abiding guy. I don't want to be pulled for a routine traffic stop and have an MSP trooper nab me on it. With my luck, I'd get pulled over by the one LEO who would recognize a normal barrel "on the spot." :rolleyes:
    I'm not sure you actually said what you were trying to say. If you're not committing any crimes then you absolutely shouldn't care.

    This thread, however, points out the absolute absurdity that is the body of Maryland's gun regulatory laws. Just a few to remind everyone:

    MD Handgun roster: Two pistols functionally identical - one you can have, but not the other because they happen to be different colors.

    MD Magazine Limits: It's perfectly ok to have and use magazines in MD, you just can't obtain them within state lines

    MD AR-15 laws: HBARS, which are functionally identical to standard ARs are cash-and-carry, but standard ARs are banned. For that matter, any other caliber that happens to be functionally identical are also cash-and-carry provided they aren't 5.56/223.

    MD Carry Laws: It's next to impossible for the regular citizen to get a CCW Permit, supposedly on the premise that open carry is legal, however, whenever anyone attempts to exercise their rights to open carry, they get harassed by the police, and often arrested on some other ******** charge such as trespassing, or disturbing the peace.

    The laws are so arbitrary and convoluted, you practically have to be an attorney to understand them, so how is an officer on the street even going to know what is or isn't legal? There are so many legal versions of the AR platform, how is an officer going to know what to check for? With that in mind, why would they even bother to ask?

    F*** Maryland. I'm leaving just as soon as I'm able.
     

    Ponder_MD

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 9, 2020
    4,559
    Maryland
    I understand what you're saying and I agree. I'm just trying to navigate this mess as well as I can.
    Technically, possessing an AR without the HBAR, post 2013 is in itself a crime so I was trying to avoid it.
     

    SkiPatrolDude

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 24, 2017
    3,331
    Timonium-Lutherville
    I understand what you're saying and I agree. I'm just trying to navigate this mess as well as I can.
    Technically, possessing an AR without the HBAR, post 2013 is in itself a crime so I was trying to avoid it.

    If you want to follow the strictest interpretation of the "law", there are a few barrel makers that both market AND stamp the barrel as HBAR.

    Here are two:

    https://www.ballisticadvantage.com/16-5-56-mid-length-hbar-barrel-modern-series.html

    https://www.stagarms.com/stag-15/st...bine-length-hbar-threaded-1-2-28-chrome-phos/

    And while not a complete upper as you mentioned, all you need is an upper receiver, gas block, appropriate length gas tube and flash hider and you're set. I am sure if you ask around this forum, someone would be willing to help you assemble.

    Feel free to PM me if you have any questions on parts.
     

    johnkn

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 27, 2012
    2,113
    I understand what you're saying and I agree. I'm just trying to navigate this mess as well as I can.
    Technically, possessing an (223/556) AR without the HBAR, post 2013 is in itself a crime so I was trying to avoid it.

    FIFY

    All the more reason to have uppers in 300 Hamr, 300BO, 458 SOCOM, 224, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, 350 Legend, 450 Bushmaster, 375 SOCOM, etc..
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,598
    Glen Burnie
    I understand what you're saying and I agree. I'm just trying to navigate this mess as well as I can.
    Technically, possessing an AR without the HBAR, post 2013 is in itself a crime so I was trying to avoid it.
    So here's a question - what if you have a non-HBAR upper that isn't actually attached to a lower. Is that a crime? An upper is just an upper - it's not a gun by itself. That's why it can be purchased online and shipped directly to your door.

    The laws in MD are so fooked.
     

    Ilexopaca

    Member
    Mar 4, 2012
    69
    ^^ HBAR only comes into play when putting the upper on a lower you’ve purchased since the law changed in 2013.

    I've been very confused about this. I have a pre-2013 lower with a pencil barrel and would like to upgrade to a newer/better barrel. Is there any, certain clarity about this? I realize this is sort of a dumb question because I can't find any clarity in the laws themselves.

    As to the OP's original question and my quandary... Do current HBAR users feel as though their rifles are front-heavy? I really like the balance and lightweight of my current setup.

    The lack of clarity in the language of the laws concerns me because I want to be in compliance. I have no intention of ever committing a crime but I worry that if not me, someone else on this forum might run afoul of the law in some other context (perhaps a traffic stop traveling to and from the range) and having charges stacked because their rifle is not in compliance?
     

    Samlab

    Active Member
    Feb 14, 2018
    192
    Down by the riverside
    I'm going to clarify this conundrum of opinions.

    Your barrel will need to be stamped HBAR. When the lower is joined to the upper you then have a rifle.

    When produced the Colt HBar was stamped on both the receiver and the barrel.

    Having a non HBar upper is not illegal....you just cannot have it as a weapon completed.

    Any nit with a wit can Spy a Heavy Barrel versus a non-HBar barrel profile.

    To the post above on Bear Creek Arsenal products, they don't make products with consistancy and customer service was not up to par, so we passed on them when they went from industry producers to direct distribution.
     

    SkiPatrolDude

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 24, 2017
    3,331
    Timonium-Lutherville
    I'm going to clarify this conundrum of opinions.

    Your barrel will need to be stamped HBAR. When the lower is joined to the upper you then have a rifle.

    When produced the Colt HBar was stamped on both the receiver and the barrel.

    Having a non HBar upper is not illegal....you just cannot have it as a weapon completed.

    Any nit with a wit can Spy a Heavy Barrel versus a non-HBar barrel profile.

    Sigh. You've done nothing of the sort.

    Your barrel does NOT have to be stamped.

    The interpretation indicates that the barrel must be marketed, sold OR stamped as HBAR or Heavy.

    Marketed or sold meaning the manufacturer describes it as heavy or hbar in the description.

    "Fluted HBAR" would be good to go.

    In fact, most MD compliant rifles/upper are NOT stamped HBAR.

    Here is but one example. No stamped barrel but MD compliant.

    https://fnamerica.com/products/discontinued-rifles/fn-15-md-heavy-barrel-carbine/

    Plus "any nit wit can spy a heavy vs non-hbar" is a moot point. Actual profile is irrelevant, so long as it meats the criteria described above.

    If you feel that you have made things less confusing on this thread, you have unfortunately failed.
     

    Ponder_MD

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 9, 2020
    4,559
    Maryland
    So here's a question - what if you have a non-HBAR upper that isn't actually attached to a lower. Is that a crime? An upper is just an upper - it's not a gun by itself. That's why it can be purchased online and shipped directly to your door.

    The laws in MD are so fooked.

    I'm learning this in new and painful ways almost every day!
     

    Ammo Jon

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 3, 2008
    20,787
    I’d build one to look like this :)
     

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    SkiPatrolDude

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 24, 2017
    3,331
    Timonium-Lutherville
    I'm learning this in new and painful ways almost every day!

    This is why when I help a fellow MD resident build a rifle, I stick to barrels that both market AND stamp the barrels as heavy.

    Really no reason not to with quality offerings from Ballistic Advantage.

    Doing this serves to protect an inexperienced law abiding gun owner from the rare possibility of being misinterpreted as having something not MD legal.

    But truly, if the manufacturer describes the barrel, upper, or rifle as Heavy or HBAR, you are 100% good to go.
     

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