What is an H Barrel in Maryland?

[Wfilardo]

Could someone please help me out with Maryland's definition of an H Barrel? Specifically looking to build a 9mm AR and what to know if can put it together as a rifle or does it have to be a pistol?

 

[webb297]

Ok, here it goes, to the best of my knowledge, this is the way it is- see your local gun shop for more professional opinions.

The "H" stands for heavy barrel, and there really is no clear definition from the state as to what defines one, other than it is stated on the barrel or the packaging, and the barrel isnt stepped down to accept a grenade launcher. The HBAR (or Heavy barreled) upper is required to go on any new AR15 rifle chambered in .223/5.56.

If you have a dedicated 9mm lower (meaning it is not possible to put a .223 round through the magazine well, a block has been installed or the lower was a dedicated 9mm to start), than you can build any type of 9mm upper, with any barrel type you want.

 

[Wfilardo]

Thanks for the update. great info. it's pretty much the way i understand it too but it's nice to know someone else sees it the same way.

 

[Coffee]

I was under the impression any caliber had to be HBAR now. Do non 223/556 barrels not need to be hbar?

 

[outrider58]

All 30 cals. will be H-bars do to the bullet/barrel diameters required....AFAIK. Any 556/223 bbl with a "contour" is banned(because as we all know, contoured barrels are more deadly than all the rest).

 

[sailskidrive]

Call the MSP and ask them as they haven't been incapable of answering this question for over a decade now. The only firearm this has any relevance to is the AR15.

The generally accepted definition is .75" at the gas block increasing to a thicker dimension behind it back all the way to the chamber...

It's all really arbitrary, vague, and capricious.

In some ways I admire the MSP Licensing Division for not opening that can of worms, they've pretty much let the status quo stand.

 

[Vile Shadow]

Thanks for the update. great info. it's pretty much the way i understand it too but it's nice to know someone else sees it the same way.

Well, the AR-15 is a 5.56 mm rifle. So for a 9 mm AR to be considered a banned copy the parts would have to interchange, which we know they wouldn't.

So build 'em if ya got 'em.

 

[MKR03]

Call the MSP and ask them as they haven't been incapable of answering this question for over a decade now. The only firearm this has any relevance to is the AR15.

The generally accepted definition is .75" at the gas block increasing to a thicker dimension behind it back all the way to the chamber...

It's all really arbitrary, vague, and capricious.

In some ways I admire the MSP Licensing Division for not opening that can of worms, they've pretty much let the status quo stand.

It would be nice to get something concrete from MSP as far as dimensions, and I don't think it would be opening a can of worms. Something along the lines of "diameter .750 or greater throughout, no M203 cut, not necked down under the handguard." The reason I say this is there really isn't an industry standard in barrel profiles. I've seen 3 barrels with identical contours made by 3 different manufacturers. One company calls it a heavy profile, one calls it a 3-gun profile, one calls it an SPR. Based on my understanding, you would be GTG if you used the one advertised as "heavy," but may or may not be if you used the "3 gun" or "SPR," even though they are in fact the same profile/weight. There are lots of barrels that I've been looking at for my next build that I would consider to be HBAR, but are called something else because "heavy" doesn't sell as well as "SPR" or "DMR" etc. So I've hesitated because I don't want to be put in a position to have to articulate why the barrel is heavy even though the manufacturer doesn't call it that. IMO it wouldn't be difficult for MSP to provide some black and white guidance on this, and take away the subjectivity and ambiguity.

 

[Vile Shadow]

Just buy a Colt A3 and call it a day.

 

[rbird7282]

MSP has been asked and they've already answered what an HBAR is. See your local dealer.
People are so afraid of doing the wrong thing (understandable with the crazy ass laws in this state) they feel the need to get something in writing from the state. I don't their definition has changed and I don't think you'll ever get anything else in writing on this from them. Just my .02.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[swinokur]

Ambiguity and a lack of clarity works in MSP's favor.

Not gonna happen IMO.

 

[RoboRay]

Could someone please help me out with Maryland's definition of an H Barrel?

There is no legal definition of "HBAR" in Maryland. The law doesn't address the term, other than specifying that the "Colt Sporter HBAR" is exempt from the ban.

MSP themselves cannot give you a definition that doesn't exist. They can only offer an interpretation, and the one they've taken is that if the manufacturer or seller describes the product as a "heavy barrel", then it's an HBAR per Maryland law. Any more restrictive position would be easily challenged in court, as the burden of proof is on the prosecution and the law doesn't give them any criteria for determining what's an HBAR and what isn't.

 

[grasser]

I know this is an old thread and a lot has happened recently. I bought a 16" 6.5 Grendel upper about 5 years ago and had planned to build an AR-15 style rifle using an 80% lower. With all the recent restrictions & laws, I gave up on the idea of building it myself. I was considering either buying a completed lower & slapping the Grendel upper on it or just getting rid of the upper.

Before spending the money on a lower, I'd like to know if the Grendel needs to conform the heavy barrel requirement in MD. If the requirement still applies, is there any way to know if the barrel is a "heavy barrel"? At the time that I purchased it, I wasn't thinking about barrel profiles. Now I'm being extra careful. If there is any chance that the finished product will not pass the legality test, I'll just get rid of the upper and call it quits.

 

[RRomig]

No heavy needed for grendel. It only applies to 223/556

 

[slsc98]

H bbl in MD represents “hysteria” (or hysterical, depending upon which side of the state line one is on …)

 

[grasser]

No heavy needed for grendel. It only applies to 223/556

I was hoping someone would say that. I will see what lowers our local shop has available. I'm pretty sure they won't stock magazines or ammo for it, but I'm sure I can find them on line if not locally. This is not intended for self defense. I mainly wanted an AR style rifle to plink with and if I decide to go hunting one day (since I'm approaching 70 I will have to decide soon) it can work for that too.

 

[trickg]

As far as I know, HBAR applies to 223/5.56 only. All other calibers don't qualify.

I'm curious - has they been even one single court case where someone was prosecuted for an AR because it wasn't an HBAR?

I have one non-HBAR AR, but it's on a stripped lower I bought prior to HFA 2013, so that should be legal.

 

[grasser]

As far as I know, HBAR applies to 223/5.56 only. All other calibers don't qualify.

I'm curious - has they been even one single court case where someone was prosecuted for an AR because it wasn't an HBAR?

I have one non-HBAR AR, but it's on a stripped lower I bought prior to HFA 2013, so that should be legal.

You have an INTERESTING question. I am also curious if people in MD are being arrested, fined or had their property confiscated because the AR-15 did not have a heavy barrel. Most individual one-off instances would not make the news unless the rifle was used in some notable crime.

Several years ago I was having a conversation with the owner at a Gun Store in MD. He claimed he was a retired LEO. He gave me this information that he said he got it from the MD State Police. "If a person is the builder of an AR-15 rifle and the builder CLAIMS that the barrel is 'his version' of a heavy barrel, then it is legal". That sounds kind of questionable to me. He also said that they can engrave "Heavy Barrel" on the barrel itself to further support the claim. I'd be curious if that is true because I saw in the law itself where it states the manufacturer designates the barrel as heavy then it meets the criteria. While I'd like to believe that is true, it seems like a fine line between what the manufacturer of the barrel claims versus what the gun builder (manufacturer using parts) claims it is.

I'm just throwing this out for comments because as I mentioned in my original post that I am going the Grendel route and found some reasonably priced magazines for it. Reasonably priced ammo is a different story. The only cheap plinking 6.5 Grendel ammo is from Wolf in steel cases. The range that I use prohibits all steel in their facility and only allows brass. (I don't know why they care about cases if the projectile isn't steel) All less expensive brass ammo is on a notify basis.

I apologize for mixing 3 different topics in one posting.

 

[Magnumite]

Daniel Defense sells a barrel, on its built long guns anyway, which is their HBAR. It has a 'Government Profile' which means it is not a light pencil barrel. Looked at the carbine in person...you could see the contour through the handguard. That is the heavy barrel the military used on the A1 upgrade to the M4. The A2 used a slightly heavier barrel with the grenade launcher cuts.

 

[Bountied]

I've seen cops out there weighing barrels on any black rifle they see. Yup this is heavy enough. Carry on.

Thank god for dumb Dems making stupid feel good laws that can't/won't be enforced.