Originally Posted by
Five_Point_Five_Six
According to an acquaintance of mine who's a FFL Type 07, the info he was given as far as braces, VFGs, and measuring OAL is that fully extended is how you measure a rifle/sbr. There is no official way to measure a pistol, so shortest configuration is what was recommended to him by someone at the ATF. That means with the muzzle device removed unless it's pinned and welded, measured from the end of the barrel to the end of the receiver extension. He was also told that if using a Law folder or extended receiver extension like an A5, that the last one or two notches on the receiver extension should be JB Weld'd or permanently plugged so the LOP doesn't exceed 13.5".
For reference:
A 10.5" will not meet the 26" requirement to run a VFG.
An 11.5" may or may not make 26".
An 11.5" with an A5 setup will meet 26".
I realize I didn't bring any clarity to the matter and probably made things worse, but it goes to show the ambiguity surrounding braced AR/AK pistols. That's why I'm a firm believer in SBR'ing everything except one pistol with a brace, no VFG, and maintaining the LOP at 13.5" or less, if you want to have one that is travel friendly and able to be transported loaded in a vehicle(if your state prohibits loaded rifles in vehicles, mine does).