PA Lower Receiver Transfer Rifle, Pistol, Other?

[spring1898]

Greetings all, I purchased a couple lowers years back and am wondering what their "status" is.

I was under the impression that stripped lowers are considered "other" on 4473? But the FFL I transferred them through told me they typically transfer them as rifles unless specifically told they would be pistols?
If that is the case, would the lowers I have be indefinitely considered rifles?

Not a big deal, just need to know if I need to buy new lowers for a pistol build.

[Xringshooter]

A lower receiver, or actually any stripped receiver is, in the eyes of the BATFE, an "Other" because it has not been built into anything. Even if you bought one with a rifle butt stock and one with a pistol butt stock, they are still "Other" because they have not been built into anything yet. This has been discussed ad nauseum and all FFL's should have, at one time or another, gotten a notice from the ATF how to log them and how to fill out the 4473. If a FFL tells you it is a rifle (or more commonly a handgun), leave, they don't know what they are talking about. If they have your lower you ordered and insist that it be classed as something other than an "Other" find a different FFL who knows the laws/regs and tell the lame brained one to send it to that FFL.

Once the lower has been built, it then becomes either a rifle (or SBR) or a handgun and if you sell it as such, it will be marked on the 4473 as a handgun or a long gun. THAT said, if you build a handgun or rifle and then strip everything off and sell only the lower, only YOU know how it was configured and you can do what your conscience tells you to do.

Oh, and BTW, you can tell the FFL who is doing the paperwork that you are going to build it into a pistol but he still can only mark the 4473 as "Other" The 4473 is marked at the time of the transfer, not what MIGHT happen in the future.

You do not have to buy new lowers to build pistols as long as the lowers you have have not been built into anything yet. The "status" of the lowers you bought several years back are still "Other" unless you have built them into something and want to change what you have. That is another story all together.

[Rosco the Iroc]

^what he said

Years ago they made you mark it one way or the other. Now it's just plain "other".

[spring1898]

I guess the question is, assuming they put "Rifle" on the 4473 instead of other, are the lowers considered rifles, and thus could not be made into pistols?

[Gun]

I guess the question is, assuming they put "Rifle" on the 4473 instead of other, are the lowers considered rifles, and thus could not be made into pistols?

You do not have to buy new lowers to build pistols as long as the lowers you have have not been built into anything yet. The "status" of the lowers you bought several years back are still "Other" unless you have built them into something and want to change what you have. That is another story all together.

An FFL just gave you the answer.

[Rosco the Iroc]

Really 2 did. Ok I 2nd it.

[Xringshooter]

I guess the question is, assuming they put "Rifle" on the 4473 instead of other, are the lowers considered rifles, and thus could not be made into pistols?

If the original dealer marked the 4473 as "Long Gun" THEY mismarked the 4473. I wonder what they put in the caliber section of Section D of the 4473? A lower has NO caliber (typically the dealer marks "none" or "N/A" in that block) until the builder puts a barreled action on it. Don't worry, go ahead and build the lowers into anything you want to make. The mismarked 4473 won't be seen by anyone unless YOU, the builder, commit a crime with it and then the authorities MIGHT want to look at the original 4473 to see if they can add any other charges against you.