Is a bipod on a ar-15 pistol an aow?

**deerhunterNEPA** · April 11th, 2011, 01:21 PM

question guys and gals does a folding bipod on a ar-15 pistol or plr-16 makee the the gun a aow...technically it isnt a foregrip?...any opninons or definate answers from the atf?..I have seen the ruger charger with one so I am assuming if you use it as a bipod only your good to go

**knight0334** · April 11th, 2011, 02:00 PM

A true bipod shouldn't make a handgun into an AOW. Just make sure it is used as a bipod.

**rovert97** · April 11th, 2011, 02:04 PM

i cant see how i can be an AOW. Ruger sells the Charger, which is a cut down pistol version of their 10/22's with a bipod and scope on them.

**deerhunterNEPA** · April 11th, 2011, 02:37 PM

Thats what I assumed but we know how the atf has their own version of oddball views on AOW's and SBR's they allow the ranch hand/judge but say no to a foregrip on a ar-15 pistol to provide the ability to more safetly shoot the weapon..Thanks All!

**knight0334** · April 11th, 2011, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by deerhunterNEPA

Thats what I assumed but we know how the atf has their own version of oddball views on AOW's and SBR's they allow the ranch hand/judge but say no to a foregrip on a ar-15 pistol to provide the ability to more safetly shoot the weapon..Thanks All!

In all fairness, the Ranch Hand doesn't have a shoulder stock to make it a long gun - so it is a handgun. And the Judge has a rifled barrel, so it cannot be a AOW.

**djturnz** · April 12th, 2011, 12:50 PM

Just don't use a GRIP-POD style.

**GunLawyer001** · April 12th, 2011, 01:17 PM

For years, that foregrip wasn't a problem. Then the Brady idiots whined to ATF that some people were actually using a second grip on their TEC-9 pistols, and that was somehow evil. I guess having more control of your firearm is a bad thing....
Anyway, the issue is that the second grip re-designs the gun so that it's no longer designed to be fired with one hand, like a pistol; if it's not a rifle or pistol or shotgun, then it must be an "other" weapon. ATF homed in on "vertical" grips, but not horizontal grips. That could change. There's also a potential argument that a bipod also turns it into something other than a pistol, but I've never seen ATF make that claim. Yet.