Moving to MD, need to upgrade to HBAR

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  • Jarvis

    Member
    Oct 16, 2018
    5
    Unfortunately, I am moving to Maryland from Virginia in the coming months and need to switch my Armalite M-15 / MOD SPR 1 to HBAR to be compliant. I was originally just going to upgrade the barrel to an HBAR one but this seems like it might get basically as expensive as just buying a cheap upper after purchasing all the tools, parts etc. Plus I have never replaced a barrel before so worried that I may screw up the rifle after all is said and done.

    Any suggestions on cheap uppers? Or would swapping the barrel out be the way to go? Its a nice upper and Id hate to never be able to use it unless I go back to Virginia to shoot. It has a 18in .223 Wylde 1:8 barrel with what appears to be a rifle length gas system for reference. Its been hard to find the same type of barrel with an HBAR stamp on it.

    The only one I have found is this one, but id much rather have a black barrel:
    https://www.primaryarms.com/B18SS223WMED-18

    Thanks for any help!
     

    bigjoegood1

    King Lurker
    MDS Supporter
    May 2, 2005
    1,710
    Behind enemy lines
    IANAL, I honestly thought .223 Wylde barrels were considered HBAR already but someone with better knowledge should chime in soon enough.

    Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
     

    freebird

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Jan 11, 2013
    336
    IANAL, I honestly thought .223 Wylde barrels were considered HBAR already but someone with better knowledge should chime in soon enough.

    Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

    Wylde barrels are no different than any other barrel relative to MD's laws requiring HBAR marking or advertised/listed as HBAR.
     

    danb

    dont be a dumbass
    Feb 24, 2013
    22,704
    google is your friend, I am not.
    223 wylde must be hbar same as others. I cant speak to that particular barrel. I personally like heavy fluted barrels since they are lighter, dissipate heat better, but still count as hbar.

    I think that swapping the barrel and buying tools will be about as expensive as a whole upper. You dont say where you are but you might ask around. A gunsmith can put the barrel on very quickly if you dont feel like buying tools. But, the tools are useful when you get around to other mods.
     

    Racer Doug14

    Thread killer
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Feb 22, 2013
    8,003
    Millers Maryland
    ^^ Yep. If legally purchased by you after 10/1/2013, then it’s good to bring into Maryland.

    Negative. If purchased after, it has to meet the new hbar standards. If before he should be GTG without a barrel swap. But would require registration. And proof of purchase.
    I could be wrong.
     

    marko

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Jan 28, 2009
    7,048
    Do any of the legislators see how stupid this law is? Can you explain how an HBAR would fire differently from a non-Hbar?
    Would it kill fewer Students, people of color, and Handicapped people? WHoops, forgot women and LGBT XYZ types.

    And to answer the OP, Rock River sells uppers and I have 2 but never fired them, but they look legit, might have to
    take a punch and stake some nuts...they went in the 'build box' with all the other lowers I bought before 2013
    $475 or so, surely Hbars couldn't be much more.
     

    danb

    dont be a dumbass
    Feb 24, 2013
    22,704
    google is your friend, I am not.
    Do any of the legislators see how stupid this law is? Can you explain how an HBAR would fire differently from a non-Hbar?
    Would it kill fewer Students, people of color, and Handicapped people? WHoops, forgot women and LGBT XYZ types.

    And to answer the OP, Rock River sells uppers and I have 2 but never fired them, but they look legit, might have to
    take a punch and stake some nuts...they went in the 'build box' with all the other lowers I bought before 2013
    $475 or so, surely Hbars couldn't be much more.

    And if you explain this, the reaction will be : so we must ban these rifles too.

    There is simply no amount of facts or logic which will lead to un-banning rifles. So we all just STFU.
     

    Ranchero50

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 15, 2012
    5,411
    Hagerstown MD
    So you are in for a barrel, a wrench and the mag well block to hold the rifle in a vise while doing the work, not really a big deal to swap them out.

    Also agree pre 10/13 you don't need to swap the barrel.
     

    Jarvis

    Member
    Oct 16, 2018
    5
    The rifle was purchased after 2013, so bringing in as is is a no go. The barrel actually looks like a heavy barrel but has no HBAR markings and is not advertised as so, so not going to take my chances.

    The law makes no sense to me either, the rifle isn't on the ban list, it passes the copy cat test / OAL, but everyone says I need to get an HBAR. So increasing the weight 0.5lb makes it legal and decreases its evilness apparently. :shrug:
     

    DaemonAssassin

    Why should we Free BSD?
    Jun 14, 2012
    23,970
    Political refugee in WV
    The rifle was purchased after 2013, so bringing in as is is a no go. The barrel actually looks like a heavy barrel but has no HBAR markings and is not advertised as so, so not going to take my chances.

    The law makes no sense to me either, the rifle isn't on the ban list, it passes the copy cat test / OAL, but everyone says I need to get an HBAR. So increasing the weight 0.5lb makes it legal and decreases its evilness apparently. :shrug:

    The requirement for HBAR markings or advertised as such is only guidance from MSP and carries zero force of law. There is also no industry wide definition of what HBAR actually is, so keep that one in mind too.

    From a strictly legal sense, the banned barrel profile is one that tapers to almost pencil profile under the handguard, then tapers back up at the gas block. Technically if the barrel tapers down to .750 and maintains that all the way to the gas block hump, then tapers down form the gas block to the muzzle, that is a HBAR. Do with as you see fit.

    Hell, I've seen the KAK Value Line barrel profiles marketed as HBAR on manufacturer websites.
     

    Threeband

    The M1 Does My Talking
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 30, 2006
    25,233
    Carroll County
    The law is not foolish, and people need to stop saying it is.

    HBAR barrels are for competitive target shooting. When Dianne Feinstein's staffers drew up the Ban List (based on the pictures in a copy of Gun Digest) back around 1988, the Colt Sporter HBAR was the target rifle of choice for AR competition.
     

    Hawkeye

    The Leatherstocking
    Jan 29, 2009
    3,971
    The law is not foolish, and people need to stop saying it is.

    The hell are you talking about?

    If the purpose of the law was to keep "more dangerous" weapons out of people's hands, which is what it was sold as, then an HBAR exemption has no point. We all know it was put there to shut the FUDs up, and Feinstein had nothing to do with it. That list is from the original MD ban, not from the Federal AWB that she wrote.
     

    rseymorejr

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 28, 2011
    26,015
    Harford County
    So you are in for a barrel, a wrench and the mag well block to hold the rifle in a vise while doing the work, not really a big deal to swap them out.

    Also agree pre 10/13 you don't need to swap the barrel.

    Upper receiver block, not magwell block. And a torque wrench
     

    omegared24

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 23, 2011
    4,747
    Ijamsville, MD
    As cheap as parts are these days you can build a decent one for really cheap. I'd sooner sell that upper rather than chop it up. You can probably get a decent amount for it from someone that can use it.

    I've ordered several HBAR barrels from Hardened Arms and they went ahead and stamped HBAR on them for me. You must request it though.

    PSA also has HBAR marked barrels in stock currently. I have the other variety from PSA and shoots very well.

    https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa...-barrel-assembly-5-56-nato-1-7-h-bar-psa.html
     

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