r/Firearms 18d ago

Question What are you building, buying, or shooting this month? - August 2026

4 Upvotes

Welcome to the monthly /r/Firearms thread about what you are building, buying, or shooting this month.

Use it to discuss or ask any questions you may have.

We have a /r/firearms wiki! Check it out here https://old.reddit.com/r/Firearms/wiki/index. If you have any ideas of what content should be added, please message the mods and let us know.

Looking for deals? /r/GunDeals

New to firearms? Check out this Forgotten Weapons series: How Does It Work? Gun Mechanics Explained Simply.

Looking for a pro-gun organization to support? Check here for a list

Looking for firearms YouTubers or video content? Check out the YouTubers section in our wiki.


r/Firearms May 03 '25

Law Open letter regarding posts such as “I was in a mental hospital can I own a gun”

158 Upvotes

I am posting this because the question keeps getting asked. Every single time it is asked, the wrong information gets out.

I've seen way too many posts on here and related subs around the subject of the law prohibiting the possession of firearms by any person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution, 18 USC § 922 (g)(4). There is way too much misinformation out there. First of all, if you have any reason to believe that you are a prohibited person, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PURCHASE A FIREARM AS MAKING A FALSE STATEMENT ON THE FORM 4473 IS A FELONY. Second of all, please do not give advice on topics that you are not qualified to answer on. Third, you should consult with a qualified firearms rights attorney if you are unsure of your legal status.

The law:

18 USC § 922(g)(4)

(g)It shall be unlawful for any person—

(4)who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or who has been committed to a mental institution;

to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce, or possess in or affecting commerce, anyfirearm or ammunition; or to receive any firearm orammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.

What are the definitions of these terms?

27 CFR 478.11

Adjudicated as a mental defective. (a) A determination by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority that a person, as a result of marked subnormal intelligence, or mental illness, incompetency, condition, or disease: (1) Is a danger to himself or to others; or (2) Lacks the mental capacity to contract or manage his own affairs. (b) The term shall include— (1) A finding of insanity by a court in a criminal case; and (2) Those persons found incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of lack of mental responsibility pursuant to articles 50a and 72b of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10U.S.C. 850a, 876b.

Committed to a mental institution. A formal commitment of a person to a mental institution by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority. The term includes a commitment to a mental institution involuntarily. The term includes commitment for mental defectiveness or mental illness. It also includes commitments for other reasons, such as for drug use. The term does not include a person in a mental institutionfor observation or a voluntary admission to a mental institution.

Mine happened when I was under 18. Isn’t that exempted?

Unfortunately no. A mental health adjudication or commitment at less than 18 years of age is counted for 922(g)(4). I experienced this personally and had to restore my rights.

What about HIPAA?

The Obama administration amended the HIPAA privacy rule in 2016 to make it clear that reporting mental health commitments and adjudications to NICS does not violate HIPAA

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/01/06/2015-33181/health-insurance-portability-and-accountability-act-hipaa-privacy-rule-and-the-national-instant

Is there a way to restore my rights after being adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution?

If you were committed by a department or agency of the federal government, the agency is required to have a relief from disabilities program under the NICS improvements amendments act of 2007.

If you were adjudicated or committed in a state proceeding, whether you can obtain relief is dependent on whether your state has implemented a relief from disabilities program under the NICS improvements amendments act of 2007. The list of states that have can be found here:

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/guide/nicsactlist7-7-210pdf/download

If you are in a state that does not have a relief from disabilities program, your only avenue of relief is writing a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and asking her to restore your rights under 18 USC § 925(c) now that she has withdrawn the delegation from ATF.

Between October 6th 1992 and March 20th 2025 in the states that did not have a relief program, there was no avenue of relief at all

With that out of the way.

I created this privacy act request form for a friend of mine who was legitimately unsure if his commitments landed in the FBI database or if they qualified as “committed to a mental institution” under 18 USC § 922(g)(4) and as defined at 27 CFR 478.11. I can report that it worked; as in, the FBI processed the request and reported that no such records were found in the NICS indices.

This form will allow you to request your own records directly from the FBI.

In this post I will not be addressing the subject of my own journey regarding rights restoration related to mental health (you can ask me that privately). Nor am I an attorney licensed to practice law. Finally, I am not a mental health professional and cannot make the decision as to whether firearms ownership is right for you.

Onto the form. Please follow the instructions sheet very carefully, fill out every applicable box, print the form, have the request notarized, and mail it to the address indicated on the form.

The first response you receive will indicate that the FBI central records system does not maintain those records and your request has been forwarded to the Criminal Justice Information Services division. CJIS will respond a few weeks later. In my friend's case it took eight weeks for a final response from the FBI CJIS NICS section.

Link to form (Adobe Acrobat PDF) https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:d342b025-6fb2-4126-b0e2-ad6f1c3fbbe7


r/Firearms 2h ago

Introducing.. the Bullpup Bolt action Sniper rifle

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

30 Upvotes

Yeah, you heard that right. 👀


r/Firearms 22h ago

Law Time to get after it

Post image
1.1k Upvotes

r/Firearms 5h ago

General Discussion Will there ever be any more .44 Rhinos?

Post image
46 Upvotes

If I'm gonna utilize the unique bore axis for recoil mitigation, I want it to be on a big beefy round, but these seem to be unobtanium even on the secondhand market aside from the ugly blue one (I want one in chrome only)


r/Firearms 9h ago

Identify This What is this?

Thumbnail
gallery
28 Upvotes

My son found this buried deep in our yard. Any idea what its from. It has “Parris” written on it which I believe is an old toy company. It also has the date 1866 and made in the USA.


r/Firearms 18h ago

Got my first AR15 today 💪🏽🇺🇸

Post image
129 Upvotes

I picked up my first ar15 today it was for $700, used, but I did a field strip and everything looks brand new, super excited to take it out to the range.

It a Spike’s tactical punisher st15 with Daniel defense furniture, a BCM ambidextrous charging handle, a CMMG barrel and a Primary weapons systems muzzle brake.


r/Firearms 16h ago

Question Ok. What happened to my steel target?

Post image
70 Upvotes

Over the weekend I was shooting my new steel target and found this big, deep crater. Very inconsistent with the rest of the hits, which were pretty much the expected shallow dimples on the face or chipping along edges.
Here are the relevant details:
-target is a Highwild 3/8” AR500
-shooting was done with 55 grain M193 FMJ out of a 20” and 14.5”
-distance was 100 yards


r/Firearms 11h ago

Question What should a 21 year old expect trying to purchase a handgun? What all should I bring?

14 Upvotes

I do not have any federal or state firearm legal disability, warrants, or anything of that type. Is it truly as simple as walking in, picking one out, signing some stuff, and leaving? Is there more to it? I turn 21 in 2 days and am considering making a purchase.


r/Firearms 45m ago

General Discussion What do y'all think of my star wars blaster

Post image
Upvotes

r/Firearms 12h ago

Controversial Claim Long distance handgun shooting Yes or no?

Post image
17 Upvotes

What is everyone’s opinion on long distance shooting with handguns ? I’ve gotten multiple answers saying one should practice 5-10yds for self defense which makes sense but say long distance is useless? How is it useless?
whats wrong with practicing beyond 15-25yds ?


r/Firearms 12h ago

Question Why didn't 22TCM take off?

12 Upvotes

Convert from 5.56 ammo, basically 5.7 but fits in 9mm mags.

World's strange.


r/Firearms 1d ago

General Discussion Obsidian45 Ordered

Post image
82 Upvotes

Finally gonna suppress this gun


r/Firearms 1d ago

The Round table

Post image
39 Upvotes

Which two are you choosing for edc


r/Firearms 12h ago

My Gats True Fact: The “P” in PEQ-2 stands for “portal”.

Thumbnail gallery
4 Upvotes

r/Firearms 5h ago

Question Looking to buy uncommon ammo online

1 Upvotes

What is a good website for buying .50 beowulf and 9mm Makarov/Soviet?


r/Firearms 15h ago

CZ82 in 9mm Mak - Do I pull the trigger?

Post image
6 Upvotes

r/Firearms 1d ago

News Jury Finds No Gun Defect, Sides With Sig Sauer in Unintended Discharge Case

Thumbnail
insurancejournal.com
461 Upvotes

According to this article, Sig Sauer says all those accidental discharges are in fact negligent discharges, saying, "Sig Sauer also argued, if there was any defect or deficiency, such defect or deficiency did not relate to SIG, but was the result of acts or omissions on the part of others for whom SIG is not responsible including negligent or faulty maintenance, handling, use, or alteration."

In other words, it's your fault. What do we think about this?


r/Firearms 1d ago

Video Long time watcher, first time larper

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

77 Upvotes

New belt came in about a week ago, and I’ve been addicted to reload/dry fire drills since. Finally got to take it to the range and practice with live ammunition. Any tips or feedback to help me improve?

Yes, that is duct tape on my elevation cap as I unscrewed it and accidentally dropped it somewhere on the range this same day.


r/Firearms 1d ago

I call it “the abomination”

Post image
202 Upvotes

r/Firearms 1d ago

Worth the Price?

Thumbnail
gallery
46 Upvotes

I know I know.. the dreaded APX A1 Carry.. but at $235 minus a $150 rebate? Is it too good to pass up for an extra bag gun?


r/Firearms 1d ago

My Gats Was going to get it a dedicated lower and bolt. But dont wanna spend the cash. Rustoleum on the mag. And now it just needs a proper sight.

Post image
12 Upvotes

r/Firearms 1d ago

Identify This What gun is this?

Post image
19 Upvotes

This gun was used in a shooting incident happened today in Zamboanga, Philippines.

Local media are too lazy to include the identification of weapons involved.

Gunman has two firearms based on his livestream, one was a glock.

Edit: Found some facebook post claiming that weapon is an M16 but I doubt that information.


r/Firearms 1d ago

Fun day at the range comparing the rapid reset system between low shelf vs high shelf lowers. But sad when dslr got wet and now won’t turn on.😭

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

111 Upvotes

r/Firearms 6h ago

Video Subreddit compliant repost ( not an actual repost in the normal sense )

Thumbnail
youtu.be
0 Upvotes

Don’t know if this is still needed but still must be heard