Stocked pistols after ATF's SBR letter: why no renaissance is coming

Key points: Stocked pistols ATF's SBR

• Per the host, ATF has told the firearms community it will no longer enforce the NFA's short-barreled rifle and AOW provisions, a change in enforcement rather than in the law.
• Stocked pistols did not die because of the NFA: they stayed niche worldwide, from shoulder-stocked percussion revolvers through the C93 Borchardt, C96 Mauser, Colt 1905, 1911, FN 1903, Browning High Power, Lugers and 1923 Berettas.
• Short stocks put the reciprocating slide right by the shooter's eye and bring pistol sights, built for arm's length, too close to the face to work well.
• Militaries issued them as PDWs for artillery crews, NCOs and junior officers who rarely trained with them, and most armies dropped the stocks at the next purchase.
• Purpose-built PDWs such as the vz. 61 Scorpion, PM-63 RAK, P90 and MP7 carry little more bulk and do the job far better than a stocked handgun.
• The host rates the Flux Raider for the P365 as the best modern stocked-pistol chassis for a narrow concealed-carry niche, and calls clamp-over chassis and clip-in Glock stocks poor.
• His prediction: a novelty-driven rush, then most buyers find the compromises outweigh the stock, though today's flimsy designs may become collector pieces in 50 years.

About this Gun Review video

Stocked pistols after ATF's letter on short-barreled rifles: Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons expects a brief spike of interest, not a lasting comeback. From the C93 Borchardt and C96 Mauser to the Browning High Power, shoulder stocks were offered by nearly every maker and bought by almost no one, because a stocked pistol is a worse pistol and a worse carbine than purpose-built guns.

Transcript: Stocked pistols ATF's