The Best Value Form 1 Guns

I resisted NFA items for a long time. First, on principle, why should I have to pay $200 to exercise my rights? Poll taxes are B.S.! Second, the wait time killed the fun. I’m too impatient for that. However, after the common use argument arose, it seemed like it could open the potential for claiming NFA items are in common use for future gun rights arguments. Add on the quick approvals via eForms, and I cracked and filed my first Form 1. Now, the zero ($0) dollar stamp makes this a no-brainer. 

A Form 1 is the ATF form that allows you to create an NFA item. They are most commonly used for creating SBRs, SBS, and similar guns. You file the form and get permission, and now you can create your own NFA firearm. 

As I did so, I began to think about how you could get the most bang for your buck with a Form 1. You’re submitting paperwork, and possibly getting various markings done to your gun. How can you get the most out of that experience? You can do that by picking out the correct firearm. With that in mind, I came up with five guns that can give you the most bang for your buck. 

A Note on Form 1 Guns 

If you create a Form 1 gun, you will list certain things, like its caliber, barrel length, and overall length. If you permanently swap the caliber, length, etc, you’re required to notify the ATF to update the registry. Temporarily changing these features doesn’t require an update. If it’s a permanent change, you do need to notify the ATF. 

Form 1 AR-15 

If you will only ever file one Form 1, then it should be for an AR-15. The AR-15 is, without a doubt, the most modular rifle in the world—dare I say it’s the most modular weapon in the world? Since the serialized portion of the AR-15 is the lower receiver, all you need to do is Form 1 the lower. You can then swap the upper to switch calibers, barrel lengths, and purposes. 

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You can go from a Mk 18-inspired 5.56 carbine to a 9mm PCC. Swap the upper, utilize Endo mag conversions, and make sure the buffer’s heavy enough, and you’ll be ready to rock and roll. The modularity of the AR-15 allows it to easily convert to various calibers and barrel lengths. It’s rarely more difficult than popping off an upper and installing a new upper. 

Variety

With that in mind, it is very easy to pay for one tax stamp and use a wide variety of calibers and barrel lengths. Since the AR has become so popular and modular, you aren’t stuck with the average AR. You can swap uppers to change the entire gun’s operating system. You can make it a short-stroke gas piston via a BRN-180 upper or a long-stroke gas piston with a JAKL upper. 

Not to mention the ability to use silly stuff like bolt-action uppers and pump-action uppers. You can do some crazy stuff with a Form 1 AR-15. It’s the perfect mix of modularity and ease of use that makes it a very attractive NFA option. 

READ MORE HERE: The Bear Creek Arsenal AR-15 Complete 7.62×39 Rifle

Mossberg 590 

The two most popular shotguns in the United States are the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500/590. I went with the Mossberg because production is consistent, and honestly, it’s an easier gun to customize than the 870. The Mossberg 590 is a great route to go since the Shockwave exists, which gets you the short barrel and magazine tube for a very low price point. 

If you want to produce a short-barreled shotgun on a Form 1 (or an AOW for whatever reason), then the Mossberg 590 is the way to go. All you need is the Shockwave, a tax stamp, and any of the dozens and dozens of Mossberg-compatible stocks to create a short-barreled shotgun. 

The Mossberg 590 is extremely popular, so it’s fairly easy to find a wide variety of barrel lengths and magazine capacities. If you’re willing to pay for custom work, you can get all sorts of barrel lengths and magazine tubes. If you shop around, you might find something like a 10.25-inch barrel, and I know Mossberg produced 7.75-inch Mossberg 500 barrels at one point. 

The Mossberg 590 series is very easy to manipulate. It’s almost entirely threading and bolts. There isn’t much to it. Swapping stocks, barrels, and more is fairly simple, as is adding lights, optics, and more. 

SIG P320 

The SIG P320 is built on the idea of modularity. SIG first developed its fire control group for the original P250 and later pushed that technology to the striker-fired P320. The SIG P320 uses a removable, serialized FCU that allows you to swap frames, slides, and more. For Form 1 purposes, you can easily move the FCU into a new grip module that allows you to make a short-barreled rifle easily. 

Removing the FCU and dropping it into a new grip module takes no effort. It’s superbly intuitive and takes about two minutes in total. Companies like Flux produce the Raider, which integrates a stock (brace also available) into a grip module. Drop in your FCU and your SIG P320 slide, and you can create a very small, highly portable SBR. 

Flux isn’t the only company producing grip modules. The Fire Control Unit X01 is another optic that comes braced but is easily converted to an SBR. SIG even produced a limited run of MP320 chassis systems, allowing you to produce an SBR from your P320 easily. B&T’s own USW-320 system is one of the slicker SBR systems. There are a wide variety of other options that make creating a multi-caliber system. 

There have been a lot of experiments with creating an FCU that could work with an AR-15 system. It hasn’t come to light, but a few people are trying to make it work. The P320’s modularity has made it one of the top contenders for most modular pistols and makes it an easy Form 1 host. 

Glock Pistols 

Putting Glock pistols covers it well, but admittedly, making a Glock 42 into an SBR seems tough to do. It’s the Glock full-size and compact models that are easy to SBR. Glocks come in a ton of calibers, so you can produce something as plain as a 9mm SBR, but you can also get spicy with the 10mm SBR or just weird with a .45 GAP SBR. Lots and lots of options there. 

The Glock’s popularity and simplicity have created a crazy aftermarket that has spawned numerous kits to turn your Glock into a short-barreled rifle. These kits are expansive, so you can easily convert most calibers and frame sizes. The kits range in quality and utility, as well as price. 

The Roni kits are one of the most well-known examples and come in both stocked and braced configurations. These kits are fun but not exactly all that practical, but they are affordable and make it easy to convert your Glock into an SBR. Beyond the Roni kits, there are super simple stocks and stock adapters that just plug into the back of your Glock and go. 

We also have companies like Recover Tactical making the super sweet RT 20/20 kit. The best kit I’ve seen is the B&T USW conversion kit for the Glock system. That’s the professional way to go and takes your Glock to a different level, but it’ll be a pricey investment. With Glocks being so universal, it’s one of the best options to create a micro-sized PDW like an SBR. 

Form 1 Thompson Contender 

S&W may have killed the Thompson brand and, with it, the Contender, Encore, and G2 (a sin for which I will never forgive them), but the platform makes for an excellent SBR or SBS role. The Contender, Encore, and G2 are a little different but fall into the same general idea. These are modular single-shot firearms designed mostly for hunting and even shooting sports like Metal Silhouette. 

Modular Platforms

These are modular platforms that come in both pistols and rifles, with an option for shotgun barrels of various gauges. If you bought a pistol, you could convert it into a rifle fairly easily and back to a pistol. If you Form 1 your Contender, you can make a very effective short-barreled rifle. Better yet, you can convert it to a ton of different calibers. 

You can start with a 20-inch rifle, but then decide you need something short and sweet for brush hunting. Toss on a 14-inch.30-30 barrel, and you have a light and sweet short-barreled rifle perfectly primed for hunting through swamps and thickets. You could theoretically swap to a short 12-inch .22LR barrel for killing small game, and is super light and handy. 

The number of calibers and barrel lengths available is absurd. Thompson might not be producing the gun anymore, but several aftermarket companies still produce various barrels. Some are even producing custom barrels so you can make exactly what you want. Want a 10-inch threaded barrel in .300 Blackout? Boom, it can be had. The Contender, Encore, and G2 series are some of the most modular guns out there, and they make for an excellent Form 1 SBR. 

The Form 1 Gun Addiction 

Admittedly, it’s tough to have just one. If you create an SBR, you’ll eventually want an SBS and maybe another SBR, but this time it’s SMG-sized. Or maybe you’ll want something completely radical? Whatever you want, there is an option. Just make sure you think it through. 

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