My M4-Based SBR Build: On Hold Indefinitely

A couple of people have been following and asking about the status of my M4 Rifle build, hence I have decided to give this update. As of this writing, I have put my M4 Rifle build on indefinite hold, mainly because of problems acquiring the two most critical parts of the rifle: The bare Lower Receiver, and the Barrel.

I was set to get these two items from Twin Pines, as they were offering the cheapest price for them that I know of (brand new, anyway). Their casted, bare Lower Receiver costs only Php 15,000 (approximately Usd 365), while their 7.5" barrel made by Dassan of South Korea costs only Php 9,000 (approximately Usd 220).

Initially, they told me that to get these two items, I would only need licensing requirements for a High Powered Rifle (HPR), plus licensing fee of Php 7,500 (approximately Usd 180). So a couple of months ago, I prepared the requirements (National Bureau of Investigation Clearance, which I fortunately had one ready at that time, Proof of Employment as Overseas Filipino Worker, etc.), and the funds, and proceeded to get the items from them.

'Licensing Problems'
Imagine my surprise when I got there, and they told me that aside from the licensing requirements, I would also need to have a license already for an HPR. I asked them, why the sudden change in requirements? They told me that our beloved Philippine National Police (PNP) has been finicky about issuing licenses for these Lower Receivers and Barrels, and that previous buyers have been problems getting their units released.

So, I did not get the Lower Receiver and Barrels that day from Twin Pines. I wasn't keen on going to another gunstore, because I knew their prices were higher, but I went anyway in the hopes that by some miracle perhaps their prices had gone down, but it did not. A gunstore I went to said they could get me a bare "Bushmaster" Lower Receiver for Php 25,000 (approximately Usd 610), plus licensing of Php 10,000 (approximately Usd 210), boosting the price up to Php 35,000 (approximately Usd 820) just for the Lower Receiver alone. This was way too much for me, I decided to just pass.

A couple of weeks later, I went to Cagayan De Oro for a vacation. While I was there, I decided to visit a Twin Pines branch there in the hope that perhaps being the provinces, their policies would be different (and to discount the possibility that their branch in Manila just didn't want to sell me one for some reason), but the Sales Ladies there told me the exact same thing as their Manila office did.

'Speculation'
I thought the PNP requirement of owning an HPR before being able to buy these bare Lower Receivers and Barrels was stupid: If I already had an HPR, why the hell would I bother buying a bare Lower Receiver and Barrel? Twin Pines couldn't answer that one for the PNP, but my opinion is that the geniuses in the PNP probably thought that only existing HPR users can buy these items as REPLACEMENT or ADDITIONAL items, like for some reason your Barrel or Lower Receiver wore out and you need to replace them. Or if you are very rich, and just want to change the configuration of your current HPR, or if you want to start a collection of these very expensive (in the Philippines) HPRs.

Now, why would the PNP be finicky about issuing licenses for these items? At this point, I can only speculate. Maybe it's because they are uncomfortable about having the biggest gunstore in the Philippines making HPRs more accessible to the masses. Note that Twin Pines as a company has the most number of branches among gunstores in the Philippines, and the longest reach, having branches even out in the provinces. So their reach and cheap prices would've made the HPR more affordable to more Filipinos, and that scares them.

Perhaps the PNP want only the rich to keep owning these rifles, less chances of them running amuck like what happes in the United States, or of them using it for crime, since the rich have more to lose. And even if they did, they could just pay off the media, the families, etc. to make the problem slowly "go away" eventually, so less headaches for them.

Another reason is perhaps they are protecting the interests of the other smaller gunstores, most of whom are owned by former/current Police/Military personnel. None of them could compete with the prices that Twin Pines was offering.

'Parting Shot'
So, as of now, my M4 Rifle Build is on hold, indefinitely. The infamous Gun Ban will be among us Filipinos starting in January 2013, and lasts until June 2013, and within that time, sale of firearms or parts requiring licenses will be put on hold, further delaying my M4 Rifle Build. Which is just as well, as my budget is a bit tight right now, and I am not sure if I could've completed it anyway.

I think I will just concentrate on my trusty and beloved Glock (which I should've done in the first place, except I was running out of ideas to "improve" it further) for now. I want to keep my current M4 parts, mainly because they way the PNP is acting, it seems acquiring these HPRs will be more difficult from hereon, as they will likely get stricter, and the parts even more expensive than it already is.

Related Posts:

--> My Planned M4-Based SBR Build

--> My M4-Based SBR Build: Buttstock Assembly

--> My M4-Based SBR Build: Upper Receiver Assembly

--> My M4-Based SBR Build: Sighting System