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May 28, 2026
Best NY-Legal Tactical Firearms 2026

Ten rifles and carbines that ship NY SAFE Act-compliant to New York FFLs in 2026, ranked by how directly each replaces the standard AR-15 and detachable-mag semi-auto rifles caught by the one-feature assault-weapon test.

Best NY-Legal Tactical Firearms 2026

New York's SAFE Act has run a one-feature assault-weapon test since 2013, and it is stricter than the two-feature laws in neighboring states. A detachable-magazine semi-auto rifle becomes a banned assault weapon under NY Penal Law 265.00(22) the moment it carries a single listed feature, and the list includes the pistol grip, the telescoping stock, the flash hider, the muzzle brake, and the threaded barrel that ship on a standard AR-15. That leaves three compliant lanes: factory featureless ARs with a fixed stock and a bare non-threaded muzzle, featureless rifles that drop the pistol grip entirely, and fixed-magazine ARs that sidestep the test by permanently affixing a 10-round magazine. This guide ranks the ten rifles and carbines currently shipping NY-compliant to New York FFLs in 2026, from $729 to $1,899, and includes a plain-English cheat sheet keyed to the statute. Magazines stay capped at 10 rounds no matter which firearm you buy.

By AB|Last reviewed May 2026

NY SAFE Act Cheat Sheet: What's Banned, What's Legal

New York's assault-weapon law runs a one-feature test under NY Penal Law 265.00(22): a detachable-magazine semi-auto rifle with even one listed feature is a banned assault weapon. The three legal lanes are a featureless rifle (zero listed features), a fixed-magazine rifle (the test only applies to detachable-magazine designs), and a semi-auto with no banned features by design. Manual-action firearms sit outside the definition entirely. Magazines are independently capped at 10 rounds, and you may load all 10.

Detachable-mag semi-auto rifle
BannedAny one of: folding/telescoping stock, conspicuous pistol grip, thumbhole stock, second handgrip, bayonet mount, flash suppressor, muzzle brake, muzzle compensator, threaded barrel, or grenade launcher
What's Still LegalSame rifle with zero of those features. Factory state-compliant ARs (Ruger AR-556, S&W M&P15 Sport III compliant SKU) ship fixed-stock with no pistol grip and a bare non-threaded muzzle. The FightLite SCR, CMMG Dissent, and SIG MCX Regulator drop the pistol grip but ship with a threaded barrel or muzzle brake, a banned feature on its own: order a non-threaded muzzle option where the maker offers one (Foxtrot Mike does on the FM-15 Ranch), or have a gunsmith permanently pin and weld a compliant non-brake device
Fixed-magazine semi-auto rifle
BannedFixed magazine capacity over 10 rounds, or a fixed-mag rifle that still carries a banned feature
What's Still LegalPermanently affixed 10-round magazine sidesteps the one-feature test entirely (Dark Storm DS-15 Typhoon Fixed Magazine, a New York manufacturer), keeping a true AR pistol grip and AR stock
Semi-auto rifle with no banned features by design
BannedNothing in this category as long as zero features are present and the magazine stays at 10 rounds
What's Still LegalRuger Mini-14 Ranch (no pistol grip, no flash hider, no telescoping stock on the base Ranch); buy the Ranch, not the Tactical with the flash hider and pistol grip
Pistol-caliber carbines
Banned9mm carbine with a folding/telescoping stock, pistol grip, threaded barrel, or other listed feature
What's Still LegalNon-threaded fixed-stock compliant variants: Ruger PC Carbine (state-compliant SKU) and Henry Homesteader (non-threaded variant, walnut stock)
Magazines
BannedAny magazine that holds, or can be readily restored to hold, more than 10 rounds (large-capacity ammunition feeding device under 265.00(23))
What's Still Legal10-round magazines, loaded to a full 10 rounds. The earlier 7-round load limit was struck down in federal court
Manual-action firearms
BannedNothing in this category. Bolt-action, lever-action, and pump-action rifles are outside the assault-weapon definition
What's Still LegalAll bolt-action, lever-action, and pump-action rifles regardless of features, plus the M1 Garand (en bloc clip, not a detachable magazine)

Sources: NY Penal Law 265.00(22) (assault weapon definition and the rifle feature list, items i through vii), 265.00(23) (large-capacity ammunition feeding device, the 10-round cap), and the federal rulings striking the 7-round load limit (Skretny, 2013; Second Circuit, 2015). This is general guidance, not legal advice. Verify current configurations with your transferring New York FFL, and consult a New York firearms attorney for any specific situation.

Top NY-Legal Tactical Firearms 2026

Ranked by how directly each firearm replaces what the New York SAFE Act takes off the shelves: factory state-compliant featureless ARs, pistol-grip-delete conversions, fixed-magazine ARs, a ranch rifle with no banned features by design, and NY-legal pistol-caliber carbines. Every entry below ships NY-compliant to New York FFLs as of 2026.

1

Ruger AR-556 (Model 8502, State-Compliant)

Best mainstream retail NY-compliant AR. Factory fixed stock, non-threaded muzzle, 10-round mag. Sold as the NY/CA state-compliant AR-556 by major retailers.

$779-$825
Shop at KYGUNCO
  • +Ships NY-compliant out of the box: no flash hider, no muzzle brake, no threaded barrel, fixed stock, 10-round mag
  • +Factory state-compliant SKU stocked widely for AWB jurisdictions including New York
  • +1:8 twist heavy-contour barrel handles 55 to 77gr loads
  • Non-threaded muzzle requires gunsmith work for any muzzle device
  • Smaller aftermarket presence than the S&W M&P15 lineage
  • Confirm the dealer ships the fixed-stock state-compliant variant, not the standard 6-position 8500
2

Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport III

Value pick. S&W sells a factory M&P15 Sport III 10rd Fixed Stock Compliant SKU: fixed stock, bare non-threaded muzzle, 10-round mag, clearing NY's one-feature test.

$729-$759
Shop at Classic Firearms
  • +Factory fixed-stock compliant SKU ships with bare muzzle and 10-round mag
  • +Cheapest compliant retail-shelf AR-15 at about $729 street
  • +Largest aftermarket footprint of any compliant SKU on this list
  • Bare muzzle limits any muzzle device addition without gunsmith work
  • Standard 6-position SKU is NOT NY-compliant; buy the fixed-stock 10rd compliant model
  • Older M&P quality-control reputation than CMMG or SIG offerings
3

FightLite SCR Rifle 16" 5.56

Best detachable-mag AR ergonomics in NY. The SCR lower swaps the pistol grip for a traditional rifle wrist stock, removing the most common banned feature while keeping any standard AR upper and STANAG mags. Plan on a gunsmith muzzle fix for the threaded barrel (see cons).

$1,275-$1,299
Shop at Classic Firearms
  • +Genuinely compliant AR with detachable-magazine operation (no pistol grip, no telescoping stock)
  • +Accepts every standard AR-15 upper, barrel, BCG, and trigger
  • +Traditional rifle stock works for hunting and field use
  • Ships with a 1/2x28 threaded barrel, a banned NY feature; have a gunsmith permanently pin and weld a compliant non-brake muzzle device before it is NY-legal
  • Wrist-grip ergonomics take training time vs a pistol-grip AR
  • 1:9 twist is dated; 1:7 or 1:8 stabilizes heavier projectiles better
4

CMMG Dissent BR4 16.1" 5.56

Best mil-spec AR upper experience without a pistol grip. Standard AR-15 upper means any AR trigger, optic, light, and handguard fits; the Magpul SGA 870-pattern stock removes the pistol grip.

$1,899
Shop at Classic Firearms
  • +Standard AR-15 upper means every AR trigger, optic, light, and handguard fits
  • +Magpul SGA 870-pattern stock means no pistol grip and no telescoping stock
  • +Adjustable gas block tunes for ammo changes
  • $1,899 MSRP is at the top of the compliant 5.56 market
  • Compact Action lower is CMMG-proprietary, no third-party lower swaps
  • Ships with a pinned and welded muzzle brake, a banned NY feature even when pinned; budget a gunsmith swap to a compliant non-brake device
5

SIG MCX-R Regulator 16" 5.56

Best-engineered compliant rifle. Piston-driven MCX upper, Magpul SGA Mossberg-pattern stock (no pistol grip), full ambi controls, two-stage match trigger.

$1,499-$1,599
Shop at Classic Firearms
  • +Best-engineered compliant semi-auto: full ambi, piston, match trigger
  • +Standard STANAG magazine compatibility with existing AR-15 logistics
  • +Stock interface accepts any Mossberg 500/590 shotgun stock
  • $1,499+ MSRP is premium territory
  • Magpul SGA stock length of pull is long for shorter-statured shooters
  • Ships with a 2-port muzzle brake on a threaded barrel, both banned NY features; budget a gunsmith pin-and-weld of a compliant non-brake device
6

Foxtrot Mike FM-15 Ranch Rifle 16" 5.56

Best value featureless AR. Bufferless action with Remington 870-pattern stock at $999. Built specifically for feature-test jurisdictions like New York.

$999-$1,199
Shop at Classic Firearms
  • +Lowest entry price for an AR-pattern compliant 5.56 rifle at $999
  • +Bufferless action eliminates buffer-tube interference with traditional stocks
  • +Standard STANAG mag and AR trigger compatibility
  • FM Products QC is less consistent than CMMG or SIG historically
  • Bufferless action requires FM-specific spare parts (recoil spring assembly)
  • Non-threaded muzzle SKU required for NY; verify variant
7

Dark Storm DS-15 Typhoon Fixed Magazine 5.56

Best fixed-mag NY-compliant AR. A New York manufacturer; the only entry that keeps a true AR pistol grip and AR stock, sidestepping the one-feature test via a permanently affixed 10-round magazine.

$1,395-$1,595
Shop at Classic Firearms
  • +Patented fixed-mag 7075 billet lower explicitly built and listed for New York compliance
  • +Only entry on this list that keeps a true AR pistol grip and AR stock
  • +16-inch SOCOM barrel, 1:7 twist runs any 5.56 load, 13-inch M-LOK handguard
  • Top-load reload through the receiver is meaningfully slower than detachable mag
  • 10-round fixed capacity is a hard ceiling under NY's magazine cap
  • Current price runs higher than the featureless FM-15 Ranch with similar capability
8

Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle

Traditional 5.56 semi-auto with no banned features by design. Detachable 10-round magazine, no pistol grip, no flash hider, no telescoping stock on the base Ranch model.

$1,099-$1,200
Shop at Classic Firearms
  • +Genuinely compliant out of the box (no AR-feature workaround required)
  • +Self-cleaning fixed-piston gas system runs in dust and cold
  • +Lightweight 7-pound carry weight for ranch and field use
  • Buy the Ranch (model 5816/5817), not the Tactical with the flash hider and pistol grip
  • Proprietary Mini-14 magazines run $40 to $55 each vs $12 to $15 for STANAG
  • 1:9 pencil barrel limits sub-MOA accuracy
9

Ruger PC Carbine 19100

Best NY-legal 9mm pistol-caliber carbine. Buy the non-threaded, fixed-stock state-compliant variant with 10-round mags. Glock magwell included from factory.

$799-$949
Shop at Classic Firearms
  • +Compliant variant ships with non-threaded barrel, fixed stock, and 10-rd mags
  • +Dead-blow blowback action runs softer than typical 9mm carbines
  • +Reversible mag release and charging handle for left or right shooters
  • Confirm the state-compliant non-threaded SKU; the threaded-barrel base model is NOT NY-compliant
  • Direct blowback feels heavier than a delayed-blowback PCC
  • Not compatible with AR-15 triggers or AR-9 chassis parts
10

Henry Homesteader 9mm Carbine

Only traditional walnut-stocked 9mm carbine in mainstream production. Non-threaded variant available for NY compliance. Magwell adapters take Glock, SIG P226, or S&W M&P magazines.

$928-$958
Shop at Classic Firearms
  • +Only mainstream walnut-stocked 9mm carbine still in production, no banned features by design
  • +Non-threaded barrel variant ships compliant without gunsmith work
  • +Receiver drilled and tapped for scope mounting
  • 6.6-pound weight is heavier than polymer-stocked rivals
  • Magwell adapters are sold separately ($55 to $75 each)
  • Walnut stock is less durable than polymer in adverse conditions

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How the One-Feature Test Actually Works

The one-feature test applies to any semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine. The features NY Penal Law 265.00(22) lists are a folding or telescoping stock, a conspicuous pistol grip, a thumbhole stock, a second handgrip, a bayonet mount, a flash suppressor or muzzle brake or muzzle compensator or threaded barrel, and a grenade launcher. A single one of those features turns the rifle into a banned assault weapon regardless of manufacturer or model name. That is the critical difference from New Jersey's two-feature rule: in New York a lone pistol grip, or a lone threaded barrel, or a lone muzzle brake is enough to cross the line.

Factory state-compliant ARs like the Ruger AR-556 and the S&W M&P15 Sport III compliant SKU clear the test by carrying zero features. They ship with a fixed stock instead of a telescoping one, no pistol grip, and a bare non-threaded muzzle with no flash hider and no brake. Verify the SKU at point of purchase; the same model number with a six-position stock, a pistol grip, or a threaded muzzle from a non-compliant retailer is a different rifle on paper and is banned in New York.

Purpose-built featureless rifles, the SIG MCX Regulator, CMMG Dissent, FightLite SCR, and Foxtrot Mike FM-15 Ranch, take the second lane: they ship from the factory with no pistol grip. Dropping the AR pistol grip and AR stock in favor of a traditional rifle wrist stock or a shotgun-pattern stock (Magpul SGA Remington 870 or Mossberg 590) eliminates the most common feature on the list. The grip is not the only thing to clear, though: the SIG MCX Regulator and CMMG Dissent ship with a muzzle brake, and the FightLite SCR ships with a threaded barrel, each a banned feature on its own, so going featureless on the grip does not fix the muzzle. Order the maker's non-threaded muzzle option where one exists (Foxtrot Mike sells a crowned non-threaded FM-15 Ranch that clears the test out of the box), or budget for a New York gunsmith to permanently pin and weld a compliant muzzle device, a thread protector or other device that is not a flash hider, brake, or compensator, so the barrel is neither threaded nor wearing a banned device. The FightLite SCR is otherwise the cleanest version of this idea: its lower swaps the pistol grip for a one-piece rifle stock and still accepts any standard AR upper, barrel, BCG, and trigger. If you would rather build a featureless rifle from a standard AR than buy a factory compliant SKU, our featureless AR-15 build guide walks through the grip and stock swaps and explains why a New York build runs a bare, non-threaded muzzle while a California build can keep a brake.

The Dark Storm DS-15 Typhoon uses the third lane: permanently affix the magazine. The assault-weapon test only reaches detachable-magazine semi-auto rifles, so a rifle with a fixed magazine sits outside the feature test even with a true AR pistol grip and a standard AR stock. Dark Storm is a New York manufacturer and lists the DS-15 Typhoon explicitly for SAFE Act compliance; the tradeoff is a top-load reload through the receiver and a hard 10-round ceiling. If you want to spec a compliant loadout around any of the AR-platform entries above, the rifle builder pairs them against optics, lights, and triggers from the catalog.

Sister-state context helps because several of these rifles travel well. The New Jersey guide runs a two-feature test under the AWCA, so a pistol-grip AR with a fixed non-threaded stock is legal there but not here. The California guide leans on the same featureless and fixed-magazine substitutes, and the Illinois PICA guide runs a one-feature test closest to New York's. The featureless ARs and the fixed-mag DS-15 in this guide clear all three; the factory state-compliant Ruger AR-556 and S&W M&P15 Sport III compliant SKUs are configured for AWB jurisdictions including New York.

The 10-Round Cap and the 7-Round Load Limit

New York caps magazine capacity at 10 rounds, and you may load all 10. The SAFE Act originally limited loading to 7 rounds in a 10-round magazine, but Judge Skretny struck that 7-round load limit down in 2013, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the ruling in 2015 as an arbitrary restriction. The 10-round capacity ceiling itself survived and is still the law: a magazine that holds, or can be readily restored to hold, more than 10 rounds is a prohibited large-capacity ammunition feeding device under 265.00(23).

In practice every rifle in this guide ships or pairs with a 10-round magazine for New York. The Ruger Mini-14 Ranch and the Ruger PC Carbine run proprietary 10-round magazines; the AR entries run 10-round PMAGs; the Dark Storm DS-15 keeps a permanently affixed 10-round fixed magazine. Confirm the magazine that ships with any out-of-state SKU, because a rifle delivered with a 20-round or 30-round magazine still has to be paired down to 10-round magazines before it reaches a New York owner.

For the 9mm carbine buyers in this list, the best modern PCCs guide covers the broader pistol-caliber carbine field, including the Ruger PC Carbine and Henry Homesteader variants discussed here. Both require the non-threaded compliant variant for New York, and both run 10-round magazines under the cap.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a NY compliant AR-15?
A New York-compliant AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle that does not trigger the SAFE Act's one-feature assault-weapon test. Under NY Penal Law 265.00(22), a semi-auto rifle that accepts a detachable magazine becomes a banned assault weapon if it has even one listed feature: a folding or telescoping stock, a conspicuous pistol grip, a thumbhole stock, a second handgrip, a bayonet mount, a flash suppressor, a muzzle brake, a muzzle compensator, a threaded barrel, or a grenade launcher. Compliant ARs are therefore either featureless (fixed stock, no pistol grip or a fin/featureless grip, bare non-threaded muzzle) or fixed-magazine designs like the Dark Storm DS-15 Typhoon, which keep AR ergonomics by permanently affixing a 10-round magazine. Magazines are capped at 10 rounds.
What makes an AR-15 illegal in NY?
A detachable-magazine semi-auto rifle is an illegal assault weapon in New York the moment it has any single feature on the SAFE Act list. The features that catch most standard ARs are the pistol grip, the telescoping (collapsible) stock, the flash hider, and a threaded barrel. A standard mil-spec AR-15 with an adjustable stock, A2 pistol grip, and threaded muzzle has at least three banned features. There is no pre-ban grandfather path for a new purchase, so a new AR must ship in a compliant configuration from the dealer.
What guns are NY compliant?
NY-compliant tactical rifles include factory featureless ARs (Ruger AR-556 state-compliant model, S&W M&P15 Sport III 10rd fixed-stock compliant SKU), traditional-stock AR alternatives (FightLite SCR, CMMG Dissent, SIG MCX Regulator, FM-15 Ranch), fixed-magazine ARs (Dark Storm DS-15 Typhoon, a New York manufacturer), and rifles with no banned features by design (Ruger Mini-14 Ranch). Compliant 9mm carbines include the Ruger PC Carbine (non-threaded compliant variant) and the Henry Homesteader. All run 10-round magazines.
Can my AR hold 10 rounds in NY?
Yes. New York caps magazine capacity at 10 rounds, and you may legally load all 10. The earlier SAFE Act rule that limited loading to 7 rounds was struck down in federal court (Skretny, 2013; upheld by the Second Circuit in 2015) as an arbitrary restriction. The 10-round capacity ceiling itself remains in force: a magazine that holds, or can be readily restored to hold, more than 10 rounds is a prohibited large-capacity ammunition feeding device.
Is the 7 round limit overturned in NY?
Yes. The SAFE Act's 7-round load limit was struck down by Judge Skretny in 2013 and the ruling was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 2015. New York gun owners may load up to 10 rounds in a 10-round magazine. The separate 10-round magazine capacity cap was not affected and is still the law.

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