
Aero Precision M5 Stripped Lower Receiver
- 7075-T6 forged aluminum
- DPMS Gen 1 / Aero M5 receiver path
State Legality MatrixUnfinished Frames & Ghost GunsMaryland
Statute-cited, last verified 2026-08-18
Restricted
Restricted. Unfinished-frame transfers depend on federal firearm status, while a completed private-made firearm must be marked by a federal licensee and registered with Maryland State Police. Effective 2023-03-01.
Controlling law: Md. Code, Pub. Safety § 5-703
Contested entry
Subsection (a)(1) allows purchase, receipt, sale, or transfer of an unfinished frame only when federal law requires it to be serialized and it has been serialized by a licensed manufacturer or importer. Defense Distributed v. Blanche therefore unsettles that transfer clause for protected parties. The completed-firearm rule is independent: a private-made firearm must carry the prescribed FFL-applied mark and be registered with the Secretary.
Federal law
Federal law does not prohibit making a firearm for personal use, but prohibited-person, detectable-firearm, and unlicensed manufacturing-for-sale rules still apply. On August 17, 2026, Defense Distributed v. Blanche held 27 C.F.R. §§ 478.11 and 478.12(c) unconstitutional, but the judgment did not vacate those regulations and its declaratory and injunctive relief is party-scoped. Buyers outside the protected parties remain subject to the 2022 federal frame-or-receiver rule while litigation continues; state serialization, transfer, possession, and manufacturing laws apply independently.
Federal baseline verified 2026-08-18. Scope: Unfinished firearm frames and receivers, including products marketed as 80% lowers or pistol-frame blanks, plus firearms privately made without a serial number. Serialized stripped receivers transferred as firearms are outside this class's unfinished/unserialized restrictions.
Common questions
Restricted. Unfinished-frame transfers depend on federal firearm status, while a completed private-made firearm must be marked by a federal licensee and registered with Maryland State Police. Effective 2023-03-01. Controlling law: Md. Code, Pub. Safety § 5-703.
The controlling law is Md. Code, Pub. Safety § 5-703. Unfinished-frame transfers depend on federal firearm status, while a completed private-made firearm must be marked by a federal licensee and registered with Maryland State Police.
Maryland's rule took effect 2023-03-01. Subsection (a)(1) allows purchase, receipt, sale, or transfer of an unfinished frame only when federal law requires it to be serialized and it has been serialized by a licensed manufacturer or importer. Defense Distributed v. Blanche therefore unsettles that transfer clause for protected parties. The completed-firearm rule is independent: a private-made firearm must carry the prescribed FFL-applied mark and be registered with the Secretary.
Federal law does not prohibit making a firearm for personal use, but prohibited-person, detectable-firearm, and unlicensed manufacturing-for-sale rules still apply. On August 17, 2026, Defense Distributed v. Blanche held 27 C.F.R. §§ 478.11 and 478.12(c) unconstitutional, but the judgment did not vacate those regulations and its declaratory and injunctive relief is party-scoped. Buyers outside the protected parties remain subject to the 2022 federal frame-or-receiver rule while litigation continues; state serialization, transfer, possession, and manufacturing laws apply independently.
What to buy
In a restricted state, start with a factory-completed lower carrying the manufacturer's serial number and complete the required dealer transfer. These are serialized receivers, not unfinished 80% lowers, pistol-frame blanks, or do-it-yourself receiver kits.






Affiliate links (?)