Slides, Barrels and the Law: What Ships to Your Door and What Goes to a Dealer
Most of what we sell is not a firearm. Under federal law the regulated part of a modern pistol is the frame, the piece that carries the serial number. A slide, a barrel, a recoil assembly, an optic plate, a set of sights and a magazine are parts, and parts ship by ordinary carrier to your home address in every state that does not have a specific rule against them. This guide sets out where the lines are, because the lines are exactly where new buyers get confused.
What federal law regulates
The Gun Control Act defines a firearm by its frame or receiver. On a Glock-pattern pistol that is the polymer frame; on a Sig P320 it is the steel fire control unit inside the grip module; on a 1911 it is the frame that the slide rides on. Everything that bolts to that serialized part is unregulated at the federal level. You can buy a stripped slide, a complete slide with barrel and internals, a threaded barrel or a milled optic cut without a background check, without a dealer and without any paperwork beyond a normal invoice.
The one exception that trips people up is the complete pistol. When you order a whole gun from us, the serialized frame is inside it, so the whole gun goes to the licensed dealer you name at checkout. You complete ATF Form 4473 there, the dealer runs the background check, and you collect it once your state's rules are satisfied. The slide on that pistol is the same slide we would have shipped to your door; it is the frame underneath that changes the route.
What the states add
Most states leave pistol parts alone. A handful regulate features, and a threaded barrel is the feature that matters most for our customers. California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Hawaii and the District of Columbia each have a definition of a restricted semi-automatic pistol that lists a threaded barrel as one of the disqualifying features, sometimes on its own and sometimes in combination with another feature such as a magazine that loads outside the grip. In those states adding a threaded barrel to an otherwise ordinary pistol can change its legal status, and the details differ enough that you should read your own statute or ask a local dealer before you order one.
Magazine capacity is capped in roughly a dozen states and in some cities, and a magazine over the cap will not ship there. Our checkout holds every order to what may lawfully be delivered to the address you give, so a restricted item will be dropped from an order into a restricted state rather than shipped and seized.
A few states treat specific parts differently. Some require any unfinished frame to be serialized and sold through a dealer. We do not sell unfinished frames or the tooling to finish them; every frame in the catalogue is serialized and transfers through a dealer like any other firearm.
Slides with optics cuts
An optics cut changes nothing legally. A slide milled for a red dot is still a slide, and the dot itself is an accessory. Where a cut slide does matter is in states with a handgun roster, chiefly California, where a complete pistol must be a listed model to be sold new by a dealer. Fitting your own optics-cut slide to a pistol you already own is a parts swap, not a new sale, and rosters do not reach it. Buying a complete pistol that already has a cut slide is a dealer sale and the roster applies.
Barrels and the question of length
A pistol barrel can be any length. There is no federal minimum for a handgun, only for rifles and shotguns, and a longer threaded barrel that sticks out of the slide is a common competition and suppressor-host set-up. Attaching a suppressor requires the suppressor to be registered under the National Firearms Act; we do not sell suppressors, and a threaded barrel on its own carries no registration requirement. Compensators and thread protectors are ordinary parts.
Shipping and carriers
Parts go by ground with signature on request. We do not require an adult signature for a slide or barrel unless the address is in a state that asks for one, but we recommend it for anything expensive. Complete pistols go by a carrier that accepts firearms and always to a dealer. Ammunition, where we carry it, ships to your door where state and local law allow it and never by air.
How the dealer transfer works
Pick a licensed dealer near you that accepts inbound transfers and ask their fee, usually between twenty and seventy-five dollars. Name them at checkout. We confirm their licence against the ATF's public list, ship the pistol to them and email you the tracking number. When it arrives you bring a government photo ID with your current address and any permit or card your state requires. You complete Form 4473, the dealer runs the check, and if your state has a waiting period the clock starts then.
Putting it together
- Slides, barrels, optic plates, sights, springs and magazines are parts and ship to your door where legal.
- A complete pistol contains the serialized frame and always goes to your dealer.
- Threaded barrels are a listed feature in the feature-ban states; check yours before you order.
- Magazines over a state's cap are dropped from orders into that state.
- Optics cuts change nothing legally; rosters apply only to dealer sales of complete pistols.
If you are buying your first optics-ready pistol, start with the slide milling guide and the footprint guide, then browse the catalogue. Your town's dealer transfer rules are on the city pages.
General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.
