Apple a Day
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Has anyone rigged a forearm brace to a lever action mare's leg handgun?
Rig a forearm brace on a Mares Leg?
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USAF_Vet
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I think if it were made to look like a leather shell cuff it would look great. There is enough "stock" on the grip to strap it there. Steel ribs to stiffen the leather would make it sturdy enough, probably, if you intended to shoulder the thing. But leather, shell loops, maybe some fringe and a concho and some turquoise beads would fit the bill.
Elkins45
Member
I'm guessing the OP is taking his que from the Sig arm brace trend for AR pistols. That is to say that it would be an "arm brace" with a wink and a nod, and would actually be a workaround to paying the $200 tax stamp for a NFA firearm.
buck460XVR
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Wouldn't that kind of defeat the whole concept of the Mare's leg?
newfalguy101
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Huh????
What good is a brace that isn't attached to the gun??
The Sig brace is attached to the gun via the pistol buffer tube.
WestKentucky
Member
Still trying to figure out the point of the mares leg to which the brace would be attached. Sure it's great if you want to teach your pet capuchin monkey to shoot but I doubt anybody has that desire. In reality I think one would be best served going this route by going full on tactical with the gun. Put on a adapter to use the sig brace along with a plastic tacrail forearm and be done....OR make the tube from walnut or whatever and wrap it with horsehair when your done...but if you take a Yugo and slap on a Ferrari body you still have a Yugo...just a bit fancier. It's not for me but its a workable option for some and as an engineer at heart I can fathom ways to make that bad boy come together nicely. I personally would start with a 16" and drop back to shorter stock rather than start with a 12" and try to grow a stock. Get the Ferrari and make it lighter.
Elkins45
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I'm having a hard time understanding this. What would it attach to if not the gun?
Zaydok Allen
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Geez guys come on.
If there is a permanently attached brace, it would be classified as a stock, and with a mare's leg barrel length, the gun would count as a short barreled rifle. It would then have to be tax stamped and registered.
The Sig brace doesn't "attach" to anything. It slides on to a buffer tube and is held on with friction. It is not technically bolted, glued, taped, or magically bonded to a gun in any way.
I'm still trying to figure out what kind of need for a brace would compel someone to completely ruin the aesthetics of a nice mare's leg. But I guess.... Different strokes and different needs.
ApacheCoTodd
member
13 posts and this one seems the most valid. I'm wondering too so call it a question bump.
Theohazard
Member
You'd work the lever with your support hand just like always because it would operate exactly like an SBR. Nobody actually uses the SIG SB15 as an arm brace, that's just how SIG markets it to get it around the SBR laws. No, as an arm brace it's absolutely terrible and worthless; everyone who has a pistol with a SIG arm brace just shoulders it and uses it like a normal stock.ApacheCoTodd said:
David E
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We clearly have different ways of working a lever action.
I use my strong hand to cycle the lever, since those are the fingers that are already inside the lever loop and my trigger finger operates the trigger. My support hand is typically on the forearm of a lever action, regardless of length.
I'd sure like to see a picture of your technique. It sounds......interesting....
Theohazard
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^^^ Oops, I meant to write "strong hand". And my point was that you operate it like any other lever-action because the SIG arm brace works just like a stock.
ugaarguy
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Except for all the men and women who lost an arm in service to this country, including the one for whom the brace was designed by a fellow veteran. Yes, many people do use it to bypass the US's moronic SBR laws, but it was designed to help physically disabled vets more effectively shoot their AR-15 pistols since they can no longer shoot AR-15 carbines and rifles.
Theohazard
Member
I've always been skeptical of that story. Have you ever tried using it as an arm brace? It's absolutely horrendous; it's extraordinarily difficult to use and it's almost impossible to use the sights. I've found it's a lot easier to shoulder an AR pistol or SBR using only one arm than it is to use the arm brace as an arm brace.ugaarguy said:
I'm a non-disabled veteran, but it seems to me that if you only had the use of one arm it would be extremely difficult to strap the arm brace to your arm without the use of a second hand. But it's not that difficult to shoulder and fire an AR with only one arm as long as it's lightweight and not too front-heavy (like an SBR or an AR pistol with an SB15).
ugaarguy
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I'm a partially disabled vet (chronic sleep and fatigue problems). I've worked, as a civilian, with physically disabled persons (mostly non-vets) in volunteer work and former employment. The biggest thing I've learned from those experiences is that people are amazing at adapting and functioning with various physical handicaps. Also, there is never a single solution even for similar handicaps. Some folks are great with prosthetic hands or forearms, while others prefer to use their nub arm. Most folks who don't have an arm or hand do become very good at pulling straps and doing similar hand grip functions with their teeth. So, while SB15 may not work for everyone, I have no doubt that there are folks who it does work very well for.
There's absolutely no restriction on permanently attaching the brace to the buffer tube. I've read every letter the ATF has put out about the brace and keep the important one folded up in the grip of my pistol AR in the rare case an ATF agent has been living under a rock for the last year.
Theohazard
Member
Even if someone got good at strapping it on with their teeth, it's still terrible as an arm brace in my experience (and the experience of everyone I know who has tried it). But you're right, I'm sure there are a few disabled people who find that it works well and fits their needs. Though I can't imagine that number is very large; if the SB15 was only used as an arm brace then it would definitely be a complete failure for SIG.ugaarguy said:
Those unique situations aside, I think it's safe to assume that when someone talks about using the SB15 arm brace, they're talking about shouldering it like it was a stock.
Vern Humphrey
Member
As I understand it, the concept of the Mare's Leg is to be a weird looking gun that has no real function, but will be attractive to people who spend money without thinking.
Theohazard
Member
^^^ If it was rigged up right, a Mare's Leg with a SIG arm brace would function just like an SBR lever-action rifle.
Zaydok Allen
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I did a little reading and I see your point. Because the brace is designed and designated as a "shooting brace" it is not limited by the law. Sig can't control how the end user chooses to shoot their pistol be it shouldered, one handed, upside down, or off their knee. Neither can the ATF since there is no illegal way to shoot a pistol so long as you are not endangering anyone. So because the brace wasn't technically designed to act as a stock, there would be no restriction on how it is attached.
I withdraw my jerky tone from earlier and apologize to those that I directed it at.
This makes me think of two questions that I'm just wondering about.
If my above statement is correct, I wonder why Sig didn't install some sort of C clamp that could be tightened and mounted to the buffer tube?
Also, what happens if you shape a piece of wood, paint it black, and strap it inside the brace to add rigidity to the entire thing. Would that change the intent of the accessory to deliberately act as a stock, and thereby make it illegal?
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