ForgottenWeapons
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The History of Drop-In Auto Sears
🕑 Added 2022-12-17 12:00:01 +0000 UTCWhen Colt decided to sell a semiauto-only civilian version of its AR-15 rifle, it had to make a number of changes to the design of the lower receiver to prevent full-auto fire control parts from being used. These changes would make a semiauto AR receiver legally distinct form a full-auto one, and thus not a machine gun in the eyes of the law. Among the changes Colt made was to remove the auto sear, along with its pin and mounting holes.
Now, at this time (and still today) the possession of full-auto fire control parts was not regulated. Owning an unregistered machine gun receiver was illegal, but the internal parts were not machine guns by themselves. The DIAS, or drop-in auto sear, is a small device that was invented to duplicate the function of the original auto sear without needing a mounting pin. It could simply be "dropped in" to a semiauto AR receiver and if used in combination with some of the full auto fire control parts it would result in a fully automatic rifle.
When the DIAS was first invented, it fell into the category of other fire control parts - it was not regulated in any way. They were very simple and cheap to make, and were widely sold by mail order. It was illegal to put one into a semiauto rifle, but not illegal to own one. This changed in 1981 when ATF realized what the DIAS really was, and by administrative decree the DIAS was redefined as a machine gun by itself, thus illegal to own. However, examples manufactured before the ruling were grandfathered in - not that there was actually any way to prove when a DIAS had been made.
In 1986, the Firearm Owners' Protection Act (best known for its Hughes Amendment which closed the machine gun registry) was passed. It did many things - some of them actually good - but it also legally redefined the DIAS as a machine gun in and of itself. This set the old ATF ruling as actual law instead of administrative whim, and also overrode the original grandfathering. Ever since, possession of an unregistered DIAS has been a crime.
However, until the Hughes Amendment closed the registry, it was perfectly legal to register a DIAS, thus making it a LEGAL machine gun. Many of these registered DIAS remain on the registry today, where their value has climbed to nearly that of an actual registered M16 by virtue of the legal paperwork. By weight, a registered DIAS today is worth ten times more than gold...
Comments
Forgotten Weapons
The Patreon links normally go to ad-free YouTube videos. The DIAS video was not posted on YouTube because of their policies, so the Patreon link for it went to Utreon instead.
Terry
Then I am confused. I just watched your MSBS video on Patreon, with no ads. The video above—unlike the other one—took me to Utreon.
Jeff Price
You were very generous on the cost of the materials to make this. It's a dollars worth of steel. A coil spring might add a couple of bucks, if it has one. So $5 tops. BUt due to federal fiat it is now $25k...
Chairman
YouTube and the AFT are going to love that one.
Forgotten Weapons
Patreon does not host any video itself; all it can do is link to videos on other sites.
Terry
I understand. What I don’t understand is why I can’t watch it here on Patreon, but am switched over to an ad filled Utreon site.
Guido Schriewer
insaaaane rules. how would they proof a day of manufaction by a day. having a box of those registered... biiig money to the production cost.
Ian F
It played fine for me, although I do have a Utreon account. I was a bit surprised my ad blocker didn't work. Interesting.
Emmanuel Charette
Gotta love how closing both side panels don't event make the video bigger, it simply add more black letterboxing...
Gavin Rea-Davies
Worked OK for me via safari on iphone
Risto Alanko
Arrgh... Utreon link, ads and bad quality video.
Gavin Rea-Davies
You might enjoy Adventures of Sly, if you like a bit of more brutal parody. Often involving Mary Poppins and grenade launchers. Don't ask.
smorgisborg1
The video isn't on YouTube because of ToS so its only available on Utreon.
Loke von Post
Same.
Mrgunsngear
I'll probably make that video one of these days; it's not as simple as "dropping it in" with most modern AR lowers though.
Terry
It doesn’t play for me. It takes me to an ad filled Utreon site.
James Caldwell
Ok, is tomorrow's video going to tell the story behind the story of why you sat on this video for so long? ;)
Forgotten Weapons
I stuck to the history of the device here, mostly out of censorship concerns if I showed how to use them.
ransom_the_blind
its fair enough, tbh. i wouldn't want that over my head either. that's why i like owlkitty videos. simple, all nonsense parody. (i love owlkitty).
ransom_the_blind
why wasn't there a high-shelf/low-shelf distinction? not wanna get that involved?
Ilya Tsoy
Not gonna lie, I'd love Ian to explain how this works vs a standard full auto reciever, even though I know the basics.
