CT Compliant AR-15 and Rifles: What You Can Buy in 2026

Last checked 8 October 2026 against Connecticut General Statutes chapter 943 and the Supreme Court docket. Connecticut is the state where the rifle that is ordinary across the border in Massachusetts' neighbour Rhode Island, or in New Hampshire, is a felony. The rule is not complicated once you know the test, but it is strict, it changed in 2023, and it is now in front of the Supreme Court. This page explains what a Connecticut compliant rifle looks like, what the receiving dealer checks, what we will and will not ship, and how the pending cases could change things.

The one-feature test

Since 2013 a semi-automatic centerfire rifle that has the ability to accept a detachable magazine is an assault weapon if it has any one of these: a folding or telescoping stock; a pistol grip, a thumbhole stock, or any other grip that lets a finger other than the trigger finger sit below the action; a forward grip; a flash suppressor; a grenade or flare launcher. One feature is enough. The state also keeps a list of banned models by name, and a rifle on that list is banned whatever its configuration. Compare New Jersey, which allows one feature under its substantially identical test, and New York, which also uses one feature: Connecticut's list of features is the same family but the pistol grip definition is broader, because it covers any grip that drops a finger below the action, which catches most so-called fin grips that are compliant elsewhere.

The two compliant builds

Featureless. The rifle keeps its detachable magazine and loses every listed feature: a fixed stock in place of an adjustable one, a muzzle brake or compensator in place of a flash suppressor, no forward grip, and a grip that keeps every finger above the action. Most Connecticut compliant ARs sold by dealers use a grip wrap or a sculpted stock that meets this test. This is the configuration we tag Connecticut compliant in the catalogue.

Fixed magazine. Connecticut law has no written fixed-magazine exception. The definition is triggered by the ability to accept a detachable magazine, so a rifle whose magazine is permanently fixed, so that it cannot be removed without disassembling the action, is outside the definition and may keep its features. Because this relies on how the statute is read rather than on an explicit exemption, dealers differ in what they will transfer. If you want a fixed-magazine rifle, ask your receiving dealer about the specific conversion before you order; we will ship it only to a dealer who confirms in writing.

What the 2023 law added

Public Act 23-53 closed two routes that Connecticut buyers used before. The first was the other firearm, a short pistol-calibre or 5.56 build with a brace or a bare buffer tube that was neither rifle, pistol nor shotgun; any such firearm with a pistol grip, an arm brace, a shroud or a magazine over ten rounds has been an assault weapon since 6 June 2023. The second was the pre-ban rifle made before 13 September 1994; the exemption is gone and sale has been banned since the same date. Owners as of 5 June 2023 could register until 1 May 2024. We ship neither to Connecticut.

Magazines

Every rifle we ship to a Connecticut dealer arrives with a ten-round magazine or fewer. Magazines over ten rounds cannot be sold or shipped into the state, and the declaration window for old ones closed on 1 January 2024. If the manufacturer does not make a ten-round magazine for a model, the dealer supplies one or we substitute before shipping. A declared pre-2013 magazine may still be loaded past ten only at home or on a range.

Shotguns and pistols under the same law

A semi-automatic shotgun is an assault weapon if it has a folding stock together with a pistol grip, a detachable magazine, or a revolving cylinder. A semi-automatic pistol is caught by a magazine that attaches outside the grip, a threaded barrel, a shroud, or a second grip. Pump and break-action shotguns and bolt-action, lever-action and pump rifles are outside the law entirely, which is why they dominate the Connecticut hunting catalogue.

What the receiving dealer checks

When a rifle arrives, the dealer looks at the stock, the muzzle device, the grip, the magazine and the model name against the list before calling the State Police for your authorization number. A dealer who receives a non-compliant rifle must refuse it and we pay the return shipping, so we check first: every semi-automatic centerfire rifle in the catalogue is tagged Connecticut compliant or not available to Connecticut. A compliant tag means it passes the one-feature test as shipped and arrives with a ten-round magazine. If an item you want shows as not available, a featureless version of the same rifle is usually listed beside it.

Rifles that ship to Connecticut without any of this

Bolt-action hunting rifles in .243, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 and .30-06, lever actions in .30-30 and .45-70, pump rifles, and rimfire rifles are not touched by the assault weapon law, although a semi-automatic rimfire with a detachable magazine and a listed feature is, and a rimfire does not count as centerfire for the test. These are what most Connecticut deer hunters carry on private land, where centerfire rifles of .243 and larger are legal on ten or more contiguous acres with the landowner's written consent to rifle use.

Where the law could change

The Second Circuit upheld Connecticut's assault weapon ban and magazine limit on 22 August 2025. The Supreme Court then granted review in Grant v. Higgins on 30 June 2026, consolidated with an Illinois case, on the question of whether the Second Amendment protects possession of AR-15 pattern rifles; argument is set for 2 December 2026 and a decision is expected by the end of June 2027. A second Connecticut petition, NAGR v. Lamont, is still pending. Until a decision comes down the ban is fully enforced, and we will keep the catalogue filtered to the current law. If the Court rules for the plaintiffs, we will update this page and the tags the same week.

Buying a compliant rifle online

1. Hold a long gun eligibility certificate, a pistol permit or an eligibility certificate; a hunting licence alone is not a purchase credential.
2. Order a rifle tagged Connecticut compliant and name your dealer at checkout.
3. The rifle ships to the dealer with a ten-round magazine.
4. At the dealer, show your credential, complete the forms, and the dealer obtains the authorization number. There is no waiting period for a credential holder.

Checklist before you order

• No folding or telescoping stock, no flash suppressor, no forward grip, and a grip that keeps every finger above the action; or a permanently fixed magazine confirmed by your dealer.
• Not a named model on the state list.
• Not an other firearm, not a pre-1994 rifle.
• Ten-round magazine or fewer.
• Credential in hand before you order.

Pistols after the September 2026 injunction

Connecticut's convertible-pistol law, Public Act 26-41, would have stopped dealers selling pistols that can readily be converted to automatic fire from 1 October 2026, which in practice targeted Glock-pattern pistols. A federal judge enjoined the law on 30 September 2026 in cases brought by Glock and the firearms trade association, so those pistols remain legal to buy on a permit or eligibility certificate while the state appeals. What has not changed for pistols is the assault weapon test: a semi-automatic pistol with a threaded barrel, a magazine that attaches outside the grip, a shroud or a second grip is an assault weapon, so threaded-barrel pistols sold elsewhere for suppressor use are not available to Connecticut addresses even though suppressors themselves are legal here.

Rifles that actually sell in Connecticut

Because of the test, the Connecticut rifle market looks different from the states around it. Featureless ARs from the makers who build them for Connecticut, New York and New Jersey sell steadily; most of the volume is in bolt-action deer rifles in .243, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 for private-land hunting, lever actions, and rimfire trainers. Pump and semi-automatic shotguns without a pistol grip dominate the state-land deer season, where shotguns and muzzleloaders are the only legal firearms. If you are choosing one rifle for Connecticut, a bolt gun in a .243-or-larger cartridge covers deer on private land, the range, and every state rule at once.

Frequently asked questions

Is an AR-15 legal in Connecticut?

In a compliant configuration, yes. A semi-automatic centerfire rifle with a detachable magazine may have none of the listed features, so it is built featureless, or its magazine is fixed so it no longer accepts a detachable one. Named models on the state list are banned regardless.

What counts as a feature in Connecticut?

A folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip, thumbhole stock or any grip that places a finger other than the trigger finger below the action, a forward grip, a flash suppressor, and a grenade or flare launcher. One feature is enough to make the rifle an assault weapon.

Can I buy a fixed-magazine AR with a pistol grip?

There is no written fixed-magazine exception in Connecticut law, but the definition applies to rifles that have the ability to accept a detachable magazine. A rifle whose magazine is permanently fixed, so that it cannot be removed without disassembly, is outside that trigger. Ask the dealer to confirm the specific conversion before you order.

Are AR pistols or braced firearms legal in Connecticut?

Since June 2023 firearms that are neither rifle, pistol nor shotgun, the other category, are assault weapons when they have a pistol grip, an arm brace, a shroud or a magazine over ten rounds. We do not ship them to Connecticut.

Can I buy a pre-ban rifle made before 1994?

No. The 2023 law removed the exemption for firearms made before 13 September 1994. Existing owners had until 1 May 2024 to register them; sale has been banned since June 2023.

What magazine ships with a compliant rifle?

Ten rounds or fewer. Magazines over ten rounds cannot be sold or shipped into Connecticut, and the declaration window for old ones closed in January 2024.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.