NJ Compliant Rifles, Magazines and Ammunition in 2026
Last checked 7 October 2026. New Jersey's rules on rifles, magazines and ammunition are the ones that stop more online orders than anything else, because a rifle that is ordinary in Pennsylvania is a crime twenty minutes east across the Delaware. This page explains the rules as a buyer meets them, what the court fight of 2026 did and did not change, and how we tag the catalogue so a New Jersey order does not bounce at the dealer.
Assault firearms: the named list and the look-alike test
Section 2C:39-1w defines an assault firearm three ways. First, a list of named rifles, shotguns and pistols. Second, any firearm substantially identical to a named one. Third, by features: a semi-automatic shotgun with a magazine over six rounds, a pistol grip or a folding stock, and a semi-automatic rifle with a fixed magazine over ten rounds. The look-alike test is where most AR and AK pattern rifles fall. Under the Attorney General's 1996 guideline, still the operative reading, a semi-automatic rifle that accepts a detachable magazine is substantially identical to a banned rifle if it has two or more of: a folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action, a bayonet mount, a flash suppressor or a barrel threaded to accept one, and a grenade launcher. One feature is allowed.
What a New Jersey compliant rifle looks like
Dealers build to the one-feature rule. The common configuration keeps the pistol grip, which is the hardest feature to remove, and gives up everything else: a fixed stock rather than an adjustable one, a muzzle brake pinned and welded in place of a flash suppressor so the barrel is no longer threaded, and no bayonet lug. The other configuration keeps the features and fixes the magazine so it cannot be removed without disassembly, limited to ten rounds. Either way the rifle must not appear on the named list by model. We tag every semi-automatic centerfire rifle in the catalogue as New Jersey compliant or not, and the compliant tag means the one-feature test passes as shipped. Bolt-action, lever-action and pump rifles are outside the definition altogether.
The 2026 court case, precisely
On 17 July 2026 the Third Circuit, sitting en banc, held by ten votes to five that New Jersey's semi-automatic rifle ban and its ten-round magazine limit violate the Second Amendment. New Jersey has sought a stay and Supreme Court review, and the status has been moving, so we cannot give you a reliable date-by-date account here. Until the State Police and the Attorney General say the laws are no longer enforced, treat both as in force: dealers apply them, and a buyer who relies on a blog post from the week of the ruling can be charged. The catalogue stays tagged as it is.
Magazines: ten rounds
A magazine that holds more than ten rounds is a large-capacity magazine and possession is a fourth-degree crime, with an exception for .22 tubular magazines and some registered firearms. Dealers block or pin larger magazines to ten before releasing a firearm, at around twenty to twenty-five dollars each, or destroy them. Pennsylvania residents who shoot in New Jersey should leave their standard magazines at home; there is no transit exception for a range trip.
Hollow-point ammunition
Hollow points are more legal than New Jersey's reputation suggests. Under section 2C:39-3 you may buy them, keep them at home, and carry them directly to and from a target range or a hunting ground, and from the shop to your home. The State Police say plainly that they are not legal to carry under a concealed-carry permit. Hunting with hollow-point or expanding ammunition is normal and lawful; the restriction is about carry, not ownership.
.50 caliber
New Jersey defines a destructive device as a firearm with a bore greater than sixty caliber, so .50 BMG rifles are legal to buy and own. A bill to ban them was vetoed in 2013 and later versions have not passed. Several national gun-law summaries list New Jersey as banning .50 caliber rifles; they are wrong on this point, and a dealer will transfer one with an FID card like any other rifle.
Suppressors, short barrels and machine guns
Suppressors are banned outright; possession, manufacture and sale are fourth-degree crimes, with no exception for federal tax stamps. Short-barrelled rifles and shotguns and machine guns are banned without a state license that is not issued to the public. A threaded barrel on a semi-automatic rifle counts as a feature under the look-alike test even if nothing is attached.
Ghost guns and unserialized frames
Possessing an unserialized frame or receiver, or a firearm built on one, is a third-degree crime. Buying unserialized frames or kits, distributing files for printing or machining them, and possessing covert or undetectable firearms are second- or third-degree crimes. We do not ship unfinished frames or lowers to New Jersey under any circumstances.
Shotguns
A semi-automatic shotgun is an assault firearm if it has a magazine over six rounds, a pistol grip, or a folding stock. Pump and break-action shotguns are unaffected. For deer hunting the state separately limits shotguns to ten through twenty gauge with no more than three shells in the magazine and chamber together.
Carrying what you bought
A carry permit after Bruen is obtainable: the application is online, the total fee is two hundred and twenty-six dollars or two hundred and five plus the fingerprint fee for first-time applicants, qualification under the State Police course of fire with a certified instructor is mandatory, the decision window is ninety days and the permit lasts two years. New Jersey recognizes no other state's permit. The list of sensitive places is enforced except for three enjoined items: the default ban on private property open to the public, the ban on a functional firearm in a vehicle, and in-person character interviews. Bars, restaurants that serve alcohol, parks, casinos and entertainment venues remain off limits. The en banc Third Circuit heard the sensitive-places case in February 2026; check its current status with the New Jersey State Police.
Transport and storage
In a vehicle a firearm must be unloaded and either in a closed, fastened case or locked in the trunk, and you may only travel directly between home, a dealer, a range, a hunting ground or a repair shop. Hollow points may be in the same vehicle on the same trip. At home, a firearm must be kept out of reach of minors; a locked container or trigger lock satisfies the law.
How to read the catalogue for New Jersey
- Rifles tagged New Jersey compliant pass the one-feature test as shipped.
- Magazines over ten rounds do not appear for a New Jersey address.
- Suppressors, short-barrelled firearms and frames are hidden for New Jersey.
- Hollow-point ammunition is available and legal to own.
- Anything else that is not available to New Jersey shows the reason on the product page.
Frequently asked questions
Is an AR-15 legal in New Jersey?
In a compliant configuration, yes: a semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine may have no more than one of the listed features, so most compliant ARs use a pinned muzzle brake, a fixed stock and no bayonet lug, with a ten-round magazine. Fixed-magazine builds limited to ten rounds are the other route.
Did the court strike down the magazine limit?
The Third Circuit sitting en banc held the rifle ban and ten-round limit unconstitutional on 17 July 2026, after which New Jersey sought a stay while it asks the Supreme Court to step in. The legal status is changing, so check the New Jersey Attorney General and State Police for the current position before you rely on it.
Are hollow-point bullets illegal in New Jersey?
No. You may buy them, keep them at home, and transport them directly to and from a range or hunting ground. They may not be carried under a concealed-carry permit.
Is a .50 BMG rifle banned in New Jersey?
No. New Jersey's destructive-device threshold is caliber greater than sixty, so .50 BMG rifles are legal; bills to ban them have not become law. Some national summaries state otherwise and are wrong.
Can I own a suppressor in New Jersey?
No. Possession is a fourth-degree crime regardless of federal registration. Threaded barrels on rifles count as a listed feature under the substantially identical test.
Can I buy an 80 percent lower or unserialized frame?
No. Possessing an unserialized frame or receiver, or a firearm built on one, is a third-degree crime in New Jersey, and buying such kits or distributing files for them is a second- or third-degree crime.
General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.
