Real build data, Q2 2026
Apr 1 to Jun 30, 2026Every ranking on this page comes from parts real builders added to their builds on GunPartPicker, Apr 1 to Jun 30, 2026. A pick counts each time a builder adds the part to a build in our builder, filed under the part's own category, and every count is rounded down. Prices and stock are checked daily across every store we track. No surveys, no search trends, no sponsored picks.
Quick picks
Live prices- 1
Most added in stockAim Sports Featureless Grip for AR Rifle, Black - PJFARG1 builder in Q2 2026/4 stores/In stock - 2
- 3
Also popularAero Precision M4E1 Featureless Lower Complete W/ Fixed Stock2 builders in Q2 2026/2 stores/Out of stock - 4
Also considerAero Precision Featureless Complete AR-15 Lower Receiver - Magpul Fixed Carbine Stock - Black2 stores/Out of stock
How we pick: ranked by how often builders added each part to a real build on GunPartPicker in Q2 2026, in stock parts first, then by tier. Prices and stock are checked daily across every store we track.
Where things stand
On 9 July 2026 the Seventh Circuit upheld the Protect Illinois Communities Act in a 2 to 1 decision. PICA restricts the sale, transfer and acquisition of firearms it classifies as assault weapons, along with magazines above specified capacities and certain accessories.
It is fully in effect. Unlike New Jersey, where a court struck a ban down and then stayed its own ruling, nothing about Illinois' ban is currently paused.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Upheld | Jul 9, 2026 |
| Status | Fully in effect |
| Elsewhere | SCOTUS Dec 2 |
What PICA covers
Broadly, PICA operates through a combination of named firearms and feature tests, and it reaches rifles, certain shotguns and certain handguns, plus magazines over specified capacities and some accessories.
We are deliberately not reproducing the list here. It is long, it is specific, and an out-of-date or paraphrased version of a list like this is worse than no list at all because people rely on it. Read the current statute or have an Illinois attorney advise you before you assume a particular configuration is permitted.
What we can usefully cover is the shape of the problem and the categories of solution.
Grandfathering and registration
PICA generally allowed people who lawfully possessed covered firearms before it took effect to keep them, subject to an endorsement and registration process with a deadline that has now passed.
If you owned covered firearms before the law took effect, your position depends entirely on whether you completed that process. If you did not, do not assume the situation resolves itself. Get advice.
If you are moving into Illinois with covered firearms, that is also a specific situation with its own requirements, and it is one of the most common ways people find themselves unexpectedly out of compliance.
What is still buildable
The categories that generally remain available in feature-restricted states are the same ones that work in New Jersey and California:
Featureless builds. Rifles built without the restricted features: fixed stock, a grip that does not protrude conspicuously beneath the action, no threaded muzzle.
Out of stock
Picked by 2 builders in Q2 2026/Out of stock
Featureless grips are the part that does most of the work:
Picked by 1 builder in Q2 2026/In stock
Fixed magazine configurations, where a permanently affixed compliant-capacity magazine changes how the firearm is classified.
Firearms outside the covered categories entirely, including many manually operated firearms and a range of handguns.
Which of these actually works under Illinois' specific statute is exactly the question to put to an attorney rather than to a forum.
Magazines are a separate rule
Capacity limits under PICA are distinct from the firearm classification. A compliant rifle fed by a non-compliant magazine is still a problem, and solving one does not solve the other.
Confirm both independently.
Why we are not publishing a parts list
Most state law guides you will find online include a confident list of what is and is not allowed. We have deliberately not done that here, and the reason is worth stating.
Illinois' statute is long, specific, and enforced with felony penalties. A paraphrased list ages badly: the law gets amended, a court modifies part of it, and the list sits there looking authoritative while being wrong. People rely on lists like that, and in this state the cost of relying on a wrong one is not a returned part.
What generalises safely is the structure: feature tests, capacity limits, grandfathering with a registration deadline, and categories of compliant firearm. That structure is what this guide covers. The specifics belong to the current statute and to somebody licensed to advise you on it.
If that feels less useful than a list, it is, and it is also the honest version.
What we would do
If you live in Illinois and want to build, start from a factory-compliant firearm or a featureless complete lower rather than trying to modify your way into compliance. The decisions have been made and documented by somebody with a legal department, and that is worth a great deal in a state where getting it wrong is a felony rather than a fine.
Do not buy on the assumption that the Supreme Court is about to change this. A December argument date in a different state's case is not a permission slip, and the stay situation in New Jersey shows how long the gap between a favourable ruling and an actual change can be.
Related reading
Our New Jersey guide covers a state where a court struck the ban down and then stayed the ruling, and the California guide covers a stricter single-feature regime.
Filed underGrips/State Law/AR-15/Stocks/Lower Receivers/Buyer's Guide
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is the Illinois assault weapons ban still in effect?
- Yes, as of September 2026. The Seventh Circuit upheld the Protect Illinois Communities Act in a 2 to 1 decision on 9 July 2026, and nothing about it is currently stayed or paused. Verify current status before acting.
Why do I see conflicting news about assault weapons bans?
- Because two federal appeals courts reached opposite conclusions within days. The Seventh Circuit upheld Illinois' ban on 9 July 2026 and the Third Circuit struck down New Jersey's about a week later. The Supreme Court has argument set for 2 December 2026.
Will the Supreme Court case change Illinois law?
- Possibly, eventually, but it is a different state's case and an argument date is not an outcome. New Jersey shows how long the gap between a favourable ruling and an actual change can be, since that ruling was stayed and the ban stayed in force.
What happened to grandfathered firearms in Illinois?
- PICA generally allowed people who lawfully possessed covered firearms before it took effect to keep them subject to an endorsement and registration process, with a deadline that has passed. If you did not complete it, seek advice rather than assuming it resolves itself.
What can I still build in Illinois?
- Broadly the same categories that work in other feature-restricted states: featureless builds without the restricted features, fixed magazine configurations, and firearms outside the covered categories. Whether a specific configuration complies is a question for an Illinois attorney.
Do magazine limits work the same as the firearm ban?
- No, they are separate rules. A compliant rifle fed by a non-compliant magazine is still a problem, and complying with the firearm classification does not address capacity. Confirm both independently.
Written by
GPP Editorial TeamAR Build Specialists
GunPartPicker guides are powered by data from real builds — what builders actually select tells the story.
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Tools for this guide
- Legal toolGun Travel CheckerCan I bring my gun to another state? Pick where you start, where you are going and what is coming along: carry pistol, AR-15, magazines, suppressor, SBR, brace, forced reset or binary trigger, hollow points. Every state on the route is checked for transporting firearms across state lines: magazine limits, assault weapon bans, NFA rules, carry permit type and trigger bans, with what to do before the state line.
- Planning toolAR Build Cost CalculatorHow much does it cost to build an AR-15? Pick caliber, barrel length, stock or brace and optic, then drag both edges of the price band from the cheap end to the top end. Every slot fills with the part builders add most that is in stock, priced live. The headline total is the core rifle, optics and extras are priced separately, and beside them sits what builders really pay per slot, measured from real part picks. Roll a random build, or open yours in the builder in one click. Computed from over 1 million AR parts selected on GunPartPicker since 2020.
- Legal toolBarrel and Overall Length CheckerEnter barrel length, muzzle device and how the back end is configured, and see whether the build is a rifle, a short barreled rifle, a pistol or an AOW under federal law, with the barrels in stock at that length.