New Product Highlight: SB Tactical SBA5 Pistol Brace

Haven’t you heard? The pistol brace ban is dead!

SB Tactical, originating the pistol brace concept, is getting back into action by releasing an all-new addition to the company’s line of braces designed for AR pistols.

The SB Tactical SBA5 pistol brace keeps all the features shooters love about the SBA4 and SBA3 and adds a few perks to make it the brand’s most compelling pistol brace yet.

The new SBA5 is 5-position adjustable and features the same arm cuff as the original SB15 pistol brace.

Updates include an ambidextrous quick-detach sling point, a padded endpiece, and two color options: black and flat dark earth.

These are subtle changes, but they make the new brace more functional than the previous SBA4. Best of all, the price hasn’t gone up.

SB Tactical SBA4 Brace

$99

at AR15 Discounts

Prices accurate at time of writing

$99 at AR15 Discounts

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Prices accurate at time of writing

Available Coupons

• 25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
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It can be a confusing topic if you haven’t been following the politics around pistol braces. Here’s the short version.

When SB Tactical launched the first pistol brace in 2012, the ATF deemed anyone could own one. Still, it was illegal to shoulder the firearm because doing so turned it into a short-barreled rifle (SBRs are controlled items that require additional paperwork).

Then they said it was fine to shoulder a pistol brace, and there was much rejoicing.

In January 2023, the ATF threw pistol brace owners a curveball by suddenly announcing that owning one of these devices constituted possession of an SBR and told everyone to either get rid of their pistol brace, mount it on an AR with a 16-inch barrel, register it with the ATF as an SBR, destroy the brace, or destroy the whole firearm.

SB Tactical SBA5

$99

at Rainier Arms

Prices accurate at time of writing

$99 at Rainier Arms

• Rainier Arms (See Price)
• Palmetto State Armory (See Price)

Prices accurate at time of writing

Available Coupons

• 25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
  Copied! Visit Merchant

That got overturned in court, though, and pistol braces appear to be back for good. 

SB Tactical lists an MSRP of $124.99 for the SBA5 pistol brace.

What do you think of the new SB Tactical SBA5? Let us know below. For the whole scoop on the now-resolved AR pistol drama, check out our guide to the ATF’s beef with pistol braces.