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Buddy · 07-18-2001, 02:25 PM

Tom,

I hope all of these responses make sense to you. I was reminded of the group of blind men describing an elephant. They are all correct to the extent they cover, although they might not seem to be in exact agreement.

Federal law prohibits "short barreled rifles" unless you get preapproval and pay the tax. A short barreled rifle is one with a barrel length of less than 16". A handgun may have any length barrel from 0" on up. A rifle barrel may legally have any length greater than 16". The sholder stock seems to be the determinining factor that it is a rifle rather than a handgun. You may not legally put a shoulder stock on a handgun with a barrel less than 16" and you may not legally shorten the barrel of a rifle to less than 16" or an overall length of less tha 26".

The Thompson Center Contender is an interesting study. If you start with the handgun version you can put any length barrel on it. And you can add the shoulder stock to make it a rifle provided you first put a 16" or longer barrel on it. But if your original purchase of the frame was as part of a rifle, you may not attach a barrel of less than 16" or remove the shoulder stock if if that causes the overall length to be less than 26". In other words, if you buy a handgun you can convert it to a legal rifle, but if you buy a rifle you cannot convert it to a handgun.

Now, all that said, the BATF has provided some exemptions for certain Curio and Relic weapons, among them the Artillery and Navy lugers/stocks, there is a list on the web. And I have seen the letter from the BATF Technical Department on the web which also exempts reproduction stocks with the appropriate guns. I don't believe a gun you modified by adding a longer artillery barrel would qualify for the exemption and with an 8" barrel it couldn't be a legal rifle. But as long as you don't attach a stock you can use any barrel length you want. On the other hand, if you rebarrel with a 16" or longer barrel you could attach the shoulder stock.

Sorry this is so long but it is a complex subject with some very picky answers, if you want to stay legal.

Buddy

07-18-2001, 02:25 PM	#10
Buddy User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Fort Worth Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: ATF Question Tom, I hope all of these responses make sense to you. I was reminded of the group of blind men describing an elephant. They are all correct to the extent they cover, although they might not seem to be in exact agreement. Federal law prohibits "short barreled rifles" unless you get preapproval and pay the tax. A short barreled rifle is one with a barrel length of less than 16". A handgun may have any length barrel from 0" on up. A rifle barrel may legally have any length greater than 16". The sholder stock seems to be the determinining factor that it is a rifle rather than a handgun. You may not legally put a shoulder stock on a handgun with a barrel less than 16" and you may not legally shorten the barrel of a rifle to less than 16" or an overall length of less tha 26". The Thompson Center Contender is an interesting study. If you start with the handgun version you can put any length barrel on it. And you can add the shoulder stock to make it a rifle provided you first put a 16" or longer barrel on it. But if your original purchase of the frame was as part of a rifle, you may not attach a barrel of less than 16" or remove the shoulder stock if if that causes the overall length to be less than 26". In other words, if you buy a handgun you can convert it to a legal rifle, but if you buy a rifle you cannot convert it to a handgun. Now, all that said, the BATF has provided some exemptions for certain Curio and Relic weapons, among them the Artillery and Navy lugers/stocks, there is a list on the web. And I have seen the letter from the BATF Technical Department on the web which also exempts reproduction stocks with the appropriate guns. I don't believe a gun you modified by adding a longer artillery barrel would qualify for the exemption and with an 8" barrel it couldn't be a legal rifle. But as long as you don't attach a stock you can use any barrel length you want. On the other hand, if you rebarrel with a 16" or longer barrel you could attach the shoulder stock. Sorry this is so long but it is a complex subject with some very picky answers, if you want to stay legal. Buddy