So I want to build an experimental AOW

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bigalexe

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I want to build something I am sure would be classified as an AOW, single shot .22lr or .22 short rimfire weapon.

What do I need to do?
 
Building an AOW costs $200, but it must always remain an AOW and can never have a stock on it.

Building a SBR costs $200, and it may also be outfitted with a rear pistol grip and vertical foregrip if you so choose. Or it can have a stock on it.

So from a cost and flexibility perspective, the SBR costs the same as an AOW to make, but it allows you greater flexibility in weapon configurations.

Correct me if I'm wrong, please. And check with federal and local laws.
 
I want to build something I am sure would be classified as an AOW, single shot .22lr or .22 short rimfire weapon.
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Ok, you've got me curious. What are you planning to build? Smoothbore pistol for rat-shot .22 cartridges?

Or something with a vertical foregrip?

Or a cane gun/pen gun type device?
 
Actually it's a chapstick/lipstick "gun" I came up with. Where the round is seated it is directly over a pointed setscrew (hence rimfire). The weapon is designed for very close range brutality, it works by slamming the "Barrel" end into something (your target) which pushes the rouind down onto the setscrew and fires it.

The concept is similar to a design I once saw for a "Mine" type device consisting of a bamboo shoot encasing a cartridge and a nail.

I am wanting to build it to test it on a block of ballistic gel and see if the thing even works. The dangerous part is that you are firing with an inherently occluded barrel. If the thing explodes (which is why I would test it with a robot arm, and not my own hand) then the challenge will be providing proper venting of some gasses to prevent that from happening. Alternately I could swap the design to use a 209 primer and some BB's instead of a single .22 caliber bullet.

Not saying it's super safe or practical, not even really a gun in fact it just happens to contain a firearm cartridge.

Now I am thinking of switching down to a 17hmr instead of 22lr, that would give me more wall thickness for the parts.
 
So I guess it is. Powerheads are a bit bigger than my intention though which is .75" diameter by 2.75" length overall.

The idea came about trying to come up with a good personal defense weapon for someone that won't carry a gun. However you would still need a CPL to carry this anywhere. I guess it suffers a practical problem is that if you are close enough to use this, then you are close enough to stab with something like a car key which you probably already carry.
 
I could see the last ditch, deep cover defense value of such a device... A .22LR to the face right under the cheekbone would be quite an effective last line of defense, if you could bring it to bear. Some form of safety would need to be devised to prevent inadvertent firing (a heavy spring or something). The end of the barrel could easily be milled or ported so as to act as a standoff and allow the gases to vent naturally. Seems like a "liberator" type deal... use it in a bad situation to get to a real gun.
 
trying to come up with a good personal defense weapon for someone that won't carry a gun.
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If it uses a primer & powder and fires a bullet it's still a gun, regardless of what you want to call it. All CCW laws would still apply to it, just as any other gun.

But in this case, a very expensive single-shot gun after you comply with the ATF tax laws & backrounds checks.

Somehow, it would seem to have very limited value to anyone who had an aversion to guns and a limited checkbook balance to pay off the ATF bill.

Any number of better guns could be bought for the same or less money.

Or a Stun Gun for way less money if you want to get close enough & personal to use a single-shot bang-stick.

The other issue is safety.
If it will fire just by "slamming the barrel into someone", it will also fire if you drop it on the floor!

rc
 
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The person is uncomfortable with drawing down on someone methinks based on some conversations. This thing would be used in a grapple fight... where it was do or die (or maybe something else arguably worse than death).

Like I said, not really concerned about being super practical or cheap, this thing is never going to make it to open market. At most maybe 5 would be made if I make 1 that works and a few people get interested. At this point I am more interested in seeing if I can make the concept work than I am about making it practical.
 
I don't know if the ATF cares when it comes to manufacturing quantity but it wouldn't be something that would be a profitable project. More done just because we made it work and those that would end up getting them would be people involved in the R&D of the project. So it's not like I am making even a limited run and selling them in-store, more like a team of engineers making something for themselves.
 
I'd be very very careful that you are allowed to legally carry an AOW wherever you are. Is it a "handgun" covered under your CWP, or is it something else? I'd try and figure this out before I even thought about building it.
 
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