Assault rifle options in California

[Kostya]

This past Sunday I tried assault rifles for the first time. I got to fire an AR-15 and a MAK-90 and I think I'm in love.

I know we have heavy bans and plenty of laws regarding these things so I'm wondering what my options are as far as getting a nice one.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[chopinbloc]

just so you know, if you want to be tecnically correct (anally so) an assault rifle is a light weight rifle chambered for an intermediate cartridge with a select fire capability.

i'm pretty sure the sks, mini14/mini30, the m1a, the fab10 (ten shot ca legal ar15), one variant of the su 16 though i'm not sure which one and probably quite a few other decent rifles are legal in ca. i think there's a ten round version of the fal and i even remember seeing an add for a pump action ak in the shotgun news years ago though i don't know whatever happened to it.

 

[chuckles]

In California? Harsh language and a really colorful slingshot is about as "assault" as you can get. Good luck and in all seriousness, I don't know of anything in CA. that you could get. Move to Nevada!

 

[355sigfan]

Although its not technically an assault rifle its a battle rifle I would go with a Springfield M1A scout rifle or the new socom.
Pat

 

[TrafficMan]

the only thing with a pistol grip that you can have are rimfire firearms. the Rhineland Arms R22 is about as close you can get to the looks of an Assault Rifle in California.

 

[roscoe]

Much chatter on this subject:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=154332

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=148296

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=160723

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=76068

 

[Tady45]

Mini 14 Mini 30 thats about it...You have to be creative (in Ca) to get 20 30 round mags. The Rugers are the best...

 

[chuckles]

Tady45 wrote:

You have to be creative (in Ca) to get 20 30 round mags.

Also not afraid of spending some time in jail! Having mags of over 10 round capacity is a felony in California.

 

[wallysparx]

Tady45 wrote:
Also not afraid of spending some time in jail! Having mags of over 10 round capacity is a felony in California.

not unless you had them before 01/01/00. plenty of people have purchased them before then even before they had guns, sometimes they get lost and are recovered more recently.

 

[Tady45]

Thats EXACTLY correct Wally,,, We did use to have the ability to get all items back in the day when California followed US law By the way, I have never seen a mag, with a date of purchase stamped on it....

 

[chuckles]

Under California law the person with the mags is required to prove ownership before the ban. Keep your receipts so you can show them in court. If you in fact owned them before the ban then you have nothing to worry about. You could always move to Free America then you just go to the nearest gunstore and buy all the 20 & 30 rounders you want. I agree the law is ridiculous.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

Though CA's laws are unjust, as well as annoying from a collector's standpoint, in terms of actually getting a decent firearm the laws don't hold you back that much. Which in itself brings up the whole pointlessness of the ban, but I digress.

For bargain-hunters, the SKS will set you back $150-200, and will do just about everything the AK will, and better in some cases (accuracy). Some variants of the SKS (those with detachable magazines or grenade launchers) aren't CA-legal, but the vast majority are.

Next up on the scale are the Mini-14, Mini-30, and Kel-Tec SU-16. Maybe around $450-ish if you shop around. I have not owned any of these products, but the overall opinion on THR seems to be patchy on the Mini-14 and -30, and gernerallly good on the Kel-Tec. The Kel-Tec seems to be a sort of AR-18 variant in a traditional-shaped stock which accepts full-capacity M16 magazines.

If you want to bump up to full-on battle rifles (military firearms in .308 or 30-06, and similar cartridges), the easy ones to get in CA are the M1 Garand ($350 through the Civilian Marksmanship Project www.odcmp.com), or M1A, which is $1400 or so depending on variant.

There are also a variety of older military battle rifles, many of which _may_ be CA legal: Egyptian 8mm Hakim, French MAS 49-56, etc.

If it were me, I'd get the SKS if I wanted something handy and inexpensive, and the M1 Garand if I was willing to spend a bit more for something powerful. But if you have the cash for an M1A, don't let me stand in your way. Check out the "search" button on THR to read dozens upon dozens of past reviews of any of the abovementioned firearms.

 

[BigBlueEyedDevil]

Don't forget the good ol' M1 Carbine.

 

[CBX]

I just picked up a cali legal FAL from www.entreprise.com/Fal/CA_govt.htm
great gun and the nice thing about them is if you move out of state you can convert them back to accept magazines. I have looked at all the CA legal options and this is the one i have decided upon.

 

[Number 6]

Under California law the person with the mags is required to prove ownership before the ban.

Where in the law does it say this?

 

[1911_Mitch]

For .223 its the SU-16CA w/mods
For .308 its the M14/M1A

 

[Mute]

Where in the law does it say this?

It doesn't. The persecutor (prosecutor) has to prove that the mags were obtained illegally. Now, say you found those on the street and decided to just keep it, that would not be illegal. I know that's a stretch, but that's the one of the most idiotic thing about this law. It's damn near impossible to enforce. But you don't think anyone actually cares about that do you? These laws have only one purpose; to harrass law-abiding gunowners. Period. If they can actually incarcerate some of us with these laws, that's just icing for the cake.

 

[R.H. Lee]

An SKS with a fixed mag will do anything that an AK with a detachable mag will do (except jam). FWIW, I see lots of 'hicap' mags at the ranges in all sorts of banned 'assault weapons'. California is good at legislation, but short on enforcement. California gun owners don't have a high compliance rate and unless you do something really wacked out law enforcement doesn't much care.

 

[CBX]

California is good at legislation, but short on enforcement. California gun owners don't have a high compliance rate and unless you do something really wacked out law enforcement doesn't much care.

I agree most LEO's i go to the range with will point out illegal weapons and do nothing about it. Last thing they want to do is haul some one in and do paper work on their day off.

 

[1911_Mitch]

here are two great examples:

 

[chopinbloc]

...the overall opinion on THR seems to be patchy on the Mini-14 and -30...

i own a mini14 and i love it. most owners are fond of their mini14/mini30s. the drawbacks are: poor accuracy (and expensive to get 'em to shoot well) and magazines can be hit or miss. if you give it a good magazine it is a very reliable, robust and tough little sob. it is NOT, however, a tack driver.

 

[CBX]

honestly just spend the money and get a california FAL i have looked into and its definatly the best option 2nd i would get a M1A

 

[Beethoven]

I've done a lot of research and thinking about the "EBR/SHTF rifle in CA" dilemma and now have an M1A scout squad on its way to me.

 

[chopinbloc]

yeah, an m1a variant or m14 is the way to go. no conversion if you move to the u.s. heavy and mags are expensive but that's the price to pay for the accuracy and power you get.

 

[rgs1975]

I went through this recently as I'm in the PRK. I was on a budget so my options were Mini-14, Kel Tec SU16CA and SKS. The others out there like FAB10's and SOCOMS and the like are way out of my financial range.

I went with the SKS Paratrooper Carbine (16" barrel). The right cost and a proven and reliable rifle.

Skipped the Mini14 because I've had them before and wasn't impressed.

Skipped the Kel Tec because they are still kinda pricey and very hard to get your hands on.