california legal carbine choices

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crazyXgerman

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i'm saving up for my next gun, and i'd like it to be something of the following nature:

- carbine-style (not too long or heavy)
- preferably .223 cal
- uses removable 10-round magazines
- california legal
- affordable (below $1k)

i would like to use it mainly for a 3-gun competition.

i'm aware of the kel-tec su16 but would like to know what other choices i may have that i'm not aware of.

i know there's a california-legal lower for an ar-15 style rifle but i don't think it can be reloaded fast enough during said competition.

is the bushmaster m17s by any chance california-legal?

any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
In 223 I am not aware of anything legal in CA that fits your needs other than the Ruger Mini 14. There may be something else but I am unaware of it. I know some people are making CA legal AR15s with fixed 10 round mags but they likely cost more than you want to spend and mag is fixed. The SKS is cheap but not 223 and mag is not removeable, either.

It's hard to be a legitimate gun owner in CA.
 
If you're opening it up to other calibers now, there's a Ruger PC9 in 9mm. They come in ghost ring sights and adjustable irons. If you can find one, there's also a Marlin Camp 9 and 45, but they're not being produced anymore.

I own a PC9 and I like it, but felt recoil is more than it ought to be and the trigger is really really heavy.
 
Being a Cal resident here are the options you are afforded.

223:
Mini-14
Keltec SU-16
Robinson M-96
AR-15 (with pinned 10 rounders)

7.62x39
SKS
Mini-30

308
FAL (minus Pistol Grip, or in 10 round fixed mag conf)
M-14/M1A style rifles

Not going into the pistol caliber rifles. As I don't consider them "carbines".

Here is a pic of mine. Legal and grandfathered in Cali


FAL008.jpg
 
Don't forget the Garand. Not a detmag weapon, but neither is the SKS. And you can put a Nigerian/Beretta style stock on it to get a "tanker."

Remington is making their 7615 which is basically a 7600pump that can take AR-15 mags.

m7615.jpg

Now, I am wondering if you could use the similarity of 870s & 7600s to put a Cav Arms or Mesa Tactical AR rear end on this rifle.

I don't think that would be an "assault weapon", but my advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Personally I have an SKS, and I am getting an SU-16CA to solve the same problem. Kinda crappy that I can't even carry a semi-auto version of the service rifle I carried for 8 years.
 
Where can i pick up a FAL with out pistol grips? Also your forgetting the M1 Carbine Definatly an fun gun. I would not recomend a AR-15 with fixed mag i hear alot of reports of jamming cause you constantly have to pop the reciever to reload. Not to mention reloading the mag after a couple rounds might get a little hot :)
 
Don't forget the Garand. Not a detmag weapon, but neither is the SKS. And you can put a Nigerian/Beretta style stock on it to get a "tanker."
Click to expand...

You can't consider the Garand a "carbine" it's a full sized battle rifle with a full sized cartrige. But if you got a tanker, then maybe..... :D :D

Add the Carbine to my list. Personally I never cared for them. Thought they are great weight wise, but caliber sucks.


The fixed 10 round AR's do have a history of jamming. Maybe it's due to the fact the receiver/mag fit sucks. But Bushmaster is creating a 10 round fixed version. Should be good. Only problem is price.

Century Arms in S. Cal sells the "CA version" FALs, so does DSA. Both are really pricey. I'd suggest finding FFL that will do the transfer for you first, then find a guy you buy the FAL from and have him ship it to your FFL minus the Pistol Grip. It will be in legal configuration then. But keep in mind if you attach the PG on while in CA, you will be guilty of creating an "assault rifle".

FYI, CETME's and other HK-91 TYPE weapons can be brought in also.

Thanks god I have my real AR. Must be tough for the guys here in CA just starting to collect.
 
No mentions of the SOCOM-16? It's more expensive than your budget, and it's .308, but it's probably the best carbine available in California.

I've played around with the fixed-mag FAB-10s and they're okay. Pain to load; lots of wear on the receiver to load it too because you have to pull out the takedown pin.
 
No mentions of the SOCOM-16? It's more expensive than your budget, and it's .308, but it's probably the best carbine available in California.
Click to expand...

Covered under the M-14/M1A umbrella. After all it's just a cut down M-14 styled rifle.

but it's probably the best carbine available in California.
Click to expand...
I'd have to disagree to that statement. Non Milspec parts, Expensive to boot and have had problems with QC. (at least the earlier ones, not sure about the current production).

Check out my pic above. 308 and weighs in at about 7.5 pounds. Takes a scope with a quick change of the top cover and with iron sights, will keep up with a Socom anyday. And more ruggeded to boot too.
 
Don't forget the Garand. Not a detmag weapon, but neither is the SKS. And you can put a Nigerian/Beretta style stock on it to get a "tanker."
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to call you on this one. as someone with a garand with a nigerian stock on it, i can tell you that the stock doesn't shorten the barrel length to tanker length unless i'm doing something wrong.

all a nigerian MK4 stock does is add a pistol grip and remove an inch of LOP.
 
Here's a suggestion: ***** GET THE HELL OUT OF CALIFORNIA! ***** Arizona and Nevada are right there, JUST MOVE, it can be accomplished in a matter of weeks.

There's no reason to live in California, not for family, not for jobs. Arizona and Nevada are hours away.
 
Here's a suggestion: ***** GET THE HELL OUT OF CALIFORNIA! ***** Arizona and Nevada are right there, JUST MOVE, it can be accomplished in a matter of weeks.
Click to expand...

So easily said by those that don't live in Cali..
Are you ready to leave a good paying job, friends, family and everything else you know in NV to move to Ohio?
 
Agree with HalfMoon.

I'm in Kali, and the difference between an AR-15 and an M1a is nowhere near enough for me to uproot myself from my family, friends, business, etc. I'd say there's way more reason to stay in CA than to move to AZ or NV, and I don't need to say it in bold, either.

But, hey, it's a gun forum, so priorities expressed here might be a little different than those in real life, eh? ;)
 
No nice cool redwoods like I played under in the 73 degree temp today in AZ/Nev. No ocean nearby to sail my ocean racing sailboat. I had the fore sight to get what I wanted legal like , NOBODY will take it with out a fight :cuss: How hot was it in Nev/Az today? Lots of complaints of 115 degrees(!!!) in hunting forum today :neener:
 
all a nigerian MK4 stock does is add a pistol grip and remove an inch of LOP.
Click to expand...
Notice the quotes around "tanker". And yeah, it doesn't really qualify as a carbine, but it might work for what the OP wants. It is just too damn bad we can't at least still have Saigas.

There's no reason to live in California, not for family, not for jobs. Arizona and Nevada are hours away.
Click to expand...
That's just dumb. And after having served in NV and AZ in the military, I can honestly say there is even less reason to move there. If I was so selfish and rash as to uproot my wife and kids to get around the cosmetic ban, I would go to Oregon, Colorado, or some other place where humans can actually live without 24/7 A/C, snowbirds, leukemia water, and meth-head desert-trash.

And anyway, how is that a productive addition to the topic? That's like someone posting a question about which 1911 is best, and you saying *****BUY A FREAKING REVOLVER, SIX FER SHURE!!1!!*****.
 
Don't you guys hate it whenever we have one of these Ca threads and there is always one or two boneheads that have nothing constructive to say except.

"Uproot your family, screw the kid's education. Take a job making half what you make in CA. Forget your friends and roots. Sell your home and move into a trailer and enjoy the 175 degree winters of AZ. That way you can own a real AR....blah blah blah, I hate California"

Jeez, owning a AR or AK is not so important as me ripping my entire family from it's roots and moving. Besides I was smart enough to grandfather alot of my stuff in so I already have ARs, AKs, FALs, 50 cals, etc. And guess what I've got a CCW too so for me, it's ain't so bad here. Sides, I love the mountains, the beaches, the redwood forest, the CA deserts.

And from what I see, a lot of states in the Union are not too far behind CA in terms of gun laws. You CA haters should realize running is not a solution. Time to cowboy up and face the anti's in their own territory.
 
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lol! this thread took an interesting turn :D

well, the wifey and i already know that we will move out of california eventually, but that's still several years down the road and we have to agree on a place first. i'd love to move to arizona cause i love sun and heat (she not so much). i grew up in germany and had 23 years of snow and rain and ice and grey and clouds and wind - enough to last me a lifetime, thank you very much.

yeah, we have good friends here, good jobs (if i told you how much money we make for what we do you'd laugh and cry and hurl), and a modest house with a metric a$$load of equity in it. no kids, though, so moving won't be that much of a problem.

until then, we'll reap the benefits of living here, deal with the downsides (traffic, cost of living, amount of idiots, pace of life, gun laws), and make the best of it.

maybe i will 86 a carbine purchase altogether until i'm out of PRK and in the meantime add other stuff to my collection. i got my eye on a walther G22, a sig 226, a beretta, a ... :D
 
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