Illegal Shotgun Modification?

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

sprice

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Messages
916
Is it legal to shorten the barrel of a shotgun under 18" and install a pistol grip to make it a pistol?

Are shotgun pistols even allowed (except .410's, I know they are)?

I want to do it to a side by side shotgun by the way.
 
Last edited:
My thinking is why would you need a tax stamp if it's as big as a revolver anyway?
 
The .410 pistols have rifling, to take .45 Long Colt--they qualify as a handgun.

Smoothbore handguns and super-short shotguns are, IIRC, AOW's--Any Other Weapon.

Not sure if it would need the AOW or a SBS and AOW stamp, but I believe it's legal if you jump through the right hoops.
 
This has been covered so many times recently. If you mean can you go out to the garage and make yourself a nice little short barreled ( Under 18 nich barrel and less than 26 inches over all ) shotgun pistol, the short answer to your questions is no, not even in .410. The .410 handguns you are referring to are not shotguns. They are revolvers which have have rifled barrels and are chambered for the .45 Colt. They also have very long chambers and will fire 410 shotgun shell. The point is, the barrels have rifling, not smooth bores. To make a pistol shotgun with out going through the proper procedure is worth several years in prison. and the ATF will not accept " I didn't know " as an excuse.
 
What if I also "rifled" it? What qualifies as rifling? Could a smith just make some shallow grooves and we could call it good?
 
Sometimes it just best to let folks like sprice get the full benefit of his tax dollars and experience what the BATF has in store for folks like him

Here's a hint sprice.....think GRAYBAR HOTEL - 5-10 years...........

but you can go ahead and do what you want..................
 
Under 18 nich barrel and less than 26 inches over all
Click to expand...
I think that's less than 18" barrel OR under 26" total length. (I've read somewhere that it was the 26" requirement that got Randy Weaver in trouble, not the 18" barrel. Don't know if that's true but it is plausible)
 
IF you cut down a barrel below 18inch for shotgun and a rifle below 16inchs you will be a guest in the state pin. You need a tax stamp, it's called SBS(short barrel shotgun) SBR(short barrel rifle) apply for you're tax stamp get you're gun cut to the size you want.
 
My thinking is why would you need a tax stamp if it's as big as a revolver anyway?
________
Click to expand...

Because the rules are the rules, no matter how weird they are - you wanting to make something illegal?? go ahead and be prepared to reap what you sow........the feds are very unforgiving in that regard.................many have tried, most have failed
 
Legal lengths.

Shotgun. 18 inch barrel and 28 inches overall.

Rifle. 16 inch barrel and 26 inches overall.

My advice is to make it a half-inch over the minimum barrel length. Otherwise, go apply for the proper
NFA paperwork and jump through the hoops, or you too will be eligible for an all expense paid vacation at Club Fed.
 
If you have a Title I shotgun and you want to take off the stock and shorten the barrel(s) to make it a "shotgun pistol", you have to file a Form 1 to make a Short Barreled Shotgun. In the text of the NFA '34 this is a "firearm with a barrel of less than 18" AND/OR less than 26" in length (both apply) made from a shotgun."

If you somehow had a virgin reciever that had never been assembled into a shotgun you could file a Form 1 to make an "Any Other Weapon" -- that being a "smooth-bore pistol."

All codified here: US Code, TITLE 26, Subtitle E, CHAPTER 53, Subchapter B, PART I, § 5845


§ 5845. Definitions
For the purpose of this chapter—
(a) Firearm
The term “firearm” means
(1) a shotgun having a barrel or barrels of less than 18 inches in length;
(2) a weapon made from a shotgun if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels of less than 18 inches in length;
(3) a rifle having a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length;
(4) a weapon made from a rifle if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length;
(5) any other weapon, as defined in subsection (e);
(6) a machinegun;
(7) any silencer (as defined in section 921 of title 18, United States Code); and
(8) a destructive device.
The term “firearm” shall not include an antique firearm or any device (other than a machinegun or destructive device) which, although designed as a weapon, the Secretary finds by reason of the date of its manufacture, value, design, and other characteristics is primarily a collector’s item and is not likely to be used as a weapon.
Click to expand...


This is Federal law, applicable everywhere. (Until and unless some of the states' rights laws get tested and somehow hold... which isn't likely.) The penalties for making or possessing an unregistered Title II SBS or AOW are up to 10 years in Federal prison or a $250,000 fine.

The process for doing this LEGALLY isn't terribly difficult -- its just more hassle than most gun owners are used to. Not doing it according to the book risks significantly more hassle, though...!
 
Last edited:
Is it legal to shorten the barrel of a shotgun under 18" and install a pistol grip to make it a pistol?

If your state laws allow it, and you comply with the applicable Federal laws and taxes, yes.

If you fail on either of the above legal counts... NO, it's not legal.

Hacksaws are cheap but felonies are expensive- do your homework before you start sawing.

lpl
 
Adding a PG is legal under federal law, as long as the length of the barrel is at least 18' and the overall length of the gun is at least 26'. You have to be 21 to buy a PG only shotgun from a gun dealer (FFL) though. I think it is fine for a sub-21 year old to install one though, under federal law.

If you want it shorter than that, you can buy a tax stamp and cut it off as short as you want, once you go through the NFA process.

This is federal law, your state law may vary.
 
Although the title of the thread states "illegal" it's also formed in a question. I've noticed a few of these threads, where people are thinking about dipping into NFA territory, or where people aren't sure what a specific modification might mean legally, so they ask... And then you've got 30 posters bashing them because the modification would turn the firearm into an NFA item and that's BAD. Why is everyone so quick to assume that it's going to be done illegally? I know here in Tallahassee there are a fair number of LEGAL SBR's, SBS's, AOW's and Full Auto weapons. When a person is asking, it's so they are aware and don't unintentionally break a law. Sure some people might just be asking to get a feel for the penalties if they're caught, but most people seem to want to do it the legal way.

Just my .02
 
Thank you fuzzytgf thats all I was saying- I just wanted an interesting title so people might look and give me answers...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
  • Locked
Pump Shotgun with Rifled Slug Barrel: Rifle or Shotgun?
Replies
7
Views
936
ReloaderFred
ReloaderFred
S
  • Locked
Legalities and .410 barrel shortening
Replies
7
Views
1K
classic095
C
S
  • Locked
stock question.
Replies
2
Views
562
Dave McCracken
D
M
  • Locked
barrel length legality question #2
Replies
8
Views
456
Supertac45
S
N
  • Locked
Springfield Arms, Chicopee Falls, Mass Double Barrel
Replies
14
Views
4K
rhubc
R
Back
Top