worn rifling

[Dr. Fresh]

I was just thinking to myself about .45/.410 pistols and worn rifling.

This would apply to any rifle or handgun with a barrel-length of less than 18'' however.

My question is this: If you have a pistol or carbine that for whatever reason has lost its rifling (possibly due to corrosion or something) does it suddenly become a shotgun? If so, do you suddenly have to register it as an SBS?

 

[John Wayne]

Just a guess, but...

I don't think so, since it doesn't fire shotgun shells. Yes, you can buy shot cartridges but they're also under .50 caliber. I'm not sure if a rifle actually has to have rifling to be considered a rifle under ATF laws. If I knew what the Marlin "garden gun" was classified as it would help clarify the situation.

(The garden gun is a smoothbore long arm designed to produce tight patterns with .22 LR shot cartridges)

 

[Dr. Fresh]

That's what I was thinking, but a gun like the Taurus Judge is specifically designed to fire shotshells as well as .45 Colt rounds.

 

[shotgunjoel]

No, spiral grooves are not a requirement by law. Anything that's .5 inches or less can be a rifle, that's why the Judge is okay.

 

[akodo]

also, I think mechanically you can wear rifling to the point where it imparts absolutely no spin, but it would still be present, or evidence of it once being present would still exist.

 

[Dr. Fresh]

No, spiral grooves are not a requirement by law. Anything that's .5 inches or less can be a rifle, that's why the Judge is okay.

So why don't they make a smoothbore Judge? It would certainly pattern better.

 

[rcmodel]

So why don't they make a smoothbore Judge?

Because it would be an AOW and require a tax stamp.

Somebody needs to show where it says anything about 1/2" of rifling in the BATF regs!

They can't, because it doesn't say that!

As for the OP question?
There is no possible way to wear or rust out rifling until there is no trace of it left.

If it leaves a mark on the bullet that can be compared to another bullet, which it would no matter how pitted it got, there is still enough rifling left.

rc

 

[desidog]

well, it's not a shotgun, per say; but you could call it a modern musket!

 

[Bezoar]

the judge would have to be classified as an AOW/NFA fun toy if it was smooth bore or had removable choke tubes.

A little thing called rifling at the end of the barrel makes it a pistol. Other wise its a sawed off shotgun subject to all laws pertaining to shotguns with short barrels.

Legally speaking, rifling is merely a collection of grooves in the barrle that interact with the projectile as it passes through. legally it does not have to have any twist, ie straight grooves would be legal rifling.

The garden gun is a shotgun/carbine based upon the fact that the barrel meets all federal guidelines of 18+ inches.