Law regarding lengthening a barrel

[mundaire]

While the law is clear about barrel shortening as well as the minimum permissible length for a shotgun etc. I haven't really been able to find any references as to what is the position regarding lengthening a barrel

For example what if one wanted to lengthen the barrel of their pistol? What would the legal position be regarding this? And also, if one could (legally) lengthen their pistol/ revolver barrel to say 12 inches or maybe 15 inches (for arguments sake) then would it still legally be regarded as a pistol/ revolver? Or would it now suddenly be classified as a rifle/ carbine? Would the presence/ absence of a fixed or detachable stock have any bearing on this?

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[Mack The Knife]

Abhijeet,

The presence of a stock may have a bearing on its classification. However, if you just lengthened the barrel it will most probably continue to remain a handgun.

Mack The Knife

[mundaire]

Abhijeet,

The presence of a stock may have a bearing on its classification. However, if you just lengthened the barrel it will most probably continue to remain a handgun.

Mack The Knife

Hmmm... Rusty, then how about the Mauser Broomhandle pistols out there? Have seen a couple of examples with their shoulder stock+holster combo.... this would mean that the minute one attaches that shoulder stock, it would be classified as a rifle? Or for that matter, what about the following accessory kit:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/c ... tid=209047



Seems like this is a grey area not foreseen by the people who drafted our firearm laws...

BTW, what kind of ME do you suppose a .45 ACP would make with an 16.25" barrel?

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[Mack The Knife]

Hmmm... Rusty, then how about the Mauser Broomhandle pistols out there? Have seen a couple of examples with their shoulder stock+holster combo.... this would mean that the minute one attaches that shoulder stock, it would be classified as a rifle?

Not quite. If the Mauser Broomhandle was endorsed on the licence as a handgun it remains a handgun. However, you are speaking of adding a longer barrel and a shoulder stock to something that did not have these two items at the time of endorsement.

BTW, what kind of ME do you suppose a .45 ACP would make with an 16.25" barrel?

No idea but check out the specs for the Thompson sub-machine gun chambered for the .45 ACP. The 'Tommy' in all probablity had a shorter barrel. This should give you a rough idea.

[penpusher]

Whether a particular firearm is a rifle or a handgun would depend entirely upon how it is classified by the manufacturer.So lengthening the barrel of a handgun or adding a shoulder stock would not lead it to being classified as a rifle(I am assuming that we are only talking about handguns here).BTW how do you lengthen the barrel of a handgun beyond a couple of inches without changing the barrel???

There is no law that says that the barrel of a handgun can't be altered(lengthened or shortened).The law only deals with shortening of the barrel of a rifle / shotgun.It bars the shortening of the barrels below 20" Also it(shortening the barrel to 20" max.) can't be done without the person doing so having a license for the same.However there is no bar to fitting a longer barrel or lengthening the barrel by adding weights/muzzle brakes etc.It is also very clear on this that the category of firearm can't be changed(from a rifle / shotgun to a handgun).By category it means rifle / shotgun / handgun.We are not talking about bores or actions here.

Now that we are talking about barrel add ons,unless there is a notification to this effect that I am not aware of,while sound moderators/flash hiders are considered to be parts of a firearm there is no prohibition on their ownership.

[Grumpy]

Some of the broomhandle Mausers were officially designated as `Carbines` - eg, at least one of the `Artillery` models.

Don`t make the assumption that the substitution of a longer barrel will automatically make a pistol more accurate......especially not with a 1911. Examination of the parts and consideration of the method of operation will quickly lead you to realise that other components are critical to accuracy - eg, the barrel bushing. A good 5" barrelled 1911 can be made to knock out sub-2" groups at 50 yards.
The quality of a barrel often ( with a few exemptions ) has more effect upon accuracy than the length. A good example of this is when .22 lr rifles have barrels considerably shortened - down to as little as 12" - but their accuracy often improves. This is due to the increased rigidity of the shorter barrel ....... and often the recrowning. Mack The Knife has pointed out more than once how critical the barrel crown is to accuracy.

I wouldn`t expect too much from that kit Abhijeet.......especially as the whole cost ( c.$270 ) is little more than you`ld have to pay for a 5" or 6" Match barrel...........

As regards the increase in muzzle velocity there would be some gain - but not as much as you might expect. To take full advantage of the longer barrel you`ld have to experiment with powders - pistol cartridges are necessarily manufactured with fast burning powders.

[Grumpy]

"Mauser C96 Carbine cal .7.63
A very early C96 Small Ring hammer carbine."

( This one is currently for sale in the UK. Don`t even bother to ask the price as, even by Indian standards, it is VERY expensive ! )

[diskaon]

While the law is clear about barrel shortening as well as the minimum permissible length for a shotgun etc.
Cheers!
Abhijeet

I was trying to search the arms act for this query ... is there a restriction to cut a 30" barrel of a shotgun to 20" ??? as long as its NPB....??

[badshah0522]

Main things is from will you manage a Long barrel???is it legale to import??????