16 Inch Contender Barrel
A friend of mine has a 16 inch T/C Contender barrel(223) he wants to trade me.He says it is legal to use as both pistol and carbine.I looked at the BATFE website and found it's legal to use as a carbine but couldn't find a maximum length for a pistol barrel.
Can any of you experts tell me for sure?
Can any of you experts tell me for sure?
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There is no maximum length for a pistol barrel; it can be as long as you wish. 0 -
Ah the "sweet 16" barrel. Know a guy who'd trade you his left nut for that. At his age he'd come way ahead on that trade [:D].
Yeah if you ever saw Jack Nicolson playing "Joker" you recall he pulled out a 24" barreled revolver (or if you live in England it's standard).0 -
jim,,,i think your wrong,,,the 16" barrel has nothing to do with it since they are not registered,,,its the frame i'd worry about,,,for instance,,,say you go to your LGS and purchase a stocked TC rifle with a 16" barrel, it is registered as a rifle with the serial number,,,you CANNOT go out and buy a set of grips and use that as a pistol with that same frame because you bought it as a rifle,,,now if you go out and buy a 16" contender pistol with grips and forearm,you can buy a stock and use the same forearm if you wanted to use as a rifle,,,long story short,,,you can buy a 16" contender pistol and change it into a rifle,,,but you CAN'T go out and and buy a 16" contender rifle and change it over to a pistol,,,believe me,,,i looked into this when i had a 14" barrel and wanted to change over to a rifle configuration with the BATF,ATF,and the FBI,,,although you can do-it,,,just don't get caught,,,very heavy fine and inprisonment,,,[:D][:D][:D] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by j3081
jim,,,i think your wrong,,,the 16" barrel has nothing to do with it since they are not registered,,,its the frame i'd worry about,,,for instance,,,say you go to your LGS and purchase a stocked TC rifle with a 16" barrel, it is registered as a rifle with the serial number,,,you CANNOT go out and buy a set of grips and use that as a pistol with that same frame because you bought it as a rifle,,,now if you go out and buy a 16" contender pistol with grips and forearm,you can buy a stock and use the same forearm if you wanted to use as a rifle,,,long story short,,,you can buy a 16" contender pistol and change it into a rifle,,,but you CAN'T go out and and buy a 16" contender rifle and change it over to a pistol,,,believe me,,,i looked into this when i had a 14" barrel and wanted to change over to a rifle configuration with the BATF,ATF,and the FBI,,,although you can do-it,,,just don't get caught,,,very heavy fine and inprisonment,,,[:D][:D][:D]
Even though it has pistol grips, on it, with the 16 1/4" barrel, it still qualifies as a rifle...just as an 18"+ barreled shotgun with pistol grips qualifies as a shotgun. Now if that barrel is less than 16", with a stock or a pistol grip, it is a short barreled rifle, if the receiver is registered as being built a rifle.0 -
Overall length of a non NFA rifle must be at least 26 inches,shotgun 28 inches.
I did learn that much at the BATFE web site.
Edit;My Contender frame was bought with a ten inch barrel and registered as a handgun.0 -
quote:Originally posted by jim_lemay
j3081,
I don't know what sate you live in but - When I bought each of my T/C frames they were not "registered" as pistol or rifle. ATF Forms listed it as "Frame". I purchased (rifle & pistol) stocks separately.
BTW:Short barreled rifle is a shoulder mounting weapon with a barrel barrel under 16". The "frame" (serial numbered part) must be registered with ATF and Tax Stamp fee of $200 paid for it to be an approved legal build by ATF.
Not sure what state you live in, but the frames are registered as a pistol, or long gun, when they leave the factory. In the distributor's catalog, they are listed as such..."handgun frame"...comes with pistol grip, and "rifle frame"...comes with stock and forend.
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quote:Originally posted by jim_lemay
j3081,
I don't know what sate you live in but - When I bought each of my T/C frames they were not "registered" as pistol or rifle. ATF Forms listed it as "Frame". I purchased (rifle & pistol) stocks separately.
BTW:Short barreled rifle is a shoulder mounting weapon with a barrel barrel under 16". The "frame" (serial numbered part) must be registered with ATF and Tax Stamp fee of $200 paid for it to be an approved legal build by ATF.
Attached is the latest in a fairly long history of ATF attempting to comport law with evolving technology. The letter focuses on T/C but is just as well applied to AR 15s, probably more readily considering relative popularity. Page three contains ATF's most recent conclusions.
https://www.atf.gov/files/regulations-rulings/rulings/atf-rulings/atf-ruling-2011-4.pdf
"The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has received requests from individuals to classify pistols that are reconfigured into rifles, for personal use, through the addition of barrels, stocks, and other parts and then returned to a pistol configuration by removal of those components. Specifically, ATF has been asked to determine whether such a pistol, once returned to a pistol configuration from a rifle, becomes a "weapon made from a rifle" as defined under the National Firearms Act."
One of the conclusions is:
"Held further, a firearm, as defined by 26 U.S.C. 5845(a)(3) and (a)(4), is not made when a pistol is attached to a part or parts designed to convert the pistol into a rifle with a barrel of 16 inches or more in length, and the parts are later unassembled in a configuration not regulated under the NFA (e.g., as a pistol)."
There are other ATF letters on related issues, such as defining a "kit" and when a firearm becomes a rifle - note one must be 21 years old to buy an AR with a shoulder stock attached, ATF for 4473 now carries "other" for firearm type identification.0
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