Minimum Rifle Barrel Length
I know that the minimum barrel length (per Federal regs) is 16" for rifles and 18" for shotguns. IIRC minimum length for RIFLES was once 18". When was it changed? Did it have anything to do with the sale of M1 carbines?
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Your have not remembered correctly. The minimum barrel length was established in 1934 at 16-inches for rifles, with an OAL of 26-inches. 0 -
you may be refering to local hunting regulations, wv used to be 20", within the last 20yrs they lowered it to 18", not sure of your stale laws. 0 -
The original NFA minumum barrel length was 18 inches for rifles and shotguns alike.
Old US catalogs for the 1903 Mannlicher carbine list an 18" barrel.
I read about 18.25" barrels, a reasonable safety margin.
European home market guns had 17.7" (450mm)barrels'
Lots of surplus 1894 Swedish Mauser carbines were sold here after WW II with extensions welded, soldered, or press fitted to extend their 17.7" barrels over 18".
The maximum was relaxed to 16" for centerfire rifles in 1960, some time earlier for .22 rimfires.
Ref: "Background" at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Act#Categories_of_firearms_regulated0 -
quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
The original NFA minumum barrel length was 18 inches for rifles and shotguns alike.
Old US catalogs for the 1903 Mannlicher carbine list an 18" barrel.
I read about 18.25" barrels, a reasonable safety margin.
European home market guns had 17.7" (450mm)barrels'
Lots of surplus 1894 Swedish Mauser carbines were sold here after WW II with extensions welded, soldered, or press fitted to extend their 17.7" barrels over 18".
The maximum was relaxed to 16" for centerfire rifles in 1960, some time earlier for .22 rimfires.
Ref: "Background" at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Act#Categories_of_firearms_regulated
Please provide verifiable proof... Wikipedia is not always an accurate source of information.
Winchester ceased production of 14" and 15" Trapper Carbines in 1934, but they continued production of the 16" Trappers up through the start of WW II. I am of the learned opinion that they would not have intentionally violated federal regulations.0 -
How about off the BATF's own site?
http://www.atf.gov/firearms/nfa/
"The NFA was originally enacted in 1934. Similar to the current NFA, the original Act imposed a tax on the making and transfer of firearms defined by the Act, as well as a special (occupational) tax on persons and entities engaged in the business of importing, manufacturing, and dealing in NFA firearms. The law also required the registration of all NFA firearms with the Secretary of the Treasury. Firearms subject to the 1934 Act included shotguns and rifles having barrels less than 18 inches in length, certain firearms described as "any other weapons," machineguns, and firearm mufflers and silencers."
1944 sounds early. They were importing Swedish Mausers with barrel extensions to get from 17.7 to 18 inches after WW II.0 -
If I remember correctly the Congress enacted the NFA 16 inch barrel length in 1944.
My error. I meant to type 1954. Here is the curent defintion of a short barreled rifle:
-CITE-
26 USC Sec. 5845 01/07/2011
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 26 - INTERNAL REVENUE CODE
Subtitle E - Alcohol, Tobacco, and Certain Other Excise Taxes
CHAPTER 53 - MACHINE GUNS, DESTRUCTIVE DEVICES, AND CERTAIN OTHER
FIREARMS
Subchapter B - General Provisions and Exemptions
PART I - GENERAL PROVISIONS
-HEAD-
Sec. 5845. Definitions
(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
This is the legislative history of that regualtion:
PRIOR PROVISIONS
Provisions similar to those comprising this section were
contained in prior section 5848, act Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A
Stat. 727, as amended by acts Sept. 2, 1958, Pub. L. 85-859, title
II, Sec. 203(f), 72 Stat. 1427; June 1, 1960, Pub. L. 86-478, Sec.
3, 74 Stat. 149, prior to the general revision of this chapter by
Pub. L. 90-618.0 -
Hawk & Mark,
Thanks for the education, and that is very interesting in light of the fact that Winchester continued to manufactured the Model 1892 and 1894 Trapper Carbines with a 16-inch barrel up through 1940. Also of interest is the fact that I have seen dozens of BATF exemption letters for 14 and 15 inch Trappers, but not ever a single letter for a 16-inch Trapper?0 -
Export only? 0 -
I have heard that the original law was 18" for rifles.
I heard it from an old timer gunsmith, long before I was an old timer!0 -
quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
Export only?
No, I do not believe that was the case... at least not that I have been able to determine.
I have surveyed a fair number post-1919 production Model 94 Trappers here in the States (73 of them in total). Of that number, nearly all of the 14-inch and 15-inch Trappers have had BATF exemption letters with them, but not a single one of the nearly 2-dozen 16-inch Trappers had a BATF letter. I would say that is rather strange in light of the federal regulations that were in place at the time.
The last (latest production) Model 94 Trapper that I have confirmed is serial number 1330740, manufactured April 24th, 1942. Winchester stopped making them when production of the Model 94 was temporarily halted in late August of 1942 for the War effort.0
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