Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

legality question

Chadyck
what is the legality surrounding threading the end of a barrel on a pistol and a rifle? i was under the impression that simply threading the end was legal and required no special licensing(so long as it doesn't violate the magic number 2 on postban semiauto rifles).
0

Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • Chadyck
    Hi,

    I'm new to the world of handguns. I'm currently only 19 years old and live in West Virginia. I have heard that there is a loop-hole in our laws that will allow me to legally own a handgun. It had something to do with parents handing the gun down or something along those lines. I have no idea if it was a bogus claim or not. Could someone please let me know if there is any truth to that, or if not, are there any loop-holes? Or, where do I need to go to find the answer to these sort of questions.

    Thanks in advance,
    Chris
    0
  • nmyers
    Under federal law, there's no problem with it. However, there may be some local law where you live that prohibits it.

    How it is done varies, depending upon the gun. Most semi-auto handguns require replacement of the barrel with a longer, threaded barrel. Most other guns are "threaded" by having a gunsmith attach a threaded adaptor. There are a couple of companies that make integrated barrel/suppressor combinations that replace the original barrel.

    Neal
    0
  • Der Gebirgsjager
    To the best of my knowledge there is nothing wrong with threading or possessing a threaded barrel. How else could a gunsmith install a screw-on compensator on a previously unthreaded rifle barrel? Also, Federal Arms Corp. causes to have manufactured (Korea, I think) and sells threaded pistol barrels for use with dummy silencers; or the real thing if you have the license for one. Possession of a threaded barrel is not possession of an illegal silencer. And, for the sake of arguement, suppose you have a so-called assault rifle and one of its "evil" features is a screw-on flash suppressor, and you decide that you want to install a pistol grip stock, so you remove and dispose of the suppressor. Are you supposed to then cut an inch off your barrel?
    0
  • competentone
    (As Chadyck noted) threaded barrels can make a semi-auto an "assault weapon."

    From http://www.atf.gov/pub/fire-explo_pub/complete.htm :



    30) The term "semiautomatic assault weapon" means --...

    ...(B) a semiautomatic rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable

    magazine and has at least 2 of --

    (i) a folding or telescoping stock;


    (ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of

    the weapon;


    (iii) a bayonet mount;


    (iv) a flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a

    flash suppressor; and


    (v) a grenade launcher;


    (C) a semiautomatic pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable

    magazine and has at least 2 of --


    (i) an ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the

    pistol grip;


    (ii) a threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash

    suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer;


    (iii) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely

    encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned;


    (iv) a manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is

    unloaded; and



    (v) a semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm; and


    (D) a semiautomatic shotgun that has at least 2 of --


    (i) a folding or telescoping stock;


    (ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of

    the weapon;


    (iii) a fixed magazine capacity in excess of 5 rounds; and


    (iv) an ability to accept a detachable mag
    0
  • richbug
    In a few cases, like the FAL, the treaded muzzle can constitute 2 EVIL features. the flash hider also acts as a bayonet mount.

    My border collie is smarter than your honor student.
    0
  • Chadyck
    thanks for the responses ya'll. as far as i know there are no local laws prohibiting the threading of barrels in my area either. my confusion came from several gunsmiths asking and implying that i needed a class 3 license before they would do any work on my buckmark, i guess they were concerned about my putting a 'silencer' on it, which is not the case. however i would like some more information on these adaptors. i have seen one in the canadian tactical catalogue manufactured by sak of finland, but they only sell to gov't and law agencies. does anyone know of a buckmark threaded barrel manufacturer or of another adapter company. btw, it is a buckmark standard, i would like to attach a compensator to the end of it much like the walther p22 however i would have to fabricate it myself as i have seen no compensators for the buckmark.

    chadick
    0
  • Der Gebirgsjager
    I fail to see how any of the above applies to your Buckmark. In my opinion threading the barrel would be perfectly legal for attachment of a compensator. It does not have a magazine that attaches outside the grip--this was aimed at the Intratec Tec-9 type pistols as originally designed and sold. Target and competition pistols with compensators are built every day. Good information, though.
    0
  • Robin
    I know your question was in reference to rifles and pistols but consider the fact that a good many of the shotguns produced today have threaded barrels. Of course, the barrels are threaded to accept chokes and not bayonets, flash suppressors and the like. I bet if some one came up with a screw in choke that extended beyond the barrel that would securely hold your Case pen knife like a bayonet, some do-gooder would try to pass a law against it.

    Worry is the interest humans pay on the debt of miscalculation.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity