Legality question.
Is it legal to own a M203 grenade launcher?
I'm not really sure, but so far I haven't seen any reason to think it wouldn't be. I know that a grenade launcher is a banned "assault feature", but if I put one on a pre-ban AR or put a thumbhole stock on it I wouldn't have to worry about that.
I know those 37mm flare launchers are perfectly legal, is there any reason why an M203 wouldn't be?
I'm not really sure, but so far I haven't seen any reason to think it wouldn't be. I know that a grenade launcher is a banned "assault feature", but if I put one on a pre-ban AR or put a thumbhole stock on it I wouldn't have to worry about that.
I know those 37mm flare launchers are perfectly legal, is there any reason why an M203 wouldn't be?
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Is a machine gun legal with no bullets? How about an 81mm mortar with no bombs? Yes, it's still a destructive device unless dewatted.
"What's it all mean Mr. Wizard?"0 -
Ummm,if you havent seen any reason then you havent looked very hard...If you are on active duty with the US Military and it is issued for your use, its ok to have it...if you are in the USA it is a destructive device and unless properly registered you will wind up in the "grey bar hotel" real quick 0 -
I did come across this:
26 U.S.C. 5845, 27 CFR 179.11]
(M27) Are grenade and rocket launcher attachments destructive devices?
Grenade and rocket launcher attachments for use on military type rifles generally do not come within the definition of destructive devices. However, the grenades and rockets used in these devices are generally within the definition
I have an AT4, a LAW, and a bazooka and all have been dewatted in one way or another.
If they were legal, why wouldn't all the nuts have a couple?
"What's it all mean Mr. Wizard?"0 -
I'm pretty sure that they don't fall under the definition of a destructive device. If they did, wouldn't those flare launchers be destructive devices as well?
I think the main reason no one has them is the cost, and they're hard to get ahold of.0 -
Ralph
If you are so sure call the ATF and ask them..they will tell you that you are wrong
The flare launchers you seel for sale all the time are 37mm. the 203 is 40mm
A difference of three mm is all it takes0 -
A live M203 is a destructive device under the National Firearms Act and will involve the usual transfer procedures plus the $200 NFA Tax. There are some out there for sale but these are pricey...about $3000 to $4000 when you can locate one. The M203 is a firearm in and of itself and is not a grenade launcher like the type attached to an M1 Garand which does not actually chamber the grenade...it simply launches the grenade. The M203 has a rifled barrel over 50 caliber and is a destructive device by definition. The reason that the 37mm launcher are unrestricted is that these are sold for the purposes of "signaling" and as "flare launchers". This is fine as long as no one begins to offer for sale commercially any type of 37mm shell which contains an explosive or incendiary charge of over 1/4 oz. which is a destructive device by definition or someone in DC desides these things have "no sporting purpose".
There are two basic methods of obtaining your M203: the first is to simply find a registered example and have it transfered to you on an approved Form 4. The other method is to purchase a stripped lower receiver for the M203. Since the receiver itself has no barrel it is simply considered a normal firearm receiver and is subject only to the normal controls. Once you have the receiver you can then file a Form 1 to have it registered as a destructive device with the BATFE. When the Form 1 is returned approved you may then purchase a 40mm M203 barrel and mount it to your registered receiver completing your own destructive device. These are pretty much the only means available for individuals to obtain M203's legally.
Mark T. Christian0 -
I'm getting a 37mm launcher for my CAR soon, on sale with mounts for $177. I won't be walking down the street with it, paying cash...notta firearm so nobody will know I own it but me.
In ten years it'll be worth ten times what I pay...who needs to buy stocks?
"He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one."
- Jesus Christ in Luke 22:360 -
I'm really not too familiar with the NFA; would it be somehow possible for a class 3 dealer to order one from the manufacturer (I think Bushmaster makes them for law enforcement personnel), register it, then transfer it to me? 0 -
Here is where life takes a complicated turn Ralph; The National Firearms Act takes in things like machineguns, short barreled rifles and shotguns, silencers, any other weapons (usually pen guns or shotgun type pistols) and destructive devices. Class 3 dealers (those of us who are dealers and pay a Special Occupational Tax each year to the BATFE) can deal and sell every item except destructive devices. DD's are an entirely seperate catagory of weapons and have their own special licenses (TYPE 09- dealer, TYPE 10- manufacturer, TYPE 11- importer). these DD licenses are $3000 for 3 years and there are not many DD dealers in the United States, at least when compared to Class 3 dealers. There are probably less than two dozen TYPE 10 DD manufacturers in this country besides the "big boys" like GE or AAI who do government contrat work. In most cases signing on to produce DD's for Uncle Sam comes with a condition that the manufacturer not offer those same products for sale either overseas or commercially without permission and permission is seldom granted.
Now I have no idea if Bushmaster has a DD license. I know that they produce or at least offer the 37mm flare launchers for sale but I believe that Colt is the prime contractor for the M203 and there is no chance that the folks in Hartford will pull a unit out of stock and sell it to you. You are going to have to locate someone who has a registered M203 available for transfer and then find a DD dealer somewhere in your own state to perform the actual transfer. A class 3 dealer cannot do this since he is not licensed to deal in DD's, although DD dealers can pay the Class 3 Special Occupational Tax and sell other NFA firearms besides destructive devices. Are you still with me? I suggest that you first locate a destructive device dealer in your home state and work with him to track down your M203. I know most of the serious players who deal in National Fierarms Act weapons, but destructive devices are so limited in scope that I can't offer much more assistance on locating a live M203.
By the way ralph. Even if you do find a registered M203 and actually purchase it you must be aware that the high explosive grenades are severly restricted and are destructive devices themselves. Actually getting your hands on such an item is for all intents and purposes IMPOSSIBLE! Even if you could find a few for sale and transferable ($200 tax per grenade) you can't UPS a grenade! There would be all sorts of costly transportation procedures to follow. There are a few types of 40mm grenades out there which are not considered "leathal"; the M882 and M407A1 pracice greandes are the first to come into my mind along with a few smoke types. Just about everything else is down right deadly and you'd never be able to lay your hands on those live grenades. I'd just stick with the 37mm, they are cheap and unrestricted.
Mark T. Christian0 -
Bushmaster apparently does produce M203s. It's in the law enforcement section of their website.
I'm certain that they wouldn't sell anything to individuals, but I know a dealer who might help, provided everything was totally legal.
If the reciever itself is not a destructive device, could a dealer purchase one of those, sell it to me, I'd register it, then get a barrel to complete it? It's a bit far-fetched, I've got to admit, but is it possible?0 -
Well...yes and no. An FFL dealer could obtain the receiver for you if Bushmaster will release one for other than LE sales. This is going to be hard because they will no doubt require a police letter, the same that we have to use for machinegun sales samples for LE demos. If your dealer can get an unrestricted receiver out of Bushmaster then he can sell it to you as a regular firearm and you then register it on a Form 1 as a DD. The same dealer who sold you the receiver however CANNOT then sell you the 40mm barrel to complete the project because that would be dealing in destructive devices without the $3000 DD dealers license...a very bad thing for those of us with FFL's I assure you! Once you've got your receiver registered you'll have to locate your own 40mm barrel from another source besides your FFL dealer or Bushmaster. Are you sure that a $200 37mm flare launcher won't serve you as well as the real M203 which will cost at least 10 times as much? No one will ever sell you live 40mm grenades within your lifle time, but 37mm flares are very easy to find and cheap. It is however your money!
Mark T. Christian0 -
Well, I never really wanted to actually do this, I just wanted to know if I could. Actually I wasn't really interested in the grenades themselves anyway, I'm pretty sure there is other ammunition available for it. Tear gas, smoke bombs, flechette rounds...
I don't think those are available for the 37mm launcher.0 -
hehehehehe! I am number 13.[:o)]
Boomer
"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as it is by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed."NRA Life Member0 -
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet." -- Romeo and Juliet Act II - Scene 2. 0
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