Canada: Minimum rifle barrel length is 18" correct?

[usmarine0352_2005]

.
I just ordered a Browning X-Bolt .30-06 Synthetic from Ahlman's and am having them cut and crown the barrel at 18.5" because I believe that the minimum rifle barrel length in Canada is 18".



Am I correct, is the minimum rifle barrel length in Canada 18"?




I searched the internet and couldn't find the answer on an official Canadian Website.

 

[35Rem]

What I read said less than 18.5" was "prohibited". This supposedly applied to "sawed off" rifle barrels, as many manufacturers make 16" or loger barrels because that is the minimum length in the US.

Might want it longer than 18.5", incase your ruler is different than they guy's ruler that matters.

 

[jmr40]

In the USA 16" is the minimum. Not sure on Canadian law but I'm pretty sure their legal minimum is quite a bit shorter than that for long guns. Their handguns cannot have barrels shorter than 4" I believe.

 

[35Rem]

This references codes:
http://nfa.ca/node/128

 

[jmr40]

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought barrels as short as 14" were legal there, but according to your link, if I read it correctly, this applies only if it left the factory that way.

 

[KMD]

Some info that might help...

Non-restricted firearms are those that you would expect to see if you were out hunting. They include any firearms that are not already classified as restricted or prohibited, and have an overall length of 26 inches or more and have a barrel length of 18 inches or more. There are a few exceptions to the barrel length rule, but I’ll get into that later.

Restricted firearms include those that have overall lengths less than 26 inches and barrels less than 18 inches. So no handgun, for example, could ever be classified as non-restricted as it is too short. Certain military styled firearms that meet the requirements for non-restricted are also classified as restricted by name. Popular examples are the AR-15 and the G-36.

Prohibited firearms include all fully automatic firearms, any handgun that has a barrel length of less than 4.2 inches, any handgun that is designed to shoot .25 or .32 calibre ammunition, and certain military styled rifles that have been prohibited by name. Popular examples include the AK-47 and the MP-5.

- non-restricted, non-semi-automatic, rifles and shotguns (along with semi-automatic rimfire rifles) may have barrel lengths of less than 18 inches (providing the overall length remains more than 26 inches) as long as the barrel was manufactured that way from the factory

 

[NCsmitty]

After Googling, it would seem to me that by leaving your barrel cut at 18.50", your firearm will be classed as an unrestricted firearm and would avoid the confusing rule pitfalls. The act of shortening the barrel by a gunsmith creates a different set of rules that would not be activated if the short barrel was offered from the factory.
It seems Canada is more concerned with semi-auto rifle and shotgun barrels being shortened which will create a prohibited rifle/shotgun at some point.

The link tries to shed light on the different classes of firearms, but it's hard to follow.

http://www.panda.com/canadaguns/

I cannot ascertain just what the minimum barrel length for a bolt rifle actually is, because at some point it reads that it is left up to the manufacturer and their offerings.



NCsmitty