With all this talk on pistol braces and what may or may not happen??

[Rule3]

In another section someone mentioned adding a 4.5" (whatever) flash hider/break and permanent attach it, Pistol barrel is 11.5 So the total length would be 16"inches and OAL over 26 (I have BullPup that is 28")

Why does a shotgun have to be 18"?

I know there are shorter pistol barrels so this would not be practical

So would that then make the pistol a rifle with a silly brace on it??
Could it be that easy??

Just do not understand the big to do over this when bull pups are legal??

 

[12Bravo20]

Yes it is that simple, adding a permanently attached muzzle device to get the barrel to at least 16" in OAL would just make it a rifle. Note that you must sill reach the magical 26" or more OAL for it to be a rifle.

As far as why shotguns must have an 18" or longer barrel, we would have to go back in time to ask why. The only thing I can figure is that with most single shot and SxS shotguns having a shorter receiver (compared to rifles) is that it needs an 18 inch barrel to meet the 26" OAL requirement.

And you can get 6" long muzzles devices to make a 10.5" barrel get to the required 16" OAL for a rifle when permanently attached.

Remember to subtract at least 1/2" to 5/8" for the threads when trying to get a muzzle device. So going with a 6" muzzle device plus a crush washer will just barely get you to 16" OAL with a 10.5" barrel.

 

[Rule3]

Yes it is that simple, adding a permanently attached muzzle device to get the barrel to at least 16" in OAL would just make it a rifle. Note that you must sill reach the magical 26" or more OAL for it to be a rifle.

As far as why shotguns must have an 18" or longer barrel, we would have to go back in time to ask why. The only thing I can figure is that with most single shot and SxS shotguns having a shorter receiver (compared to rifles) is that it needs an 18 inch barrel to meet the 26" OAL requirement.

OAL measured from the end of the buffer tube to the muzzle

Yet rifles (16" barrel) with folding stock can be measured with the folder open. It's all so convoluted!
So a left side folding rifle can be fired with the stock folded.

 

[HankB]

. . . Remember to subtract at least 1/2" to 5/8" for the threads when trying to get a muzzle device. So going with a 6" muzzle device plus a crush washer will just barely get you to 16" OAL with a 10.5" barrel.

I'd strongly suggest going a little bit over the 16" - I have a rifle with a nominal 14.5" barrel, and with a permanently attached muzzle brake (Blind pin, partially welded over) the length is 16 1/4". Being a quarter inch over is safer legally than trying to hit 16" exactly and finding you're 1/64" under. Barrel length, of course, is measured from the closed bolt face to the end of the barrel or muzzle device.

 

[12Bravo20]

I'd strongly suggest going a little bit over the 16" - I have a rifle with a nominal 14.5" barrel, and with a permanently attached muzzle brake (Blind pin, partially welded over) the length is 16 1/4". Being a quarter inch over is safer legally than trying to hit 16" exactly and finding you're 1/64" under. Barrel length, of course, is measured from the closed bolt face to the end of the barrel or muzzle device.

Absolutely one should get the OAL over 16" even is it is just by a 1/4". 1/2" would be better.

Yet rifles (16" barrel) with folding stock can be measured with the folder open. It's all so convoluted!
So a left side folding rifle can be fired with the stock folded.

Yes this makes no sense (as usual) that a rifle with a folder (or collapsible stock) is measured with the stock fully extended (not folded). While pistols with a folder are always measured with the folding adaptor in the folded position.

And yes you can fire one round with a folder in the folded position, but you are only going to get one round off before the bolt goes shooting out the back or something breaks.

 

[jmorris]

Why does a shotgun have to be 18"?

Why do we call canine’s, “dog’s”? Someone just invented a definition and created parameters, it’s not uncommon for those to be “fluid”, as they like to say these days.

 

[starling]

The whole attack on these is just dumb IMO. I dont use them but they are meant to increase accuracy and in the end make the pistol less concealable. How these have been managed to be targeted is rediculous. I dont see a ban on these lasting in the long run but its just the time we live in until things turn around.

In the meantime... people are either going to jump through the silly hoops are just learn better pistol shooting fundamentals. Personally if I used them (I dont) I would just take them off and be patient until things turn around. I would go and weld a muzzle extension on your barrels. If you must just get a 16" barrel for your workaround and put a real stock on it. Last I checked its still legal to turn a pistol into a rifle and go back and forth but I admit I have not checked in a while.

 

[dogtown tom]

Why does a shotgun have to be 18"?

Because thats the minimum barrel length of a Title I shotgun in federal law.
Originally, rifles were also 18" & 26" OAL. At some point Congress was told that some M1 carbines had bbls slightly less than 18".
Heres a Google book on a bill from 1960:https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=bw01XhcGsyYC&pg=GBS.PA6&hl=en

Just do not understand the big to do over this when bull pups are legal??

Because bullpups that meet the definition of "rifle" in federal law are not SBR's.
There are SBR bullpups.

 

[12Bravo20]

Because bullpups that meet the definition of "rifle" in federal law are not SBR's.
There are SBR bullpups.

Very true.

Some manufacturers of 10/22 bullpen stocks even state that you must use an 18" long barrel in order for the finished bullpen to be at least 26" in overall length. Here is the statement on the High Tower Armory website.

IMPORTANTLEASE CHECK THAT YOUR RUGER 10/22 BARREL IS AT LEAST 18 IN LENGTH. MOST 10/22 barrels are long enough to produce a legal length rifle in the 90/22 stock system. However, some 10/22 variants and aftermarket barrels are shorter than 18". Federal law requires rifles to have a minimum overall length of 26". The HTA 90/22 requires a minimum barrel length of 18" to achieve the 26" overall length. You can check your barrel length by removing the barrel from the 10/22 receiver and measuring it from muzzle to breech.

https://www.hightowerarmory.com/High-Tower-Armory-9022-Black_p_28.html

 

[CapnMac]

Also, there are States that are more restrictive on lengths, too.

 

[Spats McGee]

Unless and until we have an actual rule to follow, this is all just speculative. As far as I can tell, there will come a time when a proper "legal" discussion can be had, but that time has not yet come.