What is the differance between a pistol and rifle?

1022man

I know it sounds stupid. But you can legaly build your own firearm. So if I was to get a 80% 10/22 or AR action, finnish it up myself, could I build a pistol with it? I know it has to have a barrel less than 16", and no stock. So if I finnish a 10/22 action, build a pistol grip, and intall a 10" barrel, is it still legal?

mballai

Your treading on rather thin ice in terms of what might be construed as legal in using a rifle with a short barrel. You could just as soon go with a long bull barrel Ruger Mark II 22 pistol, so rather than go through the trouble and expense of pre-booking a stay at the Graybar Hotel for something without ballistic merit, you should look into a longer barrel pistol from the getgo.

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rballi

It's called a Volquartson Cheetah and it costs $800. I don't know about the legality of making a pistol from rifle parts.

Take a look at the Cheetah:

http://www.volquartsen.com/product.asp?pid=164

mark christian

1022man, you cannot build a pistol from a rifle, but you can take a receiver which was NEVER part of a rifle (never fitted with a stock) and use it as a basis for a pistol. With that said, you have to be VERY careful that you are not building a new assault weapon. Your mention of an AR receiver leads me to believe that you are thinking about something along those lines. Otherwise you can build a pistol for your own use...but you cannot sell or transfer it, that would make you a manufacturer and you would need a type 7 FFL for that purpose. Tell us EXACTLY what you have in mind and I can give you a better answer.

Mark T. Christian

Rafter-S

Generally speaking, I believe what you're wanting to do is illegal. The receiver (which carries the serial number) of a 10/22 or AR--or any other firearm--is considered "the gun" from the ATF's point of view. If a receiver was origianlly manufactured as "a rifle" it is recorded as such in official records required by the government, and you can't legally change it to a pistol without re-recording it.

You best check up on the laws and ATF regulations very carefully before doing what you are suggesting. It's big-time trouble if you screw up in this area.

My humble opinion,
Rafter-S

"What is truth? No wonder jesting Pilate turned away. The truth, it has a thousand faces -- show only one of them, and the whole truth flies away! But how to show the whole? That is the question."
--Thomas Wolfe, "You Can't Go Home Again" (1934)

nmyers

No, it doesn't sound stupid.

However, it is far more difficult a project than you can imagine, and the possibility of building something illegal is so likely, that this sort of thing is best avoided.

Would BATF arrest you if your AR pistol weighs 51 oz instead of 50 oz? You bet they would! Never underestimate what a FLEO will do to ensure that he gets his annual Merit Pay Bonus.

Neal

1022man

What I want is a 22 pistol that takes the 10-22mags. And I don't want a scorpin. So needing a winter project, I looked into some of the reciver kits or 80% finnished reciever. Since in all, I was buildimg the gun for myself, and it was never a rifle, why would it be illegal. I would be using 10/22 parts, except for the reciver I finnished my self.

gruntled

Does Ruger make such unfinished recievers available to the public?
If so are they registered as rifles? If you bought one to make into a pistol would it have to be registered as a pistol?
The one thing that is certain is that the reciever is a firearm & if it was ever declaired to be a rifle this would be a big no-no.
I recall an instance about fourty years ago when a gun mag ran an article on converting a rolling block rifle into a pistol. Big flap
& a lot of trouble & the Baftartards weren't nearly as nasty then.

Mall Ninja

gruntled - The Tannery (an independant company) makes 80% finished 10-22 and AR receivers (which are for sale right here on GunBroker), which as far as the BATF is concerned, they are just paperweights and do not require a serial number, and since they are only 80% finished, they have not been previously fitted with a stock ... so basically, as long as the weight is below 50 ounces, there is no forend or handguard under or surrounding the barrel ~ ect ~ it must conform to current regulations ie 922R, I don't think there is anything that would prohibit you from persuing such a project HOWEVER anything that you are considering building using what could be considered a rifle reciever, would be worth the effort to run it by the BATF first ~ and maybe even get something in print that says it's "OK" ~ just my thoughts

mark christian

1022man, okay...now that we know what you want to do it becomes much easier to help you. First thing- no way Ruger is going to sell you a stripped receiver for any of their firearms as they have no idea of what you are going to do with it- assualt weapon, machinegun, who knows? You can also forget about buying a stripped receiver at a gun show and I don't care what the guy at the table says about "this here 10/22 receiver was never a part of no rifle". FORGET IT! You have to be able to prove that the receiver was never a rifle and there is no way to do that unless you were the original buyer.

That leaves you with the 80% receiver option. If you have the skills to finish the receiver great, if not it is perfectly alright to sublet the work out to someone else to do some of the more difficult work like threading or drilling. As long as you preform the final finish work and put on your own name and serial number- at least five digits and something other than #00001- you are in good shape. Be sure you are not violating any state laws and if your state requires handgun registration you'll have to comply. No free ride just because you made the firearm yourself.

M. Ninja's post- and welcome aboard to him- gave you a good guideline about the do's and don'ts but I'd still contact the BATF to be sure about any additional restrictions as well as how to mark your pistol with your name and serial number. There were some changes as to that procedure and letter sizes on those marking a couple of years ago and I am not current on the new regulations. Have fun, be careful, and keep us informed as to how the project is going. I must tell you honestly though, these projects usually become much more involved than ever imagined and most folks simply give up and purchase a factory made firearm.

Mark T. Christian

Tailgunner1954

Brownells sells non-rugar 1022 receivers. They are completely machined and (I believe) serial numbered. They do not have any other parts with them (no guts). You would have to puchase one thru a regular dealer, and it would be papered as a new, never unassembled receiver.

That might be somthing to look into.

I believe that you can legaly make a pistol out of a virgin 1022 type receiver, but asking the BATF would be a good place to start.

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Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.