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a question about shotgun barrel length

wipalawipala Member Posts: 11,067
edited August 2013 in Ask the Experts
If i am not mistaken any thing permanently attached to a barrel like a muzzle brake is counted as part of the barrel for measurement. If a blade was attached to or made out of the barrel of a shot gun would the tip of the blade be the length of the barrel.
Say if you from a point just in front of the fore arm cut the barrel at a shallow angle tapering down to a point Basically a trough tapering to a point would this be legal? No real use but appearance. IE a sucker born every minute. There are all these barrels with polychokes and compensators and single shot barrels with bulged ends setting in the corners of my shop from years of tinkering just thinking of a way to use them with a little style.

Comments

  • tsr1965tsr1965 Member Posts: 8,682 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    For your best answer to that question, you should get an opinion in writing from the BATFE. Anything else is an opinion that will not count for squat in a court of law.

    Best

    EDIT 1
    quote:actually I'm writing to the batfe but they will take 6 months to answer

    After accumulating these from "years of tinkering", I would believe that time is not a factor, other than the current demand on the market.

    Best
  • MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member Posts: 10,029 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    ANY barrel extension has to be PERMANETLY installed, either welded in place or high temp silver solder.
  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Just a guess but if a 18 inch T handled cleaning rod fits from the muzzle end on a closed action you could be in trouble regardless of any ancillary extensions.

    Just save them for day that length will not be an issue.
  • geeguygeeguy Member Posts: 1,047
    edited November -1
    Sounds a little insulting to ask this group to help create a gun for "suckers" with no real use. On the other hand, Zombie guns, bullets, and other nutty things are selling, history will think Zombie's really did exist. Make it a close quarters Zombie gun for the toothless crowd.

    Good luck with your hack saw (please don't put them on GB for sale, I like to think we have higher quality buyers).
  • mark christianmark christian Member Posts: 24,453 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Would this "blade" be so thin that it could easily be broken and result in a barrel under 18 inches? The entire reason that attachments must be welded or silver soldered to the muzzle is so that they cannot be easily removed and expose a short barrel.
  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:If i am not mistaken any thing permanently attached to a barrel like a muzzle brake is counted as part of the barrel for measurement

    I'm not sure this is correct as you wrote it.

    Typically for something to be considered part of the barrel length, it has to be a permanent extension of the tubular barrel. So CYLINDRICAL barrel extensions like flash hiders count.

    I'm really not sure if (for example) a bayonet welded onto the barrel would or wouldn't count as barrel length; you'd have to ask the BATFE that question in writing for an advisory opinion.

    But to answer the question, what you're describing does exist, and these things are legal.

    IE, there are "standoff" muzzle attachments for AR-15s and other guns designed to make the ends more "unfriendly" for use in hand-to-hand combat as bayonet substitutes, and these things could (in theory) be used as legitimate barrel extensions to increase length for legal reasons so long as they were permanently attached by welding/silver solder, etc.

    Here's one such flash hider as an example of what I'm talking about:King-Arms-Troy-M4-CQB-Flash-Hider-Clockwise_800_3TGCK.jpg

    I see no reason why you "couldn't" just sharpen the end of a regular barrel for the same effect, though I can think of multiple good reasons why you "shouldn't" do this.

    .
  • wipalawipala Member Posts: 11,067
    edited November -1
    It would actualy be the barrel itself cut at a very long angle. What got me wondering was the damaged barrels I already have if I cut them off behind the bulge or split to short but if I slice the bad area off and taper the trough to a point instant bayonet.
    Either that or weld a tube to the end to bring it too length
  • wipalawipala Member Posts: 11,067
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by tsr1965
    For your best answer to that question, you should get an opinion in writing from the BATFE. Anything else is an opinion that will not count for squat in a court of law.

    Best
    actually I'm writing to the batfe but they will take 6 months to answer
  • 11b6r11b6r Member Posts: 16,584 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Assuming you mean a barrel that has a muzzle at a very sharp angle to the bore- the closest open side to the breech would be the barrel length. Projectile will leave the gun at a sharp angle towards the open side of the bore.
  • thunderboltthunderbolt Member Posts: 6,041 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    A company used to cut off one side of shotgun barrels to make a pseudo bayonet point. A useless conversion, but apparently they did some business. Haven't seen it in a while.
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