View Full Version : Is the below rifle legal in California?
dogtrainer
07-28-2010, 10:11 AM
I want to have custom made an 18" 45 Long Colt barrel with a removable choke that will allow me to fire 9.3 x 74R hand-loaded shotshells.
The choke will stop the spin of the shotshell and allow a very good pattern.
The chamber will be 410 size. However, I will only use 9.3 x74R fire-formed brass for the shotshells and for the rifle rounds.
Am I legal for California?
The stamp on this custom barrel will read: 10.4 x 74R
This is a wildcat cartridge.
Opinions?
If I shoot a game bird that only can be shot with (method of take) shotgun will I be breaking the law by using the rifle with a shot shell or will (in that instance) it be considered a shotgun?
Davidoff
07-28-2010, 10:24 AM
Well, with a barrel over 18" its not a SBS. Assuming this rifle will not be semi-automatic, its not an AW. I can't think of any laws that you would be breaking with a rifle as you described. It would be a rifle that is also capable of firing a fixed shotgun shell, but as far as I know there is no issue with that.
I can't chime in on the F&G laws, that is an area I am completely unfamiliar with.
bwiese
07-28-2010, 10:37 AM
THE GUN
Remember not only must you satisfy the 18" min barrel length requirement,
but you must also satisfy the min 26" overall length requirement.
[Typical pistol-gripped "cruiser" guns like Mossy 500s and Rem 870s have enough receiver length that with sufficient barrel length they come out to be 26" long.]
I am assuming your rifle is already satisfying those requirements given it needs a 16" barrel and 26" overall length to be legal in the first place.
Your conversion - if above satisfied - thus would be legal. (It's perfectly legal, for example, to take one of those H&R/NEF single-shot "Handi-Rifle" and change from a rifle upper to a shotgun upper and back.) Also, shotguns barrels are sometimes rifled for use with certain slugs (sabots).
HUNTING REGS
As for F&G regs, I am unsure: if you have a rifled barrel we're getting in a grey area esp if you can chamber a production centerfire cartridge.
Also, remember that F&G guys don't know a lot about gun laws either and this could be drama inducing.
CSACANNONEER
07-28-2010, 10:46 AM
Years ago, I spent the day in the DFG Comishiner's office asking questions. Some of which were similar to yours. One answer that I kept getting was "We don't know if it's legal or not. Would you like to be the test case?"
Well, with a barrel over 18" its not a SBS. Assuming this rifle will not be semi-automatic, its not an AW. I can't think of any laws that you would be breaking with a rifle as you described. It would be a rifle that is also capable of firing a fixed shotgun shell, but as far as I know there is no issue with that.
I can't chime in on the F&G laws, that is an area I am completely unfamiliar with.
Sorry but, a non semi auto shotgun could be an AW. Have you read the AW laws on shotguns?
dogtrainer
07-28-2010, 12:19 PM
The rifle-shotgun I had in mind will be a single shot--most likely a Thompson Contender or Encore. The overall lenght will easily be greater then 29 inches; with the choke tube installed the over all length of the barrel might be around 19.75 inches.
What has me wondering is why are the Thompson factory Contender 45-410 pistols of similar concept banned in California?
The only difference I see is that my configuration would be a rifle.
ke6guj
07-28-2010, 2:19 PM
What has me wondering is why are the Thompson factory Contender 45-410 pistols of similar concept banned in California?
The only difference I see is that my configuration would be a rifle.because the T/C .45LC/.410 pistols are firearms that are less than 26" OAL, and have a barrel of less than 18", and are designed to fire fixed shotgun shells. That means it is a short-barrelled shotgun in CA.
Your design is over 26" OAL and over 18" barrel length, so it is not an SBS.
Davidoff
07-28-2010, 3:30 PM
Sorry but, a non semi auto shotgun could be an AW. Have you read the AW laws on shotguns?
I am familiar with the AW laws (less so for shotguns) and AFIK the only way for a non-semiautomatic shotgun to be an AW is if it had a rotating cylinder or is a listed AW (which I think are all semi-auto or rotating cylinder). It didn't sound like the OP was going to have a rotating cylinder, so I left that part out. Bill correctly reminded the OP and myself of the 26" OAL requirement. A shotgun in violation of the OAL requirement is not an AW, but would be a SBS under PC12020.
CSACANNONEER
07-28-2010, 3:46 PM
I am familiar with the AW laws (less so for shotguns) and AFIK the only way for a non-semiautomatic shotgun to be an AW is if it had a rotating cylinder or is a listed AW (which I think are all semi-auto or rotating cylinder). It didn't sound like the OP was going to have a rotating cylinder, so I left that part out. Bill correctly reminded the OP and myself of the 26" OAL requirement. A shotgun in violation of the OAL requirement is not an AW, but would be a SBS under PC12020.
Bingo. Sorry, I did not see where the OP mentioned anything about what type of action he was thinking of putting the barrel on. But, I did want to make sure that someone else, who might be reading this, would not think that only semi autos could be AWs.
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