quick single shot question

[IrishPirate]

QUESTION ANSWERED!!!!!


....just want to see if i really understand this..

you can get a non-CA drop tested gun in single shot form and then convert it back to 10 round capacity? Is that correct? i know you'd have to find a gun capable of being both in the first place, but aside from kits and what not...is this a legal loop hole, or does the gun need to stay single shot?

and on top of that....could you get an AR pistol in single shot, convert to 10rd, then convert to rifle??? or since it's registered as a pistol would it need to stay that way.

I'm just trying to understand the law, not build something. I'm too broke

[Rukus]

....just want to see if i really understand this..

you can get a non-CA drop tested gun in single shot form and then convert it back to 10 round capacity? Is that correct? Yes, correct. That is essentially how AR Pistols are imported to CAi know you'd have to find a gun capable of being both in the first place, but aside from kits and what not...is this a legal loop hole, or does the gun need to stay single shot?Gun must be dimensionally compliant- 6" barrel and a minimum of 10" overall I believe

and on top of that....could you get an AR pistol in single shot, convert to 10rd, then convert to rifle??? or since it's registered as a pistol would it need to stay that way. You could, but you cannot convert it into an SBR. Essentially it would be a waste of a perfectly good AR Pistol. Also, once you convert from pistol to a rifle (with stock and +16" barrel) it is forever a rifle. There's no going back to pistol form (at least not in CA)

I'm just trying to understand the law, not build something. I'm too broke

Answers in bold. Hope it helps.

[IrishPirate]

pretty much what i thought. wasn't sure about any necessary configurations or dimensions though. Thanks

[Rukus]

You might wanna double check those compliant dimensions, I just rattled them off the top of my head, but I know they do exist.

[dachan]

6" barrel and 10.5" OAL

[Cokebottle]

6" barrel and 10.5" OAL

Ditto... technically, 6"<BL<16"
Once the barrel exceeds 16", it becomes a rifle/long gun.

Now, AFTER you process the DROS, the dimensional compliance is no longer an issue, as the off-roster gun is legal to own and to PPT, so you can DROS it with the 6" barrel, then change to a shorter barrel length the same way you can remove the single shot sled.
The only problem with doing that, is in the future, you would be forced to PPT/FTF same as any other off-roster handgun... you would not be able to ship it to a SoCal FFL for transfer to anyone other than an exempted person. Keeping the 6"+ barrel, you could ship to a SoCal FFL by simply reinstalling the single shot sled.

[IrishPirate]

The only problem with doing that, is in the future, you would be forced to PPT/FTF same as any other off-roster handgun... you would not be able to ship it to a SoCal FFL for transfer to anyone other than an exempted person. Keeping the 6"+ barrel, you could ship to a SoCal FFL by simply reinstalling the single shot sled.

hmmmmm....i actually talked with someone from the DOJ and they said PPT can be completed without FTF taking place as long as both have a valid CA drivers license. Is there something about switching the gun from what it was registered as that nullifies this? They said any gun can be shipped overnight to an FFL for PPT but maybe they weren't thinking about this???

[Cokebottle]

hmmmmm....i actually talked with someone from the DOJ and they said PPT can be completed without FTF taking place as long as both have a valid CA drivers license. Is there something about switching the gun from what it was registered as that nullifies this? They said any gun can be shipped overnight to an FFL for PPT but maybe they weren't thinking about this???

The issue is that any gun that goes through the FFL transfer process other than PPT/FTF needs to be either on the roster, or roster-exempt.

In the same configuration that you originally take possession of the pistol (or the same configuration that you vol'reg in the case of a homebuilt AK or 80% AR build), you would be able to freely transfer it anywhere in the state.
One it ceases to be a "dimensionally compliant single shot handgun" it again becomes subject to roster requirements for anything other than FTF/PPT.

Conversion from single shot to S/A, installing a shorter barrel, or trimming the OAL, would all remove the roster-exempt status.
The DOJ rep would be assuming that you would not be modifying the pistol after the initial DROS. The modification would be legal, it would just have to be converted back to it's original configuration prior to transfer.
Roster compliance is not the same as SBR issues... if you stick a >16" barrel on the pistol receiver, it becomes an SBR and is no longer a "pistol" receiver because you cannot honestly answer "no" to the question "was it built from a rifle"

This whole mess will be moot once we get the roster thrown out... the roster is the only thing that prevents us from buying a stripped lower and DROSing it as a pistol.
It won't be a free for all... we'll still have SBS/SBR issues to contend with, so we'll still have to be concerned about constructive possession and won't be able to freely swap uppers between pistols and rifles... but at least we'll be able to personally assemble AR and AK pistols from commercial receivers.

[Quiet]

Here's the single-shot exemption to the approved list.

Penal Code 12133
(b) The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to a single-shot pistol with a barrel length of not less than six inches and that has an overall length of at least 10 1/2 inches when the handle, frame or receiver, and barrel are assembled.

[IrishPirate]

thanks cokebottle and quiet, that clears it up.