California Illegal Rimfire

[BxS1986]

So I finally bought a .22 rifle and I'm spending my 10 days looking at aftermarket parts. I bought a Remington 597 standard with blue synthetic stock. Might have been a Bass Pro sale, but it came with a scope too. Didn't get a good look at the scope though.

The one question I keep running into is: What can I do that will make my .22 LR or any rimfire gun illegal in California?

I researched and found some information, but for every little thing it gets harder and harder to find an answer. What I found (please correct me if I'm wrong if you have something to add):

- Overall gun length has to be at least 30 inches long.
- Barrel length has to be at least 16 inches long.
- Magazine can only hold a maximum of 10 rounds. Tubular magazine like in the Marlin 60 may go over.

- Most the evil features on a centerfire rifle does not apply. *Can someone elaborate on this?
- Adjustable stocks, like the Archangel kit. As long as the minimum setting is still a overall length of 30 inches? Does the adjustable stock have to be pinned into place?
- Forward grip, I don't want one, but for the sake of others. The kit does come with one. Can I use it with the other evil features?
- The kit also comes with a slip on barrel with a fake flash hider. Can I get a barrel shroud or compensator that looks like a silencer? I like the look, but wouldn't want the hassle. Just out of curiousity.

One issue I ran into are flash hiders/compensators/brakes. Is this law (can't remember exactly what it says) for all guns? Pistols, rifles, and featureless AR? Or part of making a featureless AR? I don't think we're allow to have threaded barrels in CA, but I'm pretty sure ARs are threaded. What about a slip over compensator? Like: https://www.volquartsen.com/products...ization-module
Is that considered a pinned/fixed muzzle compensator?


That's all I can think of right now. I lost my train of though typing this up. I'll add anything else once I can remember. I was looking at and reading a lot of stuff late last night.

Thanks for your time.

[stix213]

You sound seriously confused about what laws apply to rimfire rifles. Going to sound like a broken record here in a second.

There is no Assault Weapon Ban law for rimfire rifles (there is for pistols). CA law on rimfire rifles is largely the same as the rest of the country. The exceptions would be 26" OAL is measured in the shortest fireable configuration instead of the longest, and generally it is illegal to acquire new greater than 10 round mags (except for guns that are tube fed).

The law about 30" OAL is the AWB, which doesn't apply to rimfire rifles (only need to be 26")
The law about evil features is the AWB, which doesn't apply to rimfire rifles
The law about adjustable stocks is the AWB, which doesn't apply to rimfire rifles
The law about forward grips is the AWB, which doesn't apply to rimfire rifles
The law about flashhiders is the AWB, which doesn't apply to rimfire rifles
The law about featureless AR's is the AWB, which doesn't apply to rimfire rifles (if you are talking about a centerfire featureless AR then you can't have a flash hider because it is a feature, making you not featureless, see the centerfire semi auto ban flowchart for details)

There is no law against fake silencers. There is a law against real ones though.

Basically you can do whatever you want to a rimfire rifle in CA as long as you don't make an SBR (by taking the barrel below 16" or the OAL below 26"), don't illegally acquire large-capacity mags, and don't try to do anything that would violate federal law.

[defcon]

bingo

[Chaos47]

^Badass response right there! Good work stix213!

About the only thing I can think of other then whats posted above that could be illegal for a rimfire is tracer ammo. But that is an ammo law not a rimfire law..

[02Caltaco]

So, I guess the reason my sig 522 has a welded on flash hider has to do with manufacturer choice and not just to make it Ca. legal like I thought.

[roushstage2]

Yes, unless the barrel was less than 16" without the flash hider. A permanent muzzle device (welded/welded and pinned) can bring the barrel up to legal length.

[xibunkrlilkidsx]

So I finally bought a .22 rifle and I'm spending my 10 days looking at aftermarket parts. I bought a Remington 597 standard with blue synthetic stock. Might have been a Bass Pro sale, but it came with a scope too. Didn't get a good look at the scope though.

The one question I keep running into is: What can I do that will make my .22 LR or any rimfire gun illegal in California?

I researched and found some information, but for every little thing it gets harder and harder to find an answer. What I found (please correct me if I'm wrong if you have something to add):

Obey these at all times
- Overall gun length has to be at least 30 inches long.
- Barrel length has to be at least 16 inches long.
- Magazine can only hold a maximum of 10 rounds. Tubular magazine like in the Marlin 60 may go over.

- Most the evil features on a centerfire rifle does not apply. *Can someone elaborate on this? Centerfire semi automatics cant have a cetain things together..like a detachable mag and a pistol grip(or anything else considered an "evil" feature, flash hider..etc) with rimfire rifles these laws dont apply you can have a pistol grip and a detachable magazine.
- Adjustable stocks, like the Archangel kit. As long as the minimum setting is still a overall length of 30 inches? Does the adjustable stock have to be pinned into place?as long as the overall length is still >30" your g2g. I have the g36 kit by Archangel and it has a stock that folds and the length is still over 30" therefore legal.
- Forward grip, I don't want one, but for the sake of others. The kit does come with one. Can I use it with the other evil features?does not apply to rimfire. you can have allll the evil features you want.
- The kit also comes with a slip on barrel with a fake flash hider. Can I get a barrel shroud or compensator that looks like a silencer? I like the look, but wouldn't want the hassle. Just out of curiousity.
as long as the attachment does not modify the decibel level by 1db you can add what ever you want. you can add a fake suppresor, or flash hider and be legal. as long as you dont violate any other laws, like shortening the barrel length below min. You can cut your barrel down to 1in, and add a fake suppressor as long as you follow the atf laws for it becoming a "pemanent muzzle device"

One issue I ran into are flash hiders/compensators/brakes. Is this law (can't remember exactly what it says) for all guns? Pistols, rifles, and featureless AR? Or part of making a featureless AR? I don't think we're allow to have threaded barrels in CA, but I'm pretty sure ARs are threaded. What about a slip over compensator? Like: https://www.volquartsen.com/products...ization-module
Is that considered a pinned/fixed muzzle compensator?
Legal for same reasons above. rimfire rifles are not controlled by the assault weapon ban like AR's and other centerfire semi autos.

That's all I can think of right now. I lost my train of though typing this up. I'll add anything else once I can remember. I was looking at and reading a lot of stuff late last night.

Thanks for your time.

see bold. and pls correct me if im wrong on any of this people. Im not a lawyer but that is my understanding of the laws as what i have been told and read.

[BxS1986]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

That cleared things up perfectly. Every time I searched a part or modification for the .22 lr, I had to filter through a lot of stuff for ARs or centerfire guns. It was very confusing with no straight answer.

Looks like just the 26 inch length minimum limit and 10 round magazine capacity.

What about a threaded barrel on the .22?

[Chaos47]

26" overall and 16" barrel minimum.

OAL is measured in the shortest configuration in which it can still be fired.

I'm probably going to start confusing you but...
The 10rd magazine law is separate law.
You can use legally owned hicaps.
Possession and use of hicap magazines is not illegal.

The manufacturing, importation into the state, offering for sale, keeping for sale, exposing for sale, giving, and lending of a large capacity magazine is controlled.
Quote from CA DOJ AW Guide Page 74

But generally yes you will be limited to 10 round magazines because you did not obtain them before the ban

Threaded barrels are legal on rimfire and centerfire rifles.
They are illegal on both rimfire and centerfire pistols.

[roushstage2]

Also, tube-fed rimfire rifles are exempt from the 10-round limit.

[stix213]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

That cleared things up perfectly. Every time I searched a part or modification for the .22 lr, I had to filter through a lot of stuff for ARs or centerfire guns. It was very confusing with no straight answer.

Looks like just the 26 inch length minimum limit and 10 round magazine capacity.

What about a threaded barrel on the .22?

There are no restictions on threaded barrels on any rifles or shotguns in California. Pistols do have that restriction unless you make them fixed magazine configuration.

[Ridesy]

So I bought a sig 522 swat pistol and will pop a bullet button on it and get the mags fixed permanently to 10rd before I move to CA. Anything else I need to do?

Is the difference between the swat pistol and the sbr's just the fact it doesn't have a stock?

Anything above going to cause me problems?

[roushstage2]

So I bought a sig 522 swat pistol and will pop a bullet button on it and get the mags fixed permanently to 10rd before I move to CA. Anything else I need to do?

Is the difference between the swat pistol and the sbr's just the fact it doesn't have a stock?

Anything above going to cause me problems?

All I could find by Googling "Sig 552" and "Sig 552 SWAT Pistol" were airsoft guns? Is Google failing me?

[Chaos47]

So I bought a sig 522 swat pistol and will pop a bullet button on it and get the mags fixed permanently to 10rd before I move to CA. Anything else I need to do?

Is the difference between the swat pistol and the sbr's just the fact it doesn't have a stock?

Anything above going to cause me problems?

Its it generally advisable to not bump an old topic. Especially not to ask a new question.


First up tell us more about this weapon.
California has vastly different laws for Pistol / Rifle and Rimfire / Centerfire.

From a search it seems to be a center fire pistol.
Because it has its magazine out of the pistol grip yes it needs a magazine lock.
Yes you will need to have maximum of 10 round magazines (both because of the magazine law and because of the max a BB'd pistol can hold by definition)

NO it is not a SBR. It is a pistol. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PUT A STOCK ON IT!

[Ridesy]

Sorry guys, bad etiquette.

I thought this was recent and relevant. I'll start a new thread going forward.

OK that's good to know, I've got a couple of other questions so I will pop a new one up there now.