How short can a Shotgun be?

[Deadon]

Im thinking about cutting my saiga down. How short can the barrel be?

[CSACANNONEER]

Have you even bothered to look at the Shotgun AW flow chart? Several members work hard on it to answer simple questions like this. You might as well use it.

[fishboy]

barrel should be at lease 18 inches

overall length no less than 26 inches

[mmrx2]

Oc armory has a Saiga 12 AOW that can be Kalifornized, or you could have the barrel cut down under the 18inch limit and weld on a corresponding length muzzle device to get back to 18in. and still look shorter.

[CSACANNONEER]

Oc armory has a Saiga 12 AOW that can be Kalifornized, or you could have the barrel cut down under the 18inch limit and weld on a corresponding length muzzle device to get back to 18in. and still look shorter.

THe AOWs are no longer "Saigas". They have a brand new receiver so that they are true AOWs and not SBS. Cutting down a barrel on a Saiga to under 18" and removing the rear stock would still result in a SBS which would not be legal in Ca for 50 years and would still violate Ca's current AW laws.

[Argonaut]

Be CAREFUL......Randy Weaver had his wife and dog shot for cutting a shotgun barrel down to 17 7/8"

[nicki]

Federal and State laws

I believe federal law is 26 inches for rifles and 28 inches for shotguns for overall length.

That is Fed, you are in California and I believe in our state overall length has to be at least 30 inches.

You can build a saiga only with a MAG LOCK, can't have detachable mag.

Can't have a folding stock either.

Less than 28 gets you in heat with Feds
Less than 30 can cause State issues
Keep barrel at 18.5 and overall length at 30.5 and you'll be okay.

Nicki

[Deadon]

Thanks guys

[pyromensch]

i thought that it used to be, (might be out of touch), 26" for either, but the barrel length had to be minimum of 16 on a rifle, and 18" on a shotgun.

[_Z_]

I believe federal law is 26 inches for rifles and 28 inches for shotguns for overall length.

That is Fed, you are in California and I believe in our state overall length has to be at least 30 inches.

You can build a saiga only with a MAG LOCK, can't have detachable mag.

Can't have a folding stock either.

Less than 28 gets you in heat with Feds
Less than 30 can cause State issues
Keep barrel at 18.5 and overall length at 30.5 and you'll be okay.

Nicki

Correct but single shot, sxs, and I believe pumps OAL is 26 inches

[lorax3]

I believe federal law is 26 inches for rifles and 28 inches for shotguns for overall length.

A few corrections.

Federal law states rifles must have at least a 16" barrel, shotguns must have at least an 18" barrel. Minimum federal length for either is 26".

CA echoes all of the above in its penal code, except that semiautomatic centerfire rifles must be at least 30" overall, barrel length remains at 16".

18 USC 921(a)(6) The term “short-barreled shotgun” means a shotgun having one or more barrels less than eighteen inches in length and any weapon made from a shotgun (whether by alteration, modification or otherwise) if such a weapon as modified has an overall length of less than twenty-six inches.

18 USC 921(a)(8)The term “short-barreled rifle” means a rifle having one or more barrels less than sixteen inches in length and any weapon made from a rifle (whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise) if such weapon, as modified, has an overall length of less than twenty-six inches.

That is federal law, but CA echoes the same length provisions within the 12020PC definitions.

CA PC 12276.1. (a) Notwithstanding Section 12276, "assault weapon" shall
also mean any of the following:
(1) A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has the capacity to
accept a detachable magazine and any one of the following:
(A) A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action
of the weapon.
(B) A thumbhole stock.
(C) A folding or telescoping stock.
(D) A grenade launcher or flare launcher.
(E) A flash suppressor.
(F) A forward pistol grip.
(2) A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has a fixed magazine
with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.
(3) A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has an overall length
of less than 30 inches.