Legalities

[radkins]

How about a discussion on the paper work and legalities involved in building your own firearm from scratch? I keep hearing some widely conflicting versions of just what the BATF has to say about this matter and although probably the best way to obtain the facts would just be to call the Feds I thought it might be interesting to hear about experiences others may have had with these guys.

[gunsmither]

Lot's of info here; the best!

http://www.homegunsmith.com

[G.A. Ewen]

It all depends where you live. One of the reasons that I only work on airguns.

[JCHannum]

In the US, as long as the gun complies with requisite laws concerning barrel length, non silenced, non fully automatic, caliber and so forth, an individual can make a gun for his own use, not for resale, with no problems. As far as I know, there is no limit on the number allowed to be manufactured.

If a home made gun is sold on an occasional basis, it must be marked with the maker's name and serially numbered. I don't know just what would constitute an occasional basis, but probably one per year would not be a bad guess.

[radkins]

I am interested in this subject because I have built muzzle loaders in the past but I would like to build a custom falling block action single shot chambered in one of the 50 caliber black powder chamberings.

[BigBoy1]

There have been and are for sale many parts kits from guns, consisting of everything but the receiver of the firearm. The majority of these kits were machine guns in their original lives. These can be used to build semi-automatic firearms.

There is the very big temptation to make a new receiver and just mount the parts on the receiver and you have your firearm. There-in lies the problem. The BATFE has ruled, if a machine gun parts kit is used to make a new firearm, that firearm must be semi-automatic AND fire from a close bolt. It is illegal to currently manufacture a semi-auto firearm that fires from an open-bolt. If the parts kit was a submachine gun, firing with the open-bolt method of operation, that operation can not be replicated when the sem-automatic firearm is manufactured. The open-bolt method of operation HAS to be changes so the firing method of operatioin is closed-bolt.

Bill

[andy_b]

There have been and are for sale many parts kits from guns, consisting of everything but the receiver of the firearm. The majority of these kits were machine guns in their original lives. These can be used to build semi-automatic firearms.

There is the very big temptation to make a new receiver and just mount the parts on the receiver and you have your firearm. There-in lies the problem. The BATFE has ruled, if a machine gun parts kit is used to make a new firearm, that firearm must be semi-automatic AND fire from a close bolt. It is illegal to currently manufacture a semi-auto firearm that fires from an open-bolt. If the parts kit was a submachine gun, firing with the open-bolt method of operation, that operation can not be replicated when the sem-automatic firearm is manufactured. The open-bolt method of operation HAS to be changes so the firing method of operatioin is closed-bolt.

Bill

man, i hope radkins isn't hoping to build one of those old falling-block machine guns.

seriously though, JC covered it as to how i also interpret the current laws.

andy b.

[JCHannum]

I don't know all the regulations as applied to true full automatic firearms, and assembly of the de-milled parts kits. I have looked at a few and decided it was in my better interests to avoid them.

I am interested in the older single shots myself, and have a high wall casting kit nearly finished. If you are considering the build of a falling block BPCR, you are on safe ground. What action do you plan making?

[radkins]

I have been thinking something along the lines of the Sharpes but I actually would like to build something unique or maybe a modified Sharpes.

[G.A. Ewen]

Lot's of info here; the best!

http://www.homegunsmith.com

Looks like a great forum,,,,,,,,, to bad that I can't participate without a server email.