Legal length of a shotgun barrel??

[ccowden 0]

I am in the process of making my home security system more user friendly by shortening the barrel of my single shot 12 gauge. My question is-
What is the legal length it has to be without a permit and is it the measurment of the barrel or the gun length overall?

[PLFKING 4]

18" (barrel only) here in NC (I cut down my Mossberg and put a pistol grip on it).

I don't recall any overall length limitations.



Don

"When in doubt I whip it out,
I got me a rock-and-roll band.
It's a free-for-all."

[coconutmonkey 0]

Alex- What is 18.5".

But if you're looking to home security, why cut down a single shot? One shooters, even a bazooka, don't lend allot of flexibility to your response. Personally recommend a pump for home defense if you're going with the street howitzer. First, you can get most any in an 18.5" barrel. Second, you can get a gauge that is reasonable to your house (tho I like the 12ga myself). Third, taking a hacksaw to a firearm is just aesthetically wrong. Last, the action of a pump shotgun breaks all known language barriers for, "Get the *&%$ out of my house!" without ever having to fire a shot, much less actually chamber a round (tho I wouldn't advise bluffing in this situation).

Hearts & Minds
2 to the Heart-
1 to the Mind-
Home of the Coconut Lounge, Spa, & Artillery Range

[AggieDave 6]

You should have just asked me.

Quote

Legal Lengths for Title I (non-NFA) Firearms

Barrel Length
RIFLE barrels must measure NO LESS than 16" long.

SHOTGUN barrels must measure NO LESS than 18" long.

Overall Length
All non-NFA weapons must measure NO LESS than 26" overall.


HOW TO MEASURE A GUN WHEN THE BARREL OR OVERALL LENGTH IS SUSPECTED OF BEING ILLEGAL

To measure the BARREL LENGTH of a firearm: MAKE SURE THE WEAPON IS NOT LOADED! Lay the gun on a table or other flat surface, with the breech closed and the weapon cocked, as though ready to fire. Run a small tape or a wooden dowel or some other straight object or device down the barrel of the weapon until it touches the bolt face. Make your measurement from the to the end of the barrel.

To measure the OVERALL LENGTH of a firearm: MAKE SURE THE WEAPON IS NOT LOADED! Lay the gun on a table or other flat surface. DO NOT MEASURE SLANT-WISE, from the butt directly to the end of the barrel, but measure in a straight line, from the base of the butt to the line representing the end of the barrel. It may be helpful to place the gun against a wall, to which the tape can be run from the barrel to get an accurate measurement.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[nightjumps 1]

AggieDave is correct on all the measurement specs.

As to coconut monkey's response:

Quote

Last, the action of a pump shotgun breaks all known language barriers for, "Get the *&%$ out of my house!"

I've always wanted to invent a burglar alarm where instead of a wailing siren, the alarm is the sound of an 870 being charged.

[PLFKING 4]

I agree with Tom......get a pump. And mine wasn't aesethically pleasing to start with, so I had no qualms about taking the hacksaw to it.

Quote

To measure the BARREL LENGTH of a firearm: MAKE SURE THE WEAPON IS NOT LOADED!

What Dave said....I lost a good tape measure this way.

(...at least they were able to save my fingers....)


Don

"When in doubt I whip it out,
I got me a rock-and-roll band.
It's a free-for-all."

[mr2mk1g 10]

In the UK its 24" on a shotgun licence. If its shorter than that its classed as a "sawn-off shotgun" and has to be kept on a full firearms licence.

Guess thats little more than interest value to you though.

[PhillyKev 0]

Quote

Last, the action of a pump shotgun breaks all known language barriers for, "Get the *&%$ out of my house!" without ever having to fire a shot, much less actually chamber a round (tho I wouldn't advise bluffing in this situation).

Someone breaks into my house and I have to shoot them, hopefully they'll never hear me chamber a round. That means I missed with the first shot which was already loaded up.

Remember, they can pull the trigger faster than you can chamber a round.

[ccowden 0]

Thank you everyone for the info.

I am not looking for the "perfect" weapon for home security- I am just making something I have better. I was going to sell this nice little single shot 12 guage when I decided it would work good just to keep for protection. The reason I would cut the barrel down is so it would be easier to manuever in the house.

As far as using a pump- Chances are if I ever had to actually fire at someone in my home, it would be in my hallway which is about 4 feet wide and a blast from a sawed off 12 guage would be like a bomb going off for anyone on the recieving end. If it was necessary to chamber a second round after that, I have bigger problems! Plus I think it would be more than enough of a deterrent for a second intruder to make him run.

Yes, the sound of a chambering shotgun round is quite scary to an intruder, but I think yelling-
"Get the f#*k out of my house or I am going to blow a hole in your chest!" will suffice quite nicely as well.

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Yes, the sound of a chambering shotgun round is quite scary to an intruder, but I think yelling-
"Get the f#*k out of my house or I am going to blow a hole in your chest!" will suffice quite nicely as well.

Yes and no. Some may see it as a challenge to kill/hurt you as well. Shotgun cycling = scary, guy yelling = bluff.

For me, all they'll hear is the sound of the 147gr 9mm hydroshock round entering their forehead. They'll be dead by the time the sound of the round firing gets to them.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[ccowden 0]

Quote

Yes and no. Some may see it as a challenge to kill/hurt you as well. Shotgun cycling = scary, guy yelling = bluff.

Not really going to matter if they decide to turn the corner of the hallway. Besides, the point is, I am not going to go buy a pump just to have the effect of a chambering round. Like I said, I am just making what I have better.

[AirMail 0]

Do you really need home security in beautiful suburban Ovid? Things must be getting bad there, what with all the Ithaca wierdos skulking around at night, huh?

P-

Edit: I forgot about the prison.

--
It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
Postal Rodriguez, Muff 3342

[ccowden 0]

Well, I actually live in Binghamton, but Ovid certainly has it's share of whackos! And yes, there is the whole matter of the maximum security prison!

[PhillyKev 0]

Quote

For me, all they'll hear is the sound of the 147gr 9mm hydroshock round entering their forehead.

I prefer the 124 Hydro's. Slightly less penetration in gelatin (but only a little) but more muzzle velocity (better penetration through clothes).

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

shortening the barrel of my single shot 12 gauge.

Make sure you don't cut it too short, or the ATF may come and murder your family, as they did to Randy Weaver, whose offense was to cut down a barrel a half-inch too short.

[Deuce 1]

Quote

Last, the action of a pump shotgun breaks all known language barriers

No foolin. We called the 870 the "crowd pleaser". Hilarious. When I pulled up as second car on a stolen vehicle, I would always take the shotgun cause it was such an effective attention-getter. Plus there was always a gasp from the folks standing on the sidewalk.

Clack-CLACK!

[AndyMan 7]

Quote

Last, the action of a pump shotgun breaks all known language barriers for, "Get the *&%$ out of my house!"

Don't forget the value of sitting on the sofa, cleaning the disasembled shotgun when your young daughters date to the prom comes by to pick her up...

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[Kennedy 0]

Actually, Aggie is only partially correct. With a license you can purchase shotgun with as short as a ten inch barrel. Requires ATF approval IIRC. Same as full auto firearms. They are obtainable, if you're willing to put up with it.

My internship supervisor was one such person. I was talking to him about a side by side for the home, and he mentioned having an leftoverpump action, ten inch barrel, pistol gripped twelve gauge. You could carry the thing through a door jam sideways with plenty of clearance. Had ghost ring sights and screw in chokes, as well.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[Kennedy 0]

[southern drawl] Boy, just you remember, I've got four acres, a shotgun, a shovel, and a daughter I love very much. [/drawl]

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

Anyone seen "Bowling for Columbine"?

____________________
Say no to subliminal messages

[Gawain 0]

Guns play a slightly different role in our culture than across the pond. I don't know a volumes about gun specs, but totally respect them, have had the pleasure to shoot a few and still don't own one.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[Jimbo 0]

Hey Bill, think we could add "Bowling for Columbine" to Godwin's law?

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[Guest]

I know a cop who used to violate dept policy on a regular basis when he was point man in dope raids by keeping the chamber empty when he went in.

When asked why, he said, "The psychological value of charging a pump-action riot gun has a tendency to quickly pacify a tense situation."

Just be sure to use birdshot so that you don't destroy your house if you have to use it......birdshot works very well against bad guys but tends not to go through walls, etc...

mh

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[cvfd1399 0]

16 inches. If there is a muzzle brake or other batf approved device on the end of it that adds to the length. Ie a 12 inch barrel with a 4 inch ported standoff = 16 inches of legal firepower!