Originally Posted by
fenceline
Firstly, TVPP needs some serious kudos for taking up this endeavor. He bought the pistol, imported it, and then shipped it to the lab for evaluation, complete with pistol mag. He is losing the magazine, getting the pistol back, and it is currently going to be limited to 5 rounds like any other current vz58 styled offering. Lots of effort spent on no reward so far. He shouldn’t have to buy a round at the bar for himself for some time, just saying.
As for the ruling, I honestly didn’t see it turning out this way. And while I’m not thrilled by the result of their interpretation, I can see where they base their argument under the current rules.
Let me explain…
The firearm:
Czech Small Arms (CSA) currently produces rifles. They make no pistols what so ever. The vz58 and vz61 series coming out of Czech currently start their life as rifle receivers, are assembled and shipped to where ever they may go. Canada, the US, and other European nations.
Czech-Point in the US, is the US distributor for said firearms. At some point, after either arrival in the US, or before landing on US shores pre-inspection, the original rifles are modified to have their stocks removed, and a sling plate added to the rear of the receiver. This makes them pistols, both in the US, and when imported into Canada. However, even Czechpoint advertises that US buyers can fasten a stock to the “pistol”, making it an SBR in the US, as long as they apply for the appropriate tax stamp.
The RCMP acknowledges this in their ruling, and the information can be found online easily enough.
In Canada, we could do the same. Buy a vz58 rifle, remove the stock and have the RCMP lab, or a verifier classify it as a pistol. Given the FRT now exists for a CSA pistol, verification should be easy.
The magazine:
Given the above, all vz58 receivers start out in life as vz58 rifle receivers. There are no receivers that are built, and intended from the ground up to be pistol receivers. One might say “what about the AR15 pistol and XCR pistol receivers???” Well, these are forged, and roll marked at the time of production as “pistols”. It is roll marked right into the side. They were never rifles, and were never modified from rifles into pistols. Pistols from birth.
The RCMP have stated that the current vz58 pistol magazine on the market is prohibited. They argue that all vz58 pistols currently on the market (one in Canada, more in the US for import) are modified rifles. As the original manufacture has only ever made rifle receivers, and all pistol versions are converted rifles, then all magazines currently on the market are rifle magazine designed and have been adapted to be pistol magazines, by stamping “pistol magazine” on the side. And we know how that plays out. It is their contention that this is no different than taking a PMAG, and stamping “pistol magazine” on the side of it.
We could buy a CSA rifle, modify it to a pistol and have it registered. We could not turn around and start decalling/stamping existing 10 round rifle mags as pistol mags. I'm not saying this is what Zahal's supplier has done, but that is what the RCMP is saying Zahal's supplier of "pistol mags" has done.
So how does one make a pistol magazine legal given this interpretation???
The only solution I can see (and I’m far from all seeing), is to produce a vz58 pistol receiver from the ground up, roll marked as a “pistol” during production, with a solid rear end that is not capable of receiving a stock in any form. As the firearm would be born as a pistol, it could never be anything else. And as an originally designed pistol, it could then have a pistol magazine designed specifically for it. Currently all vz58 production, even in the US, is focused around rifle receivers. All pistols are first rifles, modified to US standards to be pistols second.
CQB, 3 Gun, ISSAC and Service Rifle Shooter.
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