50 Beowulf AR15 pistol build - can we get 10 rnd mags?

asked a gunsmith. he said if you cut down the barrel on an AR, its considered prohibited. you have to buy a manufactured barrel if you want to change the length..

There is a perfectly viable third option. You can make the barrel yourself or even have a friend make it. As long as it is made from a blank, nobody can claim it has been cut down and thus it is perfectly legal. Making a barrel from a blank isn't exactly rocket science. Anyone with a lathe can do it.

To be honest, the entire chopping of barrels thing is ludicrous. Cutting a barrel to length is a part of the manufacturing process.
 
Why register it as anything but a lower? Just leave it that way you have 30 days to report a change so as long as you make take the upper off once every 30 days, or leave it off in storage its perfectly legal and then you don't have any of this BS to deal with.
 
Why register it as anything but a lower? Just leave it that way you have 30 days to report a change so as long as you make take the upper off once every 30 days, or leave it off in storage its perfectly legal and then you don't have any of this BS to deal with.
with all due respect, 30days is a grace period, not a loophole in the regulation and please don't encourage other people to do this.
 
I put a 10.5" barrel on an Aero Precision lower and had to get a new FRT made as no one put that length upper on it before. They asked me "where did you get the barrel from?", my answer was "it's an upper not a barrel and I bought it used". That was good enough for them.
 
asked a gunsmith. he said if you cut down the barrel on an AR, its considered prohibited. you have to buy a manufactured barrel if you want to change the length..
i am NOT knowledgable on this topic. This was direct from the mouth of a gunsmith...

That not 100% correct. You can have a gunsmith cut down an AR barrel as long as it stays more than 18.5in long. I verified this with the CFC, had it done, updated the registration of my rifle and had a new FRT issued since the finished barrel length was 20.25 inches. If you want to cut it down below 18.5 or it already is less than 18.5 then you have a problem. Not logical but there it is.
 
Asking about the barrel source is common, they asked me where I got my M1 carbine barrel from when I called to get it reclassed as non restricted. I think it's just to check that it's a commercial barrel and not cut down by someone. They also asked me if I still had the old barrel and reminded me to call in to reclassify it to restricted if I put it back on.
 
Well… you don’t have to tell them anything, but they can demand you provide the firearm for inspection…
Firearms Act said:
Demand to produce firearm
105. An inspector who believes on reasonable grounds that a person possesses a firearm may, by demand made to that person, require that person, within a reasonable time after the demand is made, to produce the firearm in the manner specified by the inspector for the purpose of verifying the serial number or other identifying features of the firearm and of ensuring that, in the case of a prohibited firearm or a restricted firearm, the person is the holder of the registration certificate for it.
I think it has been made fairly clear why they asked; they want to confirm that it was not cut below 18” and is a new manufactured barrel, and so they can ensure that the FRT is correct. FYI, cutting below 18.5” = restricted, cutting below 18” = prohibited.
 
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OK i called the RCMP firearm Technology Unit and spoke to a nice lady who was very helpful. She mentioned that they never had an 18" barrel in the firearm manufacturer before and wanted some details because the firearm would be brand new to the data base. OK. I requested that the lower be classified as a pistol and she mentioned that I could not. I asked why since the manufacturer states on their website that the lower is stamped multicaliber and can be used as a rifle or lower.

Since our virgin stripped T15BDX™ Lower Receiver can be assembled in either a pistol or a rifle configuration (subject to ATF regulations), no designation of pistol or rifle is marked on the receiver which allows you to assemble it in either configuration you prefer (contact ATF for assembly restrictions and guidelines). The receiver is equally suited for either application.

She put me on hold for a bit then came back and stated that yes I could rescind my request to make lower a 223 rifle with 18 inch barrel. Make a pistol and send them digital pictures of both sides and one indicating overall length. I wanted to clarify how to make a pistol - not just a restriced firearm. We all know there is a difference with acceptable round count. She came back with a legal description of a pistol is a firearm designed to be shot with one hand. I also asked if I can make my pistol in 50 BEOWULF - she said yes.

I will have to make my lower without a buttstock - maybe a buffer tube designed to not accept stocks. Build an upper in 50 Beowulf - maybe not even add a handguard to remove any chance of calling it a hand position for firing.

Is there 50 Beowulf uppers available in Canada? Can anyone make a 50 Beowulf barrel? Are the components to make a Beowulf upper the same as 223 components? What width of barrel would you need? 0.750?
 
I put a 10.5" barrel on an Aero Precision lower and had to get a new FRT made as no one put that length upper on it before. They asked me "where did you get the barrel from?", my answer was "it's an upper not a barrel and I bought it used". That was good enough for them.

had the same questions about my 20 inch build. It started out as a nork lower, with a 20 inch BBL. They had to make a new FRT entry, as nobody had one like that before.
 
I didn't know it was any of their business what upper you put on the lower or what barrel you mounted in the upper. The lower is the registered part and you can throw any upper you want on it any time you want.
I had one lower and 3 uppers before I bought another lower. I just registered the new lower as a lower and put any upper on it I want depending what I feel like shooting that day.
If they come to your house then you just put that upper on it yesterday.
Why should it matter what barrel length is on it? It's restricted no matter what you do as long as you didn't shorten or have a barrel shortened. an AR with 7.5 inch through 24 inch are all the same classification.

So am I supposed to tell them I sold an upper and bought a different one every time I decide I want something different even though the upper has no serial number and is just classified as parts?
 
I wanted to clarify how to make a pistol - not just a restriced firearm. We all know there is a difference with acceptable round count.

No there isn't. It's all dependant on what the mag was designed for, it doesn't matter what you're putting it into. You can put a 10rd pistol mag into a rifle that's designed to take those mags.

Not sure why you'd want it classified as a pistol, in Canada it gets you nothing. The Americans do the pistol thing in order to get barrels under 16" without requiring a $200 tax stamp.
 
No there isn't. It's all dependant on what the mag was designed for, it doesn't matter what you're putting it into. You can put a 10rd pistol mag into a rifle that's designed to take those mags.

Not sure why you'd want it classified as a pistol, in Canada it gets you nothing. The Americans do the pistol thing in order to get barrels under 16" without requiring a $200 tax stamp.

Hmm. This is the question. Can I make a pistol in 50 Beowulf and put 10 rounds in it? Your saying no. If that's correct right now - how do we change that? There has to be a way.
 
One thing to remember is that the law states that the ten round mag for a handgun has to be for a handgun that is commonly available (IIRC).
So one or two .50 Beowolf pistols may or may not cut it. I'm not sure what the RCMP consider 'commonly available'.
 
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