Bushmaster ACR w/ new barrel

ricka2 said:
I am not sure if this has been asked already , but is the gun available to civy end users in Canada and can it be re barrelled to non restricted ?

Thanks
Ricka2
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We have had 4 ACR's here in Canada for quite some time now... as well as custom (non-restricted) 18.6" barrels that we had made for us.

When Bushmaster announced their "recall" the RCMP immediately put the semi-auto ACR under review. This resulted in the suspension of the FRT # under which the semi-auto (civilian) versions of the ACR were registered and while that FRT # is suspended (pending review) there is nothing that can be done with the ACR's. New imports can't be registered... existing registered guns can't be transferred... we can't even submit a "change of description" request to notify them of a change in barrel length or classification status (non-restricted).

Info I have is that the RCMP are reviewing the classification of the ACR based on the issue of how easy it would be (given the recall notice) to convert the gun to full auto fire. If it falls within the criteria set down by past court decisions then the gun could be re-classified as "Prohibited"... otherwise the FRT # will be unfrozen and things will be back to where we started.

Having said that, it is also my understanding that RCMP Specialized Firearms Support Services currently have over 40 firearm examinations in the queue so this could take some time. They are under-staffed to begin with, plus everytime they get a "Ministerial Inquiry" all files are put on hold to respond to the MI.

Once they put the FRT back up you should see lot's of ACR's available in Canada. Gravel is the distributor for Bushmaster and Bushmaster is building an "export" version that US State Department has issued an export license for. We already have a quantity of non-restricted barrels in Canada and ready for sale.

It's all waiting on the RCMP Specialized Firearms Support Services department.

Mark
 
Mark,

Are the non res barrels you have, just barrels that you have to take your existing fittings, parts and attach or do they come with all the parts and fittings to just do a quick barrel swap?
 
I would like to get a job in the RCMP firearms department, and completely streamline their review process, and make the whole thing super efficient.

Still, there's probably a lot of people who like it just the way it is, plus I'd have to move to Ottawa, which is a very boring city.
 
mrsmitty said:
Mark,

Are the non res barrels you have, just barrels that you have to take your existing fittings, parts and attach or do they come with all the parts and fittings to just do a quick barrel swap?
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Barrel only... you'd need to swap the parts from the original barrel. At this point Bushmaster is not selling their proprietary parts... that may change in future but there's no way to know for sure.

Mark
 
Stevo said:
And then another FRT # for the shorter barrel conversion.
Click to expand...

That's not how the system works... the FRT # for the semi-auto ACR's included what are called "Child Entries" that covered the gun in various configurations... I'm just going from memory but I believe that when the RCMP originally setup the FRT # they included Child Entries for the various factory length barrels that were announced by Bushmaster/Remington: 10.5", 12.5", 14.5", 16" and 18" (unfortunately I can't look them up since they have the FRT screen hidden right now pending the review).

What they did not have was the 18.6" non-restricted barrel and before we could submit that for an additional child entry the recall took place and the review of the classification was begun, freezing everything.

Mark
 
Mark,
Was the US recall due to a slam-fire causing a gun the double? Or was it something more complex in the trigger mechanism?
If it was simply a case of really soft primers getting slam fired, why would the RCMP consider it to be a true full auto?
 
The recall was dued to the firing pin and the firing pin return spring. The Spring is too light and the firing pin is too heavy causing the slam. As per my understand, Bushmaster swap the firing pin with a titanium firing pin and upgrade to a heavier spring.
 
tootall said:
Mark,
Was the US recall due to a slam-fire causing a gun the double? Or was it something more complex in the trigger mechanism?
If it was simply a case of really soft primers getting slam fired, why would the RCMP consider it to be a true full auto?
Click to expand...

I had a long conversation with one of the ACR Product Managers at the SHOT Show about the recall. According to him, Bushmaster responded to reports on the internet that guns were "going full auto" and "burst firing". There was a video posted somewhere showing this... but according to the product manager whom I spoke to, Bushmaster themselves were never able to reproduce the problem at the factory and he stated they fired hundreds of thousands of rounds using various ammunition types attempting to duplicate the issue but could not.

We have fired quite a few rounds out of our guns and we have NEVER seen a single instance of burst or full auto firing... and we used an array of ammunition types and brands.

When I asked him directly why the decision to issue the recall he stated that it was a decision made "higher up the food chain by people far beyond his clearance level"... his belief was that it was made to control liability issues and to make it look like they had done everything possible should in fact a problem actually turn out to exist later.

I asked the Product Manager how important it was to have our 4 guns "updated" and he told me that if they were his guns he would not be worried about it either way as he had NEVER seen a factory gun actually do what was being claimed without being intentionally modified.

After the issues the past couple of years with guns being imported into the country as semi-auto, only to be reviewed later and found to be "Prohibited" full autos (based on the courts interpretation of how a gun can be classified as full auto), the policy now is that RCMP have to examine and check every semi-auto design to see if it can be converted to full auto as defined by the court ruling (I don't remember the case law but it's quite well known). The recall notice triggered the re-evaluation of the ACR which got entered into the FRT before RCMP were instructed to start this new process/policy.

That is my general understanding of what's happening. The resulting backlog is an ongoing issue and likely to get worse, not better.

Mark
 
Move over ACR here comes the SCAR :)
DSC_2250.jpg
 
Thanks for the detailed explanation, Mark.
Glad we had the chance to meet very briefly at SHOT. Always nice to put a face to the screen name.
Cheers,
Dean
 
Questar said:
We have had 4 ACR's here in Canada for quite some time now... as well as custom (non-restricted) 18.6" barrels that we had made for us.

When Bushmaster announced their "recall" the RCMP immediately put the semi-auto ACR under review. This resulted in the suspension of the FRT # under which the semi-auto (civilian) versions of the ACR were registered and while that FRT # is suspended (pending review) there is nothing that can be done with the ACR's. New imports can't be registered... existing registered guns can't be transferred... we can't even submit a "change of description" request to notify them of a change in barrel length or classification status (non-restricted).

Info I have is that the RCMP are reviewing the classification of the ACR based on the issue of how easy it would be (given the recall notice) to convert the gun to full auto fire. If it falls within the criteria set down by past court decisions then the gun could be re-classified as "Prohibited"... otherwise the FRT # will be unfrozen and things will be back to where we started.

Having said that, it is also my understanding that RCMP Specialized Firearms Support Services currently have over 40 firearm examinations in the queue so this could take some time. They are under-staffed to begin with, plus everytime they get a "Ministerial Inquiry" all files are put on hold to respond to the MI.

Once they put the FRT back up you should see lot's of ACR's available in Canada. Gravel is the distributor for Bushmaster and Bushmaster is building an "export" version that US State Department has issued an export license for. We already have a quantity of non-restricted barrels in Canada and ready for sale.

It's all waiting on the RCMP Specialized Firearms Support Services department.

Mark
Click to expand...

Think you'd have any grounds to sue the RCMP for loss of business? 1-2+ years for a simple firearm approval is absurd
 
I just have a quick question. I really love the look of the folding stock, but it seems that the ACR imported to Canada all have fixed stock. Where can i buy the folding stock and how much is it? thanks.
 
I think I should bring this thread back.

Anyway, I have the last stock left in my EE post which you can buy. I might have a polymer handguard which I will part off soon.
 
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