How short can barrels go? (legally)
- Thread starter piché888
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JohnC
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
it depends
a pistol barrel must be 105mm (4.25 inches) or longer for the firearm to fall into the restricted class. anything shorter and properly registered is prohibited and can only be held by granfathered individuals. Pistol barrels can be shortened or replaced as long as their final length is over the 105mm
Rifles and shotgun barrels can be any length as long as they're made that way. You can't shorten an existing rifle or shotgun barrel below 18.5 inches, but you can replace the barrel with one shorter than that length as long as it's a barrel manufactured that way - not cut down from an originally longer barrel. Also, the total length of the firearm has to be 26 inches or more after the change - otherwise it becomes prohibited. If you're dealing with a centerfire rifle or shotgun, if the barrel (original or replaced) is under 18.5 inches, the firearm becomes a restricted firearm (conversely, replacing a barrel under 18.5 inches with one over that length will make a semi-auto centerfire unrestricted). again, the 26 inch limit overall length applies.
rimfire rifles follow the same rules as centerfire rifles except the the 18.5 inch rule for making it restricted does not apply.
if i've missed anything perhaps other members could join in...
cheers
a pistol barrel must be 105mm (4.25 inches) or longer for the firearm to fall into the restricted class. anything shorter and properly registered is prohibited and can only be held by granfathered individuals. Pistol barrels can be shortened or replaced as long as their final length is over the 105mm
Rifles and shotgun barrels can be any length as long as they're made that way. You can't shorten an existing rifle or shotgun barrel below 18.5 inches, but you can replace the barrel with one shorter than that length as long as it's a barrel manufactured that way - not cut down from an originally longer barrel. Also, the total length of the firearm has to be 26 inches or more after the change - otherwise it becomes prohibited. If you're dealing with a centerfire rifle or shotgun, if the barrel (original or replaced) is under 18.5 inches, the firearm becomes a restricted firearm (conversely, replacing a barrel under 18.5 inches with one over that length will make a semi-auto centerfire unrestricted). again, the 26 inch limit overall length applies.
rimfire rifles follow the same rules as centerfire rifles except the the 18.5 inch rule for making it restricted does not apply.
if i've missed anything perhaps other members could join in...
cheers
Lee Enfield
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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A few minor corrections:
Barrels cannot be shortened to less than 18" in length for any manually operated firearm.
Except centerfire semi-autos which must remain at 18-1/2".
Factory manufactured barrels can come in any length as long as the overall length of the firearm remains over 26(1/2?)" for manually operated firearms.
Centerfire semi-autos are still restricted to minimum 18-1/2" barrels, factory or not.
HOWEVER:
"law enforcement types" & "beaurocrats" are known for using "rubber rulers" which stretch & shrink as desired.
No one I know will willingly shorten a barrel to less than 1/4" above the legal limit.
Regards
D
Barrels cannot be shortened to less than 18" in length for any manually operated firearm.
Except centerfire semi-autos which must remain at 18-1/2".
Factory manufactured barrels can come in any length as long as the overall length of the firearm remains over 26(1/2?)" for manually operated firearms.
Centerfire semi-autos are still restricted to minimum 18-1/2" barrels, factory or not.
HOWEVER:
"law enforcement types" & "beaurocrats" are known for using "rubber rulers" which stretch & shrink as desired.
No one I know will willingly shorten a barrel to less than 1/4" above the legal limit.
Regards
D
JohnC
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Lee Enfield said:
I agree centerfire semi-autos are restricted to 18.5" barrels if they are to stay unrestricted -(did I really write that
) but if they are made wiith barrels shorter than that, they are still legal - but they are then restricted.cheers
Factory barrel less then 18 1/2" on a semi-auto centerfire = restricted
Factory barrel less then 18 1/2" on a rimfire or non semi-auto centerfire
= non restricted if overall length is greater then 26"
= restricted if overall length is less then 26"
No home made barrels cut less then 18 1/2 "
Factory barrel less then 18 1/2" on a rimfire or non semi-auto centerfire
= non restricted if overall length is greater then 26"
= restricted if overall length is less then 26"
No home made barrels cut less then 18 1/2 "
Smoothbore
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Quote: If you're dealing with a centerfire rifle or shotgun, if the barrel (original or replaced) is under 18.5 inches, the firearm becomes a restricted firearm
I don't think that's correct. People have been taking a centerfire, non-restricted Remington 870 shotgun and putting the new 12.5 and 14" factory made Dlask barrels on them and keeping the non-restricted status.
I don't think that's correct. People have been taking a centerfire, non-restricted Remington 870 shotgun and putting the new 12.5 and 14" factory made Dlask barrels on them and keeping the non-restricted status.
You are right Smoothbore....IGA Gaucha .410 "backpackers" have 12" barrels from the factory and are legal and non-restricted. I sell many of them at my shop.
I am currently customizing a .410 for my son and we are cutting the barrel down to 19" and the stock will lose some wood too (as long as its 26" overall).
CFC is to be notified of any alterations to the registration information.
I am currently customizing a .410 for my son and we are cutting the barrel down to 19" and the stock will lose some wood too (as long as its 26" overall).
CFC is to be notified of any alterations to the registration information.
Possibly there has been a change in the legislation but at one time not that long ago it was pointed out to me by one official that a factory barrel could not be reduced to less than 20 inches. I argued at the time that the factory made much shorter barrels and he showed me (in the criminal code I think), where it stated a barrel could not be cut to shorter than 20 inches. A barrel can be made by the factory to less.
I never did pay much attention to it and I don't know if it was ever enforced or if it is in effect still. I know the law does not prohibit us from owning shorter barrels as previously posted.
I never did pay much attention to it and I don't know if it was ever enforced or if it is in effect still. I know the law does not prohibit us from owning shorter barrels as previously posted.
Ok here is a dumb question. If I have a unrestricted center fire with a barrel on it of lets say 24 inches, and I put a manufactured barrell that is 17 inches on it does that mean I have to have a restricted licence to keep that rifle? I know it would be stupid to go to 17 inches but just out of curiosity what would happen according to the law.
Actually that's 4.13 inches, and the extra 10th of an inch makes a big difference on compact frame pistols as far as looks are concerned. I think the Canadian importers just start got fed up with incompetent border people not knowing how to measure properly so they just said OK 4.25 inches it is!
But in reality, they can be shorter than that.
Remington manufactured the action. You are assembling a rifle on the action which they manufactured.
I have a couple of take-off XP-100 barrels. Suppose I were to install them on M600/700/7 actions, and stock them up so that the assembled rifle exceeded 26". I would suggest that the resulting firearms would be non-restricted.
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