Shortening a barrel due to US Export ban on anything over 16in.

Now I'm not so worried about the US ceasing to export shorter barrels, especially when it is possible to have a gunsmith make you one. I guess if anything good comes from this, gunsmiths will have something to keep them busy now, not like they weren't busy enough already. My local guy is backed up for weeks.

It's been a year or two since they've allowed in short barrels, nothing new at all. The recent restrictions are related to chambering, collapsible stocks, threaded muzzles and whatever else they dreamed up.
 
Good to know since im from Montreal as well . Would it be dumb of me to cut down my LMT MRP from 16 to 11.5 and what should i be aware of before doing so ?

well you're going to loose some velocity due to the shortened barrel and the balistic effect are also going to be affected (not that we can use our ar's for anything else but paper punching). Accuracy will also be affected at longer range, althow my 7.5 inch ar still maintains minute of centermass at 100 yards. The good thing with the MRP is that it's real easy to change back to a longer barrel in no time ( like a friend of mine says... it takes me longer to find that damn rench than to swap the barrels).
 
Dlask makes their own barrels, and has offered short ones in past, anyway.

Arms East has offered barrel shortening services.

I'm surprised Wolverine did not suggest the Sabre Defense line that they sell, which are available in 11.5 and 14.5" lengths. They come from the UK and as such are not affected by American laws. They are expensive, but seem to have a reputation for high quality.

They still do.
 
But it's already Restricted, you can't make it MORE restricted by shortening it, for example, if i had some Dirty Harry revolver with a 10 inch barrel, I have every right to chop the barrel shorter, as long as it stays above the 106mm limit, in regards to AR rifles, you can already buy barrels in lengths from 16 all the way down to 7 inches, so whats the problem with making my own if they already have those lengths on the market.

I want to confirm this with the CFC before we all start assuming laws come into play here, when in fact they may not have any rules regarding shortening a barrel on an already restricted rifle.
 
But it's already Restricted, you can't make it MORE restricted by shortening it, for example, if i had some Dirty Harry revolver with a 10 inch barrel, I have every right to chop the barrel shorter, as long as it stays above the 106mm limit, in regards to AR rifles, you can already buy barrels in lengths from 16 all the way down to 7 inches, so whats the problem with making my own if they already have those lengths on the market.

I want to confirm this with the CFC before we all start assuming laws come into play here, when in fact they may not have any rules regarding shortening a barrel on an already restricted rifle.

From the criminal code of Canada, relevant part bolded

"prohibited firearm" means

(a) a handgun that

(i) has a barrel equal to or less than 105 mm in length, or

(ii) is designed or adapted to discharge a 25 or 32 calibre cartridge,

but does not include any such handgun that is prescribed, where the handgun is for use in international sporting competitions governed by the rules of the International Shooting Union,


(b) a firearm that is adapted from a rifle or shotgun, whether by sawing, cutting or any other alteration, and that, as so adapted,

(i) is less than 660 mm in length, or

(ii) is 660 mm or greater in length and has a barrel less than 457 mm in length,


(c) an automatic firearm, whether or not it has been altered to discharge only one projectile with one pressure of the trigger, or

(d) any firearm that is prescribed to be a prohibited firearm;

Basically, the criminal code says that any long gun that is reduced below the specified length by sawing, cutting, etc, is a prohibited firearm. Doesn't matter whether it is originall restricted or non. If it is a long gun, and you cut the barrel such that it is shorter than those lengths described, you have created a prohibited firearm.
 
You are contradicting yourself by not properly interpretting the sections.
You are leaving out proper, significant, terminology by referring to certain firearms as "long gun" etc.

That section discusses about shortening any firearm to less than those dimensions. If it is already registered with a length already shorter than that, this section does not apply.

Here we go again, if the original lengths are over, restricted weapon or not, you can't cut it. If it is a restricted weapon with registered lengths under, it is moot if you reduce the barrel length.
 
I spoke with the CFC, she told me that reducing the barrel length on a already Restricted firearm doesn't matter since you are not changing the CLASS of firearm.
 
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I have confirmed it with CFC and in particular the technical people. They and I are of the same opinion. If you wish to discuss my credentials as to court expertise, I would be happy to chat on the phone.

The law is quite clear. It does not mention any exemption for firearms that are already restricted. If you cut the barrel and it ends up less than 457mm (18") in length, the firearm becomes prohibitted.

If you replace the barrel with a manufactured barrel, you are good. Can anyone tell the difference? Maybe, maybe not.

The law may be strange but that is the way it is.
 
By your explanation Arwen, that means you need a special permit to manufacture a 7.5 inch barrel for a AR? Your saying I can't make one, but Dlask can?
 
OK! I joined this thread out of curiosity, but remember the more you ask of a bureaucrat, the more it means a definite "NO!" If dealers can get short ARs, let it go.
 
By your explanation Arwen, that means you need a special permit to manufacture a 7.5 inch barrel for a AR? Your saying I can't make one, but Dlask can?

There is nothing in the explanation that say you have to have a manufacturer's licence to make a barrel. It has to be manufctured short.

The question that is interesting is; "When is a barrel a barrel?" As long as you cut it before it is a barrel then you are good.
 
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Your given definition doesn't discuss the situation of someone getting an old barrel back bored or re-chambered. And for those not familiar with that term (back bore), it is when you have a barrel, ie. hunting rifle, varmit rifle, old military surplus, etc, that the muzzle end of the rifle/rifling, is worn. A gunsmith can then bore out the lands and grooves the barrel back to a point where the rifling is sufficient to give proper performance out of that same barrel. And back boreing is also done with barrels that are shorter in length than 18.5 inches.
The CFC states that only the rifled portion of the barrel is measured for barrel length. So therefore this old time, tried and trued, done everyday method of gunsmithing, is therefore shortening the barrel and if less than 18.5", by definition you are then creating a prohibited barrel.

Unfortunately I along with many other "gunnies" have also been given same information about, "as long as the status of the firearm doesn't change, you are OK". And to be talking truthfully, that makes sense. The intent of the original legislation was to restrict the length of shorter firearms for concealability and therefore make a shorter firearm "restricted" in legal status.
However, I understand that Canadian gun law doesn't, and isn't inteded to make sense any longer. So I guess it depends on who and which "expert" you speak to. And ultimately what a judge/various courts say.

The same argument can also be discussed with pistol barrels as well I guess. Many of which in this land have been shortened for mechanical and functioning purposes.

Someone/somewhere is creating a problem situation that doesn't exist over this cutting of already restricted barrel issue.. Similar to the pellet gun fiasco and now joules of energy being needed for definition of a papered gun, it appears someone figured they were saving the world of evils that turned out to be shear sillyness.
 
well you're going to loose some velocity due to the shortened barrel and the balistic effect are also going to be affected (not that we can use our ar's for anything else but paper punching). Accuracy will also be affected at longer range, althow my 7.5 inch ar still maintains minute of centermass at 100 yards. The good thing with the MRP is that it's real easy to change back to a longer barrel in no time ( like a friend of mine says... it takes me longer to find that damn rench than to swap the barrels).

Do u mean i can buy any 10.5 AR barrel and it would fit the MRP ??
 
You do need to answer some basic questions before buying a 10.5 inch barrel for your rifle. Does the rifle have a handguard that will accommodate a short barrel? Is the handguard so long that it will hit the front sight of your shortened barrel?

Any AR to an extent can have a short barrel. You just need to get the appropriate parts for it to work, shorter handguard, slim gas block, shortened gas tube.

You get what I'm saying?
 
Koldt, I went to the trouble of quoting the relevant part of the criminal code to support my arguments. The Criminal Code is very clear: ANY rifle or shotgun that is adapted to have a barrel/overall length of less that x/y is prohib. It makes no distinction between restricted/non restricted or barrels that are longer/shorter than the definition already.

If there are other definitions, laws, or regulations I missed that allow restricted firearms with short barrels to be changed, please quote them or provide a link.



You are contradicting yourself by not properly interpretting the sections.
You are leaving out proper, significant, terminology by referring to certain firearms as "long gun" etc.

That section discusses about shortening any firearm to less than those dimensions. If it is already registered with a length already shorter than that, this section does not apply.

Here we go again, if the original lengths are over, restricted weapon or not, you can't cut it. If it is a restricted weapon with registered lengths under, it is moot if you reduce the barrel length.
 
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