I’m getting a double barrel shotgun, and want to know is it illegal to saw off the back part of the stock?
November 12th, 2009 by eranio
Like I said i’m getting a Double Barrel. I want to saw off the stock to make it have a pistol grip like a Lupara. The barrel will still be the same length.
Is that illegal?
Posted in double barrel shotgun
November 12th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Federal law & BATFE regs require all shotguns to be 26" in length overall, with 18" minimum barrel length.
Why anyone would want to ugly up a thing of beauty like a double with a pistol grip and 20"+ barrels is beyond me.
November 12th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I don’t recommend your mutilations of a double barrel shotgun. Most doubles are too valuable as is to be chopped up for whatever game you are playing in your mind. They work FAR better when used as designed and for what they were intended. If you want something radical, there are a number of factory-made home or personal defense style weapons that can be purchased from a number of legal sources without questioning the legality of ownership, etc. I recommend you consider those alternatives. And if you have no affection for the double gun, consider using it as a trade-in. It might surprise you how much of a difference it could make in the purchase price of the kind of gun you seem most interested in owning. Good luck!
November 12th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
well, as long as it’s longer then the minimum length of most state laws specify, it’s legal. but if not longer then the minimum, then you would need a special permit for it.
you need to look at your local laws, if you don’t understand them, then call your state’s firearms authority about this.
November 12th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Most state laws require total length to be 26 inches. As long as it meets that requirement, you can cut off whatever you want.
November 12th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
think long and hard about it first, if its a family heirloom, pass it on to someone else. check the value of the gun in a gun value book and make sure its not worth $10k
if you still want to chop her up, check to make sure theres not a minimal length in your state. some states a minimum over all length.
if you still want the gun to be shorter you can have the barrel cut down to 18", anything shorter and you must obtain a tax stamp from the BATF which can take several months and will cost $200
November 12th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Not illegal in Australia unless the overall length is reduced below 600mm (25.4mm to an Inch).
I would assume it wouldn’t be illegal for you either given you can buy pistol grip semi auto shotguns no problem at all.
Cheers, Witty.
November 12th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Not illegal at all as long as the overall length is 26 inches
That is federal law not state
SxS shotguns are fairly common these days and sell for around $250 new, I bought my Savage for $125 and a Davis that I cut down for $75 and sold it for $150 afterward
Nobody wanted to buy it at $100 intact
I see old Spanish SxS for $200 and less all the time and see new Russians wholesaling for that
If you peole wold think for half a second you would realize that cutting the stock could simply be corrected by buying $75 replacement stock
At any rate it is not a one of a kind work of art
It is a mass produced inanimate commodity that can be altered or enhanced at it’s owners whim
November 12th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
As long as the overall length is at least 26 inches and the barrels are at least 18 inches long, you can chop away. Before you take the saw to it, be sure to check its value in The Blue Book of Gun Values by S.P. Fjestad. You can probably find a copy in your local library. I don’t know what you are getting but before you take a saw to a valuable gun and ruin it, know what you are doing. If you are getting a cheap gun, then chop away.