It`s really easy to do. Close the action on your firearm, then place a wooden peg or cleaning rod in the barrel until it touches the bolt or closing surface. Mark the outside of the rod or ankle at the end of the crown or muzzle device. Do not measure to the end of a muzzle device that you may have on your barrel if you can remove it. If the muzzle device is firmly mounted on the barrel, you need to include it in the measurement. Remove the stem, then measure from the mark to the end of the stem. That`s the entire length of your barrel. I keep saying firearms as if they were a separate classification of guns. In a way, this is the case, but it is essentially a collective term for weapons that is outside the normal classifications. The new Mossberg 590 Shockwave and Remington Tac 14 both fall into this category of firearms. These are technically 12-gauge pump firearms with 14-inch guns. You may be wondering if these firearms are practical in some way.
A weapon with a tree will always be easier to fire than a weapon without. With a shaft, a caliber 12 is easier to handle, more comfortable to shoot and easier to shoot quickly. These non-NFA dispersal rifles are very light and maneuverable – much more maneuverable than a standard shotgun. In a home defense situation, it has some of the advantages of a pistol, but retains the power of a 12-caliber. The weapons mentioned in this article sometimes have so-called “bird`s head” handles, which are clearly not designed to be pulled from the shoulder. This handle extends the total length of the firearm to 26 inches when equipped with a 14-inch barrel. Theoretically, if you have a long grip on this type of firearm, the barrel could be even shorter. As long as the total length is 26 inches or more and it is not designed to be shot from the shoulder, it is not a short-barreled shotgun or an AOW. It`s just a “gun.” As we briefly mentioned above, SBS are legal, but there are a few extra tires you need to get through to stay legal and stay out of jail. If your firearm is classified as SBS, it must be registered with the ATF as an NFA item. This means that you must pay a $200 tax stamp for the “privilege” of owning the SBS. Some shotguns are classified as AOW.
AOW shotguns are also not really shotguns (hence the AOW designation), but are simply considered 12-gauge firearms. The best example is the Serbu Super Shorty series of 12-gauge firearms. They fall into the AOW class because they are less than 26 inches in total length. In a logical world, the legal length of rifles and barrels would be the same. Unfortunately, government agencies don`t operate in logical worlds. It`s a bit reminiscent of host Drew Carey`s introduction to Whose Line Is It Anyway? He says: “Everything is invented and the points don`t matter!” OK, you may be thinking, “I`m just going to put a longer barrel and then a tree.” Technically, you wouldn`t break any laws, but you would change the status of your gun. Once a tree is tied, it goes from a gun to a shotgun. Now that you`ve redesigned it like a shotgun, it can`t be turned into a gun. Strange as it may seem, firearms can become shotguns, but shotguns cannot become firearms. A shotgun within the meaning of the National Firearms Act as a long gun. One thing you`ll notice with all of the above weapons is that they don`t have – and should never have – traditional stocks to allow you to shoot from the shoulder.
If a weapon that happens to be modeled after a traditional shotgun but has never tied a tree to it, then it is not a shotgun. Welcome to the wonderful world of legal definitions as defined by the government! Through the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934, firearms that are below certain barrel or total length requirements are called “short-barreled shotguns” (SBS) or “short-barreled rifles” (SBR). If a firearm is considered SBS or SBR, it is subject to stricter regulations than other types of firearms. Why do the length requirements for SBRs and SBS differ? That`s a good question. Unfortunately, there isn`t really a right answer. Go back and re-read the first paragraph in this section. That`s about as good an answer as there is. If you really wanted to, you could attach an 18-inch barrel and a normal 90-degree pistol grip. It will not change the status of the firearm. However, if you leave the 14-inch short barrel in place with a standard 90-degree pistol grip, the total length shortens and it falls into the NFA zone.
Without the threat of hefty fines and/or imprisonment, these seemingly random idiosyncrasies and results would actually be funny. But of course, it`s not funny, because there are actually different length requirements for SBR and SBS. A crucial element to hold this firearm only as a firearm and not as a shotgun of any kind is to never attach a tree to it.
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