Short barreled shotgun with silver soldered flash hider - legal length?

[dwaineshort]

Yes, agreed, but...

I am single and live alone. I live on 20 forested acres. The shotgun isn't for in home defense clearing the house anyway (I probably wouldn't try to clear the house anyway) - although I could envision that if someone was trying to break into the house I might use it from behind cover.

No, this is primarily for a use case where I may have to go outside. Unlikely and not always advised, it would usually be better to call the cops, but there are situations out here in the countryside where you have to take care of things yourself sometimes as it takes even longer for law enforcement to arrive, if they ever do (in some situations such as when we are snowed in, they may not be able to get up here on the mountain at all, and if they do, it might take hours).

Most of the time, I just put one of my handguns in a holster and in the small of my back, when I go investigate a noise outside.

Such as the other day I was woken up at 6 AM to the noise of a chain saw that seemed to be coming from the backside of my property. When you have several hundred thousand dollars worth of timber you keep an eye on it - people do come up and cut down live valuable trees for firewood, or even lumber (rarer because it requires heavy equipment). It turns out the chain saw was coming from farther away than I thought and was nowhere near my property - usually I can barely hear them if at all with my bad hearing, which is why I thought it was much closer.

Also, we have bears and cougars up here. I don't believe in hunting predators, and I don't shoot them just because they wander across my property (I am think that maybe a particular bear does from time to time from the scat I have seen), but at the same time, if I am going out after dark to investigate a noise, maybe I want something a little more potent than my handgun.

I do have neighbors, and I don't want rifle or handgun shots reaching their houses or properties - a shotgun with buckshot is less likely to make it through, given the distance and the trees and brush surrounding my house.

If it's for mostly out doors why not just a normal pump or semi auto with a 8 or more round mag that you know is going to always work? A lot of these bullpup mods or shotguns don't have the greatest reviews. Being someone that had a home invasion. Should keep in mind that most people don't come alone.

 

[Trailboss]

So - check my assumption here.

If I take an 18+ inch shotgun barrel, have it cut to a shorter length, then have the length restored to a legal length (18+ inches) by adding a silver soldered flash hider, comp or muzzle brake and put that back on the shotgun (which would be 26+ inches overall) - this is a legal non-NFA shotgun right?

I know people do this with short barreled rifles all the time, I am just checking here to make sure I am not missing anything.

Thanks.

I wonder if cutting the barrel to an illegally short length and then adding back a flash hider to regain legal length then allows the shotgun in it's final form to be evidence that someone was in possession of a short barreled shotgun for a length of time until they added the flash hider and that someone thus violated the law. In order words, is it legal for someone to manufacture a short barreled shotgun without ATF stamp if they keep it in it's illegal state for less than 1 hour? How about if it's less than 1 day or 1 week? Who decides if they waited too long to add the flash hider. What if they shot it before they added the hider but it was in it's illegal state less than 1 hour. It would seem that a short barreled shotgun without stamp is an illegal weapon regardless of how long it's in that state. Unless the person doing the work has is licensed to manufacture.

I suspect the ATF won't be happy.

 

[The Heretic]

I wonder if cutting the barrel to an illegally short length and then adding back a flash hider to regain legal length then allows the shotgun in it's final form to be evidence that someone was in possession of a short barreled shotgun for a length of time until they added the flash hider and that someone thus violated the law. In order words, is it legal for someone to manufacture a short barreled shotgun without ATF stamp if they keep it in it's illegal state for less than 1 hour? How about if it's less than 1 day or 1 week? Who decides if they waited too long to add the flash hider. What if they shot it before they added the hider but it was in it's illegal state less than 1 hour. It would seem that a short barreled shotgun without stamp is an illegal weapon regardless of how long it's in that state. Unless the person doing the work has is licensed to manufacture.

I suspect the ATF won't be happy.

They would have to prove the shortened barrel was in my physical possession while I also had the shotgun receiver in the immediate vicinity also (i.e., in my control).

Since the barrel would be in the hands of a gunsmith/machinist for the period of time that they were shortening the barrel and then attaching the flash hider, the answer would be - wait for it - no.

If I did the work myself and it took me a few hours or a few days - the court would decide if the ATF came around and found the shortened barrel, without flash hider, in my possession while also in possession of the shotgun itself.

But coming around later, finding the barrel with flash hider on it, at a legal length, and then saying that at some time it must have been illegally short to put the flash hider on it - even the ATF doesn't push the law that far.

 

[The Heretic]

If it's for mostly out doors why not just a normal pump or semi auto with a 8 or more round mag that you know is going to always work? A lot of these bullpup mods or shotguns don't have the greatest reviews. Being someone that had a home invasion. Should keep in mind that most people don't come alone.

This isn't a mod - it came from the factory that way and it functions just fine.

Also, even outdoors, a bullpup handles better than a conventional long gun.