Homebuild Uzi-type SMG

M

Maus

Inactive
Due to my age this is conjecture and planning right now, but I had a few questions.

1. Would it be possible to manufacture an Uzi-type grip feed SMG starting with Sten gun plans and modifying them?

2. Since it is against the law to own a post-'86 FA, could I build the gun in a country without such laws and import it through a gun dealer? Or do imported guns have to be pre-'86 as well?

3. Is it legal to build wooden mock-ups with the full complement of parts?

Thanks!
 
Imported machineguns were stopped in 1968 so you really missed the boat on that idea.

You can buy a Sten Machinegun, all it takes is money and desire, but it's better than one carved out of wood.
 
3. Is it legal to build wooden mock-ups with the full complement of parts?
Click to expand...

If BATFE can figure out a way to make it fire more than one round of live ammo with the pull of the trigger, then its illegal.

Also, isn't mixing sten parts with Uzi parts like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.....literally?
 
I think I should clarify. I wanted to build an SMG, and there are plenty of free plans for them out there. I haven't seen any free plans for Uzis. According to several of them, the metal for a Sten is ~$100-$150. An Uzi seems like it would cost me more. Thus, I was wondering if it would be possible to convert the Sten plans to a grip-feed system to save space. The point of the wooden mockup would be to practice the cuts and ensure it fits together. No mixing parts, etc.

Thanks for pointing out the import problem.
 
I've seen the sten parts kits. You can't change them to be grip fed. The grip is too far rearward - for lots of reasons - it just ain't going to work.

Regardless, unless you are a Class II manufacturer (a FFL holder licensed to manufacture firearms or Type-07 license that has paid a Special Occupational Tax Stamp or SOT) , it is simply illegal to build ANY machineguns here in the US. Even if you had the proper license, all you could do with it is sell it to law enforcement or the military. Well, this is just the tip of the red-tape iceberg.

The bottom line: Making an illegal machinegun isn't worth it for 2 reasons: the penalties are HUGE; and you will most likely just end up making a useless pile of junk. If you live in the US, and have a burning desire to make machine guns - then maybe go to work for an SOT and learn what it takes to make it a career. I'm sure there are plenty of folks here in the US who routinely manufacture machineguns legally.

Also, if you are asking us (and I'm not sure that you are) how to go about building a Sten machinegun out of a parts kit and a $150 tube, that's something that the Mods aren't going to let you use this forum for.
 
I was wondering if it was at all possible, sorry if this was the wrong section. Since it isn't, the other two questions are irrelevent. Thanks!
 
You should pay attention to Montana's home built gun law they passed.

For now, they specifically exempted full autos from the law, so as to not muddy the water over the whole states rights argument, which is, that if you build a firearm in Montana, and do not export it to another state, you are free from Federal regs concerning it, because the commerce clause does not apply to the situation.

IF, it was ever found correct by the supremes, then, the FA's exemption could be added to the law.

Its telling the feds to puck off, and leave our residents alone, if what they manufacture is kept in state.
 
IIRC, teh MT home build, has to actually be home/local built. No using stuff from across state lines like receivers, barrels, etc.
 
No, BATFE ruled long ago that a blank firing SMG was still a machinegun since it could be "readily converted". I doubt they have changed the rule. The STEN would be much easier to make than the UZI; the STEN was designed deliberately to be made in small shops with a minimum of tooling, where the UZI and the US M3 are products of a sophisticated production base.

Actually, an SMG is the easiest of all guns to make, and I have said that I could make one out of a barbeque grill (Note to BATFE - I have not done so, and don't plan to.).

The hardest part to make from scratch would be the magazine, but magazines are available, so there would be no need to make them.

As to the Montana law, anyone who wants can be a test case, but I wouldn't like to spend ten years in federal prison while the lawyers argue. Lawyers are just too damned long winded.

Jim
 
Huh, my family moved from Montana, and I might attend college there, so I'll have to check that out. Thanks!
 
Jim K, as I understand it, the plan was to have someone manufacture one firearm, and present it to the ATF to create a test case for the law.

Whether prosecution would even result is the question, as the ATF may not want to test the case at the Supreme court level.
 
So rather like the Scopes trial, where Mr. Scopes was hired to test the anti-evoluntionist law in Tennesse.
 
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