"Judge" legal question
- Thread starter RH
- Start date
^^
I think you hit the head on the nail or nail on the head just as confused as the regulation that governs such things.
I believe it goes something to the tune of anything over .50cal isn't kosher with the exception of shotguns which has its own regs. However .410 denotes caliber well under .50 so it gets a pass on pistol regs instead of shotgun regs.
I think you hit the head on the nail or nail on the head just as confused as the regulation that governs such things.
I believe it goes something to the tune of anything over .50cal isn't kosher with the exception of shotguns which has its own regs. However .410 denotes caliber well under .50 so it gets a pass on pistol regs instead of shotgun regs.
The rifling makes the Judge a pistol, and not a short barrelled shotgun; the .410 being less than .50 keeps it off the other destructive device list.
The 28 gauge being over .50, and the rifling/handgun combo preventing it from being considered a shotgun, I think the 28gauge was killed as a "destructive device."
At least, this is what I've heard.
The 28 gauge being over .50, and the rifling/handgun combo preventing it from being considered a shotgun, I think the 28gauge was killed as a "destructive device."
At least, this is what I've heard.
Stressfire
New member
Probably the same way a Mare's leg gets classified as a pistol and not an SBR.
Bartholomew Roberts
Moderator
Actually, ANYTHING with a bore of greater than .50" is considered a destructive device unless the Attorney General considers it "suitable for sporting purposes." Shotguns get a pass because historically they are used mostly for sport and also if the AG declared them unsporting, the political backlash would probably be impressive; but in theory, whether any particular shotgun remains on the market is totally up to the Attorney General.
This is one reason why ATF's recent proposal to spell out what makes a shotgun "suitable for sporting purposes" created so much controversy. Nobody is very excited about having this Attorney General implement that decision.
A shotgun is defined as being shoulder fired. Unrifled pistols are AOW's. A firearm with a bore diameter more than .50 cal may be a destructive device.
The Taurus Judge is none of these. It has a rifled bore smaller than .50 cal. It just so happens that it can also fire .410 shells, which doesn't matter (except in California if that other poster is correct).
The 28 gauge Judge is a little different. 28 gauge is about .55 cal, which puts it into DD territory.
There's two possibilities here. One possibility is that it funneled down to a .50 cal barrel. The problem is that is about double the constriction of a full choke and may have caused pressure problems or been unsafe.
The other possibility is that it was only intended to distract people at the SHOT Show from the S&W Governor, which is a Judge copy. This was accomplished magnificently, at any rate.
Kind of. If you meant that they are building them that way at the factory instead of building them as full length firearms and cutting them down, you would be absolutely correct.
It's made in Brazil, isn't it? That would mean they would need to import it with a rifled barrel, and then swap it for a smoothbore.
If they didn't do that, tooling up to build it in the US would be expensive.
But the main reason is that no one would buy it if they had to get fingerprinted, get CLEO signatures, wait months for background checks, etc. The NFA game isn't for everyone, and especially just for a silly .410.
The Taurus Judge is none of these. It has a rifled bore smaller than .50 cal. It just so happens that it can also fire .410 shells, which doesn't matter (except in California if that other poster is correct).
The 28 gauge Judge is a little different. 28 gauge is about .55 cal, which puts it into DD territory.
There's two possibilities here. One possibility is that it funneled down to a .50 cal barrel. The problem is that is about double the constriction of a full choke and may have caused pressure problems or been unsafe.
The other possibility is that it was only intended to distract people at the SHOT Show from the S&W Governor, which is a Judge copy. This was accomplished magnificently, at any rate.
Kind of. If you meant that they are building them that way at the factory instead of building them as full length firearms and cutting them down, you would be absolutely correct.
It's made in Brazil, isn't it? That would mean they would need to import it with a rifled barrel, and then swap it for a smoothbore.
If they didn't do that, tooling up to build it in the US would be expensive.
But the main reason is that no one would buy it if they had to get fingerprinted, get CLEO signatures, wait months for background checks, etc. The NFA game isn't for everyone, and especially just for a silly .410.