Minimum Barrel Length in Ga. (12g)

P

Point Blank

New member
I have a 12g pump that would be my "go to" gun in an emergency.Thing is, the barrel on that ol' thing must be four foot long!!!:eek: I am considering cutting some of the excess off but want to stay legal. It stays besides my bed and in my opinion would be cumbersome in a actual emergency because of its length. Also where would i measure from to determine legal length??? Thanks for any replies..
 
18" is the minimum length that will keep you in the good graces of the law. I'd recommend keeping it about 1/2" longer just in case somebody's ruler is out of calibration. 18.000" is OK 17.9999" will get you a room in the graybar motel.
 
Yup. 18" for shotguns; 16" for rifles. Measured from the face of the bolt.

The idea of 1/4" to 1/2" more for "insurance" is well-taken.

A gunsmith buddy of mine had an old, cheap, single-shot break-open shotgun brought in to him for possible repair. Since it was junk, the customer left it and went away. My buddy cut off a piece of the barrel and knurled it; hung a rope and weight from it and used it to roll up and down as a wrist-exercizer. He pitched the rest of the junk into his wild-animal box for possible parts for some future repairs on some other gun.

To make a long story short, the feds found the remains; the barrel was less than the legal length; my buddy did a year in prison and can no longer own any firearm.

I'm gonna let this run, here, for another day and then move it to Shotty-gun...

Art
 
Can someone verify where barrel length is measured on a shot gun. I know rifles are from the face of the bolt, but was thinking that shotguns were from the front of the chamber. I am probably wrong on this, but would hate to have another Randy Weaver situation created. Art, sorry to hear about your buddy, it's this kind of chicken-**** action that has people so up in arms about the feds.

Bri
 
Can someone verify where barrel length is measured on a shot gun
Click to expand...
1) Close the action.
2) Insert a cleaning rod or dowel.
3) Make a pencil mark where the rod or dowel exits the barrel when it is bottomed out.
4) Measure from the mark to the end that was bottomed out.

In short, it is measured from the bottom of the chamber to the end of the muzzle.
 
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