sawed off shotgun

D

dr.j

New member
I really want a sawed off shotgun, but rather than having to go out to the metal shop and butcher up a perfectly good new shotgun, and risk any sort of legal trouble I would rather buy one. Does anybody know if there is a company that makes these anymore? Or do I just have to shell out the extra tax and do it myself?

Something kinda like this
 

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you would have to pay the tax, file the paperwork and get it approved and then have a gunsmith do that for you......

*edit- i want one of those too...but im too poor! maybe because i keep buying guns and ammo....
 
I don't know of anyone making them, but...

There are already made sawed off shotguns in the NFA registry, and they can be found for sale. There are also the old Ithaca Auto&Burgular guns, which were factory made "sawed off" shotguns, also in the NFA registry.

And I believe that even though the machinegun registry is closed, the "other weapons" registry (where sawed off shotguns are) is still open, and you can get new made sawed off guns added to it.

To be legal, you MUST get BATFE approval BEFORE shortening the shotgun below the legal minimum length (either barrel length or over all total length), otherwise you could be arrested. Once you have filled out the forms, paid the tax and gotten written approval, THEN you can cut down your shotgun into a sawed off and be legal.

Either way, you must get govt approval before you can buy or make a sawed off shotgun. If you do not, you will be in posession of an illegal firearm, and subject to all the penalties of law (up to 10 years in prison if convicted, plus fines).

Your best bet for the current rules governing these kinds of firearms is to cointact the BATFE for the answers to your questions.

Good Luck.
 
Thanks for the info. I always want to be on the right side of the law, so the registration goes without saying. I have never seen one for sale, and wasn't sure if it was possible to buy them due to the nasty reputation they have developed. I have never seen one at a store or show and didn't know if they were still around in any significant number due to the legal issues. I assume that it would cost me an arm and a leg if I did find one, and figured the best option would be to buy a cheaper double barrel like a remington spr220 and get it cut down and have a pistol grip put on, assuming the government lets me of course. Oh and by the way that Ithaca gun looks like exactly what I would want, do you know how expensive they are?
 
Just saw off longer than 18" & you will be fine. I did it on a Mod 500. Those pistol grips on shotguns are way over rated. For most a few lighter loads with gloves is all you want to do. My pick would be a full stock with a short barrel.
 
For truly interesting, find one of the repro side-hammer coach guns... Some of 'em may have "safeties" that you'll need to disable - sigh... Lawyers...

Mine really isn't all that repro tho - It's a Stevens 235 that's cut down to approx. 18". And that's a darn comfy length for a stocked side by side. With exposed hammers.

Now, why do you want exposed hammers?

You can leave it loaded, with the hammers down, and short of the San Andreas mating with the New Madrid, ain't nothin' gonna happen.

And with 'em cocked back, those twin tunnels are pretty darn impressive.

I dunno if anyone has adapted a Car-15 type of stock to a shotgun, but a collapsable (as opposed to foldable) stock could be somewhat interesting. I've fired standard buck loads out of a Mossy "cruiser," and that crap hurts...
 
NFA Barrels

All of the major shotgun manufactures produce "entry" guns for LE use usually 14" & 15". Sometimes those guns or barrels are available for purchase. I think if you posed this question on the NFA page you would get a response.

Remember: with NFA firearms "paperwork" is everything, comply to the letter of the law.


Good Luck & Be Safe
 
Wilson sells the scattergun tech line now, they are pricey for what they are, but just buying a 14 inch barrel from them, under a AOW tax stamp, should be fairly reasonable.....
 
To be clear this is not meant to be a practical gun for me (I have those already). This is just for kicks, and I don't want exposed hammers on it, that would be kinda dumb I think, but thanks for all of the advice.
 
Just saw off longer than 18" & you will be fine. I did it on a Mod 500.
Click to expand...

Mossberg sells a 18.5" barrel for reasonable price. That's what I put on my 500. No mucking of the finish that way plus I have a longer barrel available for hunting if I wish to covert it back.
 
"butcher up a perfectly good new shotgun"

Why would you want one if you consider it to be butchered ? Buy a good shotgun and do it right. If you want a side by side, I am sure that you can find someone to do one for you. Pumps and autos are much easier since the barrels are already made and very easy to install. Unless you are prohibited by local or state law from owning a short barreled shotgun or AOW, don't short change yourself by doing the 18" barrel thing. Get exactly what you want the first time and you will enjoy it the rest of your life rather than just talking about it.

Owning a short barreled shotgun is no big deal at all and can be very easily done. It isn't hard. Don't let the people on these boards who have never done it, talk you out of it. Most of what you read about buying NFA weapons on these on-line gun boards is total BS coming from people who don't know anything about it other than what they read on another thread from someone else that didn't know anything about it.

I have two short barreled shotguns as well as that Serbu Super Shorty AOW.
My two SBSs are a Remington 870 that I bought a 14" barrel for and a Browning Auto 5 that I had cut down to 13" and had choke tubes installed. I have thought about getting a double, like your picture but haven't done so yet.

I HAVE seen doubles like that for sale. If you go to websites that cater to NFA weapons, you will see them on occasion. And no, they don't cost an arm and a leg. In fact, they were probably cheaper than getting one made yourself.

Here is one that I found after about five minutes of looking:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=106558026
That looks really cool to me.
 

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444, very helpful, thank you. I'm on good terms with the local law enforcement so the paperwork should not be a problem, and thank you for not simply suggesting that I get an 18.5 inch pump shotgun as many other people have suggested, as I said, I already own one and love it very much. The break action double barrel pistol grip style gun is really what I'm looking for.

And I shouldn't have said butcher, I have a metal shop and feel very confident that I could do a top notch job of sawing a shotgun barrel down to whatever size suits me. I'm also a fairly competent woodworker so converting the stock into a pistol grip should be easy as well. I just wasn't sure if the government would let me do it myself, or if I would have to buy one that already came like that
 
No, I am no lawyer but as far as I know, once you get the tax stamp back you can feel free to "manufacture" your own.
Again, I don't know that for sure.
However, when you install a new barrel on an 870 or pin a new short upper on an AR15, you are manufacturing an NFA weapon as I understand it so I don't see why it would be illegal for you to cut off a double barrel shotgun.
When you manufacture the weapon, you engrave your name and city on the weapon as the manufacturer, so again, I feel pretty confident that you could manufacture the gun yourself in your metal shop.

Again, that one I posted seems pretty cheap.
You could buy that one and probably take it home for less than $900.

Disclaimer: I try to put this on threads like this: I am not trying to put anyone down with my comments. However, I enjoy owning NFA weapons and think you should too. It is your right to own them. It is perfectly legal. It isn't hard. Don't listen to people telling you about "ALL" the paperwork and "ALL" the hoops you have to jump through and all that BS. Don't let the nay sayers keep you from exercising your right to own an NFA weapon. And if you don't own one and thus have never been through the process: please don't comment on it. I spent many years wishing I could own NFA weapons and never bought one because I listened to all this crap that makes it's way around gun circles. As a result, I never bought any machineguns when they were cheap. If I had one person take the time to explain to me exactly what was involved instead of all the BS I probably would have brought several at a fraction of what I ended up paying.
 
I'm also not a lawyer, but the way I understand it is that you just need approval from the local sheriff and the tax stamp, but I'm not sure if the gun you showed me falls into the short barrel shotgun (SBS) or the any other weapon (AOW) category. I have heard that a shotgun is technically defined as a gun that is fired from the shoulder, while this gun is not. for example the Serbu Super Shorty falls into the AOW category. It seems like what I'm talking about would too.

http://www.serbu.com/top/superShorty.php.

http://www.serbu.com/dw/nfa.php

The tax on AOWs is only $5 while the SBS tax is $200. I'd much rather pay $5 than $200 for obvious reasons.
 
The difference is whether or not the gun was manufactured originally (the receiver) without a stock, or not.
If you buy a shotgun at Walmart and want to cut it down, that is a SBS and will cost $200.
If you got a virgin reciever, and built a gun from that without a shoulder stock, it is an AOW.
If you have an AOW, you also can never put a shoulder stock on it. If you have a short barreled shotgun, you can put a pistol grip on it or a shoulder stock and it doesn't matter.

In the examples you are talking about, you are talking about buying a side by side shotgun, cutting it down and cutting off the stock. This is a SBS and will cost you $200.
 
Just saw off longer than 18" & you will be fine. I did it on a Mod 500.
Click to expand...

I believe that if a LEO saw that the barrel was sawn, Even to 18"(legal length)
You would still be in possession of an illegal firearm. No front sight, no choke.
Sawed off is Sawed off according to the penal code. I'd check the DOJ website just to be sure before cutting the barrel.
 
444, So it has everything to do with how the gun was originally produced? I guess it would be best to get the SBS stamp and keep my options open. I think it would be nice to be able to put a shoulder stock on it if the mood should strike me. Plus, better safe than sorry
 
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