homemade gun?

[NSP64]

has anyone here built a gun from odd and end parts? had some ideas and was doing some surfing for the legality of it. didn't know if blackpowder or smokeless made any differance. just wondering if I'm the only crazy one out there

[45nut]

Lar45 built a pistol he called the 30 Erin.
Here is the article..http://www.lsstuff.com/howdah/30erin.html

[NSP64]

that's what I had found, that it was legal to make as long as it fit their dimension limits and was curious to see how many others have attempted it?

[holycross]

newsmokepole64,

Have a look at this website. Been reading there for a couple years.

http://www.roderuscustom.tzo.com/

Mostly good information.

Mark Holycross

[Buckshot]

...............I haven't yet, but as soon as I get my new milling machine I plan on making a couple Snider actions. I already have two 14" pieces of 4140 pre-hard so if I don't screw up too often I should be able to make about 6 of'em

If you can legally own a firearm you can legally make one. It has to be a legal firearm (no making a 1919A1 just because ya have the plans!) and you cannot make them for sale to others.

.................Buckshot

[Old Ironsights]

From what I understand - as long as it does not fall under NFA "restricted", and you NEVER transfer it, you can make durn near anything you want.

You should still serialize it just to keep people fro wondering why/how you got a "sterile" gun, but the key is still (A) no NFA and (B) no transfers (without mfg license)

[357maximum]

One thing that some of you should look out for is interference at the state level.. In michigan all handguns must be accompanied by a little green card, in order to get the green card you have to have a serial number. I am still not sure how this process works exactly in michigan....I asked the local county sherriffs dept about building my own handgun and got a deep dark blank stare and pointed towards the state police to answer my questions...

[NSP64]

And I thought ILLinois had a messed up system

[357maximum]

And I thought ILLinois had a messed up system

that includes any blackpowder handgun, even from a kit or not.....the state police will issue a serial number for that....your right...totally messed up.

All this only applies if you are using it outside your residence, you can have the BP/antique handguns without it, you just cannot use them for anything other than a paper wieght.

[HotGuns]

I've built a few .50 BMGs and blueprinted and rebarrelled some Remington actions.

There is alot of information on the net about do it yourself guns. Not hard to do but most require a lathe and a mill.

[Johnch]

Many moons ago , when I was in collage
I made a single shot 12 gau shotgun out of parts and a threaded shotgun barrel
It worked fine
But it weighted 20+ lb
After setting in the corner for years , I took the barrel off , salvaged anything usable and torched the receiver
The receiver was scraped

Not hard to make a gun
Just hard to make one that beats what you can find used
BTW I probely had enough $$ wraped up in it , to buy a new 870
Not including all the time it took

Johnch

[Linstrum]

There is an old proverb that goes something like: “To avoid being thought evil, one must also avoid the appearance of being evil”.

If a legal home made gun doesn't look like an “illegal” gun it won't attract attention. In other words do a good engineering job, put on a good finish, and give it a seven digit serial number. If it has a barrel made out of a piece of used jack hammer drill bit cut off with a cutting torch with other things booger-welded onto it you are going to get into plenty of trouble even if it is legal. If it looks different or SOUNDS louder or different you will attract unwanted attention and possibly trouble. The main thing with any legally-made home-built gun is to keep as low of a profile as possible, including where and with whom you shoot it. If you expect to have trouble, have a legally owned ordinary looking "throw-down" to act as a decoy to keep your "suspect" but otherwise completely legal gun below the radar. Many years ago, a buddy who used to live in California had a legally-owned 20mm canon that always got too much attention even though he went way far away out into the desert to shoot it. Back at the time the .50 BMG was still legal in California, so he got a .50 BMG that he took with him to take all the heat when folks came over to see what he was shooting that was so darned loud that it could be heard 20 miles away. When a dust cloud from an approaching car was seen coming across the desert he would put the 20mm away and have the .50 BMG out for inspection in case somebody wanted to see what he was shooting. He actually never did have to show the .50 BMG to anybody up close but it was always there just in case. The last time he went out with his 20mm, though, it was the last straw and he quit shooting it until he moved to another state. A chopper was apparently dispatched to go check him out from a distance. Fortunately he had a “chocolate chip cookie” desert camo sleeping bag handy with him and he covered up his canon to keep it from being seen from the air. After that experience was when he quit shooting the 20mm in California because even though it was 100% legal back then, it was just too much of a hassle to contemplate that he might have to spend the night behind bars while he was checked out for being legal just because he was out having good clean honest fun shooting at 20-foot tall boulders five miles away.

[cabezaverde]

Many years ago, a buddy who used to live in California had a legally-owned 20mm canon that always got too much attention even though he went way far away out into the desert to shoot it.

Boy, you wonder how that would fly these days with all the tension around terrorism.

[EMC45]

YOU CAN make your own hanguns/rifles/shotguns!! Obviously you will have to check with the BATFE, but you can make them. Call the BATFE HQ in your state and they will gladly give you the regs on what can and can't be done. All state rules apply of course, but the BATFE is actually kind of understanding in some areas. Believe it or not. They just want their money. If you want to own Class 3 weapons you have to pay right? It's all about taxes and cash. The BATFE used to be under the Dept. of the Treasury. I wonder why? I believe the rule is if you are making a gun for your own use and not for sales it is allowed. I will have to check my BATFE regs when I get home. In the meantime go over to homegunsmith.com and they can answer a bunch of questions there. Those guys build guns all the time!

[Old Ironsights]

I've built a few .50 BMGs and blueprinted and rebarrelled some Remington actions.

There is alot of information on the net about do it yourself guns. Not hard to do but most require a lathe and a mill.

And the stuff that doesn't won't pass NFA...

[EMC45]

P.S. I wouldn't let the "appearance" of your homebuild hinder your efforts. What it looks like doesn't make it illegal, how it functions does! If you're right from the start you'l be right in the end. Although if you are wrong from the start you will be wrong in the end. Even if it looks like a "torch cut up jackhammer".

[HotGuns]

And the stuff that doesn't won't pass NFA...

You're assuming quite a lot there. I've seen some guns built out of hand tools that looked factory made. There are several websites that are all about "homebuilt"guns. Its not about having the tools, it about having the skills.

As for transfers, they are completely legal to do as long as you don't do it for the sole intent of profit. Meaning that if you build a gun, keep it awhile, and decide to sell it can be done and done legally as long as it is legal to so in your state.

There is so much misinformation about homebuilt guns out there that it amazes me.The ATF has lots of information about it that can be found easily on the web.
I prefer to use them as a guide rather than people that speculate about what it legal and what ain't.

[EMC45]

"There is so much misinformation about homebuilt guns out there that it amazes me.The ATF has lots of information about it that can be found easily on the web.
I prefer to use them as a guide rather than people that speculate about what it legal and what ain't."[/QUOTE]

So true. I definitely would not use the internet for anything that could result in you ending up in a Federal Prison. It may have been here or on another webpage, but somone mentioned a fella making XP100 style pistols out of surplus Mausers. Well unless he registered then as SBRs with the BATFE he has commited a felony or several! And anyone who has taken posession of one of these "pistols" has commited a felony as well. Whan Remington made the XP100 years back the ATF jumped all over them accusing them of making SBRs. Remington had to show that the XP100s were pistols to begin with and not rifle recievers with short barrels. Go to the BATFE web page and get all the info you possibly can and then print it all out! When I got my C&R license a couple years ago the BATFE sent me the booklet of all the eligible firearms I was "allowed" to buy with my C&R. It was about a quarter inch thick, well the rule book with all the laws and statutes was about 2 in. thick! The BATFE does not play! And they don't take ignorance as an excuse.

[Old Ironsights]

You're assuming quite a lot there. I've seen some guns built out of hand tools that looked factory made. There are several websites that are all about "homebuilt"guns. Its not about having the tools, it about having the skills....

Actually, I was referring to PA Luty's 9mm subgun, just about the only "how to" book available that doesn't requite powertools.

Can someone make a finely crafted non NFA firearm with hand tools? Sure. But I was responding to the comment about "stuff on the net about do-it-yourself" guns, most of which require a pretty well equipped workshop.

[Hackleback]

EMC45: Do ya mean like this: Said to be built on a Yugo 48 action. I contacted the fello, but did not get any satisfactory answers as to why it was leagal