BATF Question Regarding Removable Stocks on Pistols

[x101airborne]

For me, forget the worry about prosecution. Forget the possibility of losing gun ownership and voting rights.
I am WAY too good looking for federal prison. I would be popular in all the wrong ways! And I just dont relish that kind of attention. I am a very sensitive person. I am emotional and fragile and very in touch with my emotions. That would not be good.
Really, for me, I would not chance it. Not without some kind of letter from the powers that be saying it is ok. My local ATF agent is rather amiss about a lot. Even he cannot figure out the laws and he is supposed to be paid to enforce them. And I dont call him incompetent, it is just confusing even to the agents paid to enforce the laws.

[Blacksmith]

Here is the ATF letter on the Thompson Center Contender/Encore issue:

http://www.atf.gov/files/regulations...ing-2011-4.pdf

The Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Thompson/Center Arms Co. (91-0164), 504 U.S. 505 (1992).

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/91-0164.ZO.html

Analysis by Stephen P. Halbrook, Counsel for Thompson/Center Arms

http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/tc.html

[Shooter]

These water are muddy!
This is why I have two frames; one purchased as a pistol, and the other purchased as a carbine.
I can back my position with the 4473 from my dealer.

However, if they want you bad enough, even that may fail. Someone may have converted a pistol frame to a carbine before I bought it.
I think, (a dangerous think when the Feds are involved.) I am covered, as I bought it as a rifle.

The last I heard, you could convert a pistol to a rifle, but converting it back to a pistol was forbidden.
YMMV

[oldfart1956]

Hmmmm...need to do some reading here. My older brother is a big fan of the T/C Encore pro and has at least 2 frames (the serial numbered parts) if I recall. He purchased both at Grices Gun Shop in Clearfield and if memory serves both frames are registered as pistols (as per their suggestion) and he has rifle buttstocks and rifle barrels on both frames. Grices standing is that the frames can be converted to pistols lawfully by adding the proper barrels/forestocks/handgrip as designed by T/C. and returned to rifle design with said rifle barrels. I'm a little fuzzy on a pistol length barrel with a rifle buttstock however. He also has a T/C Contender G2 which I presume is the same frame as the Encore. (??) So he does possess pistol barrels that could be (I assume) fitted to the Encore Pro. Gaaaaah...this is making my head hurt. I'll go read now. Audie...the mistified Oldfart..

[Shooter]

T/C's may be OK thanks to ATF's 2011 letter. The link is to Mike Bellum's page on the subject.
[URL="http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=239"http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=239[/URL]

[leadman]

THe letter applies to mare than just T/Cs as it references a pistol that slips into a stock with a rifle barrel. This is the old Galef combo that was imported many years ago. Don't know if the ATF ever made a decision on the AR style pistols yet.

[Blacksmith]

Oldfart1956
The Encore Barrels and the Contender Barrels do not interchange, different size frames. Original Contender and G2 Contender barrels are interchangeable. The hand grips and butt stocks for Encores, original Contenders and G2 Contenders do not interchange because the Encore is a different size frame and the old and new Contenders have different grip angles.

Don't ever put on a pistol length barrel while the rifle stock is attached, that would definitely be illegal.

[leadman]

The ATF agent I spoke with said to take the T/C down to the frame and start building from there.

[historicfirearms]

The real shame here is that we've let things get to the point that we are afraid of our own government.

Getting back to birch's question- unless the S&W had a 16 inch barrel then you couldn't legally put a stock on it. If Michigan allowed sbr's, and it had a barrel shorter than 16 inches, you could pay the $200 Nfa tax and make a legal sbr.

[Artful]

The ATF agent I spoke with said to take the T/C down to the frame and start building from there.

You know it's lovely that you have blind faith in one agent who reads the rules one way, but I wouldn't want to test it with an agent in a different part of the country who may have not read that letter, and never assume that all bureaucrats have the same level of knowledge and agree that things will be handled the same way.

[DLCTEX]

If the government gets it's $200 it's ok, otherwise you're a criminal even if you do not commit a crime with it. Possession of it is not a crime even if you commit a crime with it as long as you give the gov. their pound of flesh? As long as you have money it's ok?

[km101]

If the government gets it's $200 it's ok, otherwise you're a criminal even if you do not commit a crime with it. Possession of it is not a crime even if you commit a crime with it as long as you give the gov. their pound of flesh? As long as you have money it's ok?

Yep, It's the Golden Rule.........He who has the gold makes the rule! If you don't believe it ask Cullen Davis, or O.J. Simpson!