Reply With Quotecannot see a problem as long as power is below 6ftpds its still a pistol , its when you use a long barrel at over 6ftpds and try and class it as a rifle, my drozd has a 16inch barrel and a removable stock but its still classed as a pistol
Banned
Hi,
Could anyone please confirm if there is a maximum length of barrel that can legally be fitted to an air pistol here in the UK, i have a 2240 for sale on the forum with a 10" barrel which is sub 6ftlbs and am informed by bbs member peter5761 that it is illegal as barrel lengths over 8" are not permitted.
thanks in advance
Registered User
cannot see a problem as long as power is below 6ftpds its still a pistol , its when you use a long barrel at over 6ftpds and try and class it as a rifle, my drozd has a 16inch barrel and a removable stock but its still classed as a pistol
Hw110k,hw35e,pp700,750, , crossman 776 ,2200 magnum,140, 1077,m1 carbine, 1377,fn8 lighthunter,Sheridan blue streak, Sharp ace , Sharp innova, tx200hc,weblry premier,yunker2,1999 makerov, Baikal drozd
Banned
Guessed as much, if there was a problem with pistol barrels over 8" long crosman would have to recall all the 1377's sold and chop 2.25 inch off them allno doubt there are numerous others out there over 8" long, seem to remember the SSP250 was a 10" job
professional hookaduck ringer
I suspect the issue was that some aftermarket parts suppliers said they would not fit a barrel longer than 8" to a 2240 as it might take the power over 6 ft lbs. Obviously there are other factors in play, such as the valve and the temperature.
TBH personally I would not be comfortable with a figure very close to 6 ft lbs for a 2240, given that I would want a margin for safety and the power of a CO2 gun can be quite sensitive to temperature. But its up to the owner what he feels happy with.
Banned
Hi Jerry
The 2240 was set up to take into account the muzzle velocity increase when temperature variation occurs in the upward direction, the method used is a little heath robinson but by placing in the airing cupboard to simply get the pistol nice and toastie as it may do on a warm day and then run it over the chronograph it is somewhat more reliable than setting up on a cold day and hoping all is well.
professional hookaduck ringer
Very sensible precaution mate no criticism was intended.Originally Posted by TwoTitans
Hi Jerry
The 2240 was set up to take into account the muzzle velocity increase when temperature variation occurs in the upward direction, the method used is a little heath robinson but by placing in the airing cupboard to simply get the pistol nice and toastie as it may do on a warm day and then run it over the chronograph it is somewhat more reliable than setting up on a cold day and hoping all is well.
Registered User
My Drozd has a 14in barrel and a stock and is still classed as a pistol.
Registered User
Legal barrel length
I believe that there is no maximum legal length to an air pistol barrel.
However if the length of the barrel puts it over 6 ftlb then the barrel length must be 12" or more and the whole arm must be 24" or more.
ie betwen the minimum length to exceed 6 ftlbs and 12" is prohibited.
There is no such thing as an FAC air pistol, they move straight to prohibited status.
(By the way, I know the Act says 12" barrel OR 24" overall but that is not how the police interpret it).
Registered User
The 12" barrel/24" length rule applies to firearms and has not been tested against airguns AFAIK. The BSA Ultra would certainly fail on barrel length as would the S10 carbine, Falcon's FN8 and others I can't think of at the moment.
Jonathan
Registered User
I'll check my copy of the Act again, they may have put in the phrase "not being an air weapon" which they have done in the past. (see Firearms (amendment) Act 1988 Section 2(2)(a)).
Last edited by majex45; 12-05-2008 at 08:19 PM.
The Sol beater
rubbish....crosman 1377 barrels are 10''+.
Registered User
OK, so does anyone have a S1 air pistol on ticket?
I don't believe they exist, but I can't find my copy of the 1997/8 Acts.
Last edited by majex45; 13-05-2008 at 06:38 AM. Reason: corrected dates
Frock coat wearing, riverboat dwelling, southern gent
That's an interesting example of how US and UK laws differ: and how, sometimes, US law is stricter.
On the one hand, air guns (and muzzleloaders) are not even considered firearms here, and are essentially unregulated by federal law.
On the other hand, our rifle dimension laws restrict barrels to a minimum of 16 inches, and overall length to a minimum of 26 inches. Any shorter, and they are regulated under the same law as machine guns.
The same law that regulates silencers.
Then again, we can generally get away with shotgun barrels being as short as 18". But the overall shotgun length can't be less than 26".
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
Registered User
And your point is?
Registered User
Found the source
1(2)(aba) any firearm which either has a barrel less than 30 centimetres in length or is less than 60 centimetresin length overall, other than an air weapon ...etc
Later it says:
(1A) "small calibre pistol means-
a) A pistol chambered for .22 or smaller rim-fire cartridges; or
b) An air pistol to which section 1 of this Act applies and which is designed to fire .22 or smaller diameter ammunition.
Now, I cannot find the later amendment, which prohibited small calibre pistols, to see whether the exemption for air pistols was also removed at that time. Anyone got a copy?
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