Contender pistol converted to a rifle? Is that legal?

[curtism1234]

I read the FAQ on this page and I see that a contender rifle can not be converted to a pistol.

However, can a pistol be converted to a rifle?

thanks

[Steve P]

You cannot have a pistol barrel with a rifle stock.  That is illegal.  You cannot take a rifle and make it into a pistol.  That is also illegal.  You can take an "as manufactured" gun and change grips and barrels to put it into an "as manufactured" configuration.  The contender was manufactured to be able to change grips for stocks and short barrels for longer barrels.  So as long as you are staying within the manufacutured specification of that firearm, you are legal.

Steve

[Ray Cover]

I have one action that I use for both a carbine and a handgun.  That may not technically be legal but I doubt any LEO is going to make issue out of it unless you have robbed a bank or committed some other crime with the firearm.  Then it may end up as one more little charge they stack onto the pile.  At that point you got bigger problems anyway.

I don't loose sleep at night worrying about whether an officer is going to take my serial number and contact TC to find out how the gun was originally configured.

I put this in the same category as folding stock on a rifle shotgun.  Isn't that technically configuring a rifle as a long barrel pistol?  As long as your legal to own both a long gun and a hand gun I personally wouldn't worry about it.

Ray

[Keith L]

None of the opinions found here carry the wight of law.  Remember that each of us will potentially have to live with the consequences of our actions.  Should these actions be found against the law no matter how much another poster thinks it will be OK the consequences could be the hassle of a lifetime.

[Graybeard]

Some where on here I "think" it a sticky near the top is the official BATFE position on the matter. No I'm not gonna hunt it down for ya do it yerself but the jist is:

It's Okie dokie to make a rifle from a handgun but not vice versa so if you have a frame that started life as a handgun it can be converted to a rifle legally but a frame that began life as a rifle must not be turned into a handgun.

Additionally in the change over process the order of assembly to be legal would be to take off barrel first and install longer barrel then add butt stock as it is technically illegal to have the butt stock and short barrel assembled at any time.

[quickdtoo]

Here's the recent discussion on rifle to pistol in the TC Rifle forum, it's a sticky there now!

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,131141.msg1098486936.html#msg1098486936

And the letter from the BATF on conversion of rifle to pistol...

http://www.handgunhunt.com/tech/t29/index.html

And a letter from TC on switching back and forth, it's hard to read, but if you save it and open it directly from your PC, it's legible.

Tim