Carbine vs Handgun frame. How to tell?

[Tacoma]

I reciently looked at a T/C Contender frame that was for sale. The front of the frame was Marked TCA-C. Does this mean it was fabricated  a carine? If not, How ( and /or) can you tell if it's legal to mount a handgun barrel?

[KN]

No difference in frames, You can set it up any way you want as long as barrel length exceeds 16" for a carbine. I believe this was settled by the supreme court. Some state laws may vary.  KN

[contender hunter]

what if your going into canada on a hunt and they ran the serial number could it come up as a handgun frame and so not allowed in.

[KN]

Run the serial number with who? Our government isn't allowed to keep a gun registery remember.   KN

[Graybeard]

This one just keeps on coming back. And every time it does we all state our opinions and just like a certain part of our anatomy we all have one.

All gun manufacturers are required to report production to the feds annually. This includes serial numbers and type gun. TC reports the manufacture of all frames. TC CLAIMS it reports ALL frames as handgun frames. BUT do they? If so, then how do they get them into places like CA and MA who don't allow handguns? Beats me.

But yes I do believe there is a federal database with the SNs of all TC frames and it will show how it left the factory whether as handgun or rifle. It can't legally go further than that however as to trace data. No record of who got it in other words.

We also always dance around the issue of the lawsuit won by TC and just what it really means and doesn't mean. I ain't going there again. Been down that road way too many times and there is no way we're going to agree on it anyway.

[teamnelson]

I reciently looked at a T/C Contender frame that was for sale. The front of the frame was Marked TCA-C. Does this mean it was fabricated  a carine? If not, How ( and /or) can you tell if it's legal to mount a handgun barrel?

The way I always tell is by the length of the barrel attached to it

TCA sometimes means Thompson Center Association, so you may have found one of the limited edition frames specially made for TCS. ED at EDs TCs would be a good source of knowledge on that.

[teamnelson]

Tell you what - if anyone should happen to purchase a frame and be unable to enter CA, MA, or Canada with it, send it to me. I will be more than happy to take that problem off your hands. That way, when my wife asks me why I needed another frame, I can tell her that I am simply helping a brother out.