legal length of barrel on a home made shotgun?

40 caliber

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I have a friend that has his own hobby metal shop. a friend of his wants a new barrel for a old antique homemade shotgun. the owner is concerned that it is just under 12 inches may not be legal.. As a milsurp original guy, i cringe at anything being changed that destroys value but i know nothing on these.

does anyone know the legal requirements on this one? The shotgun is in Maine but i am sure federal laws apply as well.

I told him i would post here as someone will know.

mikes shotgun.jpeg
 
the first issue I'd worry about would be the friend making gun parts and operating as a gunsmith,

it is IMHO a short barreled shotgun as configured and a NFA item

Is it a muzzle loader shotgun?

What year was the gun made? Pre 1898?

Either way I'd be declining involvement
 
Anything under 18" is an NFA item unless it is pre 1898 and/or somehow not categorized as a shotgun (think shockwave). By the looks of it, it is a shotgun under 18" so NFA. I would not get near it
 
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This is from the horses mouth if its not an antique/muzzle loader:

Which firearms are regulated under the NFA? | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

If its a muzzle loader/pre-1898 it might be OK to be under 18" if it doesn't have a "modern" ignition system, at least from what I read here: Short-barreled muzzleloader need an SBR stamp?

IANAL, so you might want to read into it a bit more.

In the end though, homemade gun parts that bear high pressures aren't always a good idea. ;)
 
Metal shop shouldn't be doing the work of a gunsmith. One thing for personal use, doing it for someone else is a big "ARREST ME" sign to the ATF.
 
Anything under 18" is an NFA item unless it is pre 1898 and/or somehow not categorized as a shotgun (think shockwave). By the looks of it, it is a shotgun under 18" so NFA. I would not get near it

Based on the bore it could be a destructive device, it looks like a big bore but who knows. It appears to have a modern firing mech, I agree it’s either an SBS or a DD.
 
Based on the bore it could be a destructive device, it looks like a big bore but who knows. It appears to have a modern firing mech, I agree it’s either an SBS or a DD.

Not sure what the bore on this one is, but aren't all 12 ga shotguns technically DDs?
 
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