The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Dave McCracken Memorial Shotgun Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old July 2, 2000, 12:05 PM   #1
beherethen
Junior Member
 
Join Date: April 22, 2000
Location: Chicago,Il,USA
Posts: 11
What is the law regarding using pistol grips as opposed to regular stock?
beherethen is offline  
Old July 2, 2000, 02:59 PM   #2
Monkeyleg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 25, 2000
Posts: 4,625
beherethen: Under the '94 "assault weapon" ban, a pistol grip is one of the evil features that can make a gun illegal. If you have a semi-automatic shotgun, you cannot add another evil feature if your shotgun already has one of the following: a bayonet lug, a barrel shroud, a magazine tube with a capacity of more than five shells, a folding stock, a threaded barrel, or an engraving of the likeness of Senator Diane Feinstein on the receiver. There may be a couple of other features I've forgotten, but you can't exceed one evil feature unless the gun was manufactured prior to '94.


Dick
Want to send a message to Bush? Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/monk/petition.html and forward the link to every gun owner you know.
Monkeyleg is offline  
Old July 2, 2000, 05:00 PM   #3
Dave McC
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 13, 1999
Location: Columbia, Md, USA
Posts: 8,811
Sigh....

To the best of my knowledge, Federal law says that a shotgun must have at least an 18" bbl and be more than 27" overall, so PGs don't make a difference there. But...

PGs, that aren't part of a full stock, aren't a real world option. Most people find the weapon harder to control and shoot effectively with them. My agency used to issue them, most officers had trouble qualifying with them,some found it impossible.

As an instructor, I had to qualify to 90% on the course, and give frequent demos.I learned to do it, but still did better with the standard stock. After firing hundreds of rounds that way,any shooting I'm called on to do will be done with the weapon shouldered, using the sights.

Out of all the serious WIHTF types I know, none use a PG, except for a specialized extreme CQB tool.

Lots of old threads, about this, I suggest a bit of research...
Dave McC is offline  
Old July 2, 2000, 06:52 PM   #4
ctdonath
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 11, 1999
Posts: 1,904
Different jurisdictions have different laws. NY doesn't even formally recognize the "pistol-grip-only" shotgun as a weapon; lacking a shoulder stock, it is by legal definition not a shotgun...and not legally defined as anything else that's explicitly restricted. At best it may fall into the catch-all category of "dangerous weapons" which are unclear and barely regulated. (As usual, NY State law mutates into something quite alien within NY City, but since the 2nd is void there anyway...) As such, the pistol-grip-only shotgun is the most legal modern gun in NY state.


ctdonath is offline  
Old July 2, 2000, 11:25 PM   #5
Coronach
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 25, 1999
Posts: 3,147
The most important law you will encounter on this is Sir Isaac Newton's:

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

Shoot 4 boxes of 00 buck and tell us how your wrist feels. My guess is you'll be typing with your off-hand.

The shotgun evolved with a stock for a reason.

Mike


------------------
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
Coronach is offline  
Old July 3, 2000, 06:47 AM   #6
Ned Roundtree
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 8, 1999
Location: Lexington, KY,USA
Posts: 738
Your comment on wrist relief after four boxes of shells or slugs for that matter is correct. But the pistol grip is more a function for Close Quarter Combat and tactical situations where a person may have to hold the firearm with one hand while doing something else with the other. Also with body armor on the regular stock is sometimes cut so short that pistol grip helps. Me? Oh I prefer a short stock on my HD shotgun. But that's just me.
Ned Roundtree is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:49 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.06809 seconds with 10 queries