Canadian Airgun Forum

I was thinking of builting a smooth bore black powder pistol. Is it legal? If so are there kits to do this?

lol, kids should be playing not building guns for you!

It is legal, provided you have your RPAL, and you register it when completed.
Smooth bore can be surprizingly accurate - my scratch built BP percussion pistol can consistently hit tin cans at 50 yds. If you'd like to see some pics of the gun, I'll post a few.
I have seen PB pistol kits in the past, but no idea if they are still available.

CVA (connecticut valley arms) sold some very good BP kits. i built one in .45 cal with a percussion cap and also a flintlock version. both were rifled bore and shot very well with a patched round ball. i bought the kit around 1985 (percussion) and a year or so later ordered a second barrel & flint lock. had to register them both as restricted. the style was called "kentucky pistol" but don't know how historically accurate that was. don't know if they are still available. fun kit to make and fire.

Once the touchhole is drilled you must register it.

how come a flintlock pistol is considered a firearm, but not a flintlock rifle?

i did hear that the only reason flintlock rifles are exempt from registrationis that the liberals came to realize at the last minute that all the brown bess and french muskets used in historical re-enactments would require registration/PAL rules etc.-hence the waiver to flintlock rifles. the pistol kit i built has two barrels, one with a percussion nipple and the other with a flint flash hole and they each have their own serial number and registration.

Parks Canada makes millions every year on re-enactments, and if they had to get every teenager they hire to get a PAL, meet storage and transport requirements...

Flintlock pistols do not need to be registered as far as I know.They sell them in AB over the counter no PAL/FAC needed........................Harold

The only ones they can legally sell over the counter no FAC/PAL needed are pre-1898 pistols, which are considered antique. If you purchase a replica of a pre-1898 pistol, or a pistol made in 1899 you still need your RPAL.

J

in the late 70's and early 80's when black powder rifle and pistol kits became popular there was for a time some confusion regarding the restricted status of the pistols. kits were sold over the counter without any paperwork etc. that loophole was soon plugged and all pistols flintlock or percussion were considered "restricted" and required registration. genuine antiques (not replicas) are exempt from registration.

If I am correct, you can get an antique status .455 calibre Webley revolver and carry and shoot as you please without ATT/PAL. In fact, I'm pretty certain you can have it rechambered to .45acp and stay legal too.

assuming it is a legal conversion shooting a modern smokeless .45 cal ACP cartridge in any legitimate antique frame whether cap-and-ball or cartridge is courting disaster. these early revovlvers were proof tested for black powder breach pressures and quality control was not a concern. proof marks on any of these older guns a always suspect since the standards were vague and differed from country to country. these fine old guns are best left hanging on the wall.IMO

following up....read www.rcmp-grc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/antique- ... ue-eng.htm it would appear that a .455 conversion to .45ACP would become a restricted weapon and would require registration as such.

What I'm reading there is .45 ACP is OK, .45 Colt is not.