When is a 22XX not PAL rated?

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rsterne
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Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2007 5:19 pm
Location: Coalmont BC

When is a 22XX not PAL rated?

#1 Post by rsterne »

I have been asked by a Mod to comment on this because I personally went through this many years ago, when the Registration for Non-Restricted Firearms was still in place.... I had a few project guns that I wished to register, so contacted the CFC, and they requested photos and specifications, which I provided.... Two were based on 2250s, and two on 2289s.... All used the Crosman "skeleton" Carbine stock, and barrels from 14.5 - 24" long.... All four were initially denied registration unless I had an R-PAL (I didn't, only a PAL) but the negotiations went on for about a year while they did their research.... Arguments on my side on the 2250s were that Crosman was selling them in a 18" barreled Carbine version as a rifle, and that the 2289 was, of course a Carbine, and that all of them met the 26" minimum overall length....

Eventually the answer I got was that in all cases, the rule was "once a pistol, always a pistol", and the 2250 was originally a pistol, and described as such by Crosman, and the 2289 was a Carbine version of the 1377, and came with handgrips, so it was also considered a pistol.... I was told that they were not a problem if they remained under 500 fps, but above that I would need my RPAL.... I did different things with different ones.... One of the 2250s I modded below 500 fps, on CO2, so it was non-PAL.... The other I replaced the tube with one from a 2260 (a rifle) and a 14.5" barrel, and it became my PCP Grouse Gun.... The two pumpers got tubes from a 2100/2200, which was a rifle.... One became by Uber-Pumper (.177 with a 24" barrel), the other my Uber-Carbine (.22 with a 14.5" barrel), and all three of those were subsequently registered....

The definition of a pistol/handgun/restricted firearm is reasonably clear in the law, it is "designed or intended" to be fired with one hand.... Therefore, if you make a pistol from a rifle tube, that particular gun is now a pistol, and at least in theory, can never be made back into a rifle, although proving that it did or did not go through the pistol stage before returning to a rifle would be so difficult that prosecution, IMO, would be a joke.... However, there is a much bigger danger, and that is the possibility that if you shorten the barrel OF A FIREARM to under 18", or the length to under 26", it becomes a Prohibited Weapon.... The law seems quite clear about that.... Interestingly, two of my Carbines described above, with 14.5" barrels, were fully documented by the CFC and registered to me as non-Restricted Firearms, despite the fact that they started as rifles and now have 14.5" (Crosman) barrels.... The possibility of them being Prohibited never came up, but you can bet I have kept the Registration Certificates and my original emails and photos in case they are ever questioned....

Based on the above personal experience, I would recommend that if you have a rifle that is PAL rated that you leave the barrel over 18" and the LOA over 26", and then there should never be any question.... The recent Supreme Court Decision that non-PAL guns are Firearms likely makes that apply to rifles under 500 fps, but if the new Government Law passes, that could reverse again.... If you leave it a rifle (must be fired 2-handed, and over 26" long) but the barrel is less than 18" (like my two Carbines) a zealous Prosecutor could likely cause you a lot of grief for owning a Prohibited Weapon.... This may be a situation, for me, that the fact I registered them I have a special case.... or at the very least could argue such.... I think perhaps that since I built them as Custom Guns, from parts, I became the "manufacturer", so the Prohibited Status was never questioned.... I remember being told that using a custom tube (ie not from Crosman) was another alternative, and that they would then issue me a serial number.... With no registration procedure to back you up, I would recommend you leave the barrel over 18"....

If you don't agree with the above, that's fine, but don't shoot the messenger.... The process I went through, and what I did, is fact.... Whether you should do it now, IMO, would be rolling the dice.... Please note that there ARE non-Restricted Firearms available in Canada that have barrels less than 18" long, but they came that way from the manufacturer, and so they are not Prohibited Weapons under the law, even though if YOU made an identical one from a rifle, it would be.... I believe the same applies to BullPups.... Once again, Firearm Laws in Canada should be more properly titled "50 Shades of Grey".... :mrgreen:

Bob
Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal; Too many! Springers, Pumpers, CO2, but I love my PCPs and developing them!
Proud Member of the 2000+fps Club!
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