Kahr Sbr Difficulty

[maverick4440]

How difficult is it to obtain BATF approval to make an M1A1 short barreled rifle. Kahr carries the M1A1 semi obviously but I also saw the short barrels listed on their website as well. How tough is it to obtain a permit to make a SBR M1A1 semi auto? How long does approval usually take? IF I obtained permission from the BATF I would blank adapt this to use at WWII re-enactments. Would I be the only one allowed to handle this weapon at a re-enactment or could I loan it to another re-enactor without breaking the law. In other words since the weapon would be registered to Me would I be the only one allowed to handle it?. I apologize for all the questions but I am weighing the price and hassle of obtaining a legal SBR or waiting for the new full auto blank fire M1A1's that are coming out in the next few months. Those are rumored to be $1500 at least plus they don't have the option of live fire if You choose to actually fire a live round.

thanks

maverick

[LSU Tiger]

Considering all I've heard about the ATF, I'd wait on the blank only versions coming down the pike. The $1,500 to $2,000 would be a drop in the bucket compared to the headache in paperwork and proof that your desgin is a semiauto only design. My 2¢ worth.

[Bill in VA]

File a Form 1 and wait. Once it's back to you and approved, put your 10.5" bbl on it and blank adapt it. There is no "issue" about about proving it's a semi-auto only. Your Form 1 is basically telling the BATF that you have a semi-auto rifle and would like to put a shorter-than-16" bbl on it. Can you lend it out? No. Not unless you're right there with it all of the time. (You must retain direct control over it all times. What I've seen in renacting is that during a tactical guys are all over the place, so unless the two of you are doing an impression with a vehicle/driver and gunner where the two of you are constantly together... you get the idea.) That doesn't mean your buddies can't fondle it or shoot it. They can, just as long as you're there with them.

 

Getting an approved Form 1 isn't at all hard. As long as your state/local laws allow possession of an SBR by an individual, and as long as your CLEO will sign off on the Form 1 (and, of course, provided you have a clean criminal record with no felony convictions) there should be no problem what so ever. FWIW, the pros and cons of building one versus buying a ready-made SBR (such as those from Kahr) has been discussed here several times, and it seems that the general consensus is that it's cheaper to build than to buy. (A search ougght to help you track down previous such threads.)

 

HTH