The 10/22� Classic M-Can on a Short Barreled Rifle
The short 5� barrel permanently fused to a 12� M-Can solves a number of problems inherent in the suppressed 10/22, not the least of which is excessive velocity, reliability, and handiness. During the assembly process we cut, turn and recrown a factory 10/22 barrel to a 5� length, test it for accuracy, and then carefully weld a 1� long plug of solid steel around the muzzle. The tube of a 12� M-Can is then welded to that steel plug creating what is legally a 16�+ long barrel. This unit fits into a shortened Butler Creek stock. The end result is a trim, quiet, accurate, sweet-shooting 10/22 that performs well with the milder forms of factory ammunition. We also build a similar weapon coupled to a 7� can of larger diameter. This configuration must be registered as a short barreled rifle with a $200 transfer tax to individuals.
Since the January, 2001,
article in Special Weapons for Military & Police has spurred so much
interest in our products, we have decided to print this information sheet to
help those who have never before entered the Class 3, NFA world.� This is currently governed by BATF, and is
subject to additional rules, spins and interpretations.� Since 1934 an Act of Congress has regulated
certain firearms and firearm-related products.�
In 1934 the cost of a Thompson submachinegun was $50, so the politicians
of that era arbitrarily decided to make the transfer fee to individual citizens
four times that amount -- $200.� Back
then the amount was prohibitive and crippling, but inflation over the years has
made it less so.� The Act makes the
legal transfer of short-barreled rifles, machineguns and silencers liable to a
one-time federal tax of $200, per NFA-regulated item.� Police departments, states, counties and municipalities are not
subject to these taxes, and may take a form 5 transfer free of charge. Police
departments and governmental entities can take a transfer in any state.
Individuals can take
silencer transfers in the following 35 states: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA,
ID, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MN, MS, MT, ND, NC, NH, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN,
TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV, & WY. We were unprepared for the volume of
inquiries initiated by the article, and do not have a complete listing of those
states that currently allow short barreled rifles.� The list is not identical.�
We have been asked repeatedly by individuals if they can �drive down and
pick up one of these weapons�.� The
answer to that is NO!� We would not be
in business very long if we violated state or federal laws.� Transfers must take place through legal
channels.� One can purchase a weapon
directly from us, but must take a legal transfer through a Class 3 dealer. If
you live in a state that does not allow a certain device, your only legal options
are to move to a state that does allow that device, or to obtain a Class 3
dealer�s license.� A tax of $200 is
levied on each transfer to an individual.�
That would be $400 for the complete Type 3 Pocket Rifle.
There is currently an
established procedure for paying this tax and acquiring NFA firearms in those
states that do not prohibit it.�
Typically, an individual will fill out two copies of an NFA Form 4, get
fingerprinted twice (4 times for 2 transfers) and get the written blessing of a
local sheriff or chief of police.� A
corporation can take a transfer on a similar Form 4, for which no background
check or fingerprints are required. That person or corporation would then send
the whole mess of papers and fingerprint cards and a $200 (or $400) money order
off to BATF at an address in Chicago.� A
dealer within the individual�s state must normally take place in the
transfer.� That dealer can�t be just any
FFL holder, he must have paid a $500 to $1,000-a-year SOT (special occupational
tax) for the right to deal in NFA weapons.�
Within roughly 90 days an individual�s fingerprints will be run in all
50 states and their background will be checked. Form 4s take about 20 days to
clear for a corporation and about 90 days to an individual.� If all goes well the NFA branch of BATF will
approve the form and send one approved copy to the local Class 3 dealer.� That dealer can then legally release the
restricted weapon to the individual.�
Police departments and governmental entities take their transfers on a
tax-free form 5.� These transfers
usually take only 20 days.�
Manufacturers and dealers can do business directly with any institution
in any state in the U.S.� Both forms
look intimidating, but are actually quite simple.� If a Class 3 dealer needs to be involved a fee from $50 to $100
is often charged.
Since different people
and governmental intitutions want the Pocket Rifle in different configurations,
we are listing the prices on a piecemeal basis.� A new, blued 10/22 retails for roughly $223, while a stainless one
goes for roughly $263.� A pre-ban 10/22
sells for roughly $325.�� If you are an
individual we would rather work with your rifle, as long as it is pre-ban,
safe, sound, and the barrel is in good condition (not shot out).� Barrels on the 10/22 are easily changed and
new barrels are readily available from us.�
Due to the Brady Act, passed in 1994, there is currently a legal problem
with mounting a folding stock or a pistol grip on a semi-automatic rifle
manufactured after that date, so �pre-ban� rifle actions, and pre-ban folding
stocks are required for an individual transfer.� We are told that the feature of the Brady Act against �assault
rifles� will go away in 2004, unless further congressional action is taken.� The act allows only two of a number of features
on semi-automatic rifles.� Those
features are folding stock, pistol grip, removable magazine, bayonet lug, and
flash hider/suppressor.� About the only
thing we wouldn�t recommend on the 10/22 �assault rifle� is the bayonet
lug.� Again, if the weapon will be going
to a police department or a branch of the government, none of the above
restrictions apply.� Bolt-action rifles
are not subject to the restrictions of the act, and if folding stocks are
available for certain models of bolt guns we can easily make pocket rifles out
of them.
We charge $345, retail,
for our suppressor, mounted on your barrel.�
If one wants a special bull barrel with a faster twist, there is a $125
charge for that.� Normally the standard
barrels work fairly well with heavy, Aguila SSS 60-grain ammo, but a faster
twist does impart more stability for those who want a little more
accuracy.� Note that, while a faster
twist will help accuracy with the longer SSS bullet, the slower 16� twist has been
proven optimal for 40-grain .22 bullets.�
Normally 10/22 triggers are not very good, and we will work on them to
make them a little crisper, and put an overtavel screw in to limit the amount
the trigger moves after the hammer trips.�
All of Choate�s new folding stocks are gone now, but it is our
understanding that we can buy and mount used, pre-94 folders on pre-ban weapons
that are legally registered short barreled rifles.� If we can get them, they cost about $170 apiece.� We will install scopes and mounts and bipods
on your weapon, but many want to do this themselves.� Since prices vary so much, we will leave this area open.� Typically, a good bipod will cost between
$50 and $80, while scopes range from $40 to $hundreds.� Although it is overbuilt for the light
Pocket Rifle, VersaPod is about the best of the bipods.� We are also comfortable with Harris and
B-Square, which come in different sizes and mounting systems.� We do not recommend saving $10 by using
Ruger�s flimsy 3/8� scope strip� on top of the receiver.� Instead, we suggest using a 1� Weaver base,
and Loctiting it in place.
Our Type 1 system uses a
5+� barrel welded to a 12� long suppressor tube, to give an overall length
beyond 16�, and taking the weapon out of the short barreled rifle
category.� We no longer make the Type 2
weapon.� The Type 3 system uses a
similar 5+� barrel coupled to a 7 or 8� tube of larger diameter, and it has to
be a legally registered SBR.� Both cans
take the sound of the system below that of action noise.� When your ear is on the stock during firing
the system sounds much louder than it actually is.� When someone else shoots it from a distance it is then possible
to get a full appreciation for the lack of noise upon discharge.� An officer just E-Mailed us to report that
he had to put a raccoon that has been injured in traffic out of its
misery.� The raccoon was on someone�s
front lawn in a big subdivision.�
Formerly when the officer had done this with a duty pistol or shotgun,
lots of lights went on, and lots of phone calls went out to the station house
about gunshots being fired.� When he
used the Pocket Rifle no one heard the two shots, and no lights went on.� It was a non-event.
The reason for the
unusual accuracy of the Pocket Rifle can be traced to the 50 years of
experience we have had with building accurate rifles.� We now know what matters and what doesn�t.� The short barrel keeps the speed of the
bullet below the sonic level.� Since the
bullets never enter a transonic velocity, they remain stable.� The short barrel also allows the bullet to
remain enroute for a shorter period of time, and this keeps the effect of
extraneous movement to a minimum.� In
addition, the weight of the steel can stabilizes the barrel�s muzzle, a most
important aspect in accurate bullet delivery.�
Few people use a bipod, and this can be a mistake, because this device
really enhances accuracy at distance, especially from prone.� Last, but not least, our technique and
experience in porting allows us to vent gas pressure inside the can before it
can mess with bullet accuracy at the critical moment of departure.
�����������������������