What’s that?
Went to Coal Creek Armory to pick up the Zel Custom 50 caliber. Interesting chatter ensued as Gun Smith Bob and JP tried to figure out exactly what the hell it was. And how it worked.
For those that don’t know, Zel Custom makes a bolt-action 50 caliber upper for your AR-15. Interesting conversation also ensued, since they sent me the upper and lower, watching the guys figure out the paperwork. After all, is the gun a bolt action (upper) or semi-auto (lower)? And is it .50 caliber since that’s what the upper shoots? Or a 5.56 since that’s what the lower says?
Aren’t gun laws grand?
October 11th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
I would think it was obvious: The lower is the gun. It’s a semi-auto lower (you can, I would assume, put any functional AR upper on it and make it work as designed, no?) The upper is a mere accessory and does not need to be reported to the BATFU. It’s not a firearm and doesn’t carry a serial number.
October 11th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
I hope you also ordered the shoulder replacement! Ouch!
October 11th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
You mean the shoulder thing that goes up?
October 11th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
I would tell Gunsmith Bob that the Zel Custom .50 USMG was the real weapon used to assassinate JFK and then sit back and watch the fun. Be certain to budget plenty of time.
October 11th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Hell, this isn’t even really “gun laws”; it’s BATFE regulation.
Nothing in the US Code, as far as I know, specifies the contents of the 4473 form (such as reporting “caliber”, let alone how to handle that with a modular weapon system).
If Congress required the BATFE to simplify the paperwork, produce a clear standard with legal standing against the BATFE changing its mind, and similarly give its own letters legally binding standing against itself, think of how much less work it’d be for everyone.
(Heck, the BATFE could get back to going after the tiny minority of crooked gun dealers, and people who do things that Congress actually wanted to make illegal…)
October 11th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
I would hope that if you could fire the upper without a lower in place (even with breaking your shoulder thing that goes up), it would be a gun, and you would need to do paperwork, but if it was impossible or suicidal to fire the thing without a lower in place, then it would be a record free transaction.
I’m worried that Zel Custom hasn’t gotten a letter from the BATF(uck-you Akins Accelerator), which they were free to reverse themselves on at any time, for the lamest reason.
October 11th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
My lowers (and the 4473 that goes with them) are marked “.17-.50”
October 11th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Well, the trigger and hammer are in the lower. I reckon you could MacGyver something up to hit the firing pin hard enough, but it would be problematic to do so while aiming. At least being a bolt action, you wouldn’t have the bolt carrier come flying out at you.
October 11th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
I’m still waiting for Crossman to put out a .17 HM2 conversion for my 760 Pumpmaster.
October 12th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Hell I have no idea what to call my New-to-Me FAL. L1A1 controls and hand-guards, Canadian “Sporter barrel” Metric American-Made metric Upper (the gun bit)and a hatchet-job Inch-pattern lower fitted with a Politically-correct thumb-hole stock.
Gun laws ARE stupid.
October 12th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Mr Evilwrench,
Never say MacGyver on a gun blog. We’re the only ones smart enough to grab the AK after we knock out the Bad Guy Russian using the improvised-on-the-spot weapon of the week.
October 13th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Sebastian: Depending on how often you fire it, more like “the shoulder thing that goes out.” 😉