My head hurts....TC Encore discussion

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Recently someone on a TC Contender/Encore group on face plant asked "can I switch my Encore rifle to a pistol" Meaning can he take the rifle barrel off, and take off the butstock, and affix a pistol grip and pistol barrel.

Of course the resounding response was noooooooo your gonna be arrested, and comments similar.

For those that might not know. A Contender and Encore are both single shot firearms. A big attraction of them is that they are interchangeable in that you can get 100's of calibers and conversions for them, and they all fit the same frame for said platform. The ATF had a ruling on this some time ago because TC was selling a kit, basically a pistol set-up and a carbine set-up. It was argued that they were selling a SBR via "constructive possession" I think its called, where they opined that one could put the pistol barrel on the frame with a rifle stock, hence, an SBR. Basically like putting a Charger takedown forend on your 10/22 rifle takedown receiver. Annnnnyways.......sure, I guess you could do that.

Encore shooters for years and years have swapped back and forth between rifle/pistol set ups and I haven't heard of one single case where anyone was jammed up.

Further, it is said, that once you put a rifle barrel on your frame, you can't use it ever again as a pistol, cause that would be manufacturing a pistol from a rifle.......

Any other Encore/Contender fans see this nonsense?
 
https://www.atf.gov/file/55526/download

Short version:

If it was originally built as a rifle, you can't convert it to a pistol without registering it as an NFA item since that is a "weapon made from a rifle".

If it was originally built as a pistol, you may convert it to a rifle and back again without registering it as an NFA item.

However, it would be beneficial to read the whole thing, and maybe look up some of the laws referenced. They refer to the TC kits you mentioned, and the resolution in favor of not considering those kits to be SBRs.
 
SCOTUS ruled in favor of TC

Correct, meaning the kits TC sells are not considered NFA items, and possessing one is not "constructive possession". However, if you assemble the short barrel and stock onto the receiver then you have made an NFA item.
 
I absolutely agree with you on that part mlaboss, if I put a pistol barrel on my frame with a rifle but stock, thats a no brainer. I'm talking about swapping back and forth between a full rifle set up and back to a legit pistol set up, ie; 15" barrel and pistol grip.
 
I absolutely agree with you on that part mlaboss, if I put a pistol barrel on my frame with a rifle but stock, thats a no brainer. I'm talking about swapping back and forth between a full rifle set up and back to a legit pistol set up, ie; 15" barrel and pistol grip.

"Held further, a firearm, as defined by 26 U.S.C. 5845(a)(3) and (a)(4), is not made when parts in a kit that were originally designed to be configured as both a pistol and a rifle are assembled or re-assembled in a configuration not regulated under the NFA (e.g., as a pistol, or a rifle with a barrel of 16 inches or more in length)."
 
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