Gotcha, yeah sadly there is as much bad information as there is credible when it comes to hone building and atf opinion letters in general. I always look at codified law first, court cases and prosecutions second, atf determination letters third, and atf opinion letters last. The last two are always subject to change depending on the winds of the day.
Building a firearm, how many?
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I heard the law is "One less firearm than it takes to sink your boat or watercraft."
Most of us here ignore that law.....
Most of us here ignore that law.....
whistlersmother
Peace through strength
Humm... I'll have to look further into this. I intend to keep any firearms I might make, so I've probably glossed over this point.
- Feb 4, 2013
- 28,175
However, do you want to have to fight the BATFE in court?
Depend's on your opinion of Maryland's HQL law. I'm more than willing to spend a few extra bucks to build my own.
There is also a great deal of satisfaction each time you pull the trigger of something you built yourself. Can't always put a price on that.
Also gives you an appreciation for the folks that dream up these designs. Especially the 1911. Love it or hate it, I marvel at it's design.
Rambler
Doing the best with the worst.
- Oct 22, 2011
- 2,219
Even if you intend to never sell a firearm you manufactured yourself, eventually you will die. For that firearm to be legally transferred through an estate, it would need to be marked with the manufacturer's info as cited above. So, all I am saying is that a prudent person would make arrangements prior to that.
MD's HQL is BS. I don't have to deal with it since I moved to DE.
BUFF7MM
☠Buff➐㎣☠
Prove to me how anybody would know my heir(s) didn't build that firearm.
Nooooooo. No government has ever disarmed their citizens. Maryland has never considered confiscating any guns.
I have an HQL, but take comfort in the fact I have guns not on record.
Oh, I agree. MSP already knows what regulated firearms you have. Not getting an HQL only hurts our local gun shops. Maryland is happy people aren't buying new guns.
I am not trying to say building guns isn't a good skill to have. But, it is very expensive to do right. If I didn't have a 500lb milling machine and thousands of dollars in tools I couldn't build anything nice. And by the time you are done building a gun, it cost twice as much as buying one new in the box. You can definately pay for your HQL with the money you save by not building it yourself.
I disagree. Building firearms, even "right," can be done with hand tools and turn out just as good and usually much better than anything century puts out. I don't have any builds that cost me more than the equivalent "production" gun. All it takes is time, patience, and research to do it right.
I know there is growing interest, but not much regular exposure to home builds on mds. There are entire forums dedicated to it and go far beyond ar, ak, and glock builds. Rather than spreading information that discourages, it would be much better if everyone, please, took the time to learn the laws and share the positives of homebuilding with other firearms enthusiasts.
I know there is growing interest, but not much regular exposure to home builds on mds. There are entire forums dedicated to it and go far beyond ar, ak, and glock builds. Rather than spreading information that discourages, it would be much better if everyone, please, took the time to learn the laws and share the positives of homebuilding with other firearms enthusiasts.
fabsroman
Ultimate Member
I have read it many times... it is referring to those 'in the business of', which I am not referring to... building your own gun is not 'in the business of'...
The question becomes when are you "engaged in the business" of? If you never sell any of the guns, or do work on other people's firearms for compensation, then there you aren't "engaged in the business".
Simple answer is you can build an infinite number of firearms for personal use. The question becomes, at what point are you "engaged in the business". Take the guns to your grave and there is no issue. Start selling them, and there is an issue.
Fabs, not sure if you'd agree, but I draw parallels to the guidelines for an 03ffl. As a c&r holder you can both collect and sell firearms without being engaged in the business thereof. Yes it is a fine line, but in both collecting and homebuilding you can buy and sell to enhance your personal collection. When I'm not on my phone I'll have to dig up the atf 03 portion that, albeit vaguely, qualifies "engaged in the business."
fabsroman
Ultimate Member
I agree. I have been looking into building my own AR lowers (but I have a lot of them already), and then building some handguns. I have a STI2011 frame I need to finish up and then I want to build another 2011, possibly in 10mm. There are some other handguns out there that I would like to build too.
The tools purchased to do these builds can always be sold at a later date, and tools retain a decent amount of their value. Kind of like renting a log splitter for a couple days a year at $100 a day, versus buying it and then selling it if you are ever done with it. If you have the room and the cash, it makes a lot more sense to buy it.
For me, it isn't really about the money, but about not having to apply for a license, not having to get fingerprinted, and not having to bend over for the anal probe. This comes down to a matter of principle. Then, it comes down to a matter of accomplishment. I get a lot more satisfaction knowing I killed something with a reload of mine that worked flawlessly, like the first big buck I killed. Likewise, I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing my own car repairs, computer repairs, gun builds, etc. There is the sense of personal satisfaction in doing something yourself, and then the satisfaction of obtaining the knowledge to do it yourself.
Caveat is, make sure you know what the heck you are doing before messing with electricity, high pressure gases, brakes on vehicles, etc. If you are working on something that can kill you or somebody else if you screw up, then you had better be damn sure about what you are doing.
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