Search Terms: November 2007

This is my first month using my new search query analyzer, which runs around midnight every night and sends me all the searches which have happened for the day up until that point. Now I only write one or two answers per day, as opposed to being deluged with answering hundreds at the end of the month. It should also give me more of an opportunity to write in-depth answers and respond with actual articles where warranted.

Articles Written or Updated in response to these questions

I do tend to give quick responses to a lot of the questions in here. However, some questions come up often enough (or the area is murky enough) that they warrant new articles or updates to existing ones.

• AnatomyOfABullet, with a bit about different weights of bullet; also added a bit about what cannelures are.
• LandsAndGrooves, total rewrite.
• RecModsParOne, some updates and added pictures.
• ProcRecrowning, newly created in response to questions here.
• ProcMeasureBarrelLength, newly created in response to questions here.

Articles Identified as Needing Written

• c&r logbook: A few pics of the ubiquitous Brownells logbooks, along with pics of my own (info redacted of course)
• "loaded magazine" california: This is a common question about weapon transport in California. Loaded magazines aren't legally prohibited, per se. However, there's some hubbub over whether or not a loaded magazine, in and of itself, constitutes a loaded weapon. I need to write an article detailing both viewpoints. One viewpoint commonly expressed by gun shops and law enforcement, is that a loaded mag is a loaded weapon, whether it's in the weapon or not. The extreme polar opposite of that idea, is that it doesn't count as a loaded weapon unless a round is in the chamber.
• "law enforcement gun release" california weeks: Presently, I've got nothing about LEGR's on the site...

Questions With Half-Answers

Don't rely on these as anything more than pointers for your own research.

• reloading berden primed casings: Pretty work-intensive. It requires a hammer, some water, a punch, etc.
• who can have a semi automatic rifle in california: Anyone who may own firearms in California, may own a semi-automatic rifle in California. The question becomes, who may own firearms in California? I'll dig around on this and get details.
• assault rifle transfer regulations: See this article, newly written in response to this question.
• gi reloading components: Military load data would be interesting, wouldn't it? I know that for 223, they frequently use Lake City brass. I'm not sure what propellant and projectiles they use. I intend to research and write on this later.
• face to face firearm purchase federal laws: Not illegal for long guns, provided that both folks are residents of the same state so that isn't an interstate transfer (which has to go through an FFL). I believe recently passed federal law mandates that all handguns go through an FFL now, but I could be wrong.

Questions Asked, and Answers Given

• is steyr aug legal in california: The Steyr AUG is listed by make and model. However, the US-made Microtech rifles are very similar in appearance and function to the Steyr AUG. The new Steyr USA AUG's will also be likely be off-list (manufactured here, not imported... probably a different rollmark, etc)
• detachable magazine fed shotgun: The most ubiquitous and inexpensive mag fed semi auto shotgun I'm aware of, is the Saiga-12.
• stripper clips 18 years or older: This just had to be posted. I imagine the guy was looking for stripper videos... he wound up with a treatise on California law and rifles loaded with stripper clips. I am amused...
• threaded rifle 22lr barrels california legal: Threaded barrels are CA-legal on all rifles, not just 22LR. They are prohibited on detachable-magazine pistols, however.
• monster man grip shotgun: While you could install an MMG on a shotgun which accepts AR-15 pistol grips, there just isn't a reason to. You can use pistol grips on shotguns - see LegalCaliforniaShotgunGuide. The only reason I could imagine wanting one, would be so that you could use a collapsible stock or forward pistol grip as your "feature" on a semi-auto instead of the pistol grip you're replacing with the MMG.
• barrett m468 california: The Barrett M468 is not listed in the Roberti-Roos or Kasler lists, therefore it's just as legal as any other AR. Comply with SB23 and you'll be fine.
• bullet button california radd: You can look up his info on http://www.calguns.net/.
• 10/22 to fn ps90 conversion kits: Matt, over at Ironwood Designs, was working on something like this at one point. However, I'm not sure if the project was ever finished.
• can i have a gun with a magazine outside the pistol grip in california: For rifles - yes. For pistols - only if the magazine is fixed in place, like the old broomhandle mausers, or the AK pistols folks are presently building. Due to legal issues, you have to build the pistols from flats or have them PPT'ed; you can't buy one completed, because it's not drop tested.
• detachable magazine shotgun: While I have no conclusive list, the Saiga-12 is one of the most popular detachable-magazine shotguns. Other shotguns include the Jackhammer. Detachable-magazine shotguns never became very popular, due to the great variety of ammunition available and the comparative ease of inserting shotgun shells into tube magazines.
• saiga .22 lr conversion: There would be two ways to do this. One would be to use the Saiga-12 shotgun as a base, and use the 22LR-ish shell holders. But I doubt this is what you want. The most practical solution would be to obtain a Romanian AK-22 trainer, then convert it to accept a Saiga stock and trigger.
• california legal detachable magazine sks: Detachable-magazine SKSes are specifically prohibited by California law. The Zastava rifles commonly described as "Yugo SKSes", however, are not actually SKSes and are thus not prohibited from having detachable magazines.
• 6.8 millimeter bullets: If you meant projectiles, you're looking for .270 caliber.
• california legal thompson gun: The Thompson is legal in CA, provided that you're using the version with a buttstock attached and you have removed any pistol grips on the rifle. The government-issue-style flat foreend is not a pistol grip however, and may remain.
• can i have an mp5 automatic weapon in ca: If you meant fully automatic, no. There are some exceptions for movie prop companies and such, but that's about it.
• california legal romanian dragunov: You mean the PSL. There are some "listed" PSLs (the romak's, etc) but most currently available PSLs are freely available. Just take off the thumbhole stock before transferring it; some dealers get twitchy about the muzzle brake too though.
• .50 bmg upper reciever: If you mean for the AR-15, check out the offerings from Bohica and Ultramag50. I think Serbu might have something too...
• if i buy a pistol in nevada can i legally bring it into california?: In some cases, yes. If you're a curio+relic license holder, and the pistol is over 50 years old, then sure. If not, you can pay for it in Nevada and have it mailed to a transfer dealer in California, provided that it's on the California approved list (or drop-test exempt, i.e. a single action revolver). But in the majority of cases, the answer is no if you are already a California resident. If you are moving into California, then sure, bring in whatever you want as long as it's not an assault weapon.
• buy shotgun nevada bring california: If the shotgun is more than 50 years old, sure - you don't need a C&R license in order to do this, either. However, if it's a modern shotgun, you would have to have it mailed to a transfer dealer in California. As a California resident, you can't legally take possession of a less-than-50-year-old shotgun without having run it through a transfer dealer. If you are moving into California, then sure, bring in whatever you want as long as it's not an assault weapon.
• special weapons magazine .50 beowulf: The vast majority of the Internet users who know what Special Weapons is, are very glad that Special Weapons doesn't make Beowulf magazines.
• bullet cannelure: The cannelure is the small grooved ring around a bullet, which is meant to indicate how deeply it should be seated in the jacket. Without a cannelure, you have to rely on neck tension to hold the bullet, and have no way to visually identify a bullet that's seated too far forward. This is covered in AnatomyOfABullet.
• transfer handguns from ca to va: For what you probably want, see LegalCaliforniaMovingTo. However, I probably ought to write a CA FAQ on inter-state purchases.

-- SeanNewton - 31 Oct 2007