Legal Lengths of Shotguns and Rifles in the United States

Many people might go down to their local gun store or a neighborhood gun show and assume that each and every weapon there is ready to be taken home. Whether it be bolt action rifles or a lever action shotgun, you think that you can fill out some paperwork and take it home with you.

But not so fast. If you buy a secondhand weapon, you can run into the issue of purchasing a weapon that has been modified to standards that don’t adhere to those of the United States government. Before you go out searching for rifles and shotguns for sale, let’s take a look at one of the most important things you need to know before making any firearm purchase: What gun lengths are legal and what gun lengths are illegal in the U.S.

Understanding Legal Shotgun Length Limits

There are many things to keep in mind and understand before purchasing a shotgun or rifle in order to ensure it complies with the legal firearm length limits in the United States. Other areas around the world have different regulations than the U.S., and sometimes what is acceptable or unacceptable there is not the same here. This includes both the overall firearm lengths and rifle and shotgun barrel lengths.

A major reason that these length regulations are in place is to help classify the type of firearm. By enforcing and standardizing these measurements, each weapon can fall into a certain category. Most often this is used to make the distinction between short-barreled shotguns (SBS) and short-barreled rifles (SBR). The law has regulated that a shotgun barrel length must be at least 18 inches, while the entire gun length must be at least 26 inches.

How to Measure Gun Barrel Length

A specific measurement procedure must be used to define the actual barrel length. Barrel measurements are taken by closing the bolt and running a tape measure down the barrel to the face of the closed bolt. If you are unsure of where the closed bolt is, you can run a rod down the barrel until it stops, make a mark on the rod, and then measure the rod once you pull it back out of the barrel. The ATF uses micrometers to measure the length of the barrel.

Many factory length barrels start at 18½ inches to make sure that they meet these regulations on their shotguns. Keep in mind that when you purchase a new weapon and it says 22-inch barrel, there is a possibility that it is only a 21½-inch barrel, because manufacturers round up. For rifles, that number decreases to only a 16-inch barrel. The length of the weapon must still be at least 26 inches. This becomes a little tricky for rifles that can fold the stock in. If the weapon can be fired while the stock is folded, then the length of the weapon when folded must be at least 26”. If the weapon becomes incapable of firing once the stock is folded, then the weapon can be less than 26” and still classified as a rifle.

As a side note, to check if a barrel has been shortened, simply take a dime and see if it will fit down the barrel. If the choke is still there, the dime will catch at the end of the barrel. If the choke has been sawed off, the dime will be able to continue down the barrel unimpeded. For those of you wanting to perform modifications, it’s a good idea to keep your shotgun barrels to at least 18 ½ inches to give yourself a little leeway.

If you do decide to shorten your weapon, be aware that you will need to register it as an SBS or SBR, which comes with a $200 tax stamp. So if you have a weapon that is only worth about $100-$150, you are going to pay that additional cost just to make it legal. If you don’t do that, you can encounter legal complications that could result in plenty of time and headache.

When you want to find some of the best lever action rifles or semi-automatic rifles, your best bet is to search for firearms online. GrabAGun.com offers many brands that come manufactured to U.S. standards so you won’t have to question whether or not a weapon purchased secondhand will cost you more money to make it legally compliant.

A Mossberg 500 is a great example of a high-quality tactical pump-action shotgun that meets all U.S. gun length regulations. Grab A Gun offers have many rifles and shotguns that can accommodate a variety of uses, whether it be home defense, hunting, or sport shooting. We also offer a wide variety of shotgun parts and accessories to help outfit your Mossberg the way you want so you don’t need to try your hand at home weapon modification.

GrabAGun.com gives you all of the information you need, so you can be certain about exactly what you are buying. So when you want to purchase your next rifle or shotgun, keep these standards in mind, and buy from a trusted gun retailer.