r/canadaguns • u/Xdust4 • Mar 09 '26

Shitpost / Memes New Camping Gun

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They messed up all my usual camping guns so I’m looking to shorten up grandpas ol duck gun. How short can this be without getting in any trouble?

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5

u/Superb_Extension1751 Mar 09 '26

I could be wrong, but 18" is the shortest you can do yourself legally. As long as overall length is still legal, with that stock it would be. If you go shorter at a gunsmith it will have to be registered as restricted and then can no longer be your camping gun.

16

u/[deleted] Mar 09 '26

You're 50% correct.

18" is the shortest you can legally cut a barrel, regardless of the firearm action. Anything cut less than that is considered prohibited. Semi-automatics can't go below 18.5", otherwise it is restricted.

However, a manufactured short barrel can be installed and allows you to go below 18" as long as it is a manual action and still within the legal overall length specification.

Very odd, I know. It doesn't make sense to anyone else either.

3

u/Superb_Extension1751 Mar 10 '26

If only it was as easy as "guns require a license"

How any of these laws made sense to the people putting them in place is beyond me.

5

u/Socratesmiddlefinger Mar 10 '26

Back in the day (1998), the H&K G11 was banned in Canada.

It never reached full production, and only about 1,000 were ever made for the West German military.

I believe some mid level goverment drone read Popular Mechanics featuring the Heckler & Koch G11 most prominently in its November 1989 issue and put it on the ban list.

The FN FAL (and all variants) became prohibited on January 1, 1995, despite it being the main battle rifle for the Canadian Army for almost thirty years. The primary fate for most FAL rifles, following the overhaul by Diemaco, was long-term storage in the Canadian Forces supply system, followed by destruction via smelting. Close to 75k rifles were destroyed.

They banned all Ruger Number 1 rifles because one gunsmith in Alberta modified one single rifle to .460.

There are probably dumber examples, but it just hurts my soul to know these things.

They began boiling the frog in the mid 60s, and it took 50 years, but Canada fell without a fight.

2

u/This_Hedgehog_3246 Mar 09 '26

Even more confusing south of the border.

8

u/h3IIfir3pho3nix N E R F G U N S Mar 09 '26

You cannot shorten a barrel below 18" period, even if you're a gunsmith. You can newly manufacture a barrel that is below 18", but cutting an existing barrel below 18" makes it prohibited (yes our laws don't make any sense).

6

u/Xdust4 Mar 09 '26

Whoa there that’s for manually operating guns not semi autos. Semi autos need to be 18.5

4

u/Superb_Extension1751 Mar 10 '26

Ah yes, my bad. That 0.5" is what turns it from a hunting firearm to a tactical assault style weapon of war deemed unstable for public ownership. Plus it's 0.5" easier to conceal in my jenko jeans.

What a country we live in.

2

u/Xdust4 Mar 10 '26

Ignorance of the law is no excuse, the police will be there momentarily