r/canadaguns • u/ZealousidealTopic545 • Mar 20 '26

Application / Regulation advice The legality of full custom builds

So I recently have gone down a rabbit hole for long range precision shooting, and i'm watching a lot of these guys down in the states, they build their platforms from scratch with all custom parts that they assemble themselves. and it got me wondering about how that might work in canada.

im aware you can add custom parts to existing guns but pretty much all of these guys that im seeing are not starting from an existing gun and its all separate parts from different manufacturers and then assembling it.

I've spent a good couple hours on google, searching about the legality of building your own gun in canada but pretty much everything i'm finding is on eighty percent receivers or 3d printed ghost guns. so I was wondering if anyone has any experience with that, is there any kind of special process that you have to go about when doing it?

Edit- thanks for the info it seems some people are thinking I want to make my own receiver. I'm not looking to make a receiver just all market parts and the assembling them.

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u/DoYouGetSarcasm Mar 20 '26 edited Mar 20 '26

The receiver is the firearm. You can not make a receiver unless you have a business licence. Thats basically the only limit you're faced with in this situation.

You can make all the other parts from blocks of metal or wood or whatever (edit: likely not a barrel from scratch, but you can cut down a blank). Or buy the pieces and attach them to the receiver that was legally made by a business.

Other limits: cutting down barrels too short, some restrictions on making magazines (not to large for a semi or handgun)

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u/Primary_Judge Mar 20 '26

As of 2023, you can't make your own barrel anymore. I'm 99% sure of this.

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u/Katamori777 Mar 20 '26

Why's that?

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u/Primary_Judge Mar 20 '26

Criminal Code 99 says manufacturing of firearm parts is trafficking. "firearm parts" includes barrels of any firearm according to Criminal Code 84(1).

https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/section-99.html

https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/page-14.html#h-117002

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u/Troycifer_tron Mar 21 '26

"Every person commits an offence who... manufactures or transfers... a prohibited firearm, a restricted firearm, a non-restricted firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device, a firearm part, any ammunition or any prohibited ammunition knowing that the person is not authorized to do so under the Firearms Act or any other Act of Parliament."

Where in the Firearms Act does it say we can't make firearm parts? We meaning PAL and RPAL holders.

All I can find is, "A person may transfer a firearm part to an individual only if the individual holds a licence authorizing them to possess firearms."

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u/Primary_Judge Mar 21 '26

on 2025-10-10. Previous Versions

Marginal note:Weapons trafficking

99 (1) Every person commits an offence who

(a) manufactures or transfers, whether or not for consideration, or

(b) offers to do anything referred to in paragraph (a) in respect of

a prohibited firearm, a restricted firearm, a non-restricted firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device, a firearm part, any ammunition or any prohibited ammunition knowing that the person is not authorized to do so under the Firearms Act or any other Act of Parliament or any regulations made under any Act of Parliament.

firearm part means a barrel for a firearm, a slide for a handgun and any other prescribed part, but does not include, unless otherwise prescribed, a barrel for a firearm or a slide for a handgun if that barrel or slide is designed exclusively for use on a firearm that is deemed under subsection 84(3) not to be a firearm; (pièce d’arme à feu)

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u/Troycifer_tron Mar 22 '26

"Every person commits an offence who manufacturers or transfers... a non-restricted firearm... a firearm part... knowing that the person is not authorized to do so under the Firearms Act..."

So what does the Firearms Act, that this references, say about it? Without the Firearms Act you'd say that no individual could sell a non-restricted firearm. We obviously can. The Firearms Act talks about transferring and it requires being licensed to possess the relevant item. That's what I referenced earlier. I see nothing on manufacturer of firearm parts.