It is my understanding, and I could be wrong, that if a rifle barrel is shortened to less than 16", the rifle must then be registered.  If this is the case, how does one go about doing this?  Is it similar to registering a handgun, and can it be done by my local FFL dealer, or must forms be obtained from and submitted to the ATF?  Has anyone on this forum done this?  Thanks, DGR

It becomes an "Any Other Weapon", and must be registered with the ATF, with a sizable fee paid.  I doubt it would be worth the hassle.
Mark

How does Winchester get around this with the "Trapper" models - thought those were 15"???  I also understood thought that 16" was the limit but am somewhat confused.

MikeG, the Winchester Trapper model rifles have 16 inches of barrel length. This topic is quite interesting.

Regards,
Timberwolf

If under 16", as was said, you pay a $200 tax and the piece is forever registered as a short barreled rifle. *As such it is a class 3 weapon and has to be registered as such, just like a fully automatic weapon. *You can read all about the NFA rules at this address:

http://www.ccfa.com/ownershi.htm

Too bad it is a SBR because the tax is $200, if it were a "Any other Weapon" then the tax would only be $5.

Or you can go to ATF Online and see everything they have to say about it at:
ATF (http://www.atf.treas.gov)

Thanks to all of you for your input, and information. *I was contemplating making a carbine from an old mauser, and now I guess that if I do it I will make the barrel no shorter than 18" to be on the safe side. *DGR