California Legal Carbines (part 2): Legal Rifle Modifications
In California Legal Carbines (part 1) we discussed California laws regarding carbines and some of the legal carbines available to consumers in the golden state. Today we will discuss legal carbine modifications.
Disclaimer: Consult the office of the California attorney general and your own legal counsel in order to verify you are in compliance with the law.
Since one of the ways the state of California defines an ‘assault rifle’ is by feature and therefore illegal, modifying a carbine to remove the banned feature is a method to comply with the AWCA. Here are a few legal rifle modifications:
Stock Modifications
One way to avoid the banned feature defined as “a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon” is to modify the stock so it does not use a pistol grip.
The Monte Carlo Stock
If you convert your pistol-grip stock into a ’straight’ or ‘Monte Carlo’ stock, you comply with California law.
The U15 Modified Stock
Another legal modification is to turn the stock ’straight’ and to make sure it does not “protrude conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon”
Monster Man Grip
Yet another stock modification is to make the stock handle a protrusion from the ’straight’ stock.
*Update*
Exile Machine ‘Hammerhead’
Another good stock modification is the Exile Machine stock adapter/grip.
This device helps affix a standard buttstock to the rear of the rifle normally used for a pistol grip. A good cheek-weld is maintained by attaching a recoil spring tube and due to the narrow design, a proper firing grip is established with adequate reach to the trigger.
Detachable Magazine Modifications
If your rifle is modified so you cannot eject a magazine then it no longer has the feature of being a “semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine” and is therefore not legally an ‘assault weapon’.
Bullet Button
The bullet button is a device that modifies a carbine so the magazine cannot be ejected without a tool.
“The BULLET-BUTTON is a product that allows the shooter to drop a magazine with the use of a tool. It prevents finger manipulation of the mag release, and creates a condition allowable under CURRENT INDIVIDUAL INTERPRETATIONS of California law.
This does not create a detachable mag situation, but creates an attachable-fixed magazine condition. A bullet tip can be used as the tool, as can any small object such as Allen wrench, or small screwdriver.
This button CAN NOT be used with magazines greater than 10 rounds in capacity. To do so in the state of California on an unregistered assault weapon, would be a felony.
The BULLET-BUTTON installs in less than a minute, requires no gunsmithing, or cutting on any part of the rifle. The installation is not permanent, and can be reversed just as quickly.”
The Bullet Button magazine lock is also available for AK-type rifles
Prince-50
The Prince-50 is a device which ‘locks’ a magazine in the magazine well with an allen wrench.
Non-centerfire Rifles
Since we defined a carbine as a rifle which uses full-sized rifle ammunition in part 1, portable rifles that fire non-centerfire ammunition like the 22 long rifle caliber are not covered by this discussion.
Exile Machine LLC manufactures another option for replacing the pistol grip. The Hammerhead rifle stock adapter bridges the pistol grip mount to the buttstock of the rifle owner’s choice.
http://www.exilemachine.com/IMG_6932_SM.JPG