Thread: .303 Tank crew carbine

Originally Posted by Wingman

OAL is now measured from the butt to the end of the rifling, no longer acceptable to have a welded/pinned/loctited on muzzle brake/extension/suppressor.
It was challenged in court recently with the new legistation being clarified that OAL must be measured to the end of the barrels rifling.
Turns out we are fit and propper enough to own a rifle 762mm long but an instant criminal with bank robbing tendencies at 761mm long.
The reality of it is quite ridiculous. The common crim will hacksaw off any firearm to what ever concealable length they desire not giving a dam about F/A legistation.

Trying to make sense of our laws is a pointless past time and even more so now the police can have laws changed at whim with their uninformed, inexperienced and unprofessional opinions via order of council.

Do you have a reference or date for that decision? This is quite important as the method of measuring the overall length of a firearm had already been established in a court case many years ago. The term 'overall length' has been established as 'the longest physical dimension' and that measurement is usually from the muzzle to the toe of the stock (not necessarily parallel to the bore). It is important to note the 'muzzle' is not always the end of the barrel but the part where the bullet exits the firearm. That includes parts of the firearm that are in the original design and not readily removeable without tools and/or specialised knowledge. The law has not changed and the current Arms Act, Section 2, Interpretation, states; pistol means a firearm (other than a prohibited firearm or restricted weapon) that is designed or adapted to be held and fired with 1 hand, and includes any firearm (other than a prohibited firearm or restricted weapon) that is less than 762 millimetres in length.