Thread: Laws regarding home builds?

Hey everyone,


Not sure if this is the right forum for this question, though I could not find a forum subsection for questions regarding the gunsmithing laws in NZ.
I'm an Australian considering moving to NZ, I am having trouble finding relevant information on what you guys can make here legally at home. I've seen many awesome projects like 410 DeLisle Carbine conversions, homemade suppressors, receivers made from scratch etc. Back here in Australia you can't even shorten your own barrel one centimetre or thread the muzzle without taking it to a gunsmith and getting them to do it so they can send the relevant paperwork to Police weapons licencing. From what I can see you only need a Dealer's licence if you are selling home made stuff commercially. Is this true? And what is the limit to what you can make/modify at home legally?

Kind regards,
Liam

As long as you stick to legal lengths I believe its pretty much carte blanche' with standard firearms on a basic A license.
That is 762mm. any less and it becomes a pistol and that's a different animal but if you are making it as a manufacturer and its legal than that should be fine. It would only be an issue if it was for you and you didn't have that license.
I think you are right as to the selling part if you started from scratch.
But yes you can modify yours, shorten barrels, thread muzzles, make suppressors/silencers etc. I have a very roughly done and not finished delisle type rifle in the cabinet. That's a long story and way too rough to get excited about. proof of concept to get it working with very rudimentary gear and works sort of with the intention to pretty it up later but didn't get prettied up.
In saying that, if you were keen on doing it as a business then it would probably only be a matter of paperwork to register the serial numbers to make it ridgy didge.
There will be someone here who will know that part for sure.

Originally Posted by csmiffy

As long as you stick to legal lengths I believe its pretty much carte blanche' with standard firearms on a basic A license.
That is 762mm. any less and it becomes a pistol and that's a different animal but if you are making it as a manufacturer and its legal than that should be fine. It would only be an issue if it was for you and you didn't have that license.
I think you are right as to the selling part if you started from scratch.
But yes you can modify yours, shorten barrels, thread muzzles, make suppressors/silencers etc. I have a very roughly done and not finished delisle type rifle in the cabinet. That's a long story and way too rough to get excited about. proof of concept to get it working with very rudimentary gear and works sort of with the intention to pretty it up later but didn't get prettied up.
In saying that, if you were keen on doing it as a business then it would probably only be a matter of paperwork to register the serial numbers to make it ridgy didge.
There will be someone here who will know that part for sure.

Thank you for the info, can you make your own receivers if they are for a Cat A firearm? (without the dealers licence)
I am very keen on starting a company but it will probably be a hobby until I get all the faults worked out of my designs

@ gundoc would know for certain. I think I now but posting it and maybe being wrong would not help here. To go into deep detail I would suggest talking to an Arms officer once you get here with specifics.