Shotgun size

[Greenmist]

I have a battered folding .410 that is only used for humane dispatch, what is the minimum overall length this can be assuming a 24" barrel, every search I do comes up with minimum length for pump action/semi auto

 

[enfieldspares]

If the barrel is 24" and it is a shotgun that is not self-loading or pump action the overall length doesn't matter. The next piece of legislation that you'd then consider outwith that if this shotgun were self-loading or pump action (in other words the gun that YOU have) would be the s5 "small firearms" dimensions. But by virtue of the barrels being 24" that alone makes it longer than the dimensions which are barrel 12" and overall length 24". Strictly actually 30cm and 60cm in the current text. So in anticipation of your next question yes...but seek proper advice from your FEO...you could have a twenty-four inch barrel shotgun and cut off the buttstock to leave just the pistol grip beyond the action.

 

[Greenmist]

Thanks

 

[enfieldspares]

But twenty-four inch barrels alone on a pump action or self-loading shotgun won't alone, as you know, since 1988 keep it out of s5. The notable gun that fell foul of this was the Mossberg 500 guns that were fitted with bullpup conversion stock. This made a gun that was UK s2 legal before 1988 then current law was merely that any smoothbore gun with a barrel over 24" was a s2 shotgun regardless of if side by side, self-loading or pump action or indeed magazine capacity or if the magazine was detachable. In 1988 an overall length was introduced of 39" on any self-loading gun or pump action gun (even with a 24" barrel) that regardless of magazine capacity placed it under s5.

 

[Greenmist]

I'm happy with the definitions covering fixed barrel pumps and semi's, it was just the break action types that I wasn't clear on. Thanks for the reply