What is the legal capacity limit on a shotgun?

[tcbeavers1]

I know there are limits when you are hunting, but are there any for other instances? Am I asking the question wrong? It seems like I remember something about the mag tube can't be longer than the barrel...

Also, the capacity limit when hunting for different animals would be great too, if anyone on here knows it.

 

[Dawico]

Dove and duck hunting is a three round limit. I don't think there is a limit for anything else.

The mag tube can be longer than the barrel, it just looks funny and gets the tube very dirty.

 

[nalioth]

Unless you're hunting or are discussing a foreign-made "sporting" shotgun, there is no capacity limit.


Got a nice shop? Want to gen up a 100 round drum for your Remmy? Quite legal.

 

[tcbeavers1]

Hey, thanks guys!

 

[nalioth]

I imagine you could get a close to a 20 round tube on one of these:

That's a shotgun he's holding (not a fishing rod).

These are the guys that popularized it: The Quiet Shotgun - Diller Design

 

[texas_titans]

Dude, That's a funny looking shotgun. lol.

Rock on

 

[tcbeavers1]

Why in the world are all those geese hanging around for when he's just shot a few? That must mean the gun is really quiet.

 

[prometheus]

Why in the world are all those geese hanging around when he's just shot a few. That must mean the gun is really quiet.

^^ decoys.....

"When SHTF, If A has bullets but no food, and B has food but no bullets, then A has food."

 

[tcbeavers1]

Oh ok.

 

[M. Sage]

I imagine you could get a close to a 20 round tube on one of these:

That's a shotgun he's holding (not a fishing rod).

These are the guys that popularized it: The Quiet Shotgun - Diller Design

Gonna need a tax stamp for that. I'm surprised BATFE hasn't come down on them hard since it looks like they're just selling to the general public.

 

[nalioth]

Gonna need a tax stamp for that. I'm surprised BATFE hasn't come down on them hard since it looks like they're just selling to the general public.

Oy Vey. .

Please tell us what laws require a tax stamp for a long barrel?

 

[Bithabus]

Oy Vey. .

Please tell us what laws require a tax stamp for a long barrel?

A barrel extension with ports drilled into it to decrease sound could be considered a silencer by atf. I don't see how it wouldn't be, really.

The Quiet Gun is a lightweight extension (13 oz.) that progressively bleeds off high-pressure gas through a series of small ports down the length of the barrel (patent pending). The process is analogous to letting the air out of a tire slowly versus a sudden blowout.

(24) The terms “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm, including any combination of parts, designed or redesigned, and intended for use in assembling or fabricating a firearm silencer or firearm muffler, and any part intended only for use in such assembly or fabrication.

 

[Dawico]

It states in their ad that the Quiet Gun isn't ready for commercial sales yet. I wonder if ATF clearance is the reason why.

This isn't the first design like this. There was atleast one before, but it didn't have the ports for quieter operation, it was just a long (3' or so) choke tube. The key is to let all the gases burn off before the shot leaves the barrel.

 

[tcbeavers1]

So, simply having a long enough barrel will quiet a shot down by letting all the powder burn? (A 9mm carbine should be quieter than a handgun?)

 

[nalioth]

A barrel extension with ports drilled into it to decrease sound could be considered a silencer by atf. I don't see how it wouldn't be, really.

My bad, I thought that page went to the guys selling the solid tubes.

It states in their ad that the Quiet Gun isn't ready for commercial sales yet. I wonder if ATF clearance is the reason why.

This isn't the first design like this. There was atleast one before, but it didn't have the ports for quieter operation, it was just a long (3' or so) choke tube. The key is to let all the gases burn off before the shot leaves the barrel.

Well, since that webste hasn't changed since 2001, It probably won't ever see a showroom.

So, simply having a long enough barrel will quiet a shot down by letting all the powder burn? (A 9mm carbine should be quieter than a handgun?)

That's simple chemistry.

If all the powder burns off in the barrel, theoretically there won't be any to cause an explosion (and noise) at the end of the barrel.

Urban varminters use shotguns with 7' and 8' barrels all the time these days to knock off feral and nuisance animals w/o disturbing Helen Homemaker.

I don't think that page I linked was the one I wanted (there's a better one on these type of shotguns, but I couldn't find it )

 

[tcbeavers1]

How long does a .22 barrel have to be to burn all the powder off, or is there no hard, fast number?

 

[tcbeavers1]

What if there was a large air container underneath the barrel that attaches air channels to the barrel at several points to allow the powder to burn because of the increased amount of oxygen? Granted, it would have to be able to contain each shot's blast, and it would have to purged and refilled with air between each shot, but...

 

[Dawico]

So, simply having a long enough barrel will quiet a shot down by letting all the powder burn? (A 9mm carbine should be quieter than a handgun?)

It will help, but there are other factors at work also. If a bullet breaks the sound barrier (about 1100 fps) it is going to make some noise. 12 gauge shots are usually pretty slow and will be quieted by a longer barrel, as they would normally be going slower than the speed of sound by the time they exited the longer barrel. A 9mm round is going too fast to be affected much by extra barrel length, unless the barrel gets absurdly long. But yes, a 9mm from a rifle is quieter than the same round from a handgun, but not much. This is why people use sub-sonic ammo with suppressors. That makes them much quieter than using standard ammo.

From how I read it, any modification you make to a firearm to quiet the noise is against the law without the proper license.

 

[Dawico]

How long does a .22 barrel have to be to burn all the powder off, or is there no hard, fast number?

If I remember correctly, a normal 16" barrel lets most or all of the powder burn off. A 22 rifle is way quieter than a 22 handgun.

 

[M. Sage]

So, simply having a long enough barrel will quiet a shot down by letting all the powder burn? (A 9mm carbine should be quieter than a handgun?)

Yep. With handgun calibers like 9mm, you'll see max velocity at 16" barrel length. Longer and it starts slowing down again. The powder is all burned up and the gases aren't expanding anymore. Handguns are mainly loud because the short barrel means high pressure being vented. It's also where a lot of the recoil comes from.

Re: The air container idea. First, you're not going to be able to pressurize them enough to keep the gases from just flooding any container (thousands of PSI, tens of thousands even, depending on the caliber) and second, gun powder contains an oxidizer. The reaction is fast enough that you can't rely on atmospheric oxygen for combustion.

Yes, gun powder will burn in a vacuum.

Lastly, if you did manage to get more oxygen into the reaction, you're going to burn the powder faster which will raise pressure. I'm not sure what would happen with gunpowder, but I know that in some similar situations (combustion under pressure) like in an engine, if you put too much O2 into the reaction, you get a faster reaction that doesn't result in a burn, but in a detonation.