There are many semiautomatic variants of newly manufactured NFA firearms available to the military firearms enthusiast. Most people can live with the fact that they are operationally different due to the 1986 ban on the manufacture of machine guns for civilian ownership. Other changes, much more noticeable, also take place to meet the other Title I requirements including barrel length and overall length.

While the semiautomatic mechanism is currently “written in stone” at the present time, there is no prohibition on the civilian manufacture of any other NFA category, including silencers, destructive devices (DD), Any Other Weapons (AOW), Short Barreled Shotguns (SBS), and the focus of this article, Short Barreled Rifles (SBR). While you can’t alter the function, you can certainly get it back to that look you would like, simply by registering it as a Title II firearm prior to making any modifications.

Some popular rifles that get “altered back” to their more original look by using the same barrel length as their fully automatic brethren include the AR-15 and all its variants, and the Uzi carbine. Both are quite simple by mechanical standards and only require a swap in parts with minimal tooling, if any, being necessary. The FN PS90, which seems to be growing in popularity by enormous proportions, looks great with a shorter barrel as well; just like the original P90. The physical swap, while not beyond the abilities of many serious enthusiasts, is much more entailed than those previously mentioned and is thus the subject of this article.

The Legal Stuff Must be Taken Care of First

Before altering any firearm from a Title I to a Title II firearm, it is most important that prior approval from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives be obtained. It is even necessary to obtain their approval before purchasing the parts to complete the conversion and own them in conjunction with your host firearm.

The form an individual will be using to register and “manufacture” the SBR will be an ATF Form 1 (5320.1) Application to Make and Register a Firearm. It is extremely similar in appearance to the familiar Form 4 used to transfer a machine gun to an individual. The basic information is the same, except you determine the information to be filled in regarding the firearm. If you are starting with an existing firearm, as is the case of our PS90 example, the original manufacturer and serial number is used. Any changes you propose to make will be listed in the new description, including barrel length, caliber, overall length, etc.

You will need to affix a recent passport photograph to the completed form and obtain a Law Enforcement Certification, again, just like the Form 4. It must be submitted in duplicate and accompanied by a pair of BATFE NFA Fingerprint cards (available from most local Class III Dealers or can be obtained directly from BATFE) as well as the Certification of Compliance with 18U.S.C. 922(g)(5)(B) (BATFE Form 5330.20). This form is often referred to as the Citizenship Certification. With the exception of the Fingerprint cards, all these forms can be obtained from the BATFE Website www.atf.gov or from the extremely beneficial website www.TitleII.com, formerly known as Danbrew’s PDF Document Center.

Include a check in the amount of $200 for the manufacturing fee payable to “The Department of Justice” with your package, and you can start your planning. Your approved form can show up anytime from 6 weeks to 12 weeks from mailing, and at that point you can start procuring the parts needed to undertake your project and start assembling the new configuration.

Getting to know the PS90

The FN PS90 is a compact Bullpup design with a very short overall length. This makes it even more attractive to bring through the Registered SBR process. With the short barrel, it is extremely compact and packs a big punch compared to similar sized firearms, usually available in pistol calibers. Its slim aesthetics are only exemplified by the unique, horizontal magazine, which lies flat, snapped over the top of the action with absolutely no protrusion in any direction. Basic disassembly for normal maintenance is very simple and requires no tools.

The PS90 is divided into 4 major components; the barreled receiver, the bolt group, the stock and the hammer pack. To field strip the PS90 the first thing you do is remove the magazine, inspect and clear the action and make sure no ammo is present. The next step is to pull the cocking handle rearward to cock the hammer, and than let the handle return to its forward position. Depress the barrel support lock located forward of the chamber area and slide the barrel and receiver assembly completely out the front. Next, tip the receiver down towards the front and slide the bolt group out the same opening as the receiver. Then, slide the butt plate at the rear of the firearm up, and off. The last thing to remove is the hammer pack located under the butt plate you just removed. The hammer group release lever is lifted up and the entire self-contained hammer pack is removed by sliding rearward from the stock. At this point the FN PS90 is field stripped enough for general maintenance and is quickly and easily reassembled.

SBR’ing the FN PS90

The PS90 is a very different creature from most other systems on the market. With many firearms, when factory short barrels are not an option, most people just cut the original barrel to the desired length, re-crown and thread if desired. In the case of the PS90, this isn’t the only option. The barrel on this gun is actually hidden under a much larger barrel shroud, and is blind pinned behind the flash hider. This shroud, from the barrel locking nut area, all the way to the tip of the flash hider is a one-piece unit and must be completely removed before proceeding. The original barrel is only usable again for your project if you cut it to the right length, re-crown and re-thread it for the proper barrel nut. Your other option is to procure a correct length barrel and correct barrel nut to finish your project and save the other parts for future projects or trading materials. Either way, you will need a new barrel nut as the old shroud is no longer useful in any capacity. Everything necessary to complete this project came directly from CMMG (www.cmmginc.com) including excellent directions with all questions asked. A new barrel was installed and a special barrel nut was supplied and utilized, converting the threads to the popular 1/2×28 to allow use of common muzzle accessories. The original barrel nut with the original P90 Flash Hider is also available to complete that “factory look” if that is what you are going for.

If you do wish to try and salvage your original barrel for future use or other projects you can drill out the blind pin located directly behind the flash hider. After removing this pin, the sleeve, also acting as the barrel retaining nut, can be removed and the barrel is allowed to be slid out through the rear of the receiver. If you don’t care about salvaging the barrel and sleeve for future replacement as is, you can simply cut through the barrel and sleeve behind the flash hider, remove the barrel sleeve to the front and remove the barrel through the rear of the receiver. The barrel will still be usable for a short barrel project in the future.

Special Tools & Flying Springs

No one likes flying springs, especially when we don’t know where they came from in the first place, what they looked like, or how to replace them even if we did find them. The special tools refer to some minor modifications necessary to some common wrenches to allow them to fit in the confined spaces of the barrel and the barrel nut.

We will discuss the necessary modified tools first. The two wrenches that needed to be modified for this project include a metric 15mm and a 19mm. Since the spaces they need to fit are very thin, some material must be removed from the width of most standard wrenches. This can be accomplished with a bench mounted belt sander in short order. For a point of reference, the space the 15mm wrench needed to fit in measured only .235 inches wide while the unmodified wrench dialed in at .290 inches wide.

For the flying springs, it is important to know that the barrel, when in place, acts as a host for 3 captive springs. If the old barrel were to be quickly withdrawn from the rear of the receiver there would be nothing to hold the springs in their necessary position and have the potential to create a major problem. To address the spring placement concern, a range rod of a similar diameter can be used pushing the old barrel out (from front to back) with it, while capturing all the springs in their normal position. When the new barrel is inserted from the rear of the receiver, it slowly pushes the range rod out (to the front), recapturing the springs in their intended location again. With the new, short barrel in place the barrel nut was added at the front of the receiver and the barrel was tightened from the rear of the receiver while the front nut was held captive in the receiver and assisted with the 19mm wrench. With a tightening of the barrel nut, and reassembling the PS90, your SBR project is complete.

Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?

Even though it is completely legal to manufacture your own SBR, some people choose to have a licensed Title II Manufacturer do the work for them. There are a few key reasons it may be advantageous to subcontract this work out. First, once you are approved by BATFE to complete your SBR, you must engrave your name on the receiver as the new manufacturer. Some people don’t want their own name engraved on a firearm as the manufacturer for reasons of liability or for concern about possible future sale. Others choose to have someone else do the work for them just because of time or mechanical constraints.

The process of hiring a licensed Title II Manufacturer to do this work for you is almost as easy as building it yourself on the Form 1 earlier described. In this case, the gun is sent to the manufacturer with a request to remanufacture it to an SBR, and a BAFTE Form 4 is completed to transfer the gun back to you once completed. It is the same federal tax ($200) and approximately the same time frame. The form is almost identical and the Title II Manufacturer is the one who engraves their business name on your firearm. Some manufacturers who do this work are CMMG, Inc. and TROSUSA, both well known in the FN arena.

Online Support

As the author was researching sources of information for this project, several businesses and helpful online communities were discovered. If you have any questions about the FN PS90, or are simply a new fan, you can visit either of the following websites that contain a lot of information: www.fnforum.com and www.fivesevenforum.com. Both were very helpful. For BATFE forms to complete the legal registration before engaging in the project, you will find everything you need at www.titleii.com. For general questions about NFA, the folks at “Tom Bowers Board” www.subguns.com are always happy to help out. For parts, accessories and heavy technical support we highly recommend CMMG at www.cmmginc.com.

PS90 Parts & Accessories
CMMG, Inc
Ph: (660) 248-2293
Fax: (660) 248-2290
www.cmmginc.com

SBR Conversions & Accessories
Mark McWillis
P.O. Box 680
Clackamas, OR 97015
Ph: (503) 358-3708
www.trosusa.com

• The introductory chapter also mentions that the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act of 1986 amended the NFA definition of “silencer” by adding combinations of parts for silencers and any part intended for use in the assembly or fabrication of a silencer. As most SAR readers know, the 1986 Act also amended the 1968 Gun Control Act to prohibit the transfer or possession of machine guns (18 U.S.C. Section 922(o)). Exceptions were made for transfers of machine guns to, or possession of machine guns by, government agencies, and those lawfully possessed before the effective date of the prohibition, May 19, 1986.
• An explanation of What Constitutes “Firearms” under the NFA are detailed in Chapter 2, the types of shotguns, rifles, weapons made from a rifle or shotgun, Any Other Weapon, machine gun, silencer, destructive device, explosive device, large caliber weapon, and Curios and Relics. Also covered are applications to remove firearms from the scope of the NFA as collector’s items or by modification/elimination of components.
• Chapter 3 delves into the Registration of NFA Firearms and explains the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, including registration by state and local agencies, registration by makers, importers, and manufacturers as well as registration to transferees. Also covered is how to determine the registration status of an NFA firearm, lost or stolen registration documents, and correcting incorrect registration documents.
  
• The Taxes Imposed by the NFA are the subject of Chapter 4 to include making, transfer and special (occupational) taxes, exemption from tax, and the exportation of firearms.
• Chapter 5 details Qualifying to do Business in NFA Firearms including license fees, standards, registration by firearms manufacturers and exporters with the U.S. Dept. of State, etc.
• Chapter 6 covers the Making of NFA firearms by Non-Licensees and explains the preparation of ATF Form 1 and other subjects, including the reactivation of a registered unserviceable NFA firearm.
• The Manufacturing of NFA Firearms is the subject of Chapter 7 to include qualifying for a license, engaging in business in multiple locations, makers of destructive devices, registration exemption for fabricating articles for research and development, and the ATF firearm classification process.
• Chapter 8 goes into Importing NFA Firearms and explains the necessary licensing, payment of special (occupational) taxes, importation for use as a model by a registered manufacturer, importation as a sales sample, and marking requirements.
• The Transfer of NFA Firearms is explained in Chapter 9 to include the forms used for transfers, as well as transfer of silencers for repair, distribution of estate firearms, manufacturers’ use of contractors to perform work on firearms, etc.
• Chapter 10 covers Collectors of NFA Firearms Curios & Relics, transfers, acquisition and dispositions, etc.
• The Exportation of NFA Firearms is the subject of Chapter 11 to include the Arms Export Control Act, firearms and firearm component parts subject to the AECA, license requirements for permanent and temporary exports of defense articles, etc.
• Chapter 12 covers Recordkeeping including the manner in which registration documents must be kept, custody of NFA firearms by employees of FFLs/SOTs, etc.
• The Required Reports and Notifications to ATF for NFA businesses are covered in Chapter 13.
• Chapter 14 details the procedures that must be followed when Going-Out-of-Business.
• Chapter 15 warns of the Penalties and Sanctions for non-compliance with regulations.

Spanning nearly 200-pages, the NFA Handbook is available from the ATF website (www.atf.gov) or a reprint may be ordered from the industry trade journal, The International Firearms Trade by e-mailing: INTLFT@aol.com. The cost from IFT is $55. postpaid. Customers outside the U.S. must add $10 shipping.

AG Gonzales Proposes ATF Reforms

U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has announced the Violent Crime and Anti-Terrorism Act of 2007, a Dept. of Justice proposal. The bill provides greater flexibility in the penalties that could be imposed on federal firearms licensees who violate the Gun Control Act.

Specifically, the bill would establish additional, graduated sanctions for certain violations of the federal firearms laws, including suspension of federal firearms licenses and imposing civil monetary penalties. Such lesser sanctions will enable ATF to more effectively address violations of the Gun Control Act, the Justice Dept. has said.

Guidance on Post Office Box Addresses of Gun Buyers

ATF has issued an Open Letter to federal firearms licensees (dated June 7, 2007) advising on procedures to follow when a firearms purchaser presents an identification document showing only a post office box or rural route number as their legal address. Though the Form 4473 (Firearms Transaction Record) includes language stating that a post office box is not an acceptable residence address, it is possible to get a variance.

While the Form 4473 requires that the buyer’s residence address be provided, the term “residence address” is not defined in the law or regulations. Since non-licensed purchasers are generally restricted to their state of residence in acquiring firearms, ATF requires that the residence address provided on the Form 4473 be sufficient to identify the physical location of the purchaser’s residence in the event the firearm is the subject of a trace request. Persons in rural areas may have only a post office box or rural route number as their only legal address, but this does not necessarily mean that such persons are prohibited from buying firearms.

ATF says it wants to assist dealers in verifying the addresses of purchasers and will issue a variance to dealers (who request it) who may then transfer firearms to customers who can only provide a post office box or rural route number as their address. However, the following conditions must be met:

1. The FFL has information indicating the purchaser resides in a state where a post office box or rural route number is considered by the jurisdiction to be a legal residence address.
2. . The dealer has no reason to believe the purchaser is not telling the truth about his address.
3. The government-issued identification document of the prospective buyer must include a photo, date of birth and residence address.
4. After the variance is approved, the dealer must require the purchaser to indicate the actual physical location of his residence on the Form 4473.

FFLs may request authority to use this alternate method by sending a request in writing to: ATF, Firearms Programs Division, Room 7400, 650 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20226.

ATF Seizes Inventory of New Orleans Retailer

The owner and two employees of Elliot’s Gun Shop in the New Orleans area were arrested in mid-May by ATF and Secret Service special agents on charges of falsifying firearms records and aggravated identity theft. The store’s inventory and business records were seized.

Herman Eicke, 65, of Kenner, LA, the store’s owner, and employees Timothy Harris, 54, and Rebecca Zitzmann, 42, both of Jefferson, LA, were arrested without incident. Zitzmann was charged with falsifying federal firearms records and Eicke and Harris with aggravated identity theft.

The ATF investigation found that firearms purchased at Elliot’s had an extremely short “time to crime” – the time from the sale of the firearm to its recovery after use in a crime.

During the period March 1, 2002, to March 1, 2007, more than 2,300 firearms purchased at Elliot’s Gun Shop and its predecessor, Elliot’s Small Arms, were recovered by various law enforcement agencies in relation to crimes. Over 125 of these were related to murder investigations and more than 500 were related to crimes involving illegal drugs.

According to the criminal complaint, an informant and an undercover ATF agent posing as a ‘straw buyer’ were able to purchase a firearm from Elliot’s with Zitzmann’s assistance. Zitzmann illegally sold a handgun to the informant (according to the complaint), but allowed the undercover ATF agent to complete the ATF paperwork to make it appear that the agent purchased the gun.

In February 2005, ATF revoked a FFL held by Harris, who was operating the store as Elliot’s Small Arms. Prior to losing his license, ATF cited Harris on numerous occasions for failing to comply with federal firearms regulations regarding the sale of guns. Immediately after having his license revoked, Eicke, who had been an employee of Harris at Elliot’s Small Arms, obtained a FFL under the trade name of Elliot’s Gun Shop. An ATF undercover investigation reportedly revealed that Harris was still running the business even though Eicke held the license.

ATF announced it also uncovered an Eicke-Harris scheme that included forging law enforcement officers’ signatures and using a photocopy of their law enforcement credentials to purchase handguns from a distributor in New York at discounted prices to increase the store’s profit margin. Upon confirming that Eicke and Harris were “stealing” the identities of law enforcement officers, ATF invited the Secret Service into the investigation due to its expertise in identity theft and financial crimes investigations. The Secret Service has jurisdiction for crimes of aggravated identity theft.

Anti-Violence Activist Arrested by ATF on Gun Charges

The founder (and an allegedly “documented” gang member) of “NOGUNS-Networks Organized for Gang Unity and Neighborhood Safety,” an alleged gang intervention program, has been arrested on California state firearms charges.

During the investigation, an undercover agent was able to facilitate the purchase of a machine gun, three assault rifles, one handgun and two silencers from the founder of the group.

Hector Marroquin Sr., 51, of Downey, CA was held on charges for the illegal transfer/possession of the arms and conspiracy. Two others were also arrested.

CA Assembly Approves Micro-Stamping Bill

California Democrats are refueling a firearm micro-stamping proposal that has already passed the state Assembly. The measure, AB1471, would require starting in 2010 that all semiautomatic pistols sold in California contain a mechanism to stamp the gun’s make, model and serial number on the shell casing of the bullet every time the pistol is fired.

California state Department of Justice records reportedly show that about 2,400 homicides are committed each year and about 60% involve the use of a handgun. Moreover, about 70% of new handguns sold in California are semiautomatic pistols.

Last year, then-Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, introduced a similar bill that passed several hurdles but came up two votes shy in the Assembly on the last day of the legislative session. The latest bill was approved by the Assembly in a 44-29 vote, largely along party lines. The bill now heads to the state Senate.

The primary difference in this year’s bill is that the measure requires the micro-stamping mechanism to etch the information from at least two different places in the pistol. Last year’s bill only required one and the firing pin was widely considered as the most logical piece of the firearm to stamp the information.

Opponents argued then, and now, that the firing pin can be removed and defaced, or simply replaced. That’s why this latest bill requires the etching to occur in more than one place inside the gun.

To negate the arguments of opponents that the proposal will greatly add to the manufacturing costs of handguns equipped with the technology, proponents of the measure have gotten the patent owner, NanoMark Technologies of Londonderry, N.H., to agree to give away the patents to gun manufacturers if the bill is enacted.

The proposal has also gotten the attention of the U.S. Congress. One of the leading proponents of gun control of all sorts, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D- Massachusetts, has said that he will craft a micro-stamping bill to be introduced in the U.S. Congress in the near future.

Denel Eyes New Ventures

South African arms manufacturer Denel has been holding talks with various overseas and local companies, as part of its strategy to unbundle the organization and make it more open to mergers and acquisitions, according to trade sources.

Bushmaster in Joint Venture

Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC (Bushmaster) and Iron Brigade Armory, Ltd. (IBA) have formed Bushmaster Custom Shop by Iron Brigade (BMCS) – a new joint venture to focus on premium AR rifle systems, and customized tactical precision bolt action rifle platforms, initially for law enforcement and military applications.

The new firm will be based in Jacksonville, North Carolina with Norm Chandler, Jr. as its CEO. Bushmaster will be the majority owner and will provide the initial funding for facilities and personnel. “The opportunity to work with IBA allows Bushmaster to extend our brand to the premium end of the AR-15 market place with customized solutions at lower volumes than our Windham facilities can handle economically, and is something that our customer base is telling us is important in addressing their needs,” stated E. Scott Blackwell, Bushmaster President and Chief Sales and Marketing officer.

Initially, BMCS will focus on custom AR-15 platforms based on the .223 and 5.56 caliber ammunition, with first products being available for sale in mid summer 2007. BMCS will also leverage the work done by Iron Brigade Armory and its founder – weapons designer and sniper author LTC. (ret) Norm Chandler, Sr. – to offer tactical precision rifles later this year.

Formed in 1994, IBA specializes in designing, producing and selling customized Sniper Weapon Systems (SWS). IBA’s focus is to provide field/combat reliable SWS that are capable of urban as well as long range operations.

Beretta has New Director of Sales

Beretta USA Corp. has promoted Rob Viner to Director of Sales/Dealers. Viner joined the company in 1997 as a Commercial Field Sales Representative. Most recently he held the position of South East Commercial Regional Business Development Manager. At the Beretta National Sales Meeting Awards Banquet he was recognized with the coveted Beretta Trident Ring for being named the 2006 Regional Business Development Manager of the Year.

Sabre Defence Has New Director of Commercial Operations

Sabre Defence Industries of Nashville, Tennessee has hired Michael Curlett as Director of Commercial Operations. Curlett will oversee all of the production, sales and marketing activities for Sabre’s Commercial Products in the U.S. He will assist with commercial, police and military sales in the international market.

Curlett comes to Sabre Defence from EOTech, a subsidiary of L3 Communications, one of the largest defense contractors in the U.S. As Director of European Sales for L3-EOTech, he worked to expand their sales and distribution channels throughout Europe and the Middle East

The author publishes two of the small arms industry’s most widely read trade newsletters. The International Firearms Trade covers the world firearms scene, and The New Firearms Business covers the domestic market. He also offers FFL-mailing lists to firms interested in direct marketing efforts to the industry. He may be reached at: FirearmsB@aol.com.