I figured instead of randomly inserting my adventure into other threads, I should start one to hopefully inspire others to pursue the NFA route, even if they are beginners in that field.

I have always liked shotguns, despite AR15s general disdain of them. I grew up shooting them more than anything else, enjoy wing shooting, have hunted with them, used them for HD and competition, etc. I liked the idea of having a short one but never did any better than an 18". I always made excuses but decided to jump on the band wagon and officially submitted a Form 1 just recently. I'll go in chronological order on what I've done, my thought process, etc. Feel free to ask questions, if it wasn't for many of you in these threads I wouldn't have done it myself.

1) decide I want a short shotgun, probably 2 decades ago. Also interested in cans and SBRs

2) get into competitive shooting, get the chance to shoot a can and SBR at the range from a nice dude that owned them and let a young guy blast a few rounds. He took the time to explain some NFA but I was a broke student.

3) finally have a few extra bucks and file for an SBR and 22 can as an Individual, I guess in 2010. No e file, so I had to go get prints on paper and ask the local sheriff to sign off. he does. My local shop helps me do the paperwork, I wait probably 6 months, stamps show up and I get my toys. easy but feels dirty. I like it. Missed the boat on E file. always argued that I didn't want to wait, or HPA would pass, or whatever. Figured if I just ordered what I wanted when I wanted, I would have them years already. so shut up.

4) Move to Texas, and find out the local law won't sign off. I'm having a kid soon and don't want to do a trust. Not sure why, but I didn't want to

5) 41f thing kicks off, and I wasn't in a position to buy anything, so I figured I'd wait it out.

6) realize I want a can more than I want more guns I don't shoot, so I save up to get one.

7) research, and realize that instead of chasing unicorns I should pull the damn trigger. on my 35th bday I go to a local shop, and the Griffin Revolution I was thinking about was on sale. ok F it, pull the trigger. spend a couple hundred bucks. a Kid half my age walks me through the Silencer Shop Kiosk and app. spend the money, start the wait. I read up on and I'm starting to buy accessories.

8) I find out E file is back up for Form 1. well shit, ok, that mitigates my wait some. but damnit I'm still lazy, so what can I do? Oh, Silencer Shop will E file for me? And they already have my prints and pics on file? for $35? ok, time to decide.

9) want to keep this a budget idea so deciding between a SxS or 870 I own, or buying a shockwave. My wife loves the big old double, so I decide against that. the 870 was my first gun, so I don't plan on selling it. Already own it and I remember that I have a 20" barrel. May as well do it.

10) less than a month after joining up with Silencer Shop I file for their Form 1 service. I had pics of the info and serial number, so I actually do this at work while waiting for a meeting to start. I screwed up some of the info since I didn't put in an address of manufacture, since I didn't see it on the receiver. they are nice and help me out. I correct it, and they resend it for me to digitally sign on 11/12.

11) reading up on how to chop the barrel. I have all the parts to do it, now I just need to order some epoxy and reattach the front sight.

12) 11/13 order a Magpul Stock set. not needed, but I hear they have a short LOP, I like the company and their other products, whole thing is $100 from grab a gun, so what the hell.

13) to be continued...

13) called silencer shop to see if there was anything else I needed to do, as it hadn't shown submitted yet after a week. I was surprised. Found out they are only allowed to send about 500 a day to the ATF. And they are going in order. And It looks like ya'll filed thousands of these damn things, so I'm thinking the gloriously short wait time is going away as we speak...

I only know what I have read from others. But, they seem to file forms in batches in general. Even their Form4 apps for cans. They compile a bunch and then send them out. So some people have reported their paperwork not being sent out for a few weeks after filing through them.

I have a Form 1 in with them for well over a month now & as of yesterday it hadn't been sent in yet.

They have been holding all Form 1’s to dump them into the Efile system.

no, per them (phone call Thursday) they are dumping them in efile 500 a day. Already in process, just looks like a lot of us have the same idea.

They told me 2 weeks ago (after I called them i.e. they weren't proactive letting folks like me know) about this. They also said 2 weeks ago my stuff would be submitted last week & it wasn't. Not the end of the world but they could be handling things better than what they are.

Are people going the route just because they already have your prints on file? Doing eform yourself is easy. The fingerprint cards are free.

Heres some inspiration. Attached File

Attached File


12.5" SBS 870 goodness...

@Shootindave I can't speak for everybody, but yes that's why I did it. I even have a copy of the whole packet with cards on my desk. They already have the prints, pics, and i could pay for everything with a CC instead of trying to find my check book.

ah, I wasn't sure of that. The last time I did NFA was early 2000s and everything was by check.

14) Looks like mine has been digitally submitted. between 11/15 and now, not sure what day. Here's to hoping it gets done quick!

In truth the system of diligence above a normal firearm purchase is minimal and much can be done to add to the efficiency of the agency and costs as well as shorten turn-around time.

-The form asks the same questions a 4473 does and the background check is essentially a nics check.
-Additionally there are fingerprints, photo, and $200 tax.  
Once the fingerprints, photo and tax are accommodated why can't the photos and fingerprints be retained and submitted on future forms?  Do fingerprints change?

Why on earth does it take 6 months plus to process what can effectively be done in quantity 15 minutes. (lets say an hour) if form is digital, nics check passes and digital fingerprints are present and credit card is charged for tax?

The answer is its prohibitive process.  The government deliberately is slow to prevent the proliferation of NFA firearms.  Its seemingly unconstitutional to ask for voter ID to vote (which is not a constitutional right) but not unconstitutional to obstruct purchasing a firearm (allegedly a constitutional right) by omitting use of established standard methods for all firearms.

Yeah, I don't think anyone lurking around the NFA forums on ARFCOM aren't familiar with the issues with the process.

https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/data-statistics

I am not sure they "deliberately" slow down the process. Though, it is fair to assume the ATF has nothing to gain by making the process user friendly or expedient. The bottom line is that they are a government agency with government employees. Ever heard the saying "good enough for government work"? The above link shows the amount of NFA applications processed by the NFA branch per year. In 2016 it was over 2.5 million. In 2017 it was 1.6 million. Who knows what Eform will do to boost numbers.

So, do the math. 2.5 million in 2016. Lets just assume they work 7 days a week 24 hours a day. WHICH THEY DON'T. That is over 6,800 a day. That is 283 an hour. That is 70 every 15 minutes.

So, on your timeline of 15 minutes, that requires 24/7 365 work doing 70 apps every 15 minutes.

I am also under the impression that the FBI is responsible for all background checks, so the NFA branch is constantly bogged down by the FBI's ability to process the requests.

My interpretation of the issue: NFA laws are in and of themselves unconstitutional and their original purpose long since a thing of the past. These laws were passed in response to prohibition era crime....... or rather the government's beliefs about said crime and the criminal element.

The only solution is to abolish the NFA all together. The only real question for the 2A community is if we will support laws that continue to prohibit MGs but declassify short barrels and suppressors as prohibited items. This is the compromise I BELIEVE will be required. But, compromise isn't something that goes over well on this forum. I am not saying it is right, just that it may be required. So don't shoot the messenger.

15) My Magpul stock and forend set was ready to pick up this week, and I finally got a chance to install them. I wanted Magpul and let the wife and almost 3 year old pick the color. So it's orange, but I like it! I have almost all black guns and this is nice looking and distinct. Just because it's this color doesn't mean it will be stocked with less lethal though ;)

The stock set is really easy to install. The forend even comes with a wrench tool, so for those of you like me who have been using the "hold a needle nose pliers like an asshole and unscrew the castle nut" technique, it's worth the price of admission right there. I initially didn't have the forend in tight enough because I was used to a floppy fit, but that was on me. easy to install, 15 minutes for both including cleaning off my bench, getting the shotgun, helping with turkey brine in the middle, and cleaning up. Includes all tools needed, which i nice. anyway here's how it looks added to the standard 20" barrel:


the close side of the blue tape is where I plan to cut it. Was going to cut the barrel a bit so I could take the sight off a while, but that would make it shorter than 18" so I decided to just wait. comparison to a KIDS RED RYDER!!!! will be so short


and in this pic it's cropped to length by the lense, the barrel isn't cut. wanted to see how it compares to my 7" 300BO sbr and it's longer, but meh. still a good step in the right direction:


I have it with the shortest LOP set up and I really like it. tucks the gun in much nicer than the old stock. it also fits my wife significantly better and she likes it. so anything that gets her more into it is a good thing. Looking forward to the damn email stamp.

16) stopped by my buddy's shop and he was able to engrave it for me today. I have all the supplies i need to cut it down. Really hoping it happens soon so I can do it over the weekend! not getting my hopes up but still pretty much am.

I am now over 1 month waiting on my Efile. Almost all of the time pending FBI check. I would kick back and relax.

I'm reading that E files through SilencerShop are starting to be kicked back. May be time to give up on getting this before chrsitmas. Oh well.

What was the issue with silencer shop? i have 5 form 4's waiting on FBI. Two of which are almost at 12 months.

hearing rumors that the ATF is denying SS from submitting Form 1s. SS has taken down the Form 1 service from their page but no updates anywhere yet, besides Reddit. somthing to the effect of "we'll let you know when it's figured out". Not sure, I'm not in a rush but as long as the ball is rolling the right direction.

I know something is happening on them.  Mine went from Showing

Form 1: Submitted Electronically on 11/20/2018 (Pending Research)

to

Form 1: Submitted Electronically on 11/20/2018

With different dates.   They changed over the last 24 hours.  Don't know if that's a good sign or a bad one.  I do think it's a bad sign I've seen nothing from them on this topic and I asked a week or so ago what we should see for status along the way.

17) Called ATF today to see what the deal was. They said they received it 11/18 and it is now pending. Nothing more they need from me at this time. Hopefully I get the email soon but somehow I doubt it.

that's only one picture though?

Not a rumor. I finally got some info from Silencer Shop without having to ask myself reference this topic, & it's true. They're blaming the ATF for the mess but due to their lack of candor on the matter it sure looks like a cover up / damage control posture. I don't care if it really is an issue ATF caused (as Silencer Shop claims), you don't keep your customers in the dark and/or mislead them. It's not right.

Here is my 870 SBS.

14" Vang Comp Barrel
SF forend
Magpul stock
Wilson +1
Wilson sights
Wilson safety
Wilson upgraded follower
Mesa Tach top rail
Ardus Industries QD side saddle

I painted it with Brownells aluma hyde.

In for pics and inspiration....one day I will actually build my stamp approved 870 lol....it’s been approved since before the Eform system went live lol.

about a month since the last update. I knew the E file was too good to be true. Looks like the Silencer shop was waiting for a final approval from the ATF on the form thingy they have to modify. They were anticipating getting it done and then the govt shut down and ATF said ya'll can wait. Oh well, NFA is not for the impatient, that's for damn sure.

I am going on three months waiting on my Efile Form1. Stuck in FBI check. All the stories of 14 days were nice, but here we are.

another month since the last update... Silencershop got those other forms out to e sign and it looks like they are plowing through those. Mine came through this morning, I signed it instantly. Still not anticipating much but let's see how it goes, shall we?

NFA blue balls. The struggle is real.

Update!!!! I got the most exciting email I’ve gotten in a while, and my form 1 was approved today!

So I took my spare barrel with the rifle sights and heated up the sight like crazy. Finally got it to crack off after multiple attempts. You need to get the bigger hot, and even then there was a little blond pin in there so you have to grip and rip it off. I’m sure there’s a more graceful way but whatever. That adventure scratched up the sides of the sight which weren’t good anyway. So I sanded them smooth.

Then I cut the barrel. The hacksaw was not as smooth of a cut as I thought it would be, which is why I started just cutting off one inch (so it wasn’t my final length). I got flustered and used a sawzall. Big mistake. So went back to the handmethod and  took my time. Much better. So I taped off and cut for real. It feels dirty cutting down a shotgun barrel but was fun. Then I sanded it all smooth and made it square with a sander I have for knives.

I meant to take pics of this process but I was in too much of a hurry. Sorry.

So then I figured out about where I wanted the front sight to be, patterned it on the barrel. I roughed it up with some files. The. Used JB weld to tack the front sight on. I have read it’s held up fine and for a range gun that won’t be shot much I figured I would try this first.

I still have to blue the end of the barrel and the sights but was too excited to not snap it together. So now, here you go!

Attached File
Attached File
Attached File

Looks good. Interested to hear how the front sight holds up. I have to admit, having been trained with less than lethal shotguns, the orange stocks with the live ammo kinda sets off my OCD. But thats just me!

@Shootindave I hear you on that, but both my wife and 3 year old decided on the color. I thought it would be good to get them involved and figured what the hell. If I end up hating it, it's just some spray paint away from black

great thread and the finished product looks tits

i recently pulled my 870 sbs project back out to finish up , it was approved back in june 2009

@1iviper thanks! I need to grab rubber gloves so I can cold blue on the end of the barrel and the sight. after that it's just shooting the damn thing!

ok, I think I'm done with it now. I need to call in sick one day at work and go to the only range that will let me shoot it.... Figured out how to post the pic correctly so here we go, shameless.