So I am temporary moving to California in a month and staying for 2 years while my wife is in school. I am planing on giving my rifles (AR, AK) to my parents or brother for safe keeping along with semiauto pistols glock 19 etc.

What is a good option to buy for ease of maintaining legality in California? Thinking of just taking my revolvers, couple bolt actions, and maybe buying a lever action 45/70 or a 30-30. We are planning on moving to Alaska after she's out of school so the 45/70 wouldn't be a bad investment.

I did a quick browse of the anti fun laws but would like opinions of current residents.

There are too many possibilities to even begin to type them all.  

What do you want to do when you are out here?  Are you a competitive shooter?  What disciplines?  Do you hunt?  What do you hunt and with what?  Are you a CAS shooter?  Are you a plinker?

Help us out so we can help you.


ETA - Go to the Turner's Outdoorsman web site. Look at the firearms they have for sale.  Theirs is just a small sample of the full range of firearms available.  I'm not recommending them so much as I'm suggesting you look at what's legal and available out here. 

Basic home defense and hopefully not having to worry about changing laws while I am there. I would also like to do some range shooting and hunting but will probably just hunt back in GA or when we move up to Alaska.

Thanks for the site recommendation I will check it out.

Semi auto pistols are pretty easy, no threaded barrel, no mag outside the grip and 10 round mags. Lots of manufactures make 10 round mags, and you can also block your mags down to 10 rounds MAGBLOCK

The handgun roster does not limit what you can bring in, only what can be sold new here. So get what you want before you come! Or be prepared to pay up to 2x MSRP on the used local market for what you want, best to come with it.

Rifles/shotguns, just avoid evil features like detachable mags and pistol grips (full list check calguns flow chart) and you will be good. If you want something like an AR, make sure its not banned by name, then go featureless. Or check out something like the Ares SCR lower.

There is an updated "flowchart" down the forum some.  What it is missing is the listings from a couple of earlier legal go-arounds.  There are some firearms which were listed specifically in some of the first attempts to ban assault weapons and these can't be imported even if converted to featureless or with a compliant mag lock system.

Those lists can be found here:  http://www.calguns.net/caawid/flowchart.html

You can't legally import a firearm that would be registerable as an assault weapon.  That window closed for new imports, sales, manufacture, etc. at the end of 2016.  There is still a period in which to decide whether to register or configure the firearms as featureless or with legal mag lock systems, etc. for firearms already in state.

Note that while most of the attention is given to so-called assault weapons, a new resident must report ownership of firearms within 60 days of bringing them into the state and this would apply to any firearms.

Reporting owner ship is basically registration correct they need make/model/SN?

I will be living in San Francisco already dreading moving into an apartment.

Is body armor also regulated in cal? Got some soft armor and plates from police/security work.

I live here so haven't looked that closely at what is asked for for a new resident reporting.  I assume but don't know if it differs from the reporting they want on firearms that have been here since before the current requirements for transfers via ffls, etc.  For example, if I were to get a CCW, and wanted to add/carry one of my old pistols, I'd need to report it.  It's on the CA DoJ site.  The point to get is that there is this requirement and it applies to everything you might import and it is separate from the "assault weapon" registration.  You'd need to report a featureless rifle or one with the appropriate maglocks, etc.  For a resident, typically those would have been registered when originally delivered, etc.  You can't use this reporting to cover importing a rifle or other firearm that fits the assault weapon criteria.

I'm in the same boat OP. Starting a new job in Bay Area and I am basically leaving almost everything I have save it be a few shotguns and handguns. Everything else stays. I'm just leaving my safe at my parents house. I guess at least moving to San Joaquin County helps to get me a CA CCW.

The G19 is fine but you will need to have 10 shot mags.

The hell????
I have a Modern Outiftters AR, with a 14.5 barrel brought to 16.1 by pinning/welding the flash hider. The OAL is 31 inches.
It has a muzzle brake, a KAG grip (not a pistol grip per the definition) and a collapsible stock.
If I somehow fix the stock in a certain position, does it make it legal to bring to California?
Asking as my wife is on a good track to get a job in Cupertino, and I would hate to leave my AR in Indiana...

You have two ways to import it now.  One is as a "featureless" rifle, the other as a rifle with a “fixed magazine” under California law meaning “an ammunition feeding device contained in, or permanently attached to, a firearm in such a manner that the device cannot be removed without disassembly of the firearm action.”  That's going to determine if those features are or aren't a problem.   Note that either approach still requires compliance with barrel length, overall length, 10 round magazine capacity laws.

A featureless rifle can not have (any of the following) a pistol grip, forward pistol grip, flash suppressor, folding or telescoping stock, thumb hole stock, grenade or flare launcher.  I think there are potential problems here with the KAG grip.  While it may not be intended as a forward pistol grip, there is little to keep one from grabbing it that way.  You've described your muzzle brake as a pinned/welded flash hider.  That's a possible problem.  The California definition of a flash suppressor is convoluted, inadequate, probably insufficiently detailed as to be enforceable in some ways (and may actually have been litigated in a way that suggests it can't be enforced).  That said, without knowing what device it actually is, how it looks, what it does, what it may have been designed or advertised as, we can't guess as to it's suitability on a featureless rifle.  For many of us, going featureless is an easy approach.  Fixed stock long enough to meet overall length, delete pistol grips (which can be done with a finned grip) go with a for sure muzzle brake (there are some) or other legal muzzle device or thread protector.  An alternative is replacing the pistol grip and stock with a compliant replacement stock a la Hera or Thordsen.  Doing this, you can use a standard mag release.

OTOH, a fixed magazine using one of several devices which are used by opening "disassembling" the action to then remove/replace the magazine, can have those features.  Going this way, you add one of several sorts of internal locking devices which are accessed by opening action, typically pulling the rear pin, to release the mags.  There is also at least one feeding device which works like a stripper clip and feeds through the ejection port.

Thanks for the input. Checked with a firearm dealer in CA. He advised me to go the second road as well, put a maglock.
I don't care using 10 rounders, but I cannot get over the ugly compliant features requested by Cali.
So 10 rounds and fixed/not easily removable magazine that will be...

I got my Mean Arms Loaders many weeks ago but played with them this morning for the first time.  These are basically ten round stripper clips that feed thru the ejection port (no need to open the action to reload).  It is a very cool innovation by Mean Arms.  

Needing them is not my favorite thing in the world, however, I'm glad to have them.  

In the coming weeks, I'll practice the sitting and prone positions with reloads using these Loaders (yes, with dummy rounds).  I'll let you know how it goes.

As long as it is permanently locked in position, it should be okay.

Ever considered the Magpul PRS stock?  It is adjustable but does not telescope or fold.

If the work here is temporary, temporarily install a GI stock.  It's very inexpensive and totally legal.

I figure no reason to start a new thread.  Can you guys tell me if i can bring my xds or my lcp in to cali while traveling. I understand they would have to be locked up while in the truck.

Ok cool. So good to go on both. If i understand you right i can bring my xd mod 2 with threaded barrel in? I am just passing through.  Thanks a bunch.

On that note..... I sure do miss my old 9mm CZ P-07 Duty. It was the most accurate pistol I've ever owned; I got one to use as an actual duty pistol and scored 239/240 at pistol qual's on my second time to the range with it. I bet I'd pay at least $650 (or whatever) to get another one in like-new condition... if only there were someone here in the Bay Area that had one of those for sale who could PM me......

LOL!