No stock means no rifle. You can have a pistol with a 24" barrel.
Where shit gets inane is a 16.5" gun with no stock is a pistol, but add a vertical foregrip, and it becomes an “any other weapon”, which requires a tax stamp. If the foregrip is angled, pistol. Add a brace(not technically legally a stock, due to perception and not intent) to either firearm, and it becomes an short barreled rifle if the barrel and chamber plus permanent barrel accessory(non removed flash mitigation or blast direction) is under 16.5"(basically defeated in court, but still enforceable).
Shotgun caliber with no rifling? AOW. Barrel under 16.5 with no stock, but rifled? Pistol
Buy a receiver(legalally the “firearm”, incapable of harm except via blugeoning) as a “firearm” and it can become a “pistol” or “firearm” and then a “rifle” and back, but you can’t make it a “rifle” and then a “pistol” or “firearm” without a tax stamp.
Suppressor meant as a safety device and in no way allows you to fire a gunshot in a crowded area and doesn’t sound like a mouse fart like the movies? $200 and months of waiting. In Europe a suppressed firearm is considered polite and regulated as an accessory with less hurdles than buying a new stock.
The gun laws make no sense to anybody on either side, they are bubblegum, paperclips, and string fixes for illogical laws written out of fear of bootlegger gangsters over 100 years ago with financial hurdles that lag behind inflation by over 10 fold.
It can vary, up to 24". 16.3" is just a common length to meet US regulations with a little bit of leeway.
No stock means no rifle. You can have a pistol with a 24" barrel.
Where shit gets inane is a 16.5" gun with no stock is a pistol, but add a vertical foregrip, and it becomes an “any other weapon”, which requires a tax stamp. If the foregrip is angled, pistol. Add a brace(not technically legally a stock, due to perception and not intent) to either firearm, and it becomes an short barreled rifle if the barrel and chamber plus permanent barrel accessory(non removed flash mitigation or blast direction) is under 16.5"(basically defeated in court, but still enforceable).
Shotgun caliber with no rifling? AOW. Barrel under 16.5 with no stock, but rifled? Pistol
Buy a receiver(legalally the “firearm”, incapable of harm except via blugeoning) as a “firearm” and it can become a “pistol” or “firearm” and then a “rifle” and back, but you can’t make it a “rifle” and then a “pistol” or “firearm” without a tax stamp.
Suppressor meant as a safety device and in no way allows you to fire a gunshot in a crowded area and doesn’t sound like a mouse fart like the movies? $200 and months of waiting. In Europe a suppressed firearm is considered polite and regulated as an accessory with less hurdles than buying a new stock.
The gun laws make no sense to anybody on either side, they are bubblegum, paperclips, and string fixes for illogical laws written out of fear of bootlegger gangsters over 100 years ago with financial hurdles that lag behind inflation by over 10 fold.