Ballistic Magazine
  • Guns
    • Handguns
    • Rifles
    • Class III & More
  • Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Knives
    • Suppressors
  • News
  • Lifestyle
    • Culture
    • People
    • Podcasts
    • Rides
    • Survival
    • Tactics & Training
  • VIDEOS
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Ballistic Magazine
  • Guns
    • Handguns
    • Rifles
    • Class III & More
  • Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Knives
    • Suppressors
  • News
  • Lifestyle
    • Culture
    • People
    • Podcasts
    • Rides
    • Survival
    • Tactics & Training
  • VIDEOS
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Ballistic Magazine
No Result
View All Result
 
New Year, New FREE GUN FRIDAY! Enter to WIN the Smith & Wesson and Black Hills package.

What Is ATF Form 1 and Why You Should Fill it Out

Will Dabbs MD by Will Dabbs MD
July 8, 2019
in Class III & More, Guns
0
ATF Form 1, LMT Defense

Lewis Machine and Tool and a Form 1 represent an easy way to land an operational 40mm M203 grenade launcher.

0
SHARES
267
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Form 1 First project
This was my first Form 1 project. Once the form finally comes back approved all that re-mains is to engrave the side and shorten the barrel. Sundry stock, pistol grip, and forearm options are like Garanimals for gun guys.
Form 1 AR-15 Receiver
Do a Form 1 on an AR15 receiver and the gloves come off as regards barrels and butt-stocks. A single registered receiver is your ticket to all manner of adventures.
Form 1 Mad Max
This Mad Max side-by-side 12-bore sports some horrendous recoil, but it looks cool and will carry in a holster. Feed it Aguila minishells, and the recoil is not so bad.

ATF Form 1, LMT Defense
Lewis Machine and Tool and a Form 1 represent an easy way to land an operational 40mm M203 grenade launcher.
Form 1 20 Gauge
This cool slide action 20-gauge began life as a sub-$200 pawn shop beater. Recoil is mild and accessories abound.
Form 1 Shortened Barrel
Shortening the barrel and mounting a new front sight are not terribly difficult with typical workshop tools.

Form 1 GSG-5 .22-caliber MP5 clone
This GSG-5 .22-caliber MP5 clone is the coolest .22 rifle in the world after a little Form 1 treatment.
Form 1 gun engraving
Your local trophy shop can do the engraving for you.
Form 1 Zenith Z5R
This spectacular Zenith Z5R is a great Form 1 host. Do the paper and survive the wait, and then you can slap on a standard collapsible stock. The end result looks like it stepped off the set of Die Hard.

The subject of BATF Forms can be undeniably labyrinthine and befuddling. An entire massive bureaucratic apparatus governs ownership of stuff like machine guns, sound suppressors, grenade launchers, and cannons as well as short-barreled rifles (SBR) and shotguns (SBS). The details hearken back to the days of Prohibition and shape the complexion of truly rarefied gun collecting.

PSA Approval 15 Lower, PSA Approval-15 lower
RELATED STORY

The PSA Approval 15 Stripped Lower for AR-15s Takes Jabs at ATF

A Bit of Ballistic History

Back in the 1930s our congressmen still infrequently read the document they were supposed to support and defend. The US Constitution did not and does not authorize the government to outright ban things, but it can certainly levy taxes. In response to the scourge of the motorized bandit folks were clamoring for a pyrrhic legislative remedy. That remedy was the National Firearms Act of 1934.

This fascinating bit of legislative heresy levied a $200 tax on the transfer of machine guns, short-barreled weapons, and similar nifty toys. As $200 in 1934 was the equivalent of $3,800 today this effectively abolished the trade in these items. Thus the world languished until inflation finally caught up with these draconian levies. Today $200 is hardly front pocket change, but it yet remains finally within reach of the Common Man. That fact opens up all sorts of fascinating opportunities for the American gun owner with some patience, a little cash, and a bit of mechanical skill.

ATF Form 1 AKA ‘The Fun Form’

ATF Form 1 is the official Application to Make and Register a Firearm. Using this nifty bit of paper, the enterprising American gun bodger can shorten barrels, activate grenade launchers, or build sound suppressors to his or her heart’s content. Prior to 1986 you could use the same document to build your own functional machine gun at home. However, those days are gone never to return.

There is a proscribed order to the process. First you identify the nature of your proposed project. Then you download the Form 1 off of the ATF website and complete it in duplicate. There is a place for a passport photo on the back of each copy. The form demands a physical description of the device to be built and must be submitted along with a set of FBI fingerprint cards. Your local law enforcement agency should be able to take your fingerprints, though they may not supply the cards.

It doesn’t matter how many times you have done this, you always have to repeat the fingerprinting process. As near as I can tell this is simply punitive. It’s not like your fingerprints ever change.

The Waiting Game

Once you have all this stuff done, one piece goes to your local chief law enforcement officer. The rest gets dropped in the post office to the BATF along with a check for $200. You then think about something else for about seven months while the same government that can land robots on Mars takes their own sweet time processing the thing. Once the form comes back approved, the real fun begins.

No matter what you are building you become the manufacturer and have to engrave your identifying information on the item. Your local trophy shop can do this for a modest fee. Even if you are modifying an existing gun that already has identifying information, yours has to go on there as well. Yes, it can get cluttered. 

Possible Projects

M203 Grenade Launcher, Holster
RELATED STORY

Bold Carry: Using an M203 Grenade Launcher for Personal Defense

My first was a Remington 870 slide-action 12 gauge. With an 18-inch barrel you can still use the gun while the paperwork creeps along. Once the Form 1 came back approved I cut the barrel down using a cutoff wheel on a table saw. The same chore can be done carefully with a hacksaw. I dressed the muzzle with a Dremel tool and then drilled and tapped a new front sight with a drill press. The end result tosses a broad pattern, but at close ranges it will fill a room with misery. It has also claimed more than its share of Mississippi water moccasins.

Building a Mad Max side-by-side shotgun pistol is a bit more complicated, but not by much. The barrel shortening is a similar exercise, but it takes a little woodworking skill to craft a new pistol grip. The end result kicks like Chuck Norris’ right foot, but looks just super cool.

Any one of the sundry .22-caliber MP5 variants makes a good SBR host. I found a cool flash suppressor to mask the abbreviated tube. A Form 1 with any number of semi-auto subgun clones lets you legally plug in a shoulder stock as well. Zenith makes a great one.

Seriously Heavy Metal

LMT Defense will sell you a GI-standard M203 receiver either without a barrel or with a 37mm tube, and it transfers like an otherwise unremarkable Title 1 firearm. You can then do your Form 1 and legally fit the gun with a 40mm rifled barrel. The end result will reliably get you a seat at the cool kids’ table at the local range.

High explosive ammo for your new thumper is unobtainable, but ReloadableShells.com will keep you in cool-guy stuff to throw out of it. A simple adapter that allows me to run 12-gauge birdshot through my 203 will produce a muzzle flash visible from Saturn. Just hefting your own operational 40mm grenade launcher will reliably boost serum testosterone levels.

ATF Form 1 Denouement

Chopping off barrels, activating cannons, crafting your own sound suppressors, and dropping a Glock into a stock-equipped RONI chassis all await you with the liberal application of ATF Form 1. The wait times are interminable, and the cash outlay not insubstantial, but the fun factor is tough to adequately capture in words.

If you’ve run your black rifles until the thrill has faded and done most of what you can legally do with your favorite stock Glock, perhaps it is time to amp up the awesome with a cool ATF Form 1 project. Be careful, be legal, and be patient. The final product is worth the effort.

For those interested, here’s a link to the ATF Form 1: https://www.atf.gov/file/11281/download

Didn't find what you were looking for?

CLICK HERE FOR COMMENTS

RELATED POSTS

Pistol Brace Laws, ATF

Pistol Brace Theory: Why the ATF Should Just Leave It Alone for Good

ATF Firearms Technology Branch, Attorneys, Bureaucracy

EXCLUSIVE: The ATF Isn’t All Bad, but Bureaucracy Has Ruined Most of It

Jay Dobyns, Hells Angels, Undercover Agent

Jay Dobyns: The Undercover Agent Who Survived the Hells Angels

CZ Micro Scorpion Suppressed, ATF Approval, lead

It Took the ATF One Year to Approve My Suppressed CZ Micro Scorpion

Load More

WATCH NOW: Night Shooter | Season 2

Discussion about this post

FEATURED POST

Ballistic's Best Reader's Choice Winners

Winners Announced: Ballistic’s Best Readers’ Choice 2022

The votes are in! We've counted the ballots, and we're excited and impressed by you, the...

Read more

TRENDING

7 new products announced ahead of shot show 2023.

New Guns & Gear Launched at SHOT Show 2023

We tested 12 compact and micro compact pistols to determine the best carry gun.

Best Concealed Carry Pistols 2022: Compacts & Micros Dominate

A top-quality chassis gives you adjustability and other features you need to make your long-range shooting more accurate and fun. These 7 top rifle chassis do it with class.

7 Top Rifle Chassis That Add Class & Accuracy to Your Long-Range Shoot

Affordable Precision Rifles 2018

19 Affordable Precision Rifles That Won’t Break the Bank

PICK A CATEGORY

TRAINING & TACTICS SPOTLIGHT

The Wilson Combat 45th Deluxe Anniversary Supergrade build.

Wilson Combat 45th Deluxe Anniversary Supergrade: A Stunning Tribute

Wilson Combat just announced a remarkable tribute to the craft of the 1911 and the company's legendary place in...

SHOWCASE: TRAINING AND TACTICS

Clearing Corners Gunsite Academy lead

10 Key Tips to Clearing Corners That May Save Your Ass

Chris Hemsworth learns box breathing and other challenges in Limitless.

Use Box Breathing Like Chris Hemsworth to Calm Down & Make The Shot

zeroing in rifles and pistols

Zeroing Rifles & Pistols: Getting to & Maintaining Zeroed Sights

European Mount, DIY Euro Mount, Hunting, lead

How to Make a European Mount in 6 Steps

Team SIG Sauer's Lena Miculek fires a P365 and debates .380 vs 9mm.

VIDEO: SIG Sauer’s Lena Miculek Debates .380 Vs 9mm for Defense

Cross-Eye Dominant Shooting, pistol

The Guide to Cross-Eye Dominant Shooting

Follow this guide to better shooting on the move.

SHOOTING 101: 3 Keys to Getting Hits While Shooting on the Move

Understanding eye dominance and both eyes open shooting will help you get on target.

VIDEO: Understanding Eye Dominance for Better Accuracy & Speed

AMMO SPOTLIGHT

Hornady Subsonic 7.62x39 launches a 255-grain bullet.

Hornady Subsonic 7.62×39 Ammunition Launches 255-grain Bullet, Quietly!

Hornady just announced the release of a very interesting new load, one we think hunters will jump all over....

site logo
The Premier Firearms & Survival Magazine

Tactical

  • tactical-life.com

Magazines

  • Tactical Life
  • The Complete Book of Reloading
  • Guns of the Old West

Facebook

  • Tactical-Life Facebook
  • Guns of the Old West Facebook

Twitter

  • Tactical-Life Twitter

Self Defense

  • PersonalDefenseWorld.com

Magazines

  • Personal Defense World
  • Combat Handguns

Facebook

  • Personal Defense World Facebook
  • Combat Handguns

Twitter

  • Personal Defense World Twitter

Shooting Lifestyle

  • BallisticMag.com

Magazines

  • Ballistic Magazine

Facebook

  • Ballistic Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Ballistic Magazine Twitter

Alpha Lifestyle

  • SkillsetMag.com

Magazines

  • Skillset

Facebook

  • Skillset Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Skillset Magazine Twitter

Instagram

  • Skillset Magazine Instagram
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Terms Of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • California Privacy Notice
  • Cookie Policy
© Athlon Outdoors, All Rights Reserved.
You use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and awareness of the California Privacy Rights. Pursuant to U.S. Copyright law, as well as other applicable federal and state laws, the content on this website may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, without the prior, express, and written permission of Athlon Outdoors.

Manage your GDPR consents by clicking here. Manage your CCPA consents by clicking here.
No Result
View All Result
  • Guns
    • View All Guns
    • Handguns
    • Rifles
    • Class III & More
    • Sponsored
      • SIG Sauer
  • Gear
    • View All Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Knives
    • Suppressors
  • Videos
  • More
    • Free Gun Friday Sweeps
    • Sweepstakes
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
  • News
  • Lifestyle
    • View All Lifestyle
    • Tactics & Training
    • Survival
    • People
    • Podcasts
    • Rides

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.