{"id":111325,"date":"2019-08-16T15:50:23","date_gmt":"2019-08-16T19:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=111325"},"modified":"2019-08-16T15:50:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T23:34:38","slug":"franklin-armorys-new-reformation-is-a-gun-banners-nightmare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/franklin-armorys-new-reformation-is-a-gun-banners-nightmare\/","title":{"rendered":"Franklin Armory\u2019s New \u201cReformation\u201d Isn’t a Pistol or Rifle and Doesn’t Need a Stamp (Full Review)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Franklin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you purchase firearms based solely on their ability to help you survive the zombie apocalypse, you might want to skip this one. But if you have a sense of humor, a love of weird firearms, and a healthy desire to Stick It to The Man, Franklin Armory\u2019s new Reformation is exactly what you\u2019ve been looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Franklin Armory built its reputation pushing the boundaries\nof gun control regulations \u2013 and sticking it to The Man that is California\u2019s\nDOJ. They always stay within the \u201cfour corners of the law,\u201d as company\nPresident Jay Jacobson told me via phone, but they\u2019ve been exploring the dark\nrecesses of those corners since their founding over 20 years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Reformation is the next stop in that exploration, and it\nmay be one of the most unique non-historical rifles on the market. The idea is\nsimple. By cutting straight rather than spiraling grooves in the bore, the\nReformation is neither a rifle nor a shotgun. In that amorphous category\n(simply a \u201cfirearm\u201d), it escapes the regulations that govern standard long\nguns, including barrel length requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were looking at the definitions in California law relating to rifles and shotguns and how it might pertain to the assault weapons ban,\u201d Jacobson said. \u201cIt dawned on us that there might be a false dichotomy. Could there be a potential configuration that was neither smoother nor rifled? In brainstorming it, I came up with straight cut lands and grooves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Franklin
Weird, right? No spirals here. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You can find a more extended legal discussion below, but here\u2019s the bottom line: according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Reformation can have a barrel measuring less than 16 inches without being considered an NFA Class III item. No tax stamp. No $200. No nine-month wait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve had a sample with a 7.5\u201d barrel for the last few\nmonths, and I\u2019ve gotta say \u2013 it\u2019s the most fun you can have with your pants on.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Franklin Armory<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Franklin Armory is currently based in Nevada, but it started in California in the \u201990s. The company specializes in producing legal firearms for restrictive jurisdictions like The Golden State, and that innovative spirit has produced market-shifting offerings like the binary trigger (BFSIII). Their creativity has been spurred in part by their commitment to building products made entirely from premium American-made parts, a decision that forces them to \u201cattack the market asymmetrically,\u201d Jacobson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Franklin
Franklin Armory refuses to use foreign-made parts in any of its firearms. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverybody has lots of options for a $499 AR that has lots of foreign-made parts in it. I refuse to buy foreign-made parts and put them in our guns. Everything in our guns is 100% American-made because a country isn\u2019t much of a country if it doesn\u2019t have food, fuel, and firearms,\u201d he said. \u201cConsequently, our product does cost a little bit more. So, in order to be relevant and viable, we create products that are within four corners of the law, but that allows for marketability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with the Reformation and the BSFIII trigger, Franklin Armory offers a wide variety of AR-type rifles, including an intriguing, soon-to-be-released pistol caliber carbine they\u2019re calling Providence<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are We Sure This is\nLegal?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Right now? Yes. Franklin Armory asked the ATF to take a look\nat the Reformation to ensure it complies with federal firearms law, and the\nfeds concluded the Reformation is considered neither a rifle nor a shotgun\nunder the National Firearms Act. It isn\u2019t a rifle because the \u201crifling\u201d doesn\u2019t\nimpart spin on the bullet (more on that below), and it isn\u2019t a shotgun because\nit can\u2019t fire \u201cfixed shotgun shells\u201d (.410GA \u2013 10GA).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Franklin
I didn’t have to fill out any extra paperwork or pay for a tax stamp to take home this “firearm.”<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Reformation is<\/em> considered a short-barreled shotgun under the Gun Control Act, but owning an unregistered SBS isn\u2019t illegal under the GCA. The Reformation can, therefore, be purchased from any Federal Firearms Licensee without a $200 tax stamp or additional background checks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Franklin Armory has published a letter written by a retired\nATF Academy Instructor that summarizes the ATF\u2019s findings. They haven\u2019t\npublished the ATF\u2019s original letter because it contains proprietary\ninformation, but the summary letter includes citations of all the relevant law.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read the full letter here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What You\u2019re Getting<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Reformation comes with a hefty $1409.99 price tag along\nwith a host of great features. So, what are you getting for all that dough?\nHere\u2019s the spec sheet for the 7.5\u201d barrel model chambered in 5.56 NATO. Franklin\nArmory also offers a version with an 11.5\u201d barrel chambered in 300 Blackout that\ncomes in black, green, or white. Opting for a \u201ccustom-tuned trigger\u201d rather\nthan the binary trigger bumps $320 off the price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Barrel Length + Type<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n 7.5\u201d Full Contour\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Handguard\/Upper<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n 7\u201d FST\u2122 M-Lok\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Sights<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Magpul MBUS\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Charging Handle<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Standard\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Bolt Carrier<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Salt Bath Nitride\n <\/td><\/tr>
Bolt Material<\/strong><\/td> Carpenter No. 158 steel <\/td><\/tr>
\n Lower<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n FAI\u2122\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Trigger<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Custom Tuned Trigger or BFSIII\u00ae\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Gas System<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Carbine Length\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Gas Block<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Low Profile\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Muzzle Device<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Triumvir\u2122\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Color<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Black\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Stock<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Magpul SL-K\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Grip<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Magpul MIAD\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Features<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Magpul M-Lok MVG Vertical Grip\n <\/td><\/tr>
Caliber<\/strong> <\/td>\n 5.56 NATO\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n
\"Franklin
The BFSIII “binary trigger” fires a round on the pull and on the release. Needless to say, it’s a hoot.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Franklin
The Reformation comes with Magpul flip-up sights…<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Franklin
… a Magpul stock…<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Franklin
… and a Magpul pistol grip.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So How Does It Shoot??<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Shooting the Reformation is at first a little surreal. Those\nsideways-bullet holes set off mental alarm bells that are tough to ignore.\nSigns of a tumbling bullet usually indicate a major malfunction, but those vertical\nand horizontal tears are exactly what the Reformation is designed to produce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most obvious question and the one I was most curious to answer relates to accuracy. Because the bore has straight rather than spiraling grooves, the bullet begins to tumble almost immediately upon exiting the muzzle. (I shot a paper target at three yards with a heavy-grained 5.56 round and the bullet had already begun to tumble.) Tumbling rounds don\u2019t tend to fly true, but the Reformation\u2019s straight-cut grooves make the rounds fly at least\u2026 a little straight? Maybe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Franklin
Bullets begin to tumble almost immediately after exiting the barrel.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I did a lot of shooting with the firearm, and I wasn\u2019t able to replicate the 3.5\u201d 100-yard group Franklin mentions on its website<\/a>. Maybe conditions were too windy, maybe I was using different ammunition, but based on my testing, I\u2019d put the max range of this rifle at somewhere between 50 and 75 yards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used four different types of ammunition to test accuracy. Franklin Armory says heavy bullets tend to fly straighter, which makes sense if you think of the bullet as less like a football and more like a knuckleball. I\u2019m no physicist, but mass x acceleration = mathy stuff, and I couldn\u2019t hit anything with 55g rounds. Heavy bullets are the way to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mounted a red dot, set up on a bag, and shot two sets of 10-round groups from 50 yards with each cartridge. Shooting standard 5×5-shot groups didn\u2019t seem necessary because, realistically, you\u2019re not using this thing for precision work. I\u2019ve posted images of the second set of 10-round groups since I managed to catch all those rounds on each target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, the groups opened up as the bullet weight decreased.\nThe best group by far was with the American Eagle 75g TMJ load, which posted a\nrespectable 3-inch group at 50 yards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n