Franklin Armory’s AR-15 based Reformation has a barrel length of just 11.5″. That should make it an SBR, right? Turn’s out this rifle is completely NFA compliant without any red tape or tax stamps thanks to a little-known loophole.
Earlier this month, Franklin Armory sent out a Reformation press release that hinted at the “ground-breaking” new product. The press release promised more information would be revealed during SHOT Show 2018.
Yesterday Franklin Armory President Jay Jacobson explained why the Reformation gets a pass during a press release video shown at SHOT Show 2018.
“On August 3rd of 2017, the Chief of the Firearms Technology Division confirmed that a firearm equipped with a stock and a barrel featuring straight cut lands and grooves is defined as a ‘firearm,’ and is not a rifle or a shotgun,” Jacobson says in the video below. “Since Reformation cannot be a rifle or a shotgun, it cannot be a short-barreled rifle or a short-barreled shotgun.”
The Reformation’s straight cut lands and grooves does have a significant downside. Without any spin on the projectile, the rifle falls to a 4 MOA accuracy with most standard loads.
To battle this problem, Franklin Armory is developing a proprietary new round that looks like a football with dart fins. The unique shape of these rounds is designed to stabilize the projectile and improve accuracy overall.
Watch the video below for more information.