The wait is over, the mystery revealed on The Reformation, Franklin Armory’s ‘not-SBR’ that left everyone guessing.
So, what allows it to defy NFA classification, despite its 11.5″ barrel and collapsible stock? It’s the barrel. Specifically, the Reformation line will feature Franklin’s NRS Barrel Technology. NRS, which stands for “Not a Rifle or Shotgun”, is a barrel with straight cut lands and grooves that retains a standard chamber. Because the barrel doesn’t impart spin on the projectile, the ATF decreed it doesn’t meet the definition of rifling, and as such the Reformation can’t be classified as a rifle or shotgun, short-barred or otherwise, only a ‘firearm’.
What does this do to accuracy? Franklin claims to have tested 4 MOA accuracy with off-the-shelf ammo, but they’ve also developed fin and flare stabilized projectiles and ammo specifically for use with the Reformation, that offers near-MOA performance.
The initial Reformation firearms will be chambered in .300 BLK, with 5.56 to follow shortly after. Models without the BFSIII binary trigger will also be made available.
Tags: Franklin Armory, SHOT Show
Only $2095 MSRP per TFB… I’d rather convert an AR pistol to an SBR for that cost. The main benefit I’ve heard of is that it should be NY legal, so at least those poor bastards can get around their communist state laws.
$2095 with the BFSIII binary trigger. As low as $1035 depending on options.
Even still, you can get a quality AR pistol for less from SOLGW and thumb your nose at NFA laws that way with better accuracy with non-proprietary ammo.
The plot has definitely thinned with this gun. I can see why they chose the marketing strategy they used because otherwise, no one would be talking about this thing to begin with.
NY is is’t own special pants-on-head-stupid case. It’s not legal there no matter what the ATF says.
Yeah Comrade Cuomo will never let us have these.
Cuomo is a buffoon.
Well, if the accuracy is 4+ inches at 100 yards why not go ahead and make it a .450 Bushmaster or other large caliber and do a slug and bird or buckshot behind it? We might as well go full gonzo. Seems a little bit of a waste just to build a NFA go around.
I think it’s better suited as a loophole weapon for restrictive state laws than as a NFA workaround.
It was billed specifically as a NFA SBR workaround.
On the video that I saw from TFB, the company rep said that the rifle shoots about 4 to 5 inches at 50 yards. He also noted that’s where they’ve started to see keyholing with normal ammunition. There is no telling what the bullets will be doing at 100 yards.
That’s why I said they might as well have made it a large bore “firearm”.
The real question is if franklin armory intends on selling straight cut lands and groove barrels to the general public, and will that mean we can build our own “firearms”.
The rep said they would be… but why you’d want a rifle that barely makes it 50 yds before keyholing is beyond me.
I’d like to know more about the technical aspects of what makes this a non rifled barrel. If someone were to chop a 1:12 twist rate M16A1 barrel down to 10 inches or even 7.25 inches, is that considered a rifle barrel? Or do the lands and grooves have to be perfectly straight?
If someone throws a new barrel in this thing, is that a felony?
if it’s rifled or smoothbore, yes. Per Statute.
You could always write a letter to the ATF and ask for clarification!?
Horribly disappointing. I knew that if they messed with the barrel or made it use proprietary ammo it would be a no go for me. They did. It is. So very sad and disappointing. How the hell did they get a patent on straight rifling. That’s like me getting patent on pre-flattened soda. WTF?!
my condolences in advance to all the restrictive-state law enforcement officers and range control people who are about to have the gun version of this conversation:
“sir, you can’t smoke in here.”
“i’m not smoking, i’m vaping.”
Judging by the gun, its apparent (lack of) performance, and the sampling of responses just on SSD, I’d say that conversation won’t be happening very often.
That was pretty anticlimactic. I think Franklin wins the award for making old new again. Straight rifling was fairly popular in the 18th century. Helped with fouling and shot pattern on fowling guns also used to shoot ball.
That moment you as a company have to rush out AR-15s pre election so you order a batch of PSA barrels. Barrels come with their rifling fucked up and a light bulb turns on in your head…
Reminds me of that mitch hedberg joke about pringles.
Choice 1 is an inaccurate rifle, exactly what no shooter wants.
Choice 2 is proprietary ammo, exactly what no gun nut wants to try to stack deep in the closet.
Man if we could just get rid of the NFA we’d never have to deal with crap like this. And pistol braces. I hate those.
Inaccurate rifle + proprietary ammo = LOSE.
No way that this would end up in my collection: more likely to get a SBR legally or just settle for a “pistol” than to go this route. Shooting darts- well, that’s for dartboards… and lawns..
Chamber it for .410 and it might be usable.
fail. overpriced, lack of accuracy, show the nonsense of atf rules, better get rid of the atf as many suggest and meanwhile stick with cheap ar15 pistol builds with current legal modern slimline armbraces.
Will this be silencer capable? And will a stamp be required?
And what about full auto what will be required?
Your video was not clear on those issues.
Air guns have no requirements for either
Wouldn’t trust a suppressor on it even the slightest off and it’s a baffle strike
Nifty concept….. MAJOR FAIL.
Price is outrageous, proprietary ammo HUGE FAIL, PISS POOR ACCURACY!!
Like I said… Nifty idea quite the concept to get around NFA rules but for the price, cost of ammo and lack of accuracy you might as well cough up the $200 for a tax stamp and build a high quality AR for around $800 to $1000 and still be ahead.
Guys. I got confirmation today. That it will shoot 4 Moa at 100 yards(not at 50 yards) with straight off the shelf ammo. To me that’s good enough. They also said they will sell the uppers separately. To many haters out there. I commend them for thinking outside the box. And prices start at 1k and go all the way up to 2k full loaded.
I don’t understand why Us gun owners and SSD readers feel the need to crap all over anything so quickly? This is an Amazing idea that fundamentally is exactly what we should always be working towards. No gun hating liberal will ever know the difference between this and an SBR just like an arm brace and a stock. THOSE ARE WINS FOR US. We need to recognize that the more wins we can achieve the more we work against control and make the anti-gun folks look stupid. Then there agenda becomes null and void when they don’t have a dog in a fight like this. Cheers to Franklin Armory great company and win for 2A right here!
The problem is that the MEF range of this gun is pistol range.