Legality of using original parts in a conversion

You have it pretty much correct ,as long as its not part of a deactivated gun ,a rifled barrel/chamber or part of the fireing pin or assembly you're pretty much OK ,the muzzle cone is fine as are sights ,any woody bits ,sling mounts ,screws ,the trigger,etc , its fairly common sensce ,if you can use it to fire a bullet its a no no .

Thanks for confirming it for me Dadio. I thought I'd better be safe than sorry.

Yes ,a fire arms offence conviction would really ruin you're day. The other thing to consider is the intelligence of the seller ,I heard of someone who ordered a k98 rear sight from a Russian seller expecting it to be cut off the barrel ,he had a fit when most of the barrel came through the post

Just to help clear up anything:

I know you can't buy a deactivated gun and place airsoft parts inside as that is classed as manufacturing a RIF...

Actually it's classed as reactivating a deactivated firearm - a far more serious crime.

EDIT: I have found out that as long as the original part isn't deactivated and it is a spare part it will be OK. I've emailed the local firearms officer just in case but it looks like it might be fine.

What I've heard, is that technically it's any part that has been a fitting on a live weapon - i.e: a part that has been part of a weapon (used) and then removed (and stored as a spare part, for example) is illegal to use, but a part that has never been used on a live weapon (although originally intended to be used as) is legal to use. But I think any prosecution will have a hard time proving to a judge that a dented oily Lee Enfield wood stock set (for example) is far more lethal and illegal than a clean unissued Lee Enfield wood stock set a pretty hard task...

EDIT AGAIN: I have confirmation from the seller that it's not a deactivated part and does not come from a deactivated firearm.

Yeah, I think this is the crux - just a long as you're not buying a de-ac and stripping all the non-Section-5-pre-deactivation parts from it to build a RIF, then it's fine. Otherwise there's quite a few airsoft Lee Enfields, etc, out there which would be 'illegal' because the butt plate screws were once fitted to a rifle between 1956 and 1962, or the nose band was actually used on a rifle in service for it's working life before being stripped of all useful parts by the armourer in 1974 when the barrel was worn well out of spec', etc...

This has been an interesting trip into UK law and it's all as clear as mud! Luckily this flash hider is just a spare part and has never been fitted to a weapon, but if it were from a deac it would suddenly be breaking the law and I'd be in a lot of trouble.

I'm still looking to get a reply from the local firearms officer just so I have it in writing.

Sods law says that I won't be able to fix it to the Zb26 after all!

P. S. Now I'm worried about the original stick and butt plate I have on my Thompson

P. S. Now I'm worried about the original stick and butt plate I have on my Thompson

Don't be worried mate - my Vickers MMG is made with original 'real-steel' non-Section-5-parts spares consisting of; trigger press and lifting safety levers, check lever, fussee spring cover, feed block cover/front cover, rear cover latch, rear sights, tripod locking pins... None of it is de-ac parts and it's all legitimate spare parts.

Just look at Dadio's build of the MkV STENs, original stocks, perhaps even used by the looks of them, but no one's going to come banging at his door in the middle of the night. Warren at Shoot and Scoot's been making and openly advertising his Lee Enfield builds which were made with original wood and metal fitments, and as far as I know never had any trouble doing what he does. No one is trying to make a weapon* here, or using parts that would require a Section 5 to own or have been stripped from a de-ac, and that's what counts

*(On a side tangent - As long as it's firing under 1.35j, it's classed as a 'toy' power-wise. If over 1.35j it then falls into the realms of being seen as an 'air-rifle' which is classed as a weapon. Always useful information to know.)

That's good to know. All this talk of firearms and prison sentences is making me paranoid!

I ordered the flash hider today so now my bren conversion can carry on as planned. The bipod turned up today and once the flash hider comes through I'll be sending it off with the barrel to get turned down and fitted.

Top man All the best on luck with the conversion. Looking forward to seeing it!

its a silly one,
but all flash hiders are classed as sec5 parts (if of sec 5 guns) so no you cant use it,

its a silly one,
but all flash hiders are classed as sec5 parts (if of sec 5 guns) so no you cant use it,

So true, unless you have a licensed firearms importer to have the threading bored out so it can never be used/fitted on a real weapon, that's what I'm going to have done to change my M240 into an MAG58...

Not sure you would be able to bore out a thread on a bren flash hider as they were brased on not screwed on ,in this case I think you'd be horribly unlucky to get caught and I'm sure its been done on plenty of air soft guns but as its a cat 5 bit .......

Oh bollocks! Well, the law is the law and I'm not going to prison for a flash hider

No sense in letting it go to waste though so I may as well take some measurements and make my own look a like flash hider. Is there anything illegal about hacking off the front sight and using that?

i think its allso VERY important to be mindfull what people post,
we all have to toe the line and be extra carefull what and how we play the sport etc etc,