A few weeks ago, Franklin Armory created a lot of buzz when it issued a short press release about something called the “Reformation.” In that presser, the Nevada-based company said the Reformation wouldn’t require an NFA tax stamp despite the fact that it features an 11.5-inch barrel and a conventional Magpul MOE SL stock. It’s not a rifle, and it’s not a shotgun. To back up its claim, the company said the gun had “received approval as a non-rifle” from the Chief of the Firearms Technology Division at the ATF. Confused? So were we. But we aren’t anymore.

Franklin Armory Reformation Debut

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This week at SHOT Show, the Franklin Armory Reformation made its debut. So, how did this gun come to be classified as a non-NFA firearm? According to a new video released by the company which you can see below, this is due to the barrel. Here’s what the description of the video says:

The Reformation line of firearms features Franklin Armory’s NRS barrel technology. NRS stands for “Not a Rifle or Shotgun” and has straight cut lands and grooves while retaining a standard chamber. Since the barrel does not impart spin on the projectile, it does not meet the definition of “rifling.”

And what about that ATF approval? More again from the company:

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. Since Reformation cannot be a rifle or a shotgun, it also cannot be a short barreled rifle of a short barreled shotgun.

How accurate is this thing? Again, more from the video description:

Franklin Armory has safely tested off the shelf ammunition in an NRS barrel and achieved 4 MOA results.

To get the most out of the the straight cut lands and grooves, the company says it has also “engineered fin and flare stabilized projectiles and ammunition for near MOA performance.”

The Franklin Armory Reformation will initially be available in .300 BLK, with 5.56 to follow shortly thereafter, and possibly .308 sometime after that. The Firearm Blog has the MSRP at $2,095 with Franklin Armory’s Binary BFSIII trigger, and $1,665 without it.

Watch the video below for more information, and visit franklinarmory.com.