To make a threaded barrel compliant in New York, you either machine the threads off the barrel entirely or have a gunsmith permanently attach a device that covers the threads and is not itself a banned feature. The right method depends on whether the firearm is a rifle or a pistol, because New York’s assault weapon feature lists differ between the two. Getting this wrong is a class D felony carrying two to seven years in prison, so the details matter.1New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 70.02 Sentence of Imprisonment for a Violent Felony Offense
Why the Threads Are a Problem
Under New York Penal Law 265.00(22), a semi-automatic rifle that accepts a detachable magazine becomes an assault weapon if it has even one feature from a specific list. A threaded barrel designed to accept a flash suppressor, muzzle brake, or muzzle compensator is on that list.2New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 265.00 Definitions
Semi-automatic pistols have a separate list. A pistol with a detachable magazine that has a threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer is classified as an assault weapon.2New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 265.00 Definitions
Semi-automatic shotguns have their own feature list, and a threaded barrel is not on it. If you have a shotgun, the threading alone does not trigger the assault weapon classification.
The Muzzle Brake Trap on Rifles
The most common compliance mistake goes like this. An owner pins and welds a muzzle brake or compensator over the threads, figuring the threading is now inaccessible and the problem is solved. It is not.
New York’s rifle feature list groups four things together as a single banned characteristic: a flash suppressor, a muzzle brake, a muzzle compensator, or a threaded barrel designed to accept any of those devices.2New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 265.00 Definitions A muzzle brake is itself a banned feature on a semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine. Pinning one on eliminates the threading problem and introduces a new violation.
The pistol list works differently. It bans only the threaded barrel, not the muzzle devices as separate features. A pistol owner can pin and weld a compensator or brake over the threads without creating a second violation, assuming no other banned pistol features are present.
Compliance Methods for Rifles
Because brakes, compensators, and flash suppressors are all independently banned on a semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine, your barrel options are narrower than in many other states.
Machine Off the Threads
The cleanest fix is to have a gunsmith machine the threaded section of the barrel down to a smooth, unthreaded profile. Once the threads are physically gone, no device can be attached and there is nothing left to inspect or question. Nothing needs to be pinned, welded, or documented as permanent.
Pin and Weld a Non-Banned Device
If you want to preserve barrel length or protect the crown, a gunsmith can permanently attach a plain thread protector or barrel cap. The device has to be permanently fixed so the threads underneath can never be used, and it cannot itself be a flash suppressor, muzzle brake, or compensator. Anything on the banned list is off the table, even if it’s pinned in place.
Go Featureless
Some rifle owners take a different route and remove every feature on the banned list rather than modifying the barrel. For a semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine, that means no threaded barrel, no flash suppressor, muzzle brake, or compensator, no folding or telescoping stock, no pistol grip, no thumbhole stock, no second handgrip, no bayonet mount, and no grenade launcher.2New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 265.00 Definitions With every feature stripped, the rifle no longer meets the assault weapon definition regardless of barrel configuration. It also handles and looks very different from what you started with.
The Fixed Magazine Alternative
The rifle classification hinges on two elements together: a detachable magazine and at least one banned feature. Remove either and the classification falls away. The statute specifically excludes a semi-automatic rifle that cannot accept a detachable magazine holding more than five rounds.2New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 265.00 Definitions
Converting to a fixed magazine means the magazine cannot be removed without disassembling the action. Several aftermarket kits for AR-15 platform rifles lock the magazine in place until the upper and lower receivers are separated. With a fixed five-round magazine, you can legally keep the threaded barrel and other features that would otherwise be off-limits. Reloading gets slower and more awkward. Range shooters often accept the tradeoff; other users usually don’t.
Compliance Methods for Pistols
The pistol feature list bans a threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer.2New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 265.00 Definitions Muzzle brakes and compensators are not on the pistol list as standalone features.
That gives pistol owners more room to work. A gunsmith can permanently pin and weld a compensator or a thread protector over the barrel threads so the barrel no longer accepts any of the prohibited devices. Machining off the threads also works. Either method has to be truly permanent, and no other banned pistol features can be present on the firearm.
What “Permanent” Actually Means
New York does not publish its own technical standard for permanent attachment, so gunsmiths and courts generally follow the ATF’s criteria. The ATF recognizes three methods: full-fusion gas or electric steel-seam welding, high-temperature silver soldering with a flow point of at least 1,100°F, or blind pinning with the pin head welded over.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). ATF NFA Handbook – Chapter 2: What Are Firearms Under the NFA
The pin-and-weld is the most common. A gunsmith drills a small hole through the muzzle device into the barrel, inserts a steel pin, and welds over the pin head. Done correctly, the device cannot be removed without destroying it. Loctite, thread-locking compounds, and set screws held with adhesive do not qualify as permanent attachment under any recognized standard.
Barrel Length and the Federal 16-Inch Rule
A permanently attached muzzle device counts toward the federal 16-inch minimum barrel length for rifles. If your bare barrel is shorter than 16 inches, pinning and welding a device that brings the overall length to 16 inches or more satisfies the federal requirement. The ATF measures from the breech face or bolt face to the end of the permanently attached device.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). ATF NFA Handbook – Chapter 2: What Are Firearms Under the NFA Without the permanent attachment, a barrel under 16 inches is a short-barreled rifle under the National Firearms Act, which carries its own federal consequences. If your barrel is already 16 inches or more, this doesn’t factor in and machining off the threads is straightforward.
Penalties and the Closed Registration Window
Possessing an assault weapon in New York is criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree under Penal Law 265.02, a class D felony.4New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 265.02 Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree The sentencing range for a class D violent felony is two to seven years in state prison.1New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 70.02 Sentence of Imprisonment for a Violent Felony Offense A conviction carries a permanent felony record that strips your right to possess any firearm.
The NY SAFE Act required owners of pre-existing assault weapons to register them by April 15, 2014. That window is closed. If you currently possess a firearm that meets the assault weapon definition, your options are to modify it into compliance, transfer it to a licensed dealer, move it out of state, or surrender it to law enforcement.
Working With a Qualified Gunsmith
This is not a kitchen-table project. A gunsmith who knows New York compliance will know that pinning a muzzle brake on a rifle solves nothing, a mistake that could cost you years in prison. Expect to pay roughly $40 to $100 for a pin-and-weld, though prices vary by region and shop. Machining threads off a barrel is typically in a similar range.
Ask for written documentation of the work: the method of permanent attachment used and a description of the device installed. That paperwork is your evidence of a good-faith compliance effort if the modification is ever questioned. A reputable shop will also inspect the rest of the firearm for other banned features, because a compliant barrel means nothing if the rifle still has a pistol grip or folding stock paired with a detachable magazine.