SteveC
Shooter
"I was told once that if the barrels are unhinged from the stock then it’s legal to keep but if barrels are mounted back on it then it’s a violation."
If this was a trusted and reliable source, what has changed for you to ask the question again? If this is that important to you ask the ATF the same hypothetical question and get a letter head reply of their answer to cover your choice to display. Any answer to the question from someone on this forum, peace officer or not, will not keep you out of jail if you choose to ignore good legal advise. Sounds like you've had good advise all along.
How true. Additionally, if you asked 6 different ATF compliance agents, you would get 6 different answers and any of them could decide that you are in violation even if you can reference an email from another agent. You might check the ATF website & use their search function to see if they have issued an official letter on some similar inquiry.