Question on "Antique and Curio" gun sales
- Thread starter the45er
- Start date
Is it an "Antique or Relic"?
I posted this in another forum on here but with only 12 people on it, I figured the question might be better asked here.
If a Colt Single Action Army frame was made in 1898 but has been rebarreled and a new cylinder fitted to it, doesn't that render it a "modern" firearm requiring shipping to an FFL?
I posted this in another forum on here but with only 12 people on it, I figured the question might be better asked here.
If a Colt Single Action Army frame was made in 1898 but has been rebarreled and a new cylinder fitted to it, doesn't that render it a "modern" firearm requiring shipping to an FFL?
That's an interesting question.
According to the ATF, that rebuilding and fitting a new cylinder and barrel in a new chambering is a redesign, and it becomes a gun made in whatever year the rebuild takes place. That said, I think that one's pretty far down the list of the ATF's priorities.
But just for relevance, a friend of mine that was fitting 1858 Remington clones with new metallic cartridge cylinders was approached by the ATF and told to knock it off or they would take action. If you really want a visit from the Men In Black, just write them a letter asking for clarification. Or not.
When in doubt, it's advised to ship, through an FFL.
In a previous life, I advised my crew that if they ever had a question or problem that we could not resolve and had to take it to the next level, to choose the best wording as they would probably not like the answer. Most time, it worked out quite well.
Good luck and;
Be Safe !!!
When in doubt, it's advised to ship, through an FFL. I have delt with sellers of Muzzleloaders that required an FFL, on my end. My FFL does not know how to handle this process and just hands it to me, with a puzzled look on his face.
In a previous life, I advised my crew that if they ever had a question or problem that we could not resolve and had to take it to the next level, to choose the best wording as they would probably not like the answer. Most time, it worked out quite well.
Good luck and;
Be Safe !!!
This week....
Next week?? Who knows????
The bureaucratic mind at work is a fascinating thing to watch, in much the same way a train wreck is a fascinating thing to watch, but it can be even more dangerous.
Other than "because they can" I've never understood why guns are treated and ruled on differently than all other inanimate objects. Possibly because while there is a law that people must be treated equally under the law, there's nothing that says THINGS must be. And so, they aren't.
Putting (modern made) replacement parts into an antique gun restoring it to full function in its original caliber is ok, and its still an antique gun, but doing that and changing the caliber makes it a modern gun? WHAT BOZO came up with that, and worse, why would anyone think that's a real thing???
Apparently the ATF, but no one else...
If I buy a 32 Ford and rebuild it with an electric drive system, its still a 32 Ford, and not a 2023 Ford. The frame is still a 32 Ford, and that's how it gets registered, right??
As I see it, the frame of the gun (the serial # part) IS LEGALLY THE GUN. That's been the rule for a long, long time. Now this rule says if you change something, but NOT the frame of the gun, it changes the manufacture date of the gun, for leagal purposes??? Boggles my little mind, it does....
If you want to know where you stand in the eyes of the ATF, ask them. Get a letter from them stating what the rules are. That way, when they change their mind and decide to come after you, you at least have a document stating that what you did was legal at the time. Might not help, but it is something showing you tried to do the right thing.
Personally, I feel that there should be another letter added to the BATFE name. And that letter should be the letter "I" standing for "inconsistant"