doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Importing antique guns from Canada

About three weeks ago I sought advice on this board about importing antique guns from Canada. I was hoping to bid on a gun in Switzer's auction. The advice I got was to contact a firm called Borderview.

On August 22 I learned that I had won the gun I bid on. The next day I received the invoice. On the 24th I sent an email to Borderview - to which I received an immediate
response. Their basic message was that importing the gun would be very easy. On the 26th Switzer's emailed me and said that they could mail the gun directly to me. They also mentioned that their sale included 581 lots and that they would get to me as soon as possible. On Sept 2, the Canadian Postal folks informed me that the process of shipping my gun had begun. Today (September 10) the gun arrived with an immediate follow-up email confirming delivery.

"Easy" doesn't describe the process. Over the years I have purchased many guns from auctions both domestic and international. This process was by far the best.
FYI -it's admin@switzerauction.com

That sounds pretty scary to me. Canada law may not be broken, but I'd have to guess US Customs and BATFE would soon be at your door. Not to mention Kali state law. If nothing bad happens I wouldn't post any more about it if I were you...Geo

Antique like pre 1898 maybe?

Antique guns are "pre 1899". I have had no trouble with direct mail of antique guns from Canada to my address in the U.S. Easy process, but nowadays the U.S. postal service often holds up any shipment for days or weeks. No explanations. Passing the antique from Canada to and through U.S. Customs was a breeze. All unexplained hold ups were with the U.S. Post Office.

Exactly.

Too quick to post, too little comprehension there Geo.

In the US, it's not a gun.

Technically anything 1898 or older is an "antique" and can be sent by mail from Europe, Timbuktu, the Arctic, Konkke le Zoute, through the USPS. But it has to have been made pre-1898.

There were guys sending Enfield SMLE's back to the USA from Afghanistan claiming they were designed in 1889....after a few years that was shut down. I myself sent a long Lee clearly stamped 1901 by doing the same thing but also claiming it was a copy (That also doesn't fly with AT&F by the way). I sent a lot of Afghan copies of 1853 Enfields, Sniders, and Martini-Henry's back - AT&F said it's illegal to send gun copies but these were so good, they just didn't pose an objection.

I've always wondered why it was such a big deal to get a gun out of UK. If it's a pre-1898 and legal in the USA, why not just put it in the mails? There must be a UK law about this.

The UK is bound by EU export requirements and the fact that the British Post will no longer accept antique guns for transport.

Canada is the only country I know of that still will move an antique gun to the States through the mail, both AU and NZ have also stopped.

As I understand it, the problem with getting guns from the UK to the US involves the British Royal Post deciding not to handle 'guns' - antique or otherwise and EU requirements.

Argo44 - it's pre-1899.

So does EU Belgium-unelected-central control-aristocratic-socialist-bureaucracy still run UK now? Wonder how that's going to play out? That was the reason British voters opted OUT, right? Yes I should have said 1898 or earlier.

Is the pre-1899 law inclusive, meaning to say including 1899 but not a day later?

It's inclusive - law passed by Congress...December 31, 1898, But per above I've seen people get around it. So assume it depends on who's looking. SKB and some of the dealers can comment.