The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Not really an "antique" on internet sale sites

cjwils · July 22, 2012, 02:08 PM

If, like me, you have an interest in occasionally buying an antique firearm, then you might spend some time browsing various gun sales sites on the internet. I want to warn about, and maybe get some discussion about, a problem that I have seen many times on such websites. The problem is with sellers who list a gun as an "antique," and they say "no FFL required." However, some research by me in published sources indicates that the gun is not a legal antique because it is known to have been made after 1898, or its antique status is questionable because the date of manufacture cannot be pinned down. In a few cases, I have emailed the sellers about this, and the answer is typically something like "The guy I got it from said it is an antique," or maybe "I saw one of these displayed as an antique at a gun show." If you buy antiques, beware.

July 22, 2012, 02:08 PM	#1
cjwils Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2010 Location: Washington state Posts: 401	Not really an "antique" on internet sale sites If, like me, you have an interest in occasionally buying an antique firearm, then you might spend some time browsing various gun sales sites on the internet. I want to warn about, and maybe get some discussion about, a problem that I have seen many times on such websites. The problem is with sellers who list a gun as an "antique," and they say "no FFL required." However, some research by me in published sources indicates that the gun is not a legal antique because it is known to have been made after 1898, or its antique status is questionable because the date of manufacture cannot be pinned down. In a few cases, I have emailed the sellers about this, and the answer is typically something like "The guy I got it from said it is an antique," or maybe "I saw one of these displayed as an antique at a gun show." If you buy antiques, beware.