I'm in the process of building a trade gun, and I have located a barrel that I'm considering buying. The seller is an individual in Canada.
Will I have any problems importing this barrel in to the USA? Has anyone here ever done this?
Thanks,
Rick
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I'm in the process of building a trade gun, and I have located a barrel that I'm considering buying. The seller is an individual in Canada.
Will I have any problems importing this barrel in to the USA? Has anyone here ever done this?
Thanks,
Rick
Should not be as antiques and replicas are not firearms.
I can't answer your question in regards to a "gun part" such as a barrel, but everything is subject to customs inspection.
My experience with both shipping and receiving from our neighbors has not been very good. I sold a number of "military antiques" to a fellow in Canada - I was told to label them as "military antiques" - several Indian Wars insignia and a Civil War item. Well, he never saw hide nor hair of them. Of course I refunded his money but I'm guessing they are decorating someone's home that works for Customs. Another time, I ordered a complete set of wood to build a violin - this was from a fairly well known violin maker and it was all high quality material that was cut fifty some years ago. Spruce top material to be book matched, curly maple to be book matched for a two piece pack, neck blank, etc. It took THREE TIMES of him shipping it to me to make it through Customs. They were considering it an "agricultural product" subject to inspection and it should have easily come through. After my experiences, I won't purchaser from nor sell to Canada. I have nothing against the fine citizens of Canada and our allies of many many years - but their Customs leave a lot to be desired as far as I'm concerned.
A Trade Gun barrel is going to be a pretty obvious "open me and check me" item due to the length, weight, shape. It certainly isn't a "danger" or should it be "contraband" but I have no idea of how Canada restrictions apply to gun parts, etc.
Good luck and I hope it all works out for you! Let us know what you find out.
Just an educated guess but I would think that it would be easier to get one into the US as apposed to shipping one there being a gun item. I got some reloading stuff once from there. I wouldn't have bothered if I had noticed it was a purchase from Canada. It took awhile but I think they forgot. They gave me a story of being sick and such so didn't get it mailer right away. Got it pretty quick after I notified him.
I would list the steel item as something else and not even mention gun or gun parts. Since one of the most famous gain twist barrel makers live in Canada and one of our San Diego area shooters has bought several barrels with no issues. If you can do that in CA, well.........
I've sent muzzleloaders into Canada, no problem. US customs shouldn't be a problem, I've brought a couple back from Elk River, BC over the years.
Thanks for the advice, everyone! I appreciate it!
Rick W
Don't forget to have your package insured Rick.
I got an M1895 Mannlicher cocking-piece, firing-pin and safety sent to the UK by Marstar in Canada in March, although due to recent legislation Numrich in New York State have stopped exporting gun parts to individuals. I did get a rimfire Webley revolver from Track of the Wolf last November though. Neither package was opened or any question asked.
For us a gun is an uncontrolled antique up to 1939 if the cartridge is no longer commercially available (a hard fought-for concession), but never if it is. I've got a .44 Russian but would face onerous licencing for a .44 Special of the same date - and sure enough, .44 Special crime has been reduced to zero, which they probably regard as proof that they were right. Shotgun parts are uncontrolled, and so is any part of a rifle or pistol which doesn't bears gas pressure on firing. But I doubt if anybody but the senders looked at anything but "antique" on the declaration.
Why not call customs and BATF? Regulations change so often at the border, may as well get current info.
There are 100s of border crossings with NO police there, just (sometimes) a phone to call in.
Then there are 1000s of miles of shoreline.
"Don't ask, don't tell" or you'll end up in some government database or watch list.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldon
I don't know where you are crossing the border, but here in Montana if you try a back country crossing, you WILL be caught by mounted patrol. You have some fine advise for ending up in a Federal prison, though.
LMAO, every crossing has a mounted patrol ? If you are 10' inside Canada they can't touch you. If you are 10' inside the USA they can't touch you. They would have to observe, witnessed, you actually crossing. Even then, if they did, you could say they interrupted you from going to the nearest phone to call customs to tell them.
So, you get out of the car 100 yards from the unmarked border (thanks Garmin), you walk 100 yards off the 2 track carrying the barrel (or whatever). You cross the border and stash it. You cross the border, call customs and are good to go. Later, you drive back, in a different vehicle staying on the US side. Go fetch your barrel (or whatever) and go on your way.
Mounted patrol my *** .... they don't even have a website !
Back in the day, when gasoline was far cheaper in Canada, "people" would load up their big boats with Jerry cans, cross the St. Lawrence, fill up and bring it back. No one was ever hassled. Paranoia is rampant !
Then there was the great cigarette tax smuggling deal. Canada made cigs so expensive that millions were smuggled into Canada. The dummies, with trailer trucks full were caught. Most were not. Canada filled up warehouses with confiscated ones. They went stale, could not be sold, could not be burned (clean air laws), finally had to be put into hazardous waste landfills that cost far more than Canada ever collected in taxes.
"Mounted patrol" ??? They can't even stop millions coming across the Southern border that actually has some security where you can see for miles BUT they're gonna catch ONE white male American on an ATV in Montana !
( they did catch ONE backpacker Irish guy in a National park .... whoop-de-do !)
Tinfoil hats on sale !
Better buy a dozen of them. I have friends in the BP, and they make back country arrests all the time. They even got a lady carrying a birthday cake across the border, hauled her 200 miles and dumped her out at a manned Canadian station after processing. Drug mules caught all the time. They also use the black helicopters to patrol that dingbats freak out about. By the way, theQuote:
Originally Posted by Eldon
BP has about a hundred mile zone into the country they can pursue, and joint US/Canada apprehensions are common.
You can have your own story, but you don't get to make up your own facts.
Yep, it's commonly referred to as the "Constitution Free Zone". They have also been known to operate beyond the 100 mile mark. I can't believe anyone on this site is suggesting smuggling items over the border.Quote:
Originally Posted by waksupi
https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/f...reezonemap.png