I've been thinking about getting my C&R FFL. I'm done with paying BGC fees and transfer fees that can add $30-40 to every gun I buy. 95% of what I buy is 50+ years old anyway.

Any drawbacks to having one? I'm a bit of a horse trader and I'm always looking to buy and sell to improve my library. Colorado's universal BGC's have slowed me down a lot.

I appreciate all replies.

The C&R can be a great convenience, especially when traveling or at a distant show. For shipments, it is a little iffy; some will ship to a C&R and some won't. Bear in mind that it not only does not authorize selling, but can actually inhibit it. I would be reluctant to do a lot of selling and trading of guns I had bought on my C&R. It is not forbidden by any means, but you are theoretically open to inspection by the ATF, and as far as I know, engaging in "the Business" is at best poorly defined.

Tag

I would be in so much trouble with a C&R.

Wife type.

I've kicked it around before as well. Having known and done business with several C&R holding folks, the notion is rather tempting. The paperwork and logistical headache is a legitimate concern though, doubly so that the ATF can inspect your premises/records.

Is the hassle of keeping meticulous records for years less than the hassle of going to your dealer every XXX days.

Personally, I find going to the gun shop and paying $20/pop worthy of my time. Purely because I find so many good deals there that my time is dual purpose. This week for example I got a lot of S&W grips from 1915-1980, some of which were rather scarce, for a bargain. Just because I'm the 'smith guy' and I stop in once a few times a month. Sure a C&R license would have eliminated the hassle for one gun I picked up, but I would've missed out on the other bargain, the experience in general, and the great displeasure of being stuck in traffic on the drive home. YMMV

Have it. In my state it offers no benefit as all state laws are more stringent that what CR permits.

I did it to get discounts on some sporting goods items, which didnt pan out.

Penny wise, pound foolish and I wouldnt do it again knowing now.

ATF was in my house for 3+ hours, going on four hours, for the initial interview.

I am sure that being in NJ had a lot ot do with it, despite their being a fed agency.

I have held a C&R for many years. You can buy, trade, and sell as long as you are enhancing your collection, changing direction in collecting, etc. You can not be in the business of buying and selling.

An example of a DO Not DO would be: Buying 5 identical C&R rifles at once, with the intention of keeping the best one, and selling the other 4 to pay for the one you kept.

There is nothing wrong with upgrading, i.e. selling one when you get a better one, but INTENT is the issue.

You must keep a Bound Book of C&R Acquisitions and Dispositions, but do not have to do the NICS checks when Disposing of a C&R. Also even if you did not use your C&R license to buy (Acquire) a C&R eligible firearm, i.e. you owned it prior to being licensed, you must log it into and out of your Bound Book if you Sell (Dispose) it while being licensed.

Yes you are subject to BATFE inspection, but not without notice. BATFE can walk into a FFL Dealer location at anytime for an inspection but must make an appointment to inspect you. The inspection can be on site or elsewhere, your choice.

Early Colt AR-15 SP1's & M16's; Rem 870's and 700's are now C&R eligible.

You can receive C&R eligible Title II (Full Auto, Short barrels etc) directly without using a Title II (erroneously called Class 3) which saves time and money. You must do the Federal paperwork and pay the transfer tax, but don't need an in state dealer to process the paperwork, receive the gun and then do another set of transfer fees if out of state. To be clear, you can buy a Thompson Sub Machinegun directly from a dealer in your state or across state lines and have the gun shipped directly to you once the tax stamp is received from the BATFE.

It is a handy item but does regulate transfers and is not a problem if you play by the rules. You can make a profit selling a C&R gun but you can not be in the business of making money from Buying C&R guns. Intent is the key. Appearance is also a key. You would be fine setting up at a gun show and displaying your C&R guns; trading up or down individual pieces. Just setting up to sell would be very wrong. It would be wrong to buy a pre 64 Win 70 @ $300 with the full intent of making $200 and not in collecting the gun and upgrading it later. It would be fine to buy the gun @ $300 to add to your collection and then selling it for $500 to buy a cleaner example that you found.

There is a lot of room for cheating on your part and the BATFE for interpreting on their part. The areas really aren't grey if you play by the rules. Pushing the limits can bring scrutiny and justifiably in my opinion.

ETA: There are huge trade discounts at many online suppliers of guns and equipment for C&R holders as well.

I don't really see the "meticulous records" as being an impediment. I already keep a notebook of my firearms, the serial number and what I paid for it and when just for own info. Keeping a bound log would be nearly the same. Anyone that doesn't keep a log book of their firearms and other valuables somewhere is asking for trouble should they ever be robbed or have a fire.

For those with C&R - how big a hassle is the process? Somebody above said the ATF spent hours in their house. Is that the norm? That seems overkill for a $30 collector license. The application says they will call you.

I let mine lapse recently after having it for 6 years. The discounts from a few retailers are nice and the record keeping wasn't bad at all. The challenge is finding nice old pieces that folks don't want a mint for. Most deals I came across were F2F from private parties therefore the C&R was not necessary. Buying from dealers or online the good deals just weren't there, at least on stuff I wanted.

That's my issue here in Colorado F2F now requires a BGC. I'd tell them to FOAD, except should anybody ever decide to enforce the stoopid law, my CCW would be at risk...

I got mine very long ago before things got crazy. I filled out the application and sent it in with my money, then received the C&R in a month or less. I have never been inspected. My dealer friends locally have been inspected at least 4 times each in that time.

The Bound Book is not a big deal at all. You can not just sell a gun without obtaining Name, Address, Date of Birth, Driver's License number {or other ID},and Alien ID if a Resident Alien.

I use the one that Brownell's sells.

Most dealers will accept a C&R. The big issue is they do not know what is C&R and what is not most of the time. 50 years old is the default but many guns are C&R before that age; there is a list. I have the old paper pamphlet but it is all on a CD nowadays. C&R and all other FFL holders get the same CD. Some won't accept a C&R because they can not verify it on the BATFE EZ Check system; the system says that that is no reason to not honor a C&R. The reason they can not be verified is some collector's do not want the location of their collect to be public, so the BATFE does not make C&R license information public.

Get your C&R. The BATFE is not that bad to deal with. I deal with the NFA section routinely for Title II weapons and they are always helpful. I have no first hand experience but have heard or read of agents being unaware of the regs, i.e. they are a Tobacco specialist sent to inspect a C&R and they confuse FFL Dealer requirements with C&R FFL holder requirements; they think you need to have a business license, regular hours, alarm/ security requirements of an FFL Dealer. Those are the only type things I have heard of.