Currently Browsing: C&R
Aug 1, 2007
Posted by Sebastian in C&R | 6 comments
Dano wants to know what the types of FFL are, and about C&R. So here they are:
Type 01 – Dealer in Firearms
Type 02 – Pawnbrokers
Type 03 – Collectors of Curios and Relics
Type 06 – Manufacturer of Ammunition for Firearms
Type 07 – Manufacturer of Firearms
Type 08 – Importer of Firearms or Ammunition
Type 09 – Dealer in Destructive Devices
Type 10 – Manufacturer of Destructive Devices
Type 11 – Importer of Destructive Devices
The only one you can get being an ordinary collectors is the type 03 FFL, Collector of Curios and Relics. What are defined as:
- Firearms that were manufactured at least 50 years prior to the current date, but not including replicas thereof;
- Firearms which are certified by the curator of a municipal, State, or Federal museum which exhibits firearms to be curios or relics of museum interest; and
- Any other firearms which derive a substantial part of their monetary value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or because of their association with some historical figure, period, or event. Proof of qualification of a particular firearm under this category may be established by evidence of present value and evidence that like firearms are not available except as collector’s items, or that the value of like firearms available in ordinary commercial channels is substantially less.
The ATF publishes a list of C&R eligible firearms, though anything over 50 years old is automatic C&R, listed or no. If they are on the list, you can order them from other FFLs, and have them shipped direct to you. You don’t have to fill out 4473, or go through the Brady checks. There are paperwork requirement, and you can be audited by the ATF for compliance with the regulations.
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Jul 31, 2007
Posted by Sebastian in C&R | 3 comments
I just signed up for trade discounts from MidwayUSA and Brownells, which should more than pay for the 30 dollar cost of the C&R FFL. Even though having a type 3 FFL increases your risk of a government anal probing, I think it’s well worth it for the discount, and being able to order C&R eligible firearms direct, at lower prices than you’d get from your corner gun store.
It’s one of the few beneficial upsides to these crappy laws: the C&R is a useful signaling mechanism to retailers that you take your hobby and sport seriously, and are likely to be a frequent customer. I certainly will start patronizing Midway and Brownells more than I have in the past, so it’s a good deal for all parties, I think.
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Jun 29, 2007
Posted by Sebastian in C&R, Gun P0rn | 6 comments
Buying a new surplus SKS is not for those who don’t know how to completely strip down a rifle and reassemble it. I don’t mean field strip either, I mean strip down every part, clean, and reassemble. I picked it up from the UPS depot on Tuesday, and got to work immediately. I learned that Bitter frowns on the practice of using a tin foil tray in the toaster oven to melt off the excess cosmoline from the smaller parts. After a mishap, I ended up with a new toaster oven. It was a tough battle, but I think I’m happy with the result:
It’s now ready to take to the range. I can’t wait to shoot it. It had quite a lot of cosmoline on it that had to be removed. Turns out Gunzilla doesn’t work as well as Hoppes No. 9 on cosmoline. It works decently, but just not quite as well. That’s probably because Hoppes is mostly kerosene, which is going to solvate a heavy grease better than most other things.
What has me stoked is that it’s in really good shape. No rust, very little wear on the finish. Shiny barrel without any evidence of pitting. Good stock, which looks like it’s seen some use, but in decent shape. The kit that came with it has someone’s name written inside, which I thought was a nice added touch.
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Jun 15, 2007
Posted by Sebastian in C&R, Personal | 1 comment
Due to circumstances, Bitter and I aren’t seeing each other this weekend. True to my pledge, that means I need to buy a gun to comfort myself. Last month I sold my Romanian SKS with the intent to get a new one. I have my eye on one of these:
The Yugoslavian SKS. Excellent to New Condition. w/ grenade launcher and folding bayonet.
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Jun 1, 2007
Posted by Sebastian in C&R | Comments Off
I just got this in the mail from the ATF.
To assist you and your customers to better understand this provision, ATF is clarifying the Firearms Transaction Record (ATF Form 4473), to make it clear, for example, that any person who has been found by a court, board or other lawful authority to be a danger to self or others is prohibited from purchasing a firearm or ammunition. We will provide you with additional information about this change in the Form 4473 in the near future.
It seems like every time I’ve bought a gun I fill out a different version of 4473. As a Cruffler, I don’t deal with 4473 for C&R transactions, but they still have to be filled out when buying non-C&R firearms.
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May 15, 2007
Posted by Sebastian in C&R | 10 comments
It occurred to me to check the C&R market for a .22LR target pistol, since it would be easier for me to pick up something with my license than to run around to 20 different gun stores or wait for a gun show to find something I liked. I’ve discovered that the Colt Woodsman seems to be the most common C&R target pistol out there.
In good condition these seem to go from anywhere from 400-600 bucks. Anyone have any experience with these? Or know of any other C&R .22LR target pistol I should consider? I’d consider revolvers as well.
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May 1, 2007
Posted by Sebastian in C&R, Gun P0rn | 10 comments
My CZ82 pistol has arrived. I was rather disturbed to come home to find it between my security door and storm door. The Nagant came 21+ signature required, so I had to go to the UPS depot and pick it up. I’m glad I don’t have to drive anywhere to get it, but I would gladly do that to minimize the risk of it being stolen.
It arrived tucked away inside its holster. Like my Makarov holster, this one is designed to be collected. I find it hard to believe anyone would actually carry this. It would seem it’s designed to make it as difficult as possible to draw and fire the weapon.
It’s a good looking pistol. It fits nicely in my hand, and has a very nice trigger pull. I also like that the magazine is drop free, and can be released with the shooting hand. It also comes with a cord. I noticed in Paris the police having what looked like a phone cord attached to their pistols and then to their body. This seems to me to be ideas politicians come up with who don’t have much regard for the lives of their officers.
I’m a little disappointed that the importer’s markings chipped the paint up so bad. I think I can probably correct this though.
If this pistol is used, whoever it was issued to hardly ever fired it. The feed ramp, bore, and chamber are all bright and shiny, and there’s no sign of mechanical wear anywhere on the pistol. The rifling in the bore is very difficult to see, which is because the CZ82 uses polygonal rifling. To a casual observer, the bore would appear to be totally smooth.
The sights on the CZ82 are a marked improvement over typical Makarov sights. You can actually see the front sight post without having to twist your wrist around searching for it. The sites are a little yellowed, but a fresh dab of paint should fix that right up.
The only drawback to this pistol the fact that it employs a non-metallic biological decocker (your trigger finger and thumb). While the hammer is blocked if the trigger isn’t pulled all the way back, a slip up at the moment of truth and you have an accidental discharge on your hands. The pistol does have a safety for carrying it cocked and locked, but the hammer isn’t blocked when the safety is on. I wouldn’t carry it in this mode. Given it’s very smooth and gentle double action trigger pull, carrying with the hammer down would definitely be recommended. The firing pin is held back with a spring, so it won’t have the Makarov’s relatively scary sound of the firing pin moving back and forth.
Overall I’d say it’s a better carry gun than the Makarov, but the true test will be once I get it to the range.
UPDATE: Sailorcurt asks about ambidextrousness. I didn’t even consider that, but on that subject:
The pistol is completely ambidextrous. The contours of the grip are the same on both sides. Holding it in my left hand feels pretty good as well. Both the safety and mag release are ambidextrous.
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Apr 29, 2007
Posted by Sebastian in C&R, Gun P0rn | 6 comments
The ATF recently reclassified the CZ-82 as C&R, so I decided to place an order for one.
I already keep 9×18 Makarov in stock, so this pistol doesn’t require me to keep yet another caliber of pistol cartridge in stock. I’ll get the Nagant revolver later I think. It comes with a spare magazine.
I’m pretty sure this pistol is safe for concealed carry. I’ll have to check it out thoroughly when it arrives. I can get used to the idea of ordering new carry pistols off the internet.
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Apr 19, 2007
Posted by Sebastian in C&R | 9 comments
I sold two of my collection in a private sale. My Romanian SKS, and a CM-11, both to my friend Jason. The CM-11 I never shoot. To tell the truth, I aquired it back when I first started buying guns because I thought it looked scary enough that it might eventually get banned, in which case I could cash in. Maybe I sold it too soon, but I could no longer justify the room it was taking up in my safe, for something I never shot. Jason has a full auto M-11, and the uppers on the full auto and semi-auto versions are interchangeable, so he can use it.
This is the first time I’ve sold part of my collection. I plan to aquire a new SKS with my C&R license. The CM-11 sale was just making room in my safe. The one complication is that the SKS is C&R eligible, and although I acquired it before licensing, I’m selling it post licensing, so I’m not sure whether I record it in my bound book. I have to call the ATF to find out for sure. I have seven days to find out. I’m pretty sure the answer is no, I just have to record the disposition in my personal firearms record.
Either way, my current plan is to get a Yugoslavian SKS, and a Nagant revolver. Later, hopefully, I can get an M1 Carbine, and M1 Garand.
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Mar 27, 2007
Posted by Sebastian in C&R, Gun Care & Gunsmithing | 5 comments
I’ve always heard for shooting corrosive ammo, the best thing to use for cleaning is soap and water. Straightarrow suggested ammonia solutions. Others have suggested Windex. After shooting the AK-74 in Texas, I tried Windex, and had no rust spots on the firearm. A few days ago I tried soapy water, and found the results to be less than pleasing, with rust splotches on the flash hider and in the gas tube. Windex would seem to win hands down.
But I doubt Windex is effective because of the ammonia. I think it has more to do with the fact that Windex has much more effective surfactants in it than plain soapy water. The ammonia is immaterial, other than its power as a detergent, which can be explained by the chemistry in the primers.
Corrosive primers contain mercury fulminate, which is strike sensitive, and an amalgam of potassium chlorate as an oxidizing agent, and rosin as a binding agent and fuel. The mercury fulminate gets the reaction going when the primer is struck by the firing pin, and gets hammered against the “anvil”. The potassium chlorate and rosin begin reacting violently to create a jet of hot, burning gas which then ignites the main powder charge. The problem with this reaction is that one of the byproducts is potassium chloride, which ends up on metal surfaces and attracts moisture, which quickly starts the corrosion process. The purpose of using warm water is to dissolve the potassium chloride, and wash it off of the gun. I suspect Windex works well because it has surfactants that will dig into the powder residue, get to the surfaces, and help wash away more of the potassium salt.
Another by product of of the primer reaction is elemental mercury, which can form amalgams with brass. If you ever wondered why the Soviets use steel cased ammo, this is one of the reasons. Over time, mercuric primers can leech enough mercury into the casing to weaken the brass, increasing the risk of rupture when it’s fires. Using steel casings minimizes this risk, even with very old ammunition.
Modern non-corrosive primers use lead syphnate, which doesn’t leave moisture attracting salts. The lead syphnate is bound up with ground glass as a frictionator, tetracene as a sensitizer, along with an oxidizing compound, typically barium nitrate, and a fuel source, such as antimony sulfide.
Non-corrosive primers are more prone to degradation than corrosive primers, in large part because tetracene makes the primer a lot more heat sensitive. There have been a lot of advancements in primer technology lately, particularly with non-toxic primers, and I won’t pretend to be an expert on this.
But I will say that Windex is definitely your friend if you shoot corrosive primed surplus ammunition out of your firearms. It seems to get the job done better than soapy water.
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