Antique Revolver

Kalebspaa

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Hello everyone I was wondering if anyone knew how to go about obtaining a letter from the RCMP to clarify a firearm is indeed an antique?
I want to sell one made by Philippe Counet (Revolver) and was told people may ask for this letter.

PM if you'd like to see it or give me some advice :D

Thanks
 
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FRN 24358 - they are all pre-1890. Get your printout from armalytics.ca

So as long as it's not in 38 cal it's antique. You can start with calling the usual 1 800 731 4000 number for the CFP to get the ball rolling on the letter but for something as clear cut as this a FRT printout should be sufficient.
 
I wouldn't thank you for registering, with the feds, the antique I was about to purchase.
Especially one that is readily known to be antique under Canadian law.
IMHO
 
I wouldn't thank you for registering, with the feds, the antique I was about to purchase.
Especially one that is readily known to be antique under Canadian law.
IMHO

I would agree with you as an RCMP letter showing it as an antique is also a form of a "registration" for the antique.
 
The RCMP "opinion" on many parts of the law is suspect. So much so that they go to some lengths to stop some of them being tested in court. Examples include 10/22 magazines, antiques that have been converted to different cartridges and the 1500 guns who's FRT entries have been changed to prohibited since last May's OIC.

There used to be in the stickies above, a template for an antique status letter that cited the relevant laws and had places to include the make, model and FRT numbers for your particular gun. I'm aware of people having used such a letter to import from the US and as an aid in speaking with LEO or conservation officers to good effect.

To get the RCMP letter they apparently require you to register the revolver and will afterwards or as a later part of the process see if is eligible for antique status. Many people are unwilling to go through the hassle and the likelihood of its being documented to get a note from them saying what is already possible to determine from other sources such as armalytics.ca, a Colt letter, proof marks, serial number records etc.
 
The RCMP "opinion" on many parts of the law is suspect. So much so that they go to some lengths to stop some of them being tested in court. Examples include 10/22 magazines, antiques that have been converted to different cartridges and the 1500 guns who's FRT entries have been changed to prohibited since last May's OIC.

There used to be in the stickies above, a template for an antique status letter that cited the relevant laws and had places to include the make, model and FRT numbers for your particular gun. I'm aware of people having used such a letter to import from the US and as an aid in speaking with LEO or conservation officers to good effect.

To get the RCMP letter they apparently require you to register the revolver and will afterwards or as a later part of the process see if is eligible for antique status. Many people are unwilling to go through the hassle and the likelihood of its being documented to get a note from them saying what is already possible to determine from other sources such as armalytics.ca, a Colt letter, proof marks, serial number records etc.

You are correct about the process. For a gun like this I would not have any concerns buying without a letter. For another like a colt saa or others where the status is not so clear - I would not touch without a RCMP letter. The consequences of being charged and dragged through the court are not worth it to _me_. Others can decide whatever they want, of course ;)
 
Is armalytics the same as the rcmp frt lists?
( I don’t have the right operating system to download the rcmp lists.)
 
The reason I ask is it seems to be a total mess.
Some guns are probs or antique but it doesn’t say how to tell the difference.
It doesn’t give serial numbers,it just says some might be antique.
Not too useful if you’re looking at buying a 96mauser or no.5 webley
 
Some think it is a registration and yes you give a serial # etc, but, the few that I have received, some were not even bought yet ( still in the U.S.) I wanted to confirm before buying or importing if they were. They have no idea if I did buy them and or if I still have them. The buyer doesn't need a pal so no records there!
They can however get records of sales through gunbroker and credit card companies, so they may be able to tell if you bought something but have no idea who the present owner is!
 
The reason I ask is it seems to be a total mess.
Some guns are probs or antique but it doesn’t say how to tell the difference.
It doesn’t give serial numbers,it just says some might be antique.
Not too useful if you’re looking at buying a 96mauser or no.5 webley

And those are the guns you really want to have a RCMP letter for. There have been several times on this forum where someone bought a supposedly antique gun which the RCMP would not recognize as one. To find out where the cutoff is you have to call them. And sometimes their answer changes over the years (surprise!). Yes yes yes, it's just their opinion, but I'd rather not explain that to a judge. A gun like the one the first post was about, though, there's no doubt about - I'd have no issue having one of these with just a FRT printout.

Some think it is a registration and yes you give a serial # etc, but, the few that I have received, some were not even bought yet ( still in the U.S.) I wanted to confirm before buying or importing if they were. They have no idea if I did buy them and or if I still have them. The buyer doesn't need a pal so no records there!
They can however get records of sales through gunbroker and credit card companies, so they may be able to tell if you bought something but have no idea who the present owner is!

That's right and generally the best way to look into whether it's possible to get a letter is to state that you are looking to import a gun...
 
Remember that with the RCMP we are talking about a bunch of experts that took almost six months to decide that a three-band Snider rifle dated 1862 was actually a genuine antique.

Sounds familiar. I was once told an original 1871 rolling block in 50cal was a 22lr made by Uberti. Finally got them around to my side but it took more convincing than should have been necessary.
 
Hell, their idiot in Miramichi, without seeing the firearm, changed it from a Cogswell double rifle to a Mossberg pump shotgun! 90 photos accomplished nothing and 3 CFO's gave up dealing with them. Thankfully Harper dropped that registry! Imagine trying to show a cop a double and then showing him the registration!!
 
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