RCMP antique pistol letter wait times 2023

ILoveTheFederalGovernment

ILoveTheFederalGovernment

New member
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Onterrible
Trying to gauge what the average wait times are at this point for the RCMP antique letters.

3 years ago I was told it was about 8+ months for the certification process, has anyone here applied for and received a letter in the past 15 months that can provide some updated insight?

At the 7 month mark as of today, wouldn't doubt the model of antique can contribute to some serious A$$ dragging.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, its a 1897 production Mauser C96!

EDIT 2: Antique letter for 41xx C96 has been issued roughly 8 months after application
 
Last edited:
It depends and I seriously have no idea what it depends on.

Fastest one I have seen was less than a month - this year from mid Jul application to early August letter issued. There are others applied for before that still haven't been issued.

Poke them.
 
Thanks for your reply, you've actually come up quite a bit in my research over the years into this topic.

I managed to get a bit of an 'update', looks like the current estimate is a full year (so about 5 more months from today) with hope that it may be completed somewhat sooner. Luckily the actual letter is being applied for by a gunstore so if the RCMP want to get spiteful I wont be stuck with a clearly pre-98 restricted.

I'll necro the thread sometime in the new year when I have some sort of actual update.
 
ILoveTheFederalGovernment said:
Trying to gauge what the average wait times are at this point for the RCMP antique letters.

3 years ago I was told it was about 8+ months for the certification process, has anyone here applied for and received a letter in the past 15 months that can provide some updated insight?

At the 7 month mark as of today, wouldn't doubt the model of antique can contribute to some serious A$$ dragging.
Click to expand...

Instead of registering your Antique with the RCMP can you not just carry a copy of the Antique laws, the FRT for your exact gun and any other info like a copy of the pages from Flaydermans guide to antiques. Is your reason for acquiring an antique so you dont have to register it?
 
In some instances yes, however as KotKotofeich would also be able to say; the antique model I have had its antique FRT listing removed by the RCMP leaving me with the only option for paperwork being an out of date FRT printout, or the preferable letter from the RCMP stating antique status. I don't really see it as registration because its not tied to me in name, and I can sell it at any time without having to update any of the paperwork, its effectively just a certification document.

These are tricky times for those with pre-98 Mauser C96.
 
oooh! had you said it was a c96 I would have been able to give you a better estimate - they _will _ drag their feet on those as long as possible. Good luck. They changed up what they do and do not accept for c96 now to the point where some guns that were lettered before would not be now. I had a c96 denied a letter late last year - ended up going to the US (and I was hoping to upgrade mine to it as it was matching with a matching holster stock).

rjf1963 said:
Instead of registering your Antique with the RCMP can you not just carry a copy of the Antique laws, the FRT for your exact gun and any other info like a copy of the pages from Flaydermans guide to antiques. Is your reason for acquiring an antique so you dont have to register it?
Click to expand...

Sometimes with a lot of ifs:
If this model _only_ has antique entries and everything is very clear - this is not always the case.
If this gun is not already registered as (usually) a prohibited - then you have to go jump through the hoops to get it lettered.
If you don't mind any interaction with law enforcement to be more extended - the RCMP letter cuts down how long you have to wait and your chances of 'we are taking it, come see us at the station' or even 'you must come with us to the station to sort this out'
 
That would have been helpful for me to mention initially! I see now that was left out.

This experience is leading me to believe this really could be one of the last ones to potentially receive this documentation. I am being assured by multiple people that (albeit with vague time estimates) it will be approved, but I've been invested in this hobby long enough to know that precedents we take for granted change in an instant.

Time will tell on this one, at the very least if it is denied I get a refund from the gunshop, so I am only sweating a little bit!
 
Last edited:
You won't be the last one - they agree that there are still c96 they would letter but they consider them on a case by case basis. Would you mind publishing the first two digits of the serial? By pm if you want. 31xx was denied for me late last year.
 
It is within the serial number range that they consider antique. I got one issued in June for a c96 and it took less than a week to get the letter. Perhaps an email to the CFP techs to see what the hold up is would help. Liz Etter is usually pretty fast with these.
 
freemanriveradventures said:
It is within the serial number range that they consider antique. I got one issued in June for a c96 and it took less than a week to get the letter. Perhaps an email to the CFP techs to see what the hold up is would help. Liz Etter is usually pretty fast with these.
Click to expand...

Well that certainly calls into question what I have heard so far in terms of timeline, my request was submitted late April. I'll have to dig into this a bit more, thanks for that info.
 
RCMP wait times depend entirely on the Technical Division's workload. Ms. Etter is just about alone these days and has to do the majority of verifications. My wait times are from a few weeks to almost a year. It all depends how much research they have to do. In your case, being a C-96 in the 4### range, you may have to wait a while. They have been known to have been produced around the end of 1897 and beginning of 1898. Mauro Baudino of the Mauser Archives has given me some insight on this - Mauser apparently mixed up the serial number blocks on purpose to "confuse" the competition on actual numbers made. For example, the 2### block is actually newer than the 4### block but they all straddle the 1897/98 time frame. The RCMP may take extra time to try and verify yours. Best of luck.
oh, btw - the website "oldguns.net" which claims to have manufacturing data on Mauser c-96's is completely wrong. I contacted the administrator some time ago and he told me the information is over 40 years old and he does not remember what their information was based on back then...
 
freemanriveradventures said:
It is within the serial number range that they consider antique. I got one issued in June for a c96 and it took less than a week to get the letter. Perhaps an email to the CFP techs to see what the hold up is would help. Liz Etter is usually pretty fast with these.
Click to expand...

Never dealt with Liz... but I wouldn't be surprised if she usually deals with the c96 - the tech doing mine was... squirelly - avoided direct contact at all costs.

Usually it's Mike or Mario for other models... i.e. there are multiple techs but it would seem they have their specialties

Old Guns Canada said:
RCMP wait times depend entirely on the Technical Division's workload. Ms. Etter is just about alone these days and has to do the majority of verifications. My wait times are from a few weeks to almost a year. It all depends how much research they have to do. In your case, being a C-96 in the 4### range, you may have to wait a while. They have been known to have been produced around the end of 1897 and beginning of 1898. Mauro Baudino of the Mauser Archives has given me some insight on this - Mauser apparently mixed up the serial number blocks on purpose to "confuse" the competition on actual numbers made. For example, the 2### block is actually newer than the 4### block but they all straddle the 1897/98 time frame. The RCMP may take extra time to try and verify yours. Best of luck.
oh, btw - the website "oldguns.net" which claims to have manufacturing data on Mauser c-96's is completely wrong. I contacted the administrator some time ago and he told me the information is over 40 years old and he does not remember what their information was based on back then...
Click to expand...

No thanks to Mauro and his overly detailed letters (I'm sure you know if you ever got one) we lost the 3000 block when someone wanted to get a late block gun 'antique lettered' and sent it in ;) It's nice to know all that academically, but annoying on a personal level :)
 
drm3m said:
I assume that Bill Etter is her husband.

Click to expand...

No first hand knowledge but I've heard it said 'daughter'. As much as I want to wax sarcastic about nepotism, pretty sure she would know her stuff - if our own kids are interested in what we do and know they pick up our knowledge "at the kitchen table" and more. I've seen the requirements when they post the firearms techs jobs - anyone growing up in a collector familiy or family business should be able to pass the requirements.
 
My experience was calling in and talking to the tech moved things along much faster than sending emails. I prefer the email paper trail but the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
 
Nostalgiccollector said:
Do I need to get paperwork for my antique 1892 MAS revolver?! Production date of 1893 is stamped right on the barrel...
Click to expand...

There is nothing in the law that you have to have a letter. It only comes up when someone wants proof that RCMP accepted it as an antique.

e.g. when you get a #### police officer who insists on seeing proof. Or you try to sell it and the buyer insists. If it's not in the country, it's up to the CBSA officer whether to let it in or not based on the barrel inscription or demand proof. Up to you if you want to risk it and the risk varies based on what you are trying to do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom