Antique class
I am not a lawyer, but this is my 2c worth on how I interpret the laws.
I am going through the motions right now of establishing what is, and what isn't antique in my collection.
From what I can gather, is that an antique pistol, although not a firearm with respect to the firearms act, can be a firearm under the criminal code. Don't wave it around in Canadian Tire asking for 31 rim fire ammo.
What does this antique status mean? Well first off, your pistol does not require to be registered. Further, you do not require a PAL or POL to possess it. You can sell/give it to anybody, likewise, they do not need a PAL to buy it from you.
HOWEVER, pretty well all transportation and storage laws apply. I have been trying to figure out if I can take mine out to the bush with me, keep it at the hunt camp etc. I can, but I have to be careful.
While the arm may be antique, there is a real danger that if you were to be stopped by a police officer, and he found it with you, you will be charged.
The charges for possession will not stick, and you will beat them, but you would have to explain things to a judge in court before you could get your pistol back.
It is legal to shoot wherever non restricted firearms are legal to shoot. Your back forty, in the bush, at the range.
Storage. Lock it up. Treat it like it was a regular handgun, and you won't fall foul of the law. Maybe a little overkill, but way, way better to be safe than sorry. Don't forget, much is left to the discretion of the attending police officer. He will err on the side of caution, if in doubt, he will charge you and let the courts sort it out. If you were on such a charge, it is quite likely that they would visit you at home to find your cache of illicit firearms. They even might confiscate ALL your other legal registered arms. Unknown what they can or can't do when you are charged with a firearms possession offense. Especially these days. You would have to wait until the courts clear your name up before you could apply to get them back. And, oh yes, even when you beat the charge and are exonerated, you will still have an arrest record for a firearms charge that will stay with you for life.
Getting it verified is a good way of having an official piece of paper that specifies it to be antique. You may need that one day.
Transportation, unloaded and locked in a case.
The way that I approach this is that my antique handgun is to be treated the same way as any other registered restricted arm. The difference is no papers are required, no authorisation required to move it around. Shoot in a safe and responsible manner, the same as if it were an unrestricted firearm.
I may be paranoid, but I can see how you could be going about your business, doing everything required by law, and still be charged. Most police officers although have a good working knowlege of the law, are not experts on everything. I have talked to some cops and they know less about the 'gun laws' than I do. But I am going to avoid having to argue about it with me sitting cuffed in the back of a cruiser!
So be cautious, keep it out of sight, enjoy the pistol. Treat it the same as any other handgun, but without the need for paperwork.
Ammunition is not available off the shelf, but there are ways of making ammunition for it. Not something that everybody could do themselves, but it has been done. I have seen special brass cases that have been made up accept a .22 rimfire blank, offset in the face of the cartrtridge base, to act as the primer and ignite the charge. Each cartridge has to be loaded so the blank is to the outside and is under the fall of the hammer. Care has to be taken to get things lined up right, but it does work, and works well!
I don't think that anybody loads this round comercialy. You may find some old stock, but it usualy come with a stiff price tag. Collector's ammo.
Epps could probably track some down for you.
Don't refinish it, even if there is little or no finish on it now, reblueing it will reduce its value by at least 50%-75%. A worn but not refinished pistol is much more collectable than one with a new coat of blue. Nothing wrong with something being a hundred odd years old and looking like it. Your pistol shows honest wear, that is part of its character.
Gently clean it with extra fine steel wool and gun oil, nothing more. Remove dirt and rust, but don't clean it too vigorously, otherwise you will polish the surface an remove the patina that time took generations to produce. That can't be faked, that is why it is important to leave it alone.
Nice find!
