RCMP antique pistol letter wait times 2023
- Thread starter ILoveTheFederalGovernment
- Start date
KotKotofeich
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa Valley
You can apply for the letter without bringing it in and see what they say. You can also contact Mauro Baudino at the Paul Mauser archives for a record search. His price is very reasonable. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's in the skip range filled in later.
KotKotofeich
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa Valley
No. They will ask you if the gun is in the country. If the antique status is denied they will not issue a registration if you are applying as an individual and do not qualify for an exemption.
KotKotofeich
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa Valley
[sigh] why ask here? Just try, it costs nothing to submit. Or ask the Mauser archives for a letter - costs less than a mcD meal.
I don't know what blocks the RCMP consider the skip blocks at this point. We used to be good for 0 to ~5100, then someone wanted to get a letter from a latter block and they got a letter from the Mauser archives - and they usually give some detail about the skip blocks in all of them. And that got turned everything on its ear. Could be as bad as anything between 1000 and 4000 is now no go. The lab hates divulging the cutoff serial information precisely for this reason - they don't want you bringing in or deregistering more antiques.
I don't know what blocks the RCMP consider the skip blocks at this point. We used to be good for 0 to ~5100, then someone wanted to get a letter from a latter block and they got a letter from the Mauser archives - and they usually give some detail about the skip blocks in all of them. And that got turned everything on its ear. Could be as bad as anything between 1000 and 4000 is now no go. The lab hates divulging the cutoff serial information precisely for this reason - they don't want you bringing in or deregistering more antiques.
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KotKotofeich
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa Valley
^ If someone wants to make a quick buck on those borderline guns they can go to the US easily and bring in good coin. Simpson's is one place to send them. Frankly they have a bigger market there and it's an easier sale - I was trying to sell mine at one point and ended up putting it back on the shelf.
Crossing into the US is not that difficult but travelling to Europe with any sort of gun, no matter how old, is asking for trouble - every country has different rules, and you are almost guaranteed to be held up at customs. Even if you have an antique letter for Canada, the European countries will not likely accept it as their laws are a lot stricter (more strict?) than ours.
Antique letters for travel - I’m only traveling for competitions, been to Spain, Hungary and Germany with black powder handguns. Each country has their paperwork but it’s fairly straight forward as it’s being processed with the other competitors. I’ve found airlines to be more problematic than foreign customs.
The other advantage of antique letters for handguns is they don’t require an export or import when returning to Canada. Last year’s import ban was stressful as we were the first people to apply for them days before our departure. Global affairs was really helpful.
Experience obtaining antique letters: Cap and Balls revolvers (e.g. Rogers and Spencer) have been straight forward to obtain. However, the two precision pistols I applied to have antique letters for have been deemed restricted firearms. Disappointing to say the least. Hoping they will change their mind on mind one of them.
Brian
The other advantage of antique letters for handguns is they don’t require an export or import when returning to Canada. Last year’s import ban was stressful as we were the first people to apply for them days before our departure. Global affairs was really helpful.
Experience obtaining antique letters: Cap and Balls revolvers (e.g. Rogers and Spencer) have been straight forward to obtain. However, the two precision pistols I applied to have antique letters for have been deemed restricted firearms. Disappointing to say the least. Hoping they will change their mind on mind one of them.
Brian
Both have been deemed restricted as one lacked enough proof marks to confirm it was made prior to 1898 (only provisional Belgian marks). The other had the Belgian oval ELG with 5 point star, which was used on muzzle loaders post 1898.
Has anyone ever figured out from Mauro Baudino at the Paul Mauser archives where his claims for the skipped serial blocks and dates at the end of his letters for C96's comes from? From the letters I've seen those blocks and dates claims don't have a clear journal entry or archival scan like the rest of the information he provides. From what he has replied to my emails I was told his archive does not have recorded information on C96 manufacturing production with dates and serial numbers, just sales records of total units in orders and who they were sent to. I've seen him be able to sometimes cross reference these orders to specific serialized inventory of the ordering firms (like Westley Richards in the UK), but even if you are lucky with a serial number mention, it is the sales date (often times a transfer to another agent for example), which might have been considerably after it was truly manufactured.
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KotKotofeich
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa Valley
He refers to “The Mauser Self‐Loading Pistols” by James N. Belford and Jack Dunlap
If it helps any, mine was Sn 3172 Got a FRT 28788-10 before i bought it at an auction, several years ago...maybe time to take it to Court to show how they've been messing around with the FRT'S..also let your MP's know...
KotKotofeich
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa Valley
Unfortunately it doesn't help. If anything sorry for the news - I don't know if the letter for the one you had at one time is valid any more or what would happen if someone were to ask for it to be reissued. We can collectively thank Mauro, Messrs. Belford and Dunlap and whoever brought this to the attention of the lab via a letter from the "Mauser Archives" for this.
BTW this is another reason to get a RCMP letter issued instead of relying on FRT printouts or self-written statement. Lab's interpretation may change - with a past letter you have more of a defense from your gun ceasing to be antique 'due to new information'.
Who is is Messrs and what did they claim? I have access to a copy of Belford and Dunlap through a local institution but I don't really know what substantiates their claims to production dates / serial blocks. It seems that very little information is currently archived / uncovered about actual production and inventory at Mauser. From sales data it also seems Mauser wasn't particular about sending out pistols in an kind of sequential serial batch either. Best thing that one could hope for is a distributor (probably an English distributor) record of a sale in your serial block (ideally above your SN) that pre-dates 1898-01-01.
