Shopping for milsurps: how to tell if it's a bargain or not?

Guns Magazine, March, 2005 by Holt Bodinson

Some good reference books on evaluating and buying used guns are Krause Publications Modern Gun Values by Ken Ramage and Standard Catalog of Firearms by Ned Schwing. Stoeger Publishing How To Buy & Sell Used Guns by John Traister, the Gun Trader's Guide and Blue Book Publications Blue Book of Gun Values by S.P. Fjestad are good tools, too.

If you really become a serious collector, you may want to obtain a federal "Collector of Curios and Relics License," often referred to as a "C&R" license. A "C&R" license permits you to buy, sell, ship and receive in interstate and foreign commerce firearms that have been classified as "curios and relics" by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. It does not permit you to act as a dealer. It is issued solely to facilitate your activities as a collector.

The list of "C&R" firearms is extensive and includes most surplus models. As a C&R license holder, you will also be able to get on the hot-flyer list of major importers and dealers like Century Arms so that you're immediately informed of any new imports or sales. The application for a "C&R" license is simple. The license is normally approved quickly, but in holding a federal collector's license, you will have to keep an accurate set of books and be subject to federal oversight. You can find out all about a C&R license at www.atf.gov or call your nearest ATF office listed in the telephone directory.

The alternative to a personal C&R license is to use the services of your local dealer who holds an FFL. Most dealers will buy, receive and ship surplus firearms for a reasonable fee. Typical fees run from $35-$50 per transaction, and it's worth every penny of it when you consider the headaches involved in firearm transactions.

So, don't tarry. This is the greatest era for collecting surplus arms that we've ever experienced. Take advantage of it while you can. Good collecting!

For more information:

A&J Arms Booksellers, (520) 512-1065, www.ajarmsbooksellers.com, Blue Book Publications, (952) 854-5229, www.bluebookinc.com, Century International Arms, (561) 998-1997, www.centuryarms.com, Gun List, (800) 258-0929, www.gunlist.net, Krause Publications, (715) 445-2214, www.krause.com, Ray Riling Arms Books Co., (215) 438-2456, www.rayrilingarmsbooks.com, Shotgun News, (800) 345-692, www.shotgunnews.com, Small Arms Review (207) 683-295, www.smallarmsreview.com, Stoeger Publishing Co., (877) GUN-BOOK, www.stoegerpublishing.com