A little help in Tuscon, AZ?

19-3Ben · Oct 25, 2013

Hey All,

My mother in law lives in the Oro Valley suburb of Tuscon AZ and wants to send us a rifle that belongs to her father (wifey's grandpa).
They want to go through an FFL to send the rifle, but the only shop they can seem to find that handles FFL transfers is an outfit called Murphy's. They are charging her $45 for the transfer plus another $30-40 for shipping. the shipping charge seems about in line, but $45 for an FFL transfer? Even here in CT where there is less competition and stricter laws than AZ, i usually get them done for about $25-30.

They also may have given her some bad advice, but given that she is really not a gun person and may have misunderstood them, i want to give them the benefit of the doubt on that.

Anyway, i wanted to check with you folks in that area. Is Murphy's a reliable outfit? and is $45 in line with typical FFL costs in that area?

Queen_of_Thunder · Oct 25, 2013

My experience is if you are a one time customer you can expect upwards of $50 for a transfer and depending on how good of a customer you are it may be as low $10 or free.

primalmu · Oct 25, 2013

Think of it this way. By the time they drive around trying to find a dealer that is cheaper they will have spent more on gas that any savings they might get.

19-3Ben · Oct 25, 2013

Think of it this way. By the time they drive around trying to find a dealer that is cheaper they will have spent more on gas that any savings they might get.

Absolutely true. I just know nothing of gun shops in AZ, and this is my MIL I'm talking about here. I just want to be sure she'll be well taken care of by good people. Not really all that worried about an extra few dollars if that's what it takes. To me, the most important thing is whether the folks at Murphy's are good, not some race to the bottom on the price of a professional service.

As an aside, this transfer is because my wife is going to be getting her grandfather's Model 70 in .270win. He probably bought in the 60s or 70s, so there is a slight chance that it may be a pre-64, but not sure. I've never seen it. Either way, this is going to be one heck of a family heirloom and I'm looking forward to stripping it down and cleaning it up for her.

Bwana John · Oct 25, 2013

They should be able to ship the rifle strait to your FFL for the transfer to you without going through a FFL on their end.

primalmu · Oct 25, 2013

Bwana John, that would be HECK of a lot more of a hassle than having an FFL ship for his mother in law.

Arizona_Mike · Oct 25, 2013

I'm assuming you need an FFL for a long arm transfer in CT?

The going rate around these parts is about $25, less if you are a repeat customer.

Mike

J_McLeod · Oct 25, 2013

I used to live in Tucson, there are other FFLs in the area you can contact. Try one of these. I used to buy from Slash K and Diamond back.

http://www.slashk.com/

http://www.2ndamendmentsports.com/

http://www.blackweaponsarmory.com/

http://www.dbackpolice.com/

Also check out Arizona shooting (http://www.arizonashooting.com/v3/index.php) You can find an FFL there too.

19-3Ben · Oct 25, 2013

Thanks so much all.

Bwana John, that would be HECK of a lot more of a hassle than having an FFL ship for his mother in law.

Yup. I explained that she can ship on her own, and that my FFL here in CT accepts from a non FFL out of state, so long as it comes with a copy of valid driver's license.
But I also explained that the difference in shipping cost can make up for the FFL fees because they don't have to ship overnight the way we do, and that they will take care of packaging, etc... My MIL really does not know about guns, and I don't know that I could trust her to remove the bolt and properly package for transport.

Thank you all again for the suggestions.

OARNGESI · Oct 25, 2013

I deal with crazzy joes in AZ city maybe from 30 min from tuscon hell probably ship your rifle fot around $30 total he's a real good guy to deal with

Bwana John · Oct 25, 2013

But I also explained that the difference in shipping cost can make up for the FFL fees because they don't have to ship overnight the way we do

??? you dont have to ship a rifle overnight.

Blackrock · Oct 25, 2013

Murphy's is an OK shop but they don't cut anybody any slack.

smalls · Oct 26, 2013

Let me see if I read this right. The shop in AZ wants to charge a transfer few for shipping the gun out? That makes no sense. You are supposed to pay the transfer fee on your side. The FFL in AZ isn't transferring the gun, technically.

Sounds like he's trying to steal lunch money for the week.

FROGO207 · Oct 26, 2013

Sounds like he is trying to recover his money for time spent finding a box, safely packaging, and possibly taking it to a shipping point. Might be excessive in cost at the particular LGS but the service is worth SOMETHING to get the rifle to destination safely. :scrutiny:

Shipping costs for a long gun and sufficient insurance is not cheap these days either.

When you buy a firearm the cost to package is usually built into the price. A gift transfer makes NO profit for the shipping dealer because of no markup.

mnrivrat · Oct 26, 2013

But I also explained that the difference in shipping cost can make up for the FFL fees because they don't have to ship overnight the way we do,

Just another reminder that a long gun can ship regular ground via USPS or UPS . It does not have to ship overnight like handguns.

They are charging her $45 for the transfer

And also a reminder that the shop does not have to transfer the gun into their books if simply shipping it to an FFL for a customer .

Our local shop provided this service for $30 total . Doesn't mean others can't charge more, but $75 to $80 is plenty stiff

19-3Ben · Oct 26, 2013

??? you dont have to ship a rifle overnight.

Just another reminder that a long gun can ship regular ground via USPS or UPS . It does not have to ship overnight like handguns.

Good points guys. Thanks for the reminder.

19-3Ben · Oct 26, 2013

Our local shop provided this service for $30 total . Doesn't mean others can't charge more, but $75 to $80 is plenty stiff

It's true. I'll bring all these points up to the MIL. Ultimately though, she is of the mindset that since she doesn't know what she's doing, and we're talking about a nice rifle with a scope (I don't know the quality of scope or even the condition of the rifle. Never seen either, nor have I gotten any description) it's probably worth it for her just to be sure that everything is done correctly.

claiborne · Oct 26, 2013

Sent you a PM..........

Ian · Oct 27, 2013

FWIW, when I moved from Phoenix to Tucson I was surprised by the jump in cost of FFL transfers. Phoenix was easy to find a place that would do it for $20, but in Tucson I only managed to find one guy at less than $35. That said, Murphy's is a good shop in other respects - good selection, good people, etc.

smalls · Oct 27, 2013

FWIW, when I moved from Phoenix to Tucson I was surprised by the jump in cost of FFL transfer

But I still don't understand WHY there is a transfer fee for his MIL in Tuscon. All she's doing is shipping it through an FFL.

X-JaVeN-X · Oct 28, 2013

FROGO207 said:
Sounds like he is trying to recover his money for time spent finding a box, safely packaging, and possibly taking it to a shipping point. Might be excessive in cost at the particular LGS but the service is worth SOMETHING to get the rifle to destination safely. Shipping costs for a long gun and sufficient insurance is not cheap these days either.

When you buy a firearm the cost to package is usually built into the price. A gift transfer makes NO profit for the shipping dealer because of no markup.

What you describe is the "handling" portion of shipping and handling. He should drop the "transfer fee" and just charge what he wants for shipping and handling.

Russian Hammer · Oct 28, 2013

You should be able to ship a long gun for about $30 so IMO if you can't find an FFL who will ship for less just have your mother in law box it up and take it to the post office

Destructo6 · Oct 28, 2013

$25 is a typical transfer fee around Tucson. Any higher and they're telling you that they're not interested in that sort of business. Murphy's is out of line.

In addition to the above gun shops, try The Armory on Pima.

I'd have them go to the Sportmans Warehouse, buy a shipping box, and ship it to your ffl via UPS or FedEx.

If you're really pressed, I might be able to find some time to do it.

PavePusher · Oct 29, 2013

primalmu said:
Bwana John, that would be HECK of a lot more of a hassle than having an FFL ship for his mother in law.

Huh? How so? Put rifle in a box, well padded. Take to the Post Office. Tell them you are shipping a rifle to an FFL. They charge you the postage.

I've done this several times buying presents for my brother in Salt Lake. It's very easy.

A little help in Tuscon, AZ?

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