Is it even worth it to get a C&R anymore?

Stuff isn't coming in like it used to, however, some interesting surplus handguns still come in, ie; P64's and many Tok's recently.

Lots of early Rugers are now C&R and always other US items of interest to me which are hitting the 50yr mark.

Depends a lot on your area of interest. For $30 it's a good deal if you use it a few times.

Surplus will be drying up since we're getting to the point that everything will be an auto that becomes surplus so we can't buy it. Handguns will still be good though.

I let mine expire. The days of $79.99 SKS's and $199 German Mausers are over. That, combined with the fact that no retailers offer discounts anymore for C&R holders made holding/maintaining the license and log book a futile effort. Most online sellers dont/wont recognize C&R license for older (50yr or older) commercially manufactured guns and falsely require a 01FFL.

Good question. Financially, it makes sense if you buy even 1 c&r gun per year. For me, I wonder if maintaining the book is worth the savings. I have also found it harder to sell unwanted c&r firearms due to the documentation requirements...I typically have to unload them at a local pawn.

As long as Brownell's still offers their C&R dealer discount its worth it for me!

Its also nice to get the SOG and Century fliers so you know the real prices for the "rebuilt" stuff that you might see at gun shows.

Brownells C&R discount pays the 3 year fee in an order or two. Worth it alone for that reason.

The K31 seems to be hot right now. The early Baretta 71s will be C&R very soon.

Mike

Brownells C&R discount pays the 3 year fee in an order or two.

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Its just too bad that Brownells is still often higher priced than most other retailers, even with the small discount.:banghead:

Its just too bad that Brownells is still often higher priced than most other retailers

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Sometimes, but for me, more often they are the low priced vendor. Depends what you want I guess. Brownell's also has very reasonable shipping, unlike many lowball the item then gouge on S&H vendors you often find via Google searching.


I try to be a smart shopper, getting what I what at the lowest total cost with S&H included, this usually means minimizing the vendors to minimize the S&H. Pretty much only Midway and Natchez can come close to Brownell's in selection. Paying a little more for a couple of items to avoid a couple of extra S&H charges usually makes for the best overall total price.

Jackal said:

Its just too bad that Brownells is still often higher priced than most other retailers, even with the small discount.:banghead:

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I found ordered items with big discounts that were the best price available on line.

Mike

I've had a C&R for a very long time and this year I didn't renew. The market is different, my firearms tastes are different, so it was time to move on.

Is it a bad idea idea to have one? Not really, since we're talking $30/three years, minor record keeping requirements, and the remote possibility of compliance inspections (I've had only one, ever, and it was nothing). But there aren't enough interesting items on the market for me to care anymore and the discounts, while nice, don't amount to much in the era of Internet comparison shopping. YMMV.

P.S. The only obnoxious part of C&R-ing that I had was the unbelievable level of ignorance of some sellers on the auction sites had with respect to C&R-eligible items and transference of said.

I do wish i had picked up a cz52 back when they were super cheap

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And you may regret you have one when the ammo become super expensive!

Most of the C&R guns I buy on gunbroker or auctionarms from private sellers. It doesn't even need to be military surplus, either.

I just bought a nice Winchester 1892 built in 1901 off auctionarms for cheap and didn't have to pay an FFL transfer fee which would have cost more than the C&R license is worth.

Midway still gives dealer prices to C&R holders too

Midway still gives dealer prices to C&R holders too

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They recently discontinued it, as the dealer pricing couldn't take advantage of "sales" which they seem to have all the time.

About every couple of months I now get an Email with something like $15 off a $75 order, so now that they no longer have the C&R dealer discounts I tend to wait for these offers if possible, and then start comparison shopping keeping this discount in mind.

A lot of people think of C&R as mostly milsurp. I just like old guns, so if I see a Winchester 74, or Pre-model number S&W while I'm traveling out of state, I can carry it home.

What is a c&r

Arobbins said:

What is a c&r

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Type 03 Federal Firearms License aka Curiosity and Relic collector's license. Allows you to buy certain guns with no Form 4473 and and have them delivered to your home. There are some minor record keeping requirements, the guns must be kept in more or less historical configuration (exceptions made for sights/scopes, etc. but you cannot replace a wood stock with a polymer one, for example) and it costs $30 for 3 years.

C&R eligible guns are:

*Firearms which were manufactured at least 50 years prior to the current date, but not including replicas of such firearms;
*Firearms which are certified by the curator of a municipal, State, or Federal museum which exhibits firearms to be curios or relics of museum interest; and
*Any other firearms which derive a substantial part of their monetary value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or because of their association with some historical figure, period, or event.

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The ATF has taken the position that for the latter two they must make the determination but the buyer and seller can self certify the first item (age) based on available records.

Mike

Yep, only reason I have it is for Brownell's discounts. Haven't gotten a C&R rifle in years.

I love my C&R! Remember, guys, that a C&R license is good for more than just surplus Mausers and SKSs! Any gun over 50 is a C&R. I live in Illinois. Recently, on my vacation to California, I ran across a beautiful Argentine Mauser at the Cabelas store in Sidney Nebraska. Out came the C&R, I signed and walked out with the gun. Try that without one. The only trouble I run into is the amazing ignorance on the part of some sellers as to what a C&R is and what it covers. The most common mistake concerns the C&R list. Some store owners think the gun has to be on the list or it isnt a C&R. Wrong! The list is a list of exceptions to the 50 year old rule. If you can live with the occasional ignorant storeowner, a C&R is most definitely worth the modest 30 dollar charge.