Actually, if you have a C&R license buying a C&R eligible MG does make the transfer *slightly* easier.
What happens is that once you find the C&R eligible gun you want, you pay the seller and send in the Form 4 and $200 transfer tax to the ATF. The good news is that if you have a C&R license once the Form 4 is approved the seller can send the gun right to you instead of having to send it to a MG dealer in your state. That will save you about $100 in transfer fees.
Btw, this is assuming that the gun you found was owned by an out-of-state seller. If the seller was in your own state I don't think you need to go through a MG dealer. You just pay the seller, send in the Form 4 and $200 to the ATF and pick the gun up in person when the approved paperwork comes back. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong).
The thing is though that your odds of finding the gun you want and the price you can afford are better if you do a nationwide search instead of just considering MG's in your state.
The bad news is that C&R eligible guns are generally more expensive because certain states (Minnesota for exampe) only allow their residents to own MG's that are on the C&R list. That drives demand up as those guns are now more valuable to residents of those states. That drives prices up.
Oh, and the West Hurley Thompsons *are* indeed on the C&R list.
