Is it legal to sell reloaded ammunition?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Newton

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2002
Messages
1,267
I don't reload myself, but I do have a quantity of reloaded ammo I obtained from a friend that is in a caliber I no longer need.

Can I safely re-sell it to third parties?
 
Most people wont buy reloads since they don't know exactly what went into them, or if they are safe or not. Noone want's a blown up gun.

That said, it's illegal to manufacture and sell reloads. On the flip side, if someone reloads 500 rounds for their firearm, shoots 450 of them, and then sells it, I have heard of people selling the remaining 50 rounds as "for components only".

It is my understanding that you can sell them, but not with the intent to do it as a business, or for any sustained period. If you have an amount of ammo for a caliber you no longer shoot, selling it simply to liquidate it, is legal from what I understand. I'm not a lawyer, but from what I've read it seems to be ok, as long as its not with the intent to get into the business of selling reloads.
 
if something was wrong with those rounds than you could be sued if it caused damage and harm. and by what everyone else said you would need a FFL.
 
The average remanufacturer of ammunition for resale has the FFL (An 06 or 07 or something like that), the business license/tax certificate/resale license/whatever your state calls it, and usually a minimum of 3 MILLION DOLLAR Liability Insurance Policy.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
Thanks, this would have been a couple thousand rounds only as a one-off deal, but it's worth knowing the regs.

On the other hand, it's interesting to note how many guys I see at gun shows selling their reloads, must be a widely ignored law.......
 
Since you're not the manufacturer and you're selling off your personal ammo stock then you don't need an FFL to sell it.
 
It is alot like building a gun. You can build a gun for personal use without an ffl. However building a gun with the intent of selling it requires an ffl. However, if you build a gun for yourself and then decide you don't like it, or need the money to pay bills, whatever... you can sell it. The whole "intent" issue gets tricky though.
 
You need a remanufacturing license, pay an FET tax on the ammo you make and be covered with a liablilty policy for your own protection. I did this and gave it up. 11% tax at the time and the price of the insurance made the endevor frutile.
 
He doesn't need a remanufacturing license, he doesn't need to pay FET, and he doesn't need liability insurance. Read what he wrote. He didn't reload the ammo. It's ammo he got from someone else. He's just cleaning out his personal stock.
Some of you guys are making the answers a lot harder than they need to be. Are you just trying to show how "smart" you are by adding a bunch of stuff that doesn't pertain to the OP's question?
 
On the other hand, it's interesting to note how many guys I see at gun shows selling their reloads, must be a widely ignored law.......
An FFL is not required to sell manufactured ammunition at a gun show.

how do you know they don't have an FFL?

it's not like they have to display it or log anything when they sell
Yes you do. If you are an FFL operating at a gun show you MUST display your license.

My company is a commercial ammunition manufacturer. This is what you need to be legal:
  • Type 06 FFL
  • Any local business or zoning permits
  • Register with the US State Dept under ITAR rules (even if you don't export)

The FFL is $30 for 3 years. ITAR is $2250 yearly. Yes it's mandatory for manufacturers. Search here for ITAR and note the link I've posted before with the text of the law. Heed it.

Liability insurance is recommended, but is not required. If you don't have insurance you are a fool. A $1 million/occurrence-$2 million aggregate policy is $2,100 per year ($175/mo).

Federal Excise Tax must be paid by the manufacturer on any ammunition they load and sell (barter, trade, give out as demos, samples, or gifts). Ammunition is taxed at 11% of the sale price. You can pay it or factor it into the price and let the customer pay it.
  • Remanufactured ammo is taxed if the manufacturer supplies the brass.
  • If the customer supplies brass, retains title, and not a single casing is added to the lot, it's FET free.
  • The above applies to ammo used for personal use only.
  • If a customer sends brass to be reloaded, then sells it, they are liable for 11% FET as it is not for personal use then.
  • Ammo is tax free only to local LE agencies, the Dept of Defense, and the Coast Guard. The ammo must be delivered directly from the manufacturer to the agency, no distributor middle man is allowed.
  • All Federal LE agencies must pay FET.
 
Isp is right in this situation. He hasn't manufactured the ammunition so he is free to sell it how he sees fit.
 
I certainly wouldn't buy reloads from anyone I didn't trust with my life nor would I take the responsability to resell any.
 
The original question and the varied answers got me to thinking, so I went to the
ATF website and downloaded the FFL reference guide.

Very interesting.

All FFL items relate to businesses and they are clearly defined as intent to make a
living selling etc. So you do not need an FFL to sell ammunition as a private citizen.
But of course I am no attorney that is just what I understand from the read.

Also interestingly the GCA (gun control act)states this:
A license is not required for dealers in ammunition only.
[18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17) and 922(b)(5), 27 CFR 478.11 and 478.125][/B]

after reading a bit of the FFL document I would encourage every gun owner to download it and read as much as possible(it is a hard read), but some very interesting things
are in it. Some contrary to popular belief, some just strange, but I will not hijack this thread to discuss that.

By the way you must not forget the state and local laws!
 
The license is to manufacture ammunition. To deal in ammunition there is no FFL and no FFL requirement. It's not "tread lightly or ask a lawyer BS". It's plain English. To sell what someone else manufactures it OK. To load and sell ammunition you load yourself you will need an 06 FFL.
 
The license is to manufacture ammunition. To deal in ammunition there is no FFL and no FFL requirement. It's not "tread lightly or ask a lawyer BS". It's plain English. To sell what someone else manufactures it OK. To load and sell ammunition you load yourself you will need an 06 FFL.

Thanks for the verification Freak, that's the way I always understood it.

I buy full/partial boxes of factory ammo and reloads at garage sales and auctions......most of the time for little of nuttin'. Got some good nostalgic ammo boxes to set on the shelf that way too.


I certainly wouldn't buy reloads from anyone I didn't trust with my life nor would I take the responsability to resell any.

Just bought 300 rounds of .357 reloads from a garage sale.....for $4.50. They were in MTM plastic boxes and marked 158 XTPs........and they were. Guy standing next to me when I paid for them said the same thing as you. I asked him if he had ever heard of a bullet puller. I then informed him the boxes alone were worth $10, and the emptied preprimed brass and the pulled bullets would save me $50 to $70.....so for another $5 worth of Unique, and a few hours of spare time, I could have a whole afternoon worth of shooting. He then told me.... "ain't no way you can resize the brass with the primers in"............:rolleyes:
 
The license is to manufacture ammunition. To deal in ammunition there is no FFL and no FFL requirement. It's not "tread lightly or ask a lawyer BS". It's plain English. To sell what someone else manufactures it OK.
This is absolutely correct, and I sadly misread the OP. The original manufacturer needed an FFL to sell their reloads to you, but since you didn't load them yourself you do not need an FFL.

Mea culpa.
 
The key here is whether you're IN BUSINESS to sell reloaded ammo, or whether you're just getting rid of some ammo you don't need.

Of course you can sell the ammo without any license, you're not doing it as a business and its more or less a one-time deal.
However, if the person you sell it to has any problem, he could sue you in these litigious times.
 
Thanks for the clarification guys.

As with most things that are firearms related, it seems there are bear traps all over the place.
 
Yes you do. If you are an FFL operating at a gun show you MUST display your license.

True as this may be, I have been going to gun shows for years and years and have never once seen a FFL displayed. I am more than willing to accept that this might entirely be because I have never bothered to look for an FFL, but the fact remains that I have never seen one displayed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top