Hunting here in RSA I've found a nice little .410 shotgun at a reasonable price. Does anyone know the procedure for sending the firearm to the USA legally after doing the necessary, if possible, SAPS parerwork?

get hold of the lads at Classic Arms in Witbank, they do a fair amount of exports and they can possibly point you in the right direction www.classicarms.co.za

500

Regular FFL's are allowed occasional importation. ATF does not define that term. As to the actual process, I haven't done it yet. I believe there are some limitations on where they can ship from their end and if so, that would restrict the process.

I brought a bunch of rifles in last year RSA to USA. PM me for the details, it is quite a long process and I don't think it is worth it for one firearm, unless it is extremely rare or unusual.

If it is just a 410 that you like, but can also be found in the US, you are better off just finding one here.

Of the 9 rifles I brought in, there were 2, maybe three, that were really worth the hassle, as they are very rare or unique. The rest, for example some English bolt rifles, I bought for less there, but by the time all the import, export, freight charges and the hassle was factored in, I would have been better off buying one here for more $$$.

I recently assisted my brother to export a 22 Hornet to the US from South Africa. I have in turn, recently imported two rifles from the US to South Africa. Believe me, the hassle to import rifles from the US to South Africa is MUCH MUCH greater than the other way around. It took us two weeks to have the 22 Hornet exported while it took me more than two years to get my rifles imported.

To import a firearm, you need to get an ATF6 form from ATF in Washington and submit it. When it's approved, you can get the gun through customs. It can either be hand-carried, or it can be shipped by air and cleared just like any other shipment (you could put it in with your trophies, for example).

Any FFL holder can apply for and obtain an ATF6 on your behalf. I once got one in my personal capacity, but that was some time ago before I became a licenced importer and I don't know whether that's still possible. You have to specify the purpose "For Personal Use". If you put "For resale" it will be denied unless you happen to be a licenced importer, in which case you would not be asking this question. The form will come back stamped "NOT FOR RESALE".

If you can find me a couple of decent English guns down there, I would be happy to arrange the importation of your gun along with the others and I wouldn't charge you a cent for doing so, only a pro-rata portion of the air freight.

If the gun was made prior to 1898, you can bring it in without any paperwork.

To export a gun from RSA, you need to go to the authorities (SAPS) and get an export permit. To get this permit, it's necessary to prove that the gun is legally owned. So the owner has to provide his permit for inspection. You are not allowed to possess the gun in RSA since you don't have a permit for it, so the current owner would have to check it in at the airport or with the freight company.