Just got a call from a friend who said that his PH in South Africa states that you now have to have a "barrel serial number" on your SAPS520. With the Blaser/Mauser/and possibly the Sauer with the interchangeable barrels, that would not be an issue, but with a Remington or Winchester.....might be an issue.
And looking online at the new version of the SAPS520, in the firearms information area, sure enough, there is section 1.7 that asks for the barrel serial number. 1.6 asks for the frame serial number.
Anyone have any knowledge of this?

It would be interesting to know if this will apply to take down rifles only-

[The Blaser situation (and some others) is that each barrel has a serial number that is different from the receivers]

That portion for the barrel serial number has always been there. I have always just left it blank. In SA the barrel is the "gun" while here the receiver is the "gun".

I don't think it's anything new.

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Mine from 2014. Filled out both serial numbers for the double and the receiver only for the bolt gun.

That being said things can change hourly.

It's been since '09 since I had to use one of the forms for SA and they have changed since I last filled one out.
Thanks for the information Mike.

Yes ^^^ that is all correct as I saw it last month.

I had it all filled out ahead of time and breezed in and out and all the SA staffs were quite nice.

I tell you what can be an issue but it was not for me. And that is that some airlines are asking for your SA rifle permit number when you check in here. I think it was also in a thread over in Travel.

This isn't anything new. The import license application form is called the SAPS 520 and can be downloaded from their website and completed in advance, but the PH will usually do this either before you arrive if he has your firearms and ammo particulars or at the airport. It is a long and laborious 10-page document. In the States frames/receivers are numbered and in South Africa it used to be the barrels but now can be either or both. The space for the barrel serial number has been on the SAPS 520s for as long as I can remember, but they do understand that American firearms may not have barrel numbers.

quote:

Originally posted by pagosawingnut:
Just got a call from a friend who said that his PH in South Africa states that you now have to have a "barrel serial number" on your SAPS520. With the Blaser/Mauser/and possibly the Sauer with the interchangeable barrels, that would not be an issue, but with a Remington or Winchester.....might be an issue.
And looking online at the new version of the SAPS520, in the firearms information area, sure enough, there is section 1.7 that asks for the barrel serial number. 1.6 asks for the frame serial number.
Anyone have any knowledge of this?

If it ever becomes a problem number,letter metal stamps and a hammer can be brought cheap.

Wouldn't take long to pull the barreled action and stamp a serial number on the under side of the barrel.

What COULD become a problem in the future is that southern Africa is moving towards the computerized marking of firearms; they haven't thought this out fully with respect to how that will affect people bringing guns in temporarily, or the effect this marking will have on collectible guns' value. They started it in Zimbabwe with two donated marking machines about three years ago. The one machine broke and they cannibalized the second one for parts, so it stalled in true African fashion.