has anyone ever imported a custom rifle from USA to Canada

I've been searching this site for answers but have not seen anything specific to this topic.

So can somebody help me out who has first hand experience.

So far all i know

- a friend of mines 22lr got held up at the border because it looked like a sniper rifle so some suspicions were raised. So then he had it shipped to Sweetgrass Montana, "Closest border crossing"and picked it up himself. No more details were given to me.

-I had a chat over the phone with Jim Kelby "Stole panda actions GURU" because he will be doing the importing for the custom rifle i am getting built "by Clay Spencer" and he says it is usually no problem at all. They do it all the time.

-I have imported lots of reloading components from Dillon Precision and it has never been a problem.

-Here is what another importer told me

You are responsible to get the gun to our US FFL Partner.

There is a $25 USD FFL Transfer Fee (to take it in from the builder and put
it on our US Partner's books).

There is a $100 USD Export Service Fee (for getting the permits, transport
to Canada and customs paperwork).

If the rifle is made 100% in the US then there is no duty.

There will be 7% GST on the Declared Value in Canadian Dollars.

Depending on where you live there may be PST as well (or HST if in Atlantic
Canada).

Then there is the final shipment cost from Barrie, Ontario to your location
(this obviously depends on dimensions and weight, plus where it's going),
plus the cost of insurance which is $0.75 per $100 value.

Estimated permit time is 8 to 10 weeks (can be quicker).


So far all the importers have let me know its not that big a deal.


Please leave the political bullshit out of this.lol

700 Nitro (Steve) from this site has imported rifles from the US (double rifles built by Searcy). I'd try him first.

Cheers,
Canuck

On a related note, what is the legality of a U.S. Hunter coming to Canada and giving a custom rifle to a Canadian Citizen as a gift. Is that legal. Does it need to be documented.

This is pretty simple as you and the lucky bugger that is getting the rifle simply go to the nearest "verifier" and get it "verified"; then you phone 1-800-731-4000 and he goes through the regular registration process, which takes about five minutes. Then, you give him the rifle, keep the paperwork they send you re: transfer and show it to the border boffins on your return home.

I can probably find room in my over-crowded gunsafe to give a good home to any custom rifles surplus to the needs of any U.S. hunters; I can probably even steel myself to accept an Echol's "Legend"...BUT, it's gotta be a .338.......

Anyway, if I were a Yank and hunted here in Canada fairly often, I think that I would just get a Canadian P.A.L. and then leave a rifle or two with friends here. The other advantage to that is some highly sought after rifles, ie. old Brnos, are much more common here and far cheaper than in the U.S.A.

I know a number of Canadians that come to the US, buy rifles from private sales, (they cannot legally buy from a dealer) and go home with the rifle.

Technically you need to register it before it enters Canada but I have been told by friends who are Canadian Customs Officers that the computers are not hooked up to the gun registration so they have no way of checking.

The best way, and the way I do it when I am bringing an unregistered rifle North on my PAL is simple.

Get on the computer and register the rifle on your PAL. Drive to the US, pick it up, tell Customs and pay whatever duty, if any, is due and you are finished. As a US citizen I pay no duty on rifles I bring into Canada. I have a few I have left but usually I take them back to the US with me. Be sure to get the US Customs Form filled out.

Mickey, correct me if I am wrong, I probably am, but I was under the impression that it is VERY ILLEGAL for a Canuck (cheesehead) to evenn possess a gun of any type in the U.S.A. and if caught doing so, you could be hanged, drawn and deported..or maybe just shot? Enlighten me, Oh Wise One, as I don't know squat about U.S. law and am very curious about this.

quote:

Originally posted by kutenay:
Mickey, correct me if I am wrong, I probably am, but I was under the impression that it is VERY ILLEGAL for a Canuck (cheesehead) to evenn possess a gun of any type in the U.S.A. and if caught doing so, you could be hanged, drawn and deported..or maybe just shot? Enlighten me, Oh Wise One, as I don't know squat about U.S. law and am very curious about this.

It is illegal in WA for a Non US Resident to possess a firearm. It is not illegal for a WA resident to sell anyone a personnal firearm.
No Non Res. Hunting allowed.

If you have a valid hunting license from any State you may possess a firearm (subject to local laws) in the US, even Canadians. The rifle would have to be bought from a private party as an FFL Dealer cannot sell to a non (US) resident.

Many Canadians buy the North Dakota Lic. as it is only about $10.00 or so. This also allows Canadians to transport rifles through the US to other Countries also.

I would never do this of course but rumour has it that many Americans buy guns for their Canadian friends and let them worry about getting them home.

Bottom line is if you are Canadian all you need do is register your firearm before importing it and then declare it at Customs and pay the duty. No sweat.

Kutes

We don't hang anybody anymore. Lethal injection after 25 years in Prison.

quote:

Many Canadians buy the North Dakota Lic. as it is only about $10.00 or so. This also allows Canadians to transport rifles through the US to other Countries also.

That is technically not true, but it seems to work with some customs officials.

As I understand it, for a non-resident alien to possess a firearm in the US, they require a BATF Form 6, which authorizes the holder to temporarily import a firearm and then return it to the country of origin.

To take the same firearm out of the US to a country other than the one it was temporarily imported from, requires a US State Dept Form 61. Sadly, a non-resident alien can't get one of those and has to get a US resident to do it for them (at a price of about $600 USD!). Some people have gotten away with just buying a valid hunting licence and transporting their firearms through the US, but it is not technically legal and they run the risk of having their firearms seized by customs when trying to export their firearm to a country other than the one of origin.

Buying a rifle in the US and bringing it back is different than I have described above, however (ie. no importation to the US required). Mickey is probably right...just buy it, register it by phone or internet before re-entering Canada and declare it at customs.

Hi Chris,
This is the link to temporary importation
http://atf.treas.gov/forms/pdfs/f53303d.pdf. It was formerly the Atf form 6 NIA for nonimmigrant alien which sounds a little like an X Files form. Both times I have used this they have been very easy to deal with. If anyone has questions it's probably best to call the head office and get the information straight from the source.
Take good care and Happy New Year,
Dave

Last year I was talking with afellow that had just reieved his new Rem 700 Action. It resembles a tactical rifle and had a great number of special features. Extended magazine to accomadate longer than normal overall cartridge length, custom barral, parkerized finish. special scope mounting blocks, synthetic stock etc. He was telling me of how many cross country trips the gun made while under construction in the US. Several builders took part in its creation. He said the paperwork was quite involved but certainly doable.Importing will involve a customs broker and additional expenses.
I believe there are a few gunshops in MMMontana that will do some of it for you but do expect to pay for services.

You could buy it and bring it to the border 'registered' and declare it and be fine with CANADIAN laws. If a Canadian comes to the border with a firearm and registration certificate, then you'll pay your GST and be on your way. If USCBP (US Customs) finds you attempting to export without a license, you'll be in serious shit. To do it the right way, the firearm must be properly exported.
Canada Border Services (and plenty of police services) dont have direct access to the CFC registry, but you cannot be in posession of the gun without a registration certificate. All Canadian Customs Officers will ask for this registration certificate so make sure the firearm is registered before attempting to cross the border.
As for having an American bring up the firearm and leave it, that would be smuggling unless it was reported as an item that was planning on being left in Canada by him/her. If he declares that he will be leaving the firearm in Canada, it will not be allowed in on a temporary import with the CFC. Basically, an American CAN do it, but it would not be legal to do so.....
Do things the right way and you'll have no problems, but it does take a bit of time.....

thanks for all the info