I just bought a pre-1899 antique Lefever on an internet auction site and the seller is requiring that an FFL copy is provided for shipping to the FFL dealer. It is easily verified that this gun is truly pre-1899 via the LACA website production dates list, and other sources such as the Elliot books.
This has happened to me before and my FFL dealer claims that he has to run the instant check and enter the gun in his books since the seller has transferred the gun from his books. Of course, there is a charge for this that I have to factor into the total amount I wish to pay for a particular gun. If that was true and an FFL dealer entered a replica black powder gun into his books, would every subsequent sale of that replica through an FFL require the Instant Check and form 4478 transfer? To me, this is akin to buying a bicycle on e-bay and having the seller require a copy of my drivers license and registration of the bicycle from my State Dept. of Motor Vehicles.
