Thanks for the replies thus far. I was 99.9% sure that the answer from JimfromTrafalgar was the correct one because my old FFL guy would accept shipment of the antique gun and give it to me without the paperwork and check required for a post 1898 firearm. That still meant two twenty mile trips to his shop... one for the FFL copy, and one to pick up the gun.
Does anyone know where I could access a copy of this portion of the law to prove my point? I can understand where some FFL's would wish to err on the side of caution, and naturally, most do not have a firearms library or data to show when a particular gun was made. But I have offered proof of manufacture date to a couple sellers who remained obstinate. Like italiansxs, I mostly choose not to deal with them. If the total of my bid, plus shipping, plus an unnecessary FFL transfer fee, plus the extra hassle amounts to less than I could buy the same gun for locally, then I may go for it. Quite a few have lost my business because they wish to act like some Banana Republic dictator.
