Importing a Free Pistol into the USA

Bob LeDoux · Post by **Bob LeDoux** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:10 am

I was looking for a Walther Free Pistol with dead electronics board. I found one in Germany. This is my story about getting it imported to the USA

At the beginning of March I discovered the free pistol at Allermann (Allermann.de) in Germany for a very low price. After several emails with their English speaking representative, I decided to buy it. My cost was $179 plus $62 for shipping.

The first problem was payment. They wanted a bank funds transfer, common in Europe but little used by individuals here. I had a friend from Germany who had a bank account there. I have him $241 and he set down at his computer and made the funds transfer.

Now the paperwork started. To import the pistol an ATF form 6 had to be completed. Since the transfer involved customs I decided to look for an import agent who also had an FFL. I couldn’t find one in Oregon, but Dennis Schrieber, at Burt Mill Smithing, in Churchville New York offered his services. (http://burntmillengineering.com)

By March 31, the gun was paid for and the ATF Form 6 was in the works. There was no charge for the ATF to process the form. ATF had 60 days to complete a decision on the application.

On May 13, the ATF gave approval. Dennis faxed the form to Allermann who had to get an export license from German police.

On May 26, German approval was received and the gun was shipped to the US.

Dennis said customs can take up to 60 days. But he received it on July 7.

Now the gun had to go to engraving. Any firearm imported to the USA must be engraved with the importer’s name. Trophy engravers are generally not equipped to engrave steel so it had to be sent to a specialty shop.

Dennis sent me his invoice on June 30. I paid him by VISA. He charged $100 for import and FFL services. Engraving cost $76. Shipping to my FFL was $35. He shipped to my FFL on August 2nd.

My FFL received the gun on August 5th, and I paid $35 for background check.

My cost was $487 and a wait of five months. It all went smoothly, but patience was necessary.

The gun is serial number 1202, which is an early model with the early electronics board. The pistol is pristine condition, with two exceptions: The electronics board is bad and a previous owner turned the trigger adjustment screw so as to damage the mechanism.

Used European-built firearms seem less expensive there than in the USA. The cost to get one to the USA is about $300. So, if the cost in Europe is more than $300 less than the cost here, it might be worth the trouble.

The same should hold true for airguns. Airguns should be less expensive to import because no ATF From 6 is required. But, I don't know how an individual deals with customs.

Freepistol · Post by **Freepistol** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:27 am

Is that engraving rule new? I imported one a couple of years ago and it wasn't required. It think I was listed as the importer on the 6.

Bob LeDoux · Post by **Bob LeDoux** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:54 am

I don't think so. Even my Pardini K70 had the importer engraved. I haven't checked old regulations to see when it came into effect.

Bob LeDoux · Post by **Bob LeDoux** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:56 am

Freepistol wrote:Is that engraving rule new? I imported one a couple of years ago and it wasn't required. It think I was listed as the importer on the 6.

If you imported it as a private individual how did you deal with customs? Is an import license required?

peterz · Post by **peterz** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:37 am

Things are very different for the importation of an air gun. Last fall I bought one from Allermann myself, an LP-10. Allermann failed to inform me of all the steps the shipment would go through, so I expected the usual rapid FedEx transfer. They sent it via airmail, a service using the DHL trademark in Germany (it is not the DHL that operates here; it's a long story), but it's still the old Deutshe Post with a new name to snazzy it up.

The shipment took much of a week to be cleared by outgoing German customs at Allermann. Then it took several long days via "DHL" to Frankfurt. Finally the tracking number became useless when it passed into the hands of the USPS at Frankfurt.

Maybe 10 days later I was getting impatient and stopped into my local post office. They told me they had no record of it, and that it had not arrived in our town. Later that same day it was delivered to my doorstep. As I said, the tracking broke down in the USA.

Differences: No FFL. No background check, etc.. And no duty. There is no duty on air pistols, but there is a few percent charge on air rifles. Since they aren't firearms, none of the firearms importation red tape applies. Indeed, there was no red tape whatsoever. It can be reasonable to do a direct import of an air gun from abroad, but I had a special circumstance in that the deal took place during a short period when the euro hit the skids and was about 20% cheaper against the dollar than it had been.

Dealing with Customs on an air gun purchase is trivial: when it lands in the USA the airline/air freight company contracted to the USPS to handle mail simply passes the packet to Customs which might or might not open it. In my case, I don't think they did. They fill out a form if there is duty to be collected (and often don't charge you if it is a trivial sum costing more to collect), and your own local postman collects the cash in the same way he or she might collect postage due.

IF the gun comes by FedEx or another courier company, the company will send it to a customs broker who will charge you a brokerage fee, take the packet to customs, which will almost surely open it and levy duty, for which you will be billed by the customs broker.

Sending the package via the standard post office services from a reliable country and company is generally cheaper but possibly slower than using FedEx or similar. The US govt generally tries to make the "informal importation" of small packages of fairly small intrinsic value pretty simple for people who aren't obviously making a business of it.

--pz

jbshooter · Post by **jbshooter** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 2:56 pm

What are you going to do with the Walther FP now that you've got it?

jbshooter · Post by **jbshooter** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 2:58 pm

I've got a pristine one too. It's one of the later ones (2160) but it doesn't fire about once in every ten or twenty shots.

jbshooter · Post by **jbshooter** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 3:06 pm

Did you get the test target for that gun? Does anyone know if the FP came with a selection of rear or front side blades?

Bob LeDoux · Post by **Bob LeDoux** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 3:38 pm

It has a test target. A ten shot group is smaller than a dime at 50 meters.

I've fixed the trigger. A set screw, spring and pressure bar, parts 35, 50, 61, were missing. I made a new set screw, took a spring from a ball point pin, and formed a new pressure bar from a piece of brass.

I want to get it working. So far, the 9 volt battery connector has failed.

The manual, in German, lists the following accessories:
Screwdriver
2.5 and 4.0 mm Allen keys
abzugschraube lang, screws of some sort
Instruction sheet
Test target
Parts list

I don't read German so I've been Bablefishing the material. The manual is a double page; very brief.

The manual specifies a trigger weight range of 5 to 40 grams. I believe it can be increased by using a heavier spring for part 35. My ball point pen spring gives a bit higher trigger weight.

Freepistol · Post by **Freepistol** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:38 pm

Bob LeDoux wrote:
Freepistol wrote:Is that engraving rule new? I imported one a couple of years ago and it wasn't required. It think I was listed as the importer on the 6.
If you imported it as a private individual how did you deal with customs? Is an import license required?

It was shipped to a dealer who had the import license. I'll find my form and see how it is actually listed.

GOVTMODEL · Post by **GOVTMODEL** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 7:00 pm

Bob LeDoux wrote:
Freepistol wrote:Is that engraving rule new? I imported one a couple of years ago and it wasn't required. It think I was listed as the importer on the 6.
If you imported it as a private individual how did you deal with customs? Is an import license required?

Last time I did it, Form 6 was for "Occasional Importation by a Non-licensee."

Bob LeDoux · Post by **Bob LeDoux** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 7:41 pm

I think I lucked out. The pistol works after replacing the 9 volt battery connector.

This Walther is now fully functional.

Rover · Post by **Rover** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:28 pm

Good on you, Bob. You now have an excellent and highly desirable FP that no one wanted due to its crappy circuit board.

Go forth and kick butt!

Bob LeDoux · Post by **Bob LeDoux** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:21 pm

I actually bought the gun because I wanted to design a new circuit board for it. I need to take a break from that project to do some other things but I want to get back to it soon.

See history:
http://www.targettalk.org/viewtopic.php ... highlight=

jbshooter · Post by **jbshooter** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:39 pm

I think that these pistols are a work of art mechanically speaking. Real quality in their manufacture.

Richard H · Post by **Richard H** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 5:57 am

I still have a working model. One thing is don't screw the battery plate cover screw in too tight. It was pointed out to me by some gunsmiths that the screw is a little too long and when people screwed it in really tight it would push on the circuit board components ( the are all epoxy coated) they believe this was at least one of the modes of failure. So just finger tight, I actually filed mined down a bit..

MyJuliet · Post by **MyJuliet** » Mon Aug 08, 2011 10:11 pm

I need a break from the project, do some other things, but I want it back as soon as possible.
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