i just got another stamp today. it was mailed to the ATF on October 28. just shy of FOUR freakin months just to transfer a suppressor.
also, i’m waiting on another suppressor to transfer to my dealer. the mfg said they filed the paperwork in late November. I’ve never had a dealer-to-dealer transfer take longer than 4 weeks before.
this is really just beyond nuts.
you got to think of the ATF being slam because of our new prez.I would hate to be working in that dept they probaly have stacks and stacks of transfers waiting
Well those F’ers should use some of our tax stamp money and hire some for stiffs. Good golly! :rolleyes:
yelp I agree with that 100%
FWIW, back in the old days (1980s)the wait was usually one to two years. I sent two Form 4s together for two sub guns. The Swedish K took around nine months and the Thompson took eighteen. It would seem that if one was approved the other would be approved at the same time but things were different back then. I hope ATF is not going back to those “good old days”.
It’s a good bet it will get slower as Title II transfers will not be on Os priority list.
You don’t really believe that hiring more Civil Servants can help improve things, can you? Do you honestly think that a larger government is going to move faster?
That’s like expecting 9 women to give birth in a month!! 
My suppressor paperwork was mailed on Nov. 17 and approved on Feb. 6. My SBR paperwork in 2007 took just four weeks. The wait times are crazy.
My first NFA transfer, a SBS, took 9 months in 2005.
Even this increased wait time due to the high volume of transfers seems short by comparison.
I just got the call that my approved Form 4 (on an RLT) for my .22R suppressor came in today. It took 8 weeks to go “Pending” from the time I mailed it. And another 16 calendar days for them to complete the investigation AND mail the paperwork to the Class III Dealer.
The squirrels are not going to like this!!
yeah Jeff, i had a quick transfer too, right after the move to WV. it was nice while it lasted…
Carlos, be sure to post a pic when you get your freezer full of squirrel meat!
Sad thing is that I’m getting ready to have to endure another waiting period when I submit another form for an SBS.
The NFA branch has gotten incredibly efficient at stamp approval and processing times. they managed to reduce the time to process significantly in the last couple of years despite doubling thier requests for stamps to about 450,000.
Problem lies in the fact that since november those requests have gone up to 950,000+.
Doesnt seem like a stretch that they are probably working balls out getting these things thru processing. I’d say give em some slack, these are the folks at ATF who are the good guys.
The funny thing is I think this confirms they do these in bunches. To include you guys a friend of mine and I both got approvals in the mail today.
Matt
I seem to remember someone at the ATF telling me that they mail the approved forms out in batches but the actual investigations occur based on a queue system.
BTW, here is the time table for my Form 4:
10/07/08 Suppressor ordered.
12/08/08 Suppressor arrived from YHM.
12/11/08 Mailed Form 4 to ATF.
12/17/08 Check to ATF cleared.
02/11/09 Went Pending.
02/23/09 Form 4 Approved.
02/27/09 Approved Form 4 arrived at Class III Dealer.
Many times, the delay is in the processing of the fingerprint cards. Will all the new federal ID requirements that have been coming online in the last year, FP card processing times have gone up. That said, even transfers that don’t require FP cards (dealer to dealer, corporate, trust, etc.) have increased in time.
What’s really stupid is dealer to dealer transfers taking months. That’s a process that should take 15 minutes, tops.
My last Form 1 went pending in 6 weeks, and was returned to me (approved) in exactly 11 weeks.
My current Form 1 was sent on 12/11, and is still not even pending!
Very frustrating!
How do you find out if it’s “Pending?” Or how do you discover the status of a Form 1 or 4 period?
Just curious, as I sent my first ever batch of Form 1’s (2) and a Form 4 to BATFE on 02/06/2009. They were received by BATFE on 02/09/2009, and all three checks were cashed by them on 02/17/2009.
However since the checks were cashed I’ve no idea what’s going on with them. How do I find out (regardless I KNOW I have a month or two or three to wait still, I just would like to know how exactly to follow up on them)??
-Paul
You call them - 304-616-4500. NFA Branch in Martinsburg, WV. You’ll need the serial numbers of the items. Tell the person who answers the phone that you want to check on the status of a transfer or application.
However, give it at least 6 weeks from the time the check is cashed until you call for the first time. Then, don’t check more often than every 3-4 weeks - you’ll just piss 'em off.
After three weeks, I still haven’t seen my check cashed for a Form 4. Is that normal, or should I be calling? The Form 4 is for an SBR and was mailed on 2/11/09.
It’s toward the ling end of normal. I’d give it another week and if it’s not cashed by then, I’d call.