[jjk308 In Memoriam RIP]

I never felt the small increase in price for an antique was worth the possible payout to fight the BATF at a later date.

Buit I like a good fight with a bureaucrat if its one they can't possibly win. Try it, it's fun!

You have to realize they must go with their own regulations. The antique status and the firearm is the receiver rules were set down by the ATF in their own regulations and they MUST abide by them. This isn't one of those gray areas or one they've avoided addressing and defining for fear it'll break down their cozy bureaucratic empire like the Milsurp military firearm "original condition" rule. The 1898 date is set by Congress and they ignore it at peril of a career destroying loss in court, not that it'd ever get that far.

 

[jjk308 In Memoriam RIP]

And I've had zero problems buying antique rifles from gunshops including a bunch of M39s. The dealer didn't realize they were antiques until I took the stocks off and showed him the tang markings. All he had to do is note the receiver date, that they were antiques and therefore stuck from the book, and then ignored the usual paperwork BS.

If you are a dealer please concentrate on keeping your books matching your inventory and don't invent new regulations to waste your time. As a former federal bureaucrat I can assure you that meeting requirements that exist only in your imagination does not get you any points or any forgiveness for any real violations. Just do exactly what the regulations and rulings ask, no more no less.