Buying Rifle ammo that will work in Pistols

Nighthawk

Does anyone know what the fine line in buying 44 mag ammo for a rifle which was the original chambering,and being under 18.The same aapply's to .22 Rimfire ammo? and several pistol cartridges that were chambered in a rifle and a handgun?Then is the encore classified as a Pistol?I was asked by a relative,I told him to call Walmart as they pride themselves in being Politically correct.They didnt tell anything we didnt already know?

Thanks in Advance

Rugster


Toujours Pret

Iconoclast

Historically, the .44 Magnum was first chambered in a handgun.

Interpretation probably has changed since I had my FFL, but back in the Dark Ages, anything that could be used in any handgun became "pistol" ammo for purposes of the original GCA68 regs. God, but I hated Thompson Center when we had to track all the ammo sales!

idsman75

I don't think that federal law dictates that you have to be 21 to buy "hand gun ammunition". Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I've never lived in a state where this was an issue either. What you are dealing with is Wal Mart's corporate policy. I've bought tons of ammo from Wal Mart. I bought a few boxes of .22 LR from Wal Mart last weekend. They asked me at the cash register if it is for a pistol or a rifle. I told them it was for a pistol and I am 28. I could have lied and it wouldn't have made a difference. I did the same thing when I was 20. Wal Mart asked me if the .22 ammo was for a rifle or a pistol and I told them it was for a pistol. They wouldn't sell it to me. Unless your state law holds sway with this issue, go down to Wal Mart and attempt to purchase a box of whatever ammo you want and tell them it is for a rifle. Even if you are lying you aren't breaking a law. If you commit a crime with your firearm and they go back to the source of the ammo purchase, Wal Mart has their base covered since you told them it was for a rifle and not a pistol. Don't sweat it if your state laws do not apply.

Ronald J. Snow

Under FEDERAL LAW purchasers must be 21 to buy handguns OR handgun ammunition. If you can satisfy me that you are in fact using ammunition that can be fired in a handgun in your rifle I can legally sell you that ammunition. However, don't walk into my shop with your revolver on and expect to buy ammo for your rifle that just happens to be the same caliber as your handgun. It is too bad that the laws cannot be more shooter friendly. Just today I have had three young men, (16 & 17), who had been crow hunting, stop in to purchase 12 gauge shotshells. No can do as they are not yet 18; however, they have hunting licenses and are allowed to hunt but not purchase ammo for the shotguns they are using. Further, they are all licensed to drive automobiles and pilot a vehicle down the road and they had to pass a hunter safety course to obtain a hunting license.



Edited by - Ronald J. Snow on 09/07/2002 17:34:54

sandman2234

I guess .357 ammo isn't a handgun ammo since it was originally for a rifle... I have an old, old remington rolling block that came in .357, and it took me forever to find the original reloading information for it. Most of those loads will blow a handgun to pieces...

Have Gun, will travel

idsman75

Thank you for correcting me. I guess it's not something that I've ever had to deal with.

thunderbolt

The .357 magnum was introduced as a revolver cartridge in 1935. The
rifle chamberings came later.

Judge Dread

Just for the fun of it once we made a 12g 6 ctg cylinder revolver with a 12 inch b the thing never got any atention at all,,,

(I am glad it did not) ......


JD

400 million cows can't be wrong ( EAT GRASS !!! )

SUBMARINER

when i buy 22lr ammo they ask me if its for a rifle or pistol.i tell'em rifle but it dont make no difference unless yopur not 18.i thing the national law is 18.anything different may be a wal-mart policy

SUBMARINE SAILOR,TRUCK DRIVER,RUSTY WALLACE FAN AND AS EVERYONE SO OFTEN POINTS OUT PISS POOR TYPIST e-mail:WNUNLEY@USIT.NET

Ronald J. Snow

SUBMARINER; as I mentioned earlier, 21 for handgun ammo and it does make a difference on the Federal level, it is not a Wal-Mart policy. In the Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide, page 139, in the Questions and Answers Section, "(F7) May a licensee sell interchangeable ammunition such as .22 cal. rimfire to a person less than 21 years old? Yes, provided the buyer is 18 years of age or older, and the dealer is satisfied that it is for use in a rifle. If the ammunition is intended for use in a handgun, the 21 year old minimum age requirement is applicable.". Now let me point out one other thing that is odd to me as a FFL holder. We have all sorts of stores that sell ammunition but do not sell firearms therefore they operate without a FFL. Who regulates them and informs them of the age requirements?



Edited by - Ronald J. Snow on 09/08/2002 08:47:27

Iconoclast

RJS - while the requirement of having a FFL to sell ammo was dropped sometime (1980s?) after the original GCA68, it doesn't remove the obligation to obey the law. It is a cardinal principle that "ignorance of the law is not a defense." The non-FFL sellers must abide by the same restrictions as the licensees.

Nighthawk

Thanks for all the info.Iconoclast,thank you for informing me the 44 mag came out as a Pistol caliber.Learn something every day.You dont happen to know what year it was introduced do you?

Best!!!

Rugster


Toujours Pret

tccox

My "cartridges of the world" says that it was introduced in 1955 and much of the developement was credited to Elmer Keith. It has been used to take down Alaskan bown bears. It is similar to the 30-30 in stopping power. Tom

Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who dont.

mark christian

Iconcoclast is right on the money. Back before 1986 only FFL holders were allowed to have loaded ammunition or components (the bullets, primers, or powder, or PRIMED brass) shipped to them. There was also a special catagory of collectable cartridges in the Curio and Relics list so that C&R holders could ship these cartridges back and forth.
On the dealer level we all had to have an ammunition "bound Book" so that we could log our ammo sales wth name, address, age, drivers license number, the whole nine yards. What a nightmare. Every poor guy who wanted to buy a box of 30-30 had to get the full treatment.
When I worked for my old boss at his busy store we had hundreds of these book and my first job in the store was to keep the ammo sales straight. These books were inspected by the BATF just like the firearms "bound books". Back in the Carter days the BATF was just looking for a mistake so they could charge everyone with felonies and shut the place down for weeks or months to sort it all out.
When the Firearms Owners Protection Act (commonly called McLure-Volkmer) was being debated an ATF offical was asked point blank by Rep. Volkmer how many crimes had been solved since ammunition record keeping was begun in 1968? His answer was NONE! Not one crime solved after over 15 years of paperwork! Think of the trees that could have been saved...and used for my new patio deck.
The age requierments for ammunition sales were not removed but the record keeping process was. This is one of those interesting situations where you have to obey a law which realy has no way to be enforced, at least on the Federal level. There are plenty of local jurisdictions that have their own ammo sales regulations and the local police or sheriff will check up on whats going on. Most chain stores want to cover there butts so they simply look at whatever the most extreme regualtion is and follow that. Walmart and I are both in the firearms business, but I can promise you that your lawyer's trumpted-up lawsuit will get a lot more money out of "Wally" then you'll ever get out of me!



"Trust me, I know what I'm doing"

Mark T. Christian