Any advice on how to safely buy a gun from a private seller in the UK. I am in the US

[BabySherman]

I am looking to buy an HW100 and theres a bunch of good deals on them in the UK. I never bought anything from the UK from a private seller.
Any advice on how to safely make a purchase from a private party is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[woogie_man]

Hardest part will be finding someone that will export it out of the country. Not many places will sadly

 

[abqjoe]

I've never purchased any air rifles from across the pond but I have purchased many custom knives from all over Europe without any real problems. The big thing is going to be knowing the export laws because you don't want your purchase being seized by customs and you don't want anyone getting in trouble.

 

[landshark]

In the UK air guns are considered as firearms so it is illegal for stores to ship directly to a buyer domestically or internationally, but private citizens can. As to how can you be sure about the transaction, just like any private sale there is always a risk. Why not buy the long barrel version from AOA, it will have a warranty, be unused and you know it will arrive for sure. As I said I like mine, but one of the reason they may be hard to get is maybe they did not sell well here because the many fans of Weihrauch still prefer the look and feel of a more traditional rifle

 

[mb94952]

I know when we sell bass guitars around the world on Talkbass forum, we network and daisy chain the bass to the new owner. I know a bass is not an airgun, but you get the idea. Maybe someone in the UK is willing to help you for a small fee or a future favor. Just throwing spitballs at the wall...

 

[A.G.R]

If they’re was a way to do it ,legally I would be buying some right now.. as far as I know they Uk will not ship full air rifles.. parts yes .. complete guns nope .. I would love to be wrong and tell me where do I can buy from the Uk

 

[RM100GUY]

I know of an individual who had a Theoben SLR88 shipped from the UK to US, I talked to him extensively about the process...took him a year and a self described nightmare of hassles...than after it arrived the compression tube was gaulded inside...his advice was don't do it...never discussed how much the process cost.

 

[ohiochuck]

With the current political situation here, it might be best not to do it.
I have purchased several firearms from England over the years. I used a US importer to help export from England (UK) then get all necessary permits to import it into the US. Each time the cost was expensive.

 

[MileHighAirGunner]

Can you buy parts for the HW100 from AoA or the UK? Pretty sure I recall seeing a post somewhere about someone swapping the tubes with their HW100K and their HW44. Or maybe it was the HW110? I don’t know didn’t try searching for the post.
Maybe the barrels and cylinders are interchangeable between the HW100 and HW110? I don’t know that either.
My point is, if you could get parts for an HW100 maybe get the available longer version from AoA and change the barrels and cylinder if you need to. The cylinder might be the same on the standard and long so may not even need to change it. A new barrel might cost less than shipping and all the other fees to try and import a gun. Can’t imagine it would be that difficult to swap barrels on these guns but I don’t own these so I’m just spit balls an idea here. Those Weihrauch are good looking guns.
Good luck

 

[KWK]

You can get all the airgun parts you want from UK. Make sure to include an invoice that states they are airgun parts. Customs could have some commie zealots so be prepared for them. Knibbs states they can't ship airgun stocks but that's simply not true. They just don't want to IMO. Attempt to have private sellers use Royal Mail International Standard Post. Much cheaper. I don't care about tracking or insurance because I never had any problems. I tell them I will accept full responsibility. Sometimes life's a gamble.

 

[BabySherman]

I have friends in the UK willing to go buy the gun from the private seller for me, however, i do not want them to get in trouble

In the UK air guns are considered as firearms so it is illegal for stores to ship directly to a buyer domestically or internationally, but private citizens can. As to how can you be sure about the transaction, just like any private sale there is always a risk. Why not buy the long barrel version from AOA, it will have a warranty, be unused and you know it will arrive for sure. As I said I like mine, but one of the reason they may be hard to get is maybe they did not sell well here because the many fans of Weihrauch still prefer the look and feel of a more traditional rifle

In the UK private sellers are selling the guns less than half the price new, and theres a dozen available.
The whole reason i wanted a bullpup, is for its compactness. The resale over in the UK on the longest version (the one aoa has) has a not so good resale value.
I just dont know why AOA cant bring in a few on their next order from Weihrauch.
I do have freinds in the UK willing to buy and send it off to me but i do not want to get them in trouble.

 

[landshark]

the long barrel version is a FAC gun, so it not as popular there as they require a special permit to own and use

 

[BabySherman]

With the current political situation here, it might be best not to do it.
I have purchased several firearms from England over the years. I used a US importer to help export from England (UK) then get all necessary permits to import it into the US. Each time the cost was expensive.

Would you have the US importers info? I am looking to buy from the UK. Thanks