Rescuing my dad's Colt 1911...

[Erik E]

[emmortal]

I can't answer the location question in regards to her being in a different state, but only your mother would be eligible to send the guns to you. She needs to write a letter stating they are gifts with the make and model when they are sent to the FFL here. You'll need to find an FFL in whatever state the guns are being sent from that will work with you and one here that will accept Intrafamilial transfers (some FFL's don't know what the **** they're doing so you'll have to hunt around).

Finding FFL's to work with you will be the hardest part of this I think, everything else seems straightforward.

[redcliff]

Too bad your father didnt give you the firearms prior to 1991 as no paperwork or FFL was required then for face to face transfer among CA residents and there is no requirement to register them.

Depending upon the age of the firearm they may be C&R eligible and roster exempt.

[003]

First thing to do is check on how old the gun is. If it was manufactured over 50 years ago, (7-29-1970) it is classified as a C&R roster exempt pistol.

You listed the pistol as a 1911. Is it in fact a 1911 or a 1911A1? Big difference on age and when it was made.

If it is roster exempt, have it shipped to a California FFL to be transferred to you.

[Oceanbob]

ROAD TRIP...!

[dmo171]

You better go get those mfers!!!!

[Erik E]

Thanks for the replies....much appreciated. Mf'd in 1979. Not a relic...never expected it would be. I think the ol' man got it 1983 or 84. Didn't buy from a dealer though....wonder if that's a snag.....
Colt's Mk IV / Series 70 Gold Cup National Match. If that's a 1911A1 rather than a 1911, my error. Either way it ain't on the CA Roster as far as I can tell....

[Colt]

[SkyHawk]

what is your location?

That Nat Match should be C&R which means it is roster exempt. With your location we might be able to refer you to a FFL to process it for you.

[G-forceJunkie]

This is a pretty simple process, don't make it harder by by including or telling any FFL all the details. Your mom is the legal owner and she wants to gift you some firearms. You need to find an FFL in California that is willing to recieve them and do the transfer. Expect to pay $75-100 each on top of the DROS fees for this. Some California FFL's will only recieve guns from other FFLs. Some don't care if you mom ships it directly. Make sure mom (or the FFL on the east coast you find that ships it for your mom) ship it in a legal way, typically for handguns that means shipping overnight, obtain a California Firearms Shipment Approval number, etc. You will need to obtain a Firearms Saftey Certificate before the CA FLL can transfer the guns to you (after the background check and waiting period.)

[SkyHawk]

For everyone saying 'your mom': OP referred to her as his father's wife, not his mom. Going out on a limb, but my guess is that is not his blood mother. That means she cannot give him off roster guns, and they will need to be on roster or roster exempt. And that means it doesn't matter who is sending them.

[Erik E]

To everyone who's replied on this thread....genuinely appreciate your efforts and your insight.

Going down the list...

~ S/N does not contain NM. It does contain N. When I plugged the S/N in on the Colt website, that site showed that the gun was mf'd in 1979. No other info came up. "Gold Cup National Match" is stamped on the left side of the slide underneath "Colt's Mk IV / Series 70".

~ I'm in Pacific Palisades. Planning to stop by an FFL or two in Simi based on a referral from an associate. Open to other referrals. I've heard FFLs outside LA County might be easier to deal with for transfers. Ventura County would then be the closest as the crow flies....hence Simi.

~ To clarify how ma fits in....she's my father's ex wife and lives in a different state than he did. They were still married when he bought the Colt. My father's wife who had the guns removed from the house is not my mother...and therefore cannot participate in a transfer as I understand it.

So what it's looking like is that the best chance I have to transfer my dear ol' dad's non-roster pistol is to have my mother participate.

Since I started researching all this, I was under the impression that a handgun delivered to a CA FFL MUST originate from another FFL. Perhaps I'm mistaken? I guess one of the next steps is to figure out if there's a legal requirement that SHE deliver the gun in person to the FFL who ships it to CA. If that doesn't need to be done in person, then I think we may be in the clear to get the ball rolling. In that case, guessing a letter of intent accompanying the gun would suffice...notorized perhaps?

If I manage to succeed in getting this handgun delivered to a FFL here willing to do the transfer, that's the first hurdle in the rescue. The last time I saw the ol' man's Colt, it was immaculate. That was probably 1992 or 93. Don't know what's happened since then, but it ain't immaculate anymore. From the photos I've seen, I'm looking at getting it reblued. So any recommendations for that will also be appreciated.

Thanks again to everyone who's taken the time to help out here.

[ysr_racer]

Christ, are you insane? Why would you put all of that in writing?

Maybe you shouldn't own any guns.

[QuinnBayArea]

You have a source?

[harbormaster]

my thought

ID-care if it was Maine that would be my thought.

ROAD TRIP...!