The saga of a missing PPSH41... 41 days in limbo!

[Rekraps]

So I bought another Russian PPSH-41. 1944 Amnesty gun, all numbers matching (most of you now know that is my thing), Korean war bring back. 80% gun, very nice with matching mfg drum. Good so far. Confirmed seller was real, used a FFL/SOT to arrange transfer to my local FFL, then the gun was shipped USPS registered mail and insured for the sale value. 

Things went just fine for four days or so then.... POOF! Gone. No updates, no tracking, nuttin honey. 

Waited a few weeks to see if maybe the USPS person who last signed for the gun was still on break but crickets. Launched a tracking inquiry.... zippo. Forty-one days later we (the FFL shipper and myself) decided that this was total BS. We filed an ATF missing NFA item report, called the FBI (also) and basically raised hell. 

Within just a few days, as if by magic, the package was located. Unopened, as shipped. It was then delivered to my FFL where I inspected it today. 

The shame would have been the loss of an irreplaceable piece of history. 

Moral of the story: USPS registered mail works great.. until it doesn't. 

[StrangeRanger]

USPS registered mail is a complete joke and your story is a very, very common one.

Next time save money and send it priority.  That doesn't rely on human beings to sign for it every step of the way. 

 

 

 

 

everything gets scanned and tracked electronically

[Got Uzi]

“Your item is not missing, it’s in the system and hasn’t been scanned yet, Registered is our most secure method of shipping an item” that’s the bull$hit line I was fed a week ago when I was trying to locate a “missing” SMG as it hadn’t seen a scan in 7 days. What was funny is the day I call and ask WTF is going on-it gets a scan….4 days later with nothing I call again and holy $hit….it gets scanned in at a different location!! Took TWO WEEKS for it to arrive when I’d told the sender to ship it USPS next day or second day but he didn’t want to do that as that’s not how “he did it” and he was trying to “save me money” as the second day shipping was $214 compared to the Registered being $92….he was also upset that he couldn’t insure it for the full value with the express option….let’s just say the shipping was a sour note and then when the gun showed up it got even worse….I’m waiting on my refund as the SMG in question is going back. 

[Rekraps]

16 hours ago, Got Uzi said:

“Your item is not missing, it’s in the system and hasn’t been scanned yet, Registered is our most secure method of shipping an item” that’s the bull$hit line I was fed a week ago when I was trying to locate a “missing” SMG as it hadn’t seen a scan in 7 days. What was funny is the day I call and ask WTF is going on-it gets a scan….4 days later with nothing I call again and holy $hit….it gets scanned in at a different location!! Took TWO WEEKS for it to arrive when I’d told the sender to ship it USPS next day or second day but he didn’t want to do that as that’s not how “he did it” and he was trying to “save me money” as the second day shipping was $214 compared to the Registered being $92….he was also upset that he couldn’t insure it for the full value with the express option….let’s just say the shipping was a sour note and then when the gun showed up it got even worse….I’m waiting on my refund as the SMG in question is going back. 

Was the gun a dud? Worse than expected?

[Got Uzi]

I won’t get into it until the refund is fully in hand and it is transferred back to the “seller”

[johnsonlmg41]

Did you send the gun back registered mail?  LOL

[Got Uzi]

Planning on it!!

[Rekraps]

I'll post pics next time I'm at the FFL. Nice gun.

[Rekraps]

A reminder to everyone... if you report a gun "lost" or "stolen" then the ATF removes the SN from the registry to prevent unauthorized use or possession of the gun by anyone other than the original owner. 

Now, if you find the gun, NOTIFY the ATF or they will keep the SN out of the registry!

[johnsonlmg41]

That has not been my experience when one of mine was on the "list".  It goes on the list, they make NO attempt to recover anything.  It just sits on the list, until some other LE agency might randomly call and inquire?  In my case the gun was being shipped and I sent them to the last known place to look for it (at a USPS warehouse) where they asked a postal inspector to find it.  Lo and behold a couple weeks later it was miraculously found in the warehouse?  The postal inspector called atf and they went and picked it up, and a few weeks later sent it fedex.  LOL.  A week after that I got a call from atf "lost and found"  following up that I got it back and they would remove it from the list.....of stuff they don't go look for.....unless you raise a stink about it and tell them where it is.  Even then, they were not all that interested in starting a case and encouraged me to deal with the PO directly, however it was 1000 mi away.

None of the process involves NFA branch AFAIK or was told?  According to the lady at lost and found......a gun is a gun, they didn't care if it was a MG or not.  A friend reported a cartel transaction on GB and they had no interest in following up on that either?  Don't call today....they had a "rain" day LOL.

[Rekraps]

I think I lean toward your perspective in that although the ATF and FBI will put a person in jail for NFA violations, that's because it's easy. Give them a lost gun or something like that and they just don't care. I guess from their perspective there is no real threat... its just a single or several guns, certainly not going to overthrow the Government with that. 

To me though, it's personal. My money, my collection and my stuff.

[Rekraps]

Here it is! I shipped it up to Andrewski last week for a once over.

I have the original Amnesty paperwork.