British boys wwii at rifle

[inimicus]

I'm planning to buy a 'boys' .55cal at rifle (atf transfer w/original bbl.)

it's complete, condition is excellent, as-bought around 1970.

I hear the value these days with the original muzzle brake (the rectangular one w/holes on the side - not 'the onion'), an addl. Mag and three rounds is about $2800-$3200. Sound right?

Also, in some states this is not a cl. Iii dealer-to-dealer piece - b/c it's a bolt-action rifle not an auto weapon or suppressor - tho still needs the $200 tax.

Anyone know which states put in the cl.iii dealer category - or have any other thoughts?

Thanks a lot.

[herd118]

The Boys .55 is a 'destructive device' per the National Firearms Act (NFA), due to the caliber that is over .50.

[inimicus]

you are correct, sir. sorry for the misprint I of course meant 'class III.' thanks.

The Boys .55 is a 'destructive device' per the National Firearms Act (NFA), due to the caliber that is over .50.

[tracman]

If the Boyes AT rifle is in its original .55 caliber, it is considered a Class III destructive device by US Federal law and requires relevant BATFE registration, as well as local registration in some states. If you are truly a Washington DC resident, believe you are out of luck: it won't allow possession of Class III weapons at this time. Consider looking at the subguns.com website and its associated links for information on states that allow Class III ownership (for example, Virginia and Maryland do, but with state registration stipulations).

Many Boyes were rebarreled to .50 caliber (namely to the Browning round) simply to circumvent this stricture. They are not considered destructive devices if in that caliber and thus can be bought or sold as any other rifle, provided there aren't state/local restrictions on ownership of rifles in that caliber. Suggest you spend the time to research this from a legal standpoint and consider obtaining expert advice: if you are an NRA member, it should be able to steer you the right way. I strongly advise anyone looking at getting into Class III ownership to obtain expert advice, as the legal consequences for non-adherence to US Federal and State laws are extremely consequential.

Current prices for a Boyes are between $2500-$4000, depending on condition. There does not appear to be much of a depreciation for having one in the .50 Browning modified configuration, possibly because the .55 round is only available at this time by custom builders.

[inimicus]

thanks tracman for all the input - conforms with other data. and no I'm not in WASH DC but few know my town in the suburbs.

are the AP rounds worth much?

again, I appreciate your words.

[tracman]

Thanks for your kind words. Unless I'm mistaken (and another reason to seek expert advice), the destructive device nomenclature applies not just to the weapon, but to each and every round it fires, as BATFE considers the weapon as a destructive device, as well as its ordnance. That would mean that every round, irrespective of cost, would also be subject to a Federal transfer tax: I have no idea how state legislation would apply, nor do I know whether blank rounds are treated as live rounds. I'd be grateful if anyone could confirm/address these points: some of this should be verifiable on the BATFE website, as well as State Police websites (I'll assume you're either in MD or VA) regarding state legislation. Again, be very mindful that ignorance of the laws in question are not considered excuses, so make sure you seek definitive, expert opinion on this matter before proceeding.

.50 caliber BMG rounds can be found with an AP projectile: these are usually military surplus rounds, as the rounds have a very limited market. Basic FMJ rounds aren't cheap to begin with for this caliber. I would be very careful about considering firing WW2-dated rounds, as 60 plus years of storage may have impacted their stability, and thus can't really comment about the availability of .55 Boys AT rounds. It was my understanding a while back that some custom makers might manufacture them: perhaps a search using terms such as "custom bullet manufacture" might lead to some leads.

Please keep us advised of your pursuit of this matter. The Boys is a rather odd weapon that didn't have much of a service life, but in today's world of interest in heavy rifles in .50BMG, it certainly stands out as a sort of precurssor, and I'll wager it's a very cool piece to own.

[sstuart13]

Boys Anti-Tank

The Boys Anti-Tank in .55 cal is an NFA firearm like mentioned before. But, it is also a C&R NFA firearm (http://www.atf.gov/firearms/curios/1...7/section4.pdf) meaning if you have a C&R Lic. you can do a direct transfer from a dealer to yourself on an approved ATF Form 4. If not you will have to have a dealer transfer the weapon locally to you. The problem is (and I have not researched this) are there any Class III/Title II dealers in the state that you live in with the additional fee paid as DD dealers? Because there are not many in the US, examples of DD dealers are Kent Lomont and Ohio Ordnance. ATF can allow a class III dealer do a limited amount of DD transfers a year without this additional fee. But, I would not hold my breath.

Read: (http://www.atf.gov/firearms/nfa/about.htm)

I also agree you need to get on subguns.com board and start reading. I also suggest you subscribe to Small Arms Review (which is the magazine for Title II owners and collectors).

Boys Ammo is not considered a DD either. The amount of Exp inside causes it to be considered a DD. But, you need to check your local laws on AP, APIT, API, APT for compliance. Owning live DD's are fun I own a lot. But, all laws must be covered. 10 years in Federal pen is not fun for screwing up.