machine gun Mike Posted November 11 Report Share Posted November 11 Does anyone have an advice on buying a machine gun from an individual? I have no reason to believe they are not real but with all the scams out there I want to try and midagate risks. Any advice on transferring money also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog7580 Posted November 11 Report Share Posted November 11 The silence pretty much sums it up. There's no 100% way. Once your money is sent, wired or check is cashed it is gone. You may be able to find a third party to hold the money, like a local attorney or FFL/SOT, until it is approved, transfered and tested. Some FFL's may do this for a fee. There may be some Sturm FFL's who would be willing??? Fly or drive to look at the firearm. Ask for all previous Form 4's if available. I've purchased from out of state individual sellers (non FFL SOT). I had them transfer it to their local FFL/SOT, then I flew there to inspect and paid the seller. This costs me about $500 bucks for round trip plane ticket, rental car and the seller's FFL transfer cost, but it is cheap insurance considering possibly getting scammed out of tens-of-thousands, and I enjoyed the trip. I also pull state property tax records off of the State sites, make sure the address is actually the person, google street view helps. I've ended a couple of deals because it just didn't look correct. You can put together a huge amount of information just from property tax sites. Other scams include the individual who is selling the item will ask you to make payment to another person. I've had a couple of these, at which point I ended the deal. I've had several who sent me hacked pictures of an item, only to find the pictures on the web hacked from someone elses website. Look on the different sites and forums, see if there's any info out there on your seller. References...... I'm sure there are a bunch of people on this site who can add to this list of do's and don'ts. I have not been scammed, I've probably called off some legit deals, that's the way it goes. When in doubt, don't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
United Surplus Arms Posted November 11 Report Share Posted November 11 (edited) video chat/facetime the seller, so you can see (live) the following: the seller, the Form 4, the machine gun, and their driver's license only send payment by certified check and send it signature required. only send it to the address on the Form 4, and only make it out to the name on the form 4, and make sure it matches the driver license info agree about checking google maps, tax records, google, etc to verify what you have been told. Edited November 11 by United Surplus Arms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Labanaktis Posted November 11 Report Share Posted November 11 When selling I offer to do a video chat. I have no issues making a buyer feel comfortable. I expect the same. When your above board it’s pretty easy to do just that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Zeek Posted November 11 Report Share Posted November 11 Fly out to meet in person & inspect the gun - or if you know someone in the seller's area who is willing to go inspect it for you. Complete the form 4 with the seller, get his signature, and YOU mail them in. Take payment with you in the form of cashiers check, or be prepared to go to a local branch of your bank to do a wire transfer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duza9999 Posted November 11 Report Share Posted November 11 (edited) 4 hours ago, Maddog7580 said: The silence pretty much sums it up. There's no 100% way. Once your money is sent, wired or check is cashed it is gone. You may be able to find a third party to hold the money, like a local attorney or FFL/SOT, until it is approved, transfered and tested. Some FFL's may do this for a fee. There may be some Sturm FFL's who would be willing??? Fly or drive to look at the firearm. Ask for all previous Form 4's if available. I've purchased from out of state individual sellers (non FFL SOT). I had them transfer it to their local FFL/SOT, then I flew there to inspect and paid the seller. This costs me about $500 bucks for round trip plane ticket, rental car and the seller's FFL transfer cost, but it is cheap insurance considering possibly getting scammed out of tens-of-thousands, and I enjoyed the trip. I also pull state property tax records off of the State sites, make sure the address is actually the person, google street view helps. I've ended a couple of deals because it just didn't look correct. You can put together a huge amount of information just from property tax sites. Other scams include the individual who is selling the item will ask you to make payment to another person. I've had a couple of these, at which point I ended the deal. I've had several who sent me hacked pictures of an item, only to find the pictures on the web hacked from someone elses website. Look on the different sites and forums, see if there's any info out there on your seller. References...... I'm sure there are a bunch of people on this site who can add to this list of do's and don'ts. I have not been scammed, I've probably called off some legit deals, that's the way it goes. When in doubt, don't do it. This^ Also it takes years to build a positive reputation but you can throw it away in very short order. (Pardon my wall of text below, it’s mostly me venting and saying this for the first time publicly, it’s not necessary to read/helpful to answer your question. It’s more of story time of myself getting burned.) I had done business with another dealer on here (and who was also well known on Uzi talk) selling MG’s to him three times and buying from him once. We texted each other multiple times a week, played iMessage games together, I sent my transferable Sten to him to be rebuilt (and he did a great job), and I even met him once in person to pickup the Uzi I bought from him. Flashing forward a year and a half of year of knowing him, in 2023 I was in the market for a premay sample mg34, and he had a guy who allegedly owed him 6500, so we worked out a three way deal where I would sell my “friend” a premay sample Mp5 for 12k, I’d buy the 34 with accessories for 10k, and in turn my “friend” would forgive the 6,500 in debt to the seller. And if for whatever reason the deal didn’t go forward, my “friend” would owe me 2,500 for a total 14,500. (Eventually we ended up editing that down to 1,000 owed because he rebuilt my sten, had it refinished on his dime, and honestly did a really good job). But the third party was basically a ghost, I only ever received one photo of the gun, I was never given his FFL/SOT, I couldn’t find any record of an FFL being linked to an individual in that area, Hell I couldn’t find anyone with his alleged name in that area with tax records, truepeoplesearch ect. The phone number I had was a voip line with no name linked to it. Honestly it was sketchy as fuck, but my “friend” vouched for him, and because it required no money from me until the 34 was approved, I went for it, and the three of us signed an agreement in ink.. It allegedly was coming in on a paper form 4 ( back when they were taking 6 to 9 months) from a retired dealer, and trusting my “friend’s” word to trust the seller, I was extraordinarily patient, I didn’t get concerned until about 8-9 months in. I ended up waiting over a year before I resigned myself that it was likely vaporware, and bought a 34 elsewhere (while holding out some hope in the back of my heart), needless to say, it never materialized. The “seller” last January after 15 months texts me out of the blue that it had been approved and that he needed 10,000 wired the next day. By this point, I wasn’t buying anything that was claimed without verification and said we’d “talk tomorrow”, he called mid day and I missed it, upon which he blew up at me and had the gall to claim I blew him off to buy another MG34, (which while I had bought a different 34 a month prior, I would’ve bought his as well, and how he found out about my purchase I’m rather suspect of). The last contact I have from him is January 30th “Got your voicemail. We are driving to Memphis. I'll give you a call in a day or so.”. After a few months of trying to get in touch, my “friend” says the seller’s wife and the wife’s sister died in a car accident. I’m very suspicious at the coincidence but wanting to give the seller more rope to hang himself with should I ever blast him online, I give him my condolences and don’t reach out for another 6 months. In the meanwhile, I can find no obituary for a woman with the seller’s last name in the given state and given alleged period of death. In the meanwhile my “friend’s” wife allegedly becomes critical sick, and again being suspicious but not wanting to be that guy in the very off chance that it’s true, I root for her, and say “take as much time as you need.” In the meanwhile I buy two MG’s from two very big dealer’s and talk about my predicament and it turns out my “friend” according to them owed them both money on two unpaid 6+ months old invoices of guns he said “I’ll take it”, and in one case allegedly did some particularly shady shit that likely would get the relative involved who works for the judicial system in the state sanctioned or potentially even fired. In the meanwhile my “friend” doesn’t talk to me anymore and still owes me a 1,000 dollars. And ironically his wife just received a 5 year of employment award with some other people, she was standing up smiling so she must be doing better from her second “stroke” back in late May truly a miraculous recovery! Edited November 11 by duza9999 Fixed some typos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gqllc07 Posted November 16 Report Share Posted November 16 I had a similar issue back in the day...I think it was around 2002. I bought a MP5 (I fondled it and checked it out in person) from a local dealer paper form 4 and waited a year and a half. I had done multiple transactions with him. I called the ATF and they said they have no paperwork what so ever on this transaction. I went to the store to see the MP5 and it was gone. He sold it to someone else. I contacted my attorney and we ended up getting a Colt M16 A1 HBAR in new condition that he had in stock. It took only 3 weeks for that paper form to clear...not sure how that happened. Any way fast forward to 2009 and here is where he is at.....so buyer beware...I got burned by a LGS with brick and mortar store MANATEE — It has the makings of a spy novel. A Bradenton weapons dealer thought he was meeting with a minister of defense from Africa at a luxury hotel in Miami and later at a Washington, D.C., restaurant as he negotiated a $15 million deal to outfit the presidential guard, according to a federal indictment released last week from the Department of Justice. It turns out he wasn’t meeting with a defense minister. Instead, an undercover FBI special agent played the role, negotiating weapons deals with 40-year-old Andrew Bigelow and 21 other business executives who are accused of bribing overseas officials to win an overseas weapons contract. The operation, say federal authorities, is the largest investigation dealing with foreign corporate bribery and the first extensive undercover operation enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Bigelow is listed as a managing partner and director of government programs for a Sarasota company that sells machine guns, grenade launchers and other small arms and accessories, according to a released statement. State records show Bigelow as a manager of Sarasota-based Defense Logistics International, 2270 72nd Ave. E., and managing member for Bradenton-based The Gun Search.Com LLC, which is listed as the owner for Heavy Metal Armory, 4235 14th St. W. Read more at: https://www.bradenton.com/latest-news/article34479402.html#storylink=cpy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank I Posted November 17 Report Share Posted November 17 On 11/11/2025 at 8:20 AM, machine gun Mike said: Does anyone have an advice on buying a machine gun from an individual? I have no reason to believe they are not real but with all the scams out there I want to try and midagate risks. Any advice on transferring money also. If buying from Strum only initially communicate through PM. There was an ad for a PreMay Sten, I posted "I'll take it" I soon got a phone call telling me where to send the money. The guy on the phone said add $200.00 for transfer tax. I asked if he was an SOT he said yes, so I asked why $200 transfer tax. I asked for a copy of his SOT license, he didn't know what that was. His area code was in NC, but the ad for the gun said Ohio. I PMed the REAL owner and he said he never called. His e-mail address was similar to the real owner except the letter Ls in LLC where number 1s. I don't know how the scammer got my phone # so fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy H Posted November 17 Report Share Posted November 17 it’s best NOT to post a reply …. “ I’ll take it “ ……. https://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/31479-scam-warning-…-do-not-post-your-email-address-or-phone-numbers-also-…-mimicking-real-user-names-…-do-not-reply-“-i’ll-take-it-“…-sellers-…-you-message-buyers-…-do-not-ask-them-to-message-you/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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