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Is prime ammo available to Canadian customers?

I'm in the Montreal area.
I wrote to Prime this month and they confirm they don't sell nor do they have resellers in Canada....

Too bad.....They have really nice ammo !!

Its also too complicated to drive to The States and cross the border back with ammo. Insane paperwork needed.....Not worth it.

RCMP website say it can be done but it's pages after pages......
 
Another problem comes to mind.....
The US vendor needs an export permit too....

Since Prime does not sell in Canada, its safe to assume they did not apply for an export permit.
Now it becomes illegal for you to bring some in......even if you got all the paperwork done on your side.
 
I'm in the Montreal area.
I wrote to Prime this month and they confirm they don't sell nor do they have resellers in Canada....

Too bad.....They have really nice ammo !!

Its also too complicated to drive to The States and cross the border back with ammo. Insane paperwork needed.....Not worth it.

RCMP website say it can be done but it's pages after pages......
I've done it plenty with out issues. I've lived south of the boarder for 5 years now so things may have changed but driving has always been easy and I think they dont blink till you hit 5k rounds.

3 or 4 years ago I took 600 rounds of shotgun for a batchelor party. That's as an American resident I brought that over.
 
I've done it plenty with out issues. I've lived south of the boarder for 5 years now so things may have changed but driving has always been easy and I think they dont blink till you hit 5k rounds.

3 or 4 years ago I took 600 rounds of shotgun for a batchelor party. That's as an American resident I brought that over.
Really ?
You had filled out the papers to allow you to import/bring ammo into Canada ?
Could you just order from the web and have it shipped to a friend in Vermont and then drive over and bring them in ?

5K rounds is still the limit but with better US prices than up here, even with the exchange, a box of 1 or 2K rounds would be well worth the trip

Sean the nailer has a valid point to. Perhaps it is only recently that the US State Dept prevents ammo from leaving the States ? Then firms like Federal, Hornady etc do ship to Canada....with an export license

I think its worth calling Canada customs and ask straight out.
I'll try them and let you know :p
 
I could be very wrong but doesn't prime use two different brass companies one marked with an American flag Peterson and an other that is Canadian ? not that it would help you wanting there ammo and boy it does shoot nice .
 
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Really ?
You had filled out the papers to allow you to import/bring ammo into Canada ?
Could you just order from the web and have it shipped to a friend in Vermont and then drive over and bring them in ?

5K rounds is still the limit but with better US prices than up here, even with the exchange, a box of 1 or 2K rounds would be well worth the trip

Sean the nailer has a valid point to. Perhaps it is only recently that the US State Dept prevents ammo from leaving the States ? Then firms like Federal, Hornady etc do ship to Canada....with an export license

I think its worth calling Canada customs and ask straight out.
I'll try them and let you know :p

Yeah I always call customs to check, but no paper work. They ask how much and say "welcome home" if its reloading supplies they've only ever asked about the bullets themselves.

You dont stop at the American customs when driving out so that's not really an issue and the canadians dont care or know the American side. That law isn't recent though.
 
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Yeah I always call customs to check, but no paper work. They ask how much and say "welcome home" if its reloading supplies they've only ever asked about the bullets themselves.

You dont stop at the American customs when driving out so that's not really an issue and the canadians dont care or know the American side. That law isn't recent though.
I'll make a point of calling Canada customs....
Don't want them to confiscate $1000 worth of ammo cuz of a missunderstanding

Really would like to get some Prime ammo even if its under a different name.....

Thanks for the info Jackomason !
 
Hi,

Just give it a little more time for the USML Sec 121, Category I, II and III transition from DDTC to Commerce to finalize and it will be much easier for you Canucks to get all sorts of firearm related shit.

Sincerely,
Theis

@THEIS, can you explain what will eactly be changing, to the best of your understanding? At present there is a fair bit of confusion as to what is happening from this side of the border. Especially since Brownells very recently stopped exporting bolt carrier groups for ARs.

Many thanks.
 
The issue is if the American customs car stops you before you get to the Canadian side. I have seen it a lot more lately that they are doing this. Up to you on what your risk tolerance is.
This has happened to me as well, a number of times. At the Neche crossing, as well as the Emerson/Pembina crossing. And no, not just 'me', they were pulling EVERYONE over and inspecting vehicles before getting close to the Canuckain Customs. To which they'd do it all-over-again. Whoohoo. Sure makes travelling/cross-border shopping fun.

NOT.

I'll also add that more than once I've brought back up to 1k live rounds, 1k bullets, and any number of other reloading supplies. Each and every time I've declared them, paid the duties, and there's been no issues. But they never know when someone is trying to smuggle the infra-red sights for a M1 Abrams tank across the border, for mounting onto their John Deere combine or something. That's also why ya'll have the Predator drone patrolling the northern border.

:)
 
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I've been reading up on different Canadian websites from RCMP and Canada Customs and they all say the same thing:

Up to 5000 rounds of non-restricted ammo is allowed for your non-restricted rifle as long as its not for resale. No special permit/paperwork needed....just your Canadian posession and acquisition licence (PAL).

I wrote to them asking if the US Dept of State is preventing American companies to ship to Canada unless they have an export licence

Then I asked what would happen if I bought some ammo on-line from a US company and had it shipped to a buddy in Vermont. I would then drive to Vermont...get my ammo....drive back to Canada the same day and declare my purchase and pay the duty and sales taxes.........Would it be OK ?

Lets see what they say
 
I seem to recall that Natural Resources has a list of approved ammunition, so if Prime isn't on that list then you could conceivably run into issues that way. Might be more of an issue for importers and dealers, but who knows.
 
I seem to recall that Natural Resources has a list of approved ammunition, so if Prime isn't on that list then you could conceivably run into issues that way. Might be more of an issue for importers and dealers, but who knows.
Yes, I remember seeing this too.
They group them incategories but not by manufacturers.
Based on the info below, its looking beter and better for us (y)

Here is the text


Personal exemptions'
Certain types and quantities of explosives (see table below) can be imported, exported or transported in transit without a special permit if the following conditions are met:

  1. the explosive is imported, exported, or transported in transit for personal use and not for commercial purposes;
  2. the explosive enters or leaves Canada with the person importing or exporting it—or, if transported in transit, it remains with the person transporting it at all times;
  3. in the case of small arms cartridges, the cartridges do not include a tracer, incendiary or similar military component or device; and
  4. the quantity of the explosive being imported, exported and transported in transit is not more than the quantity set out in the table.
The table below (from the Explosives Regulations, 2013) shows the types and quantities of explosives that can be imported, exported or transported in transit without a permit if the above conditions are met.

Explosives TypeQuantity
Model rocket motors that each have a maximum total impulse of 80 newton-seconds (NFPA alpha designations A to E, as indicated on the motor or its packaging)6
Avalanche airbag systems3
Small arms cartridges (Import or Export)5,000
Small arms cartridges (Transport in Transit)50,000
Percussion caps (primers) for small arms cartridges (Import and Export)5,000
Percussion caps (primers) for small arms cartridges (Transported in Transit)50,000
Empty primed small arms cartridge cases (Import and Export)5,000
Empty primed small arms cartridge cases (Transport in Transit) 50,000
Black powder and hazard category PE 1 black powder substitutes8 kg in containers of 500 g or less
Smokeless powder and hazard category PE 3 black powder substitutes8 kg in containers of 4 kg or less
 
Hi,

As it stands right now (It is changing though)....ammunition requires an export license to leave the USA. Even US Citizens going to hunt in CA get license/permit for such. Even US Citizens transiting through CA to Alaska not only get such but are severely restriction on what type of ammunition they can transit with.

In regards to the upcoming USML Sec 121, Category I, II, and III changes from DDTC to Commerce.....essentially ALL items in those categories (barring those made strictly for military usage) will not require the DDTC export license any longer (NOT IN AFFECT YET) and will just require Dept of Commerce ECCN documentation and the AES (Automated Export System) submission.

Some casual reading if you like, lol:


Sincerely,
Theis
 
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I seem to recall that Natural Resources has a list of approved ammunition, so if Prime isn't on that list then you could conceivably run into issues that way. Might be more of an issue for importers and dealers, but who knows.
Yes, I remember seeing this too.
They group them as categories like Hunting and Target shoting ammo,
 
Hi,

As it stands right now (It is changing though)....ammunition requires an export license to leave the USA. Even US Citizens going to hunt in CA get license/permit for such. Even US Citizens transiting through CA to Alaska not only get such but are severely restriction on what type of ammunition they can transit with.

In regards to the upcoming USML Sec 121, Category I, II, and III changes from DDTC to Commerce.....essentially ALL items in those categories (barring those made strictly for military usage) will not require the DDTC export license any longer (NOT IN AFFECT YET) and will just require Dept of Commerce ECCN documentation and the AES (Automated Export System) submission.

Some casual reading if you like, lol:


Sincerely,
Theis
."..I suspected it could'nt be that easy....

I was hoping the US export license was only for selling/resellers etc.

in addition to looking at Canadian importing laws, gotta look into US export laws too....

I'm gonna try your links above and hope o_O
 
Hi,

As it stands right now (It is changing though)....ammunition requires an export license to leave the USA. Even US Citizens going to hunt in CA get license/permit for such. Even US Citizens transiting through CA to Alaska not only get such but are severely restriction on what type of ammunition they can transit with.

In regards to the upcoming USML Sec 121, Category I, II, and III changes from DDTC to Commerce.....essentially ALL items in those categories (barring those made strictly for military usage) will not require the DDTC export license any longer (NOT IN AFFECT YET) and will just require Dept of Commerce ECCN documentation and the AES (Automated Export System) submission.

Some casual reading if you like, lol:


Sincerely,
Theis
The first link has 84 pages and after 20 pages, my brain turned into mush o_O
But I did get the jist that the first link is about military weapons and their ammo. There is a lot of text about National Security and looks like this applies to semi auto and full auto weapons and some pretty wild weapons ! Further down, I got the type of ammo under review and copied it here





Category III—Ammunition and Ordnance

(a) Ammunition, as follows:

*(1) Ammunition that incorporates a projectile controlled in paragraph (d)(1) or (3) of this category;

*(2) Ammunition preassembled into links or belts;

*(3) Shotgun ammunition that incorporates a projectile controlled in paragraph (d)(2) of this category;

*(4) Caseless ammunition manufactured with smokeless powder;

Note 1 to paragraph (a)(4): Caseless ammunition is ammunition without a cartridge case that holds the primer, propellant, and projectile together as a unit.

*(5) Ammunition, except shotgun ammunition, based on non-metallic cases, or non-metallic cases that have only a metallic base, which result in a total cartridge mass 80% or less than the mass of a brass- or steel-cased cartridge that provides comparable ballistic

*(6) Ammunition employing pyrotechnic material in the projectile base or any ammunition employing a projectile that incorporates tracer materials of any type having peak radiance above 710 nm and designed to be observed primarily with night vision optical systems;
*(7) Ammunition for fully automatic firearms that fire superposed or stacked projectiles or for guns that fire superposed or stacked projectiles;

*(8) Electromagnetic armament projectiles or billets for weapons with a design muzzle energy exceeding 5 MJ;

*(9) Ammunition, not specified above, for the guns and armaments controlled in Category II; or

(10) Developmental ammunition funded by the Department of Defense and specially designed parts and components therefor.


I'm gonna need a stiff drink before I attempt to tackle the second link ;)
 
Hi,

Save yourself the time, lol...

I narrowed everything down to its core already lol.

It gets no more stripped away than Cat I, II and III going from DDTC to Commerce.

Sincerely,
Theis
Thank goodness........Cuz there's 243 pages in the second link !

However, right there on page 3, we find the clue





The Departments of Defense, State, and Commerce have, therefore, determined that the EAR is the appropriate source of authority to control these firearms, ammunition, and other articles previously controlled under Categories I-III of the USML. There is a significant worldwide market for items in connection with civil and recreational activities such as hunting, marksmanship, competitive shooting, and other non-military activities.


I did not bother reading further.
Dont know how long it will take to loosen things up and pass this into Law but this is a good thing for our use of non restricted rifles and ammo (y)
 
Hi,

It is already passed into law but the effective date will be announced after the 45 day review period that started on the date off those links.

Sincerely,
Theis
The RCMP answered my email questions on buying ammo from the USA.

They confirm that Canadians can buy up to 5000 ammo (non restricted ammo) and transport it into Canada for petsonal use so my trip to Vermont and back home would be ok except for one important detail. The export country can request me to Obtain a permit to get ammo out of the USA

So this is where Theis above clarified the issue because the US is actually making changes to the law that will enable them to ship ammo outside the country and tap into a market not previously available

The way I understand this is that we, individuals, will be able to buy ammo on-line in the USA and have it shipped to us via FedEx, UPS etc....

Currently, manufacturers like Hornady, Federal, Remington........all have export licenses allowing them to ship to their resellers (with importing permits) in Canada but not to individuals

Looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel (y)
 
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