Question 1

What is an FFL transfer?

Accepted Answer

An FFL transfer is how federal law requires a firearm bought from someone other than a licensed dealer with a physical counter to reach you. Federal law does not allow firearms to ship directly to a private residence, regardless of where you bought them or who the seller is. Instead, the firearm ships to a Federal Firearms Licensee — a business, like Redland Rifle Co, holding a license from the ATF — where it is logged into a required bound book before you can take possession. At Redland Rifle Co, we accept these incoming transfers at our location at 4755 US-280, Birmingham, AL 35242. Once the firearm arrives, we typically log it and notify you within 3–5 business days. You then come to our counter, complete ATF Form 4473, and pass a required background check before we release the firearm to you. This process applies whether you bought from an online retailer, a private seller, or another dealer — there is no exception for the buyer's convenience.

Question 2

What's the difference between buying from you and shipping a firearm to you for transfer?

Accepted Answer

There are two separate paths, and it helps to keep them straight. When you buy a firearm from Redland Rifle Co, we ship it to any licensed dealer nationwide — minus a short list of restricted states — and you complete your paperwork and background check at that dealer's counter. When you buy a firearm somewhere else and want it delivered to us, that is our incoming transfer service: the seller ships the firearm to our location at 4755 US-280, Birmingham, AL 35242, we log it into our bound book, and you pick it up in person once it arrives, usually within 3–5 business days. That incoming service is Alabama residents only, since you must be able to come to our counter to take possession — we cannot transfer to out-of-state buyers. So we sell nationwide, but we only receive transfers for people who can physically walk in the door.

Question 3

How much does an FFL transfer cost?

Accepted Answer

Redland Rifle Co charges a flat $50 per firearm for a standard incoming transfer, with no hidden costs — that fee applies whenever a firearm you bought elsewhere is shipped to us for you to pick up. NFA-regulated items are different and cost more: suppressors, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and other Class 3/NFA items carry a $75 in-house transfer fee instead of $50, in addition to the separate federal tax stamp fee you pay directly to the ATF, not to us. Neither fee is charged on a firearm you buy directly from us — the transfer fee only applies to items shipped in from another seller or dealer. Payment for the transfer fee is due when you pick up the firearm, and we accept cash, card, or check. If your background check is denied, the transfer fee is not refunded, since the firearm has already been received, logged into our bound book, and stored regardless of the outcome.

Question 4

Does an Alabama concealed carry permit let me skip the NICS background check?

Accepted Answer

Every firearm transfer at Redland Rifle Co requires a federal background check — that requirement does not go away. What can vary is how the check is satisfied. The default is a live NICS check run off your ATF Form 4473. ATF currently recognizes a valid Alabama concealed carry permit — standard or lifetime — as a qualifying alternative to that check, since Alabama's own permit process already includes an equivalent background review. Bringing your permit is optional, not required, but it can shorten the process if you have one. Federal law still sets minimum ages for a transfer — 18 for rifles and shotguns, 21 for handguns — and certain criminal convictions, restraining orders, or adjudications can make someone a prohibited purchaser regardless of any permit. Redland Rifle Co does not decide who passes; NICS or the permit-issuing authority does. If a check is denied or delayed, we follow the federal process and explain your appeal options, but we cannot override or bypass the result ourselves.

Question 5

Can anyone use the incoming transfer service, or is it Alabama residents only?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Redland Rifle Co's incoming transfer service — receiving a firearm you bought from another seller and picking it up at our counter — is limited to Alabama residents. We cannot transfer an incoming firearm to an out-of-state buyer, because you are collecting it in person at our location, 4755 US-280, Birmingham, AL 35242, and federal transfer law ties the transaction to the state where you take possession. This restriction applies only to the incoming-transfer direction. If you are buying a firearm from Redland Rifle Co directly, we ship nationwide — minus a short list of restricted states — to any licensed dealer near you, and you complete your paperwork and background check at that dealer's counter instead of ours. So the residency rule is not about who we sell to; it only governs who can send a firearm here for us to receive, log into our bound book, and hand over in person. If you live outside Alabama, ask your local dealer to receive the transfer.

Question 6

What do I need to bring to pick up my transfer?

Accepted Answer

Bring valid government-issued photo ID — an Alabama driver license or state ID works. Bring your original purchase receipt or order confirmation email from the seller, so we can match it to the firearm we logged into our bound book when it arrived. Bring payment for the transfer fee: $50 for a standard firearm, or $75 for an NFA item such as a suppressor or short-barreled rifle — we accept cash, card, or check. If you have an Alabama concealed carry permit, standard or lifetime, bring that too; it is optional, but ATF currently recognizes it as an alternative to a NICS background check, which can speed up your visit. At the counter, you will complete ATF Form 4473 and undergo the required background check before we release the firearm. If you are buying through an NFA trust, bring your trust paperwork as well, since we will need to review it as part of that separate process. Plan to arrive during our posted hours.

Question 7

How long does an NFA or suppressor transfer take, and is it the same process as a regular transfer?

Accepted Answer

NFA-regulated items — suppressors, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and other Class 3 items — follow a separate federal process from a standard transfer, with their own registration, tax stamp, and wait. Redland Rifle Co handles these transfers in-house, and our fee is $75 per NFA item, in addition to the federal tax stamp fee you pay directly to the ATF, not us. Approval timelines are set by the ATF, not us, and routinely run several months — far longer than the 3-5 business days for a standard transfer. If buying through an NFA trust, bring your trust paperwork and we will walk through it together. Once ATF approval and your tax stamp come through, federal regulation (27 CFR 478.102(d)(2)) exempts that transfer from a separate NICS check at pickup, since ATF's own approval process already includes an equivalent background review. You still complete the in-person steps — valid photo ID and ATF Form 4473 — before we release the item at 4755 US-280, Birmingham, AL 35242.

FFL Transfer FAQ.