Question regarding Cat D milsurps.

Hey all,

I was wondering if anyone can enlighten me on something that doesn’t really make sense in my mind.

Every so often Cat D milsurps come up for sale on the used gun sites. Usually SKS but also the occasional M1 etc.

My understanding is that only professional hunters/pest controllers can have Cat D but surely these people don’t have any interest in an SKS right? So who is buying them?

Armorers for film and Tv can also have Cat D’s.

Collectors too, maybe?

Also, comparing SKS vs anything modern, I think is literally thousands of dollars apart. For an occupational shooter, this could mean starting or not starting a business. All speculation though.

I didn’t think collector’s could have active Cat D? Or they could be buying them to deactivate them. :frowning:

I don’t know. :confused: But based on seeing what was being sold at arms auction, I think they can, possibly after a few years on collectors “P plates” or something. I am not sure how it works.

@Nomis see pm

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@Nomis - this thread on enough gun might provide some answers on collector licences and deactivation

TL; DR - For a collectors licence, Cat C needs to be temporarily deactivated, Cat D needs to be permanently apparently.

@juststarting Remember when we met up, the RO told us that he had a 10/22 on a collectors licence? And how he was only allowed to shoot it at the collection club events - which they had to apply for with a permit.

That’s what I thought. I really don’t understand the point of collectors licences. It seems to be all the firearms you could get with A B and H licences but worse storage restrictions and not being able to use them as often.

That’s a cat C though, not D.

They’re useful for guns where you can’t get the ammo any more or they’re not safe to fire but too collectible to weld up, or where they’re too valuable to shoot. Handguns are exempt from all the calibre/mag/barrel length restrictions too, so they’re popular on collector’s licences too.

Like you I’ve wondered who is buying all these Cat D guns I see floating about on the used gun websites etc, since there’s really not many people in the entire country (Less than 1000, probably fewer) with a licence to own a working one.