Quote History Quoted:
The can I ordered SS said was “in stock”. Does this mean SS has it “in hand” or does that mean silencer co has it in stock, ships to SS and then in turn ships to my FFL?
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When you first purchase your "In Stock" suppressor it really doesn't matter who has physical possession of the can. All that matters is that SS has the serial # of the suppressor so that they can file the Form 4 for you. Maybe SilencerShop has physical possession of the suppressor or maybe the manufacturer has started production of that model and has assigned a group of serial #'s to SilencerShop for them to sell against.
All that really matters is that SilencerShop has a serial number and the Form 4 is filed in a timely matter.
At some point after the Form 4 is filed SilencerShop will file a form 3 to transfer your suppressor to your dealer. Generally they will consolidate shipments and then ship to your FFL. There is really no hurry for this as long as the suppressor is received by your FFL before they receive the approved Form 4 from the ATF. The last I read paper Form 4s were taking 6 - 9 months for approval.
Addition: Here is a timeline of one of my SilencerShop suppressor purchases:
4/10/2017: Purchase Date
5/19/2017: Form 4: Tax Stamp Cashed
7/12/2017: Form 3: Disposed to Dealer (meaning that the suppressor was sent to my FFL)
2/5/2018: Form 4 approved
2/11/2018: Picked up from my FFL