Do those two words have specific defintions in the law?

What makes a curio different from a relic?

Sorry if the question seems stupid but I've never been able to find out the difference.

Thanks

cu‧ri‧o  /ˈkyʊriˌoʊ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kyoor-ee-oh] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun, plural -ri‧os.
any unusual article, object of art, etc., valued as a curiosity.

[Origin: 1850–55; shortened from curiosity]


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rel‧ic  /ˈrɛlɪk/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[rel-ik] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a surviving memorial of something past.
2. an object having interest by reason of its age or its association with the past: a museum of historic relics.
3. a surviving trace of something: a custom that is a relic of paganism.
4. relics,
a. remaining parts or fragments.
b. the remains of a deceased person.
5. something kept in remembrance; souvenir; memento.
6. Ecclesiastical. (esp. in the Roman Catholic and Greek churches) the body, a part of the body, or some personal memorial of a saint, martyr, or other sacred person, preserved as worthy of veneration.
7. a once widespread linguistic form that survives in a limited area but is otherwise obsolete.
[Origin: 1175–1225; ME < OF relique < L reliquiae (pl.) remains (> OE reliquias), equiv. to reliqu(us) remaining + -iae pl. n. suffix]

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Old Guns we want to collect.

Quoted: Do those two words have specific defintions in the law? What makes a curio different from a relic? Sorry if the question seems stupid but I've never been able to find out the difference. Thanks

Legally, a C&R is any firearm made from 1899 to 1956 that has a historical or academic interest or value. It also needs to be in its original issued condition or final configuration before it was made obsolete.

A 1903 springfield is a C&R, but if you make a bubba hunting rifle from a stripped 1903 receiver, it is not C&R.

ETA: I think the '1956' date is not fixed either, as every year it moves forward as its firearms 50yrs or older are considered C&R.

Quoted: Do those two words have specific defintions in the law? What makes a curio different from a relic? Sorry if the question seems stupid but I've never been able to find out the difference. Thanks

Curios and relics are guns that are either 50 years old or older, or declared such by the BATF. Most of your old surplus military guns are C&Rs. THere is a special type of federal firearms license which allows collectors to have C&R guns shipped directly to their homes, bypassing local dealers.

If you'll look at the top of this section you'll find a sticky thread called "How to get that C&R." It explains most of what you need to know. Here's a Link

If you want to go straight to the horse's ass' mouth then here's a link to the BATF's C&R page.

Thanks for the difference between curios and relics.

Quoted: Thanks for the difference between curios and relics.

Oh, I see . . .

Curios are curious.
Relics are old . . .

Take a look at the list of weapons qualifying as C&Rs according to the federal government. You'll see some things that are simply old. You'll see other things that are curios.

For example , a v.24 Mauser is old but it's quite common. It is therefore a relic but not a curio.
A Browning Superposed Bi-Centennial Limited Edition shotgun, on the other hand, is probably not 50 years old but it's still on the C&R list because it's been deemed a curio. There's a number of guns like this on the list that were added because somebody petitioned the BATF to have them included.

Curio = Moderator
Relic = Site Staff

It doesn't have to be 50 years old in all cases. If it is 50 or more years old it is C&R.
There are lots of newer guns that are C&R also. That's one of the places where the term curio comes in.

Elvis

I've got the log book for my Yugo 59/66 SKS.  It is stamped 1986.  I think the cutoff for these is 1993.

Dennis Jenkins

Quoted: It doesn't have to be 50 years old in all cases. If it is 50 or more years old it is C&R. There are lots of newer guns that are C&R also. That's one of the places where the term curio comes in. Elvis

Quoted: I've got the log book for my Yugo 59/66 SKS.  It is stamped 1986.  I think the cutoff for these is 1993. Dennis Jenkins Quoted: It doesn't have to be 50 years old in all cases. If it is 50 or more years old it is C&R. There are lots of newer guns that are C&R also. That's one of the places where the term curio comes in. Elvis

CA is one of the states that requires a C&R to be 50yrs old or more to be sold in private, face to face sales, and for C&R FFL holders to purchase from out of state.

Its not really and issue as most C&R firearms fall within the 50yr requirement, but some of the last produced M1 Garands, SKS, etc... wont be C&R for a couple more years.

Just as a point of interest....


C and R guns can also be operational machine guns.  I was surprised when I first received my C and R a few years ago that there are about 2 pages worth of machine guns that can be legally transferred under C and R though you still need your class 3 B.S.  In my state, the only machine guns that are legal to own are those that qualify as a curio and relic.  Pretty much any significant machine gun from that era is on that list including some of the first American M16 rifles.  Pretty cool eh?  



Turk