Henry Rifle Forums

Can anybody perhaps tell me what the rules are with regard to sending spares overseas from the USA? I have a Marlin 39A that needs a new cartridge guide spring. The agents here in the UK are out of stock, and they don't know when - or if - they will be getting any more.

I found a couple of places in the USA that have them, but they don't ship overseas. I can understand some parts being prohibited from sending overseas, but I would have thought that a spring would be OK.

Is there a general ban on posting spares overseas, or is it down to the companies themselves to decide where they post to?

Surely someone here is knowledgeable about these restrictions on international shipping from the US, but it's not me. Simple rifle scopes, for example, are not eligible for international shipping from the online dealers, it seems.

All that said, would be happy to help you, within the law, get the spring(s) you need. I'll do some digging, too, to see what I can find.

Here's what you're looking for, at MidwayUSA. Don't see anything right off about international shipping restrictions...

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/19241 ... marlin-39a

Thanks, ESquared. I did find the Midway site, but unfortunately they do not do international postage. It seems strange for something as harmless as a ½" spring, but that's the rule apparently.

https://www.midwayusa.com/help/internat ... ders/12014

I received this reply to an email that I sent them:

Hi Les,
Unfortunately no, we can not ship gun parts direct to the consumer per Federal ITAR laws. We do sell export parts to certified dealers in quantity.

It seems strange for something as harmless as a ½" spring, but that's the rule apparently.

It's not so much the part but the uncertainty. U.S. distributors simply do not want to take the time and effort to determine which parts MIGHT be legal to ship - or might not - so they simply have a blanket rule of no international shipping.

I've done a bit of research on ITAR and I don't see how a private party in the US would be at much risk for buying a spring and sending it to a friend outside the US. It's not a commercial transaction and the part in question is likely not covered anyway.

Not that we wouldn't dig deeper, but I'm willing to see if I can help (again, within the law).

Mistered wrote:

It seems strange for something as harmless as a ½" spring, but that's the rule apparently.

It's not so much the part but the uncertainty. U.S. distributors simply do not want to take the time and effort to determine which parts MIGHT be legal to ship - or might not - so they simply have a blanket rule of no international shipping.

It's mostly this. I worked for an on-line retailer of sporting goods in my last job and the penalties for shipping gun parts to someone overseas, illegally, was met with huge fines. Even some scope manufacturers were dragged into court and fined for shipping their products, unknowingly, to parties that later were exposed as fronts for terrorists. Rather than hire and pay an expert on ITAR, most outfits just chose to forgo the business of foreign markets on gun parts.We had such an expert on staff, but only for large bulk orders. Every order required a ton of paperwork, so wasn't cost effective to do it for small quantity orders.

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Sometimes one can find a spring close enough at a local hardware store. One the really good hardware stores that carry bins and bins of nuts, bolts, springs of all sorts and sizes.

Les wrote:Can anybody perhaps tell me what the rules are with regard to sending spares overseas from the USA? I have a Marlin 39A that needs a new cartridge guide spring. The agents here in the UK are out of stock, and they don't know when - or if - they will be getting any more.

I found a couple of places in the USA that have them, but they don't ship overseas. I can understand some parts being prohibited from sending overseas, but I would have thought that a spring would be OK.

Is there a general ban on posting spares overseas, or is it down to the companies themselves to decide where they post to?

North Country Gal wrote:

Mistered wrote:

It seems strange for something as harmless as a ½" spring, but that's the rule apparently.

It's not so much the part but the uncertainty. U.S. distributors simply do not want to take the time and effort to determine which parts MIGHT be legal to ship - or might not - so they simply have a blanket rule of no international shipping.

It's mostly this. I worked for an on-line retailer of sporting goods in my last job and the penalties for shipping gun parts to someone overseas, illegally, was met with huge fines. Even some scope manufacturers were dragged into court and fined for shipping their products, unknowingly, to parties that later were exposed as fronts for terrorists. Rather than hire and pay an expert on ITAR, most outfits just chose to forgo the business of foreign markets on gun parts.We had such an expert on staff, but only for large bulk orders. Every order required a ton of paperwork, so wasn't cost effective to do it for small quantity orders.

So, it still makes me wonder how it works on a simple part like this, between private parties, without money changing hands. Not a commercial transaction.
Still in the "not worth the risk" category?

Can't advise you, there. Not a legal expert by any means.

Mags wrote:.
Sometimes one can find a spring close enough at a local hardware store. One of the really good hardware stores that carry bins and bins of nuts, bolts, springs of all sorts and sizes.

I'm no expert, but this advice sounds good to me, Les. A spring is a spring, with or without an official Marlin part number. Take it to a hardware store and try to match it. Let us know how you make out, either way.

CT_Shooter wrote:

Mags wrote:.
Sometimes one can find a spring close enough at a local hardware store. One of the really good hardware stores that carry bins and bins of nuts, bolts, springs of all sorts and sizes.

I'm no expert, but this advice sounds good to me, Les. A spring is a spring, with or without an official Marlin part number. Take it to a hardware store and try to match it. Let us know how you make out, either way.

Our hardware stores are obviously two different things entirely!

Over here, most of them are Walmart-sized stores, where you can buy pretty much anything from wire to lawnmowers to complete kitchens etc etc, but the days of "goody boxes" full of nuts, bolts and other wonders are long gone..... sadly.

Les wrote: Our hardware stores are obviously two different things entirely!

That's unfortunate and almost hard to believe, but if you can't locate one locally, maybe one of us in the States owns a Marlin 39A and is familiar with the Cartridge Guide Spring that you need and can find something in a hardware store that is an exact (or very, very close) match, who is willing to buy it and send it to you as a simple off the shelf, generic spring.

Anyone?

Sometimes one can find a spring close enough at a local hardware store.

Yep - do a little 'scrounging' and try to find a machine parts supply or somewhere that has a good small spring supply. Maybe a local industrial wholesale supplier - this is what I do often for odd, little items.

If you click on the link from my earlier post, you'll see what we're talking about. While there's no reference for what the dimensions are, it looks like a slightly bent piece of steel with a hole in it. That's a gross oversimplification, I'm aware, but it someone, somewhere, ought to be able to reproduce it.
Or (and I keep going back to this), buy one and get a machine shop to reproduce it.

We have the Walmart sized stores here to (Lowes, Home Depot...), mostly in the larger communities and cities. More rural places we still have 'real' hardware stores. What do you have in your rural communities?

Les wrote:

CT_Shooter wrote:

Mags wrote:.
Sometimes one can find a spring close enough at a local hardware store. One of the really good hardware stores that carry bins and bins of nuts, bolts, springs of all sorts and sizes.

I'm no expert, but this advice sounds good to me, Les. A spring is a spring, with or without an official Marlin part number. Take it to a hardware store and try to match it. Let us know how you make out, either way.

Our hardware stores are obviously two different things entirely!

Over here, most of them are Walmart-sized stores, where you can buy pretty much anything from wire to lawnmowers to complete kitchens etc etc, but the days of "goody boxes" full of nuts, bolts and other wonders are long gone..... sadly.

If you click on the link from my earlier post, you'll see what we're talking about.

Oh man - I thought a COIL SPRING was being referenced - Heck this would be easy to make

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that's what I thought too.

Mistered wrote:

If you click on the link from my earlier post, you'll see what we're talking about.

Oh man - I thought a COIL SPRING was being referenced - Heck this would be easy to make

Mags wrote:We have the Walmart sized stores here to (Lowes, Home Depot...), mostly in the larger communities and cities. More rural places we still have 'real' hardware stores. What do you have in your rural communities?

A lot of the smaller firms have been forced out of business by the large DIY chain stores. There are probably still a couple of small, family owned businesses around, but they don't generally advertise nationally, so it's difficult to know where they are.

I'm fairly resourceful, so I'll get something sorted eventually.

just in case anyone might be curious about what a Marlin Marlin 39A Guide Spring looks like