European target rifle gun traders

[Binchie]

Even though I’m in my 40’s I’ve only just been bitten by the air gun bug after my youngest joined a target club.
On a whim, I purchased a HW100 sub 12 ft/lb air rifle from Balistas in Czech Rep.
To be honest I really couldn’t afford this, but the £100 off made me treat myself.
Because of the job I do, we have distributors all over the world, so I had the rifle delivered to our distributor in CZ. I thought I could use our companies discounted carrier account to get it back to the UK at a discounted rate and save myself another 20/30 euro.
What a mistake. After my distributors carrier refused to take it, I then looked up and found you cannot get anybody to take them anymore.
While on hindsight I realize how stupid I have been I just assumed that if websites can ship into the UK, then I would also.

So here’s the question, any suggestions how I can get the HW100T into the UK from Czech Republic?
Any carriers or methods? I’m about all out of ideas, save getting in car and driving there.

[RobinC]

Binchie

You are running into what is now a standard problem, there is nothing in law stopping you bringing into the UK from the EU any non FAC air gun and with no duty. The problem is that the regulations on carriers both for flight and on ships is restrictive so they simply can not be bothered to have all the hassle to have a carrier full load which would normally sail in (pun intended!) be subjected to restiction just because it includes a gun of any type, so they avoid it by saying simply, no guns. The companies that will carry will charge more to cover the hassle. And with recent events even some companies that were not over fussy before have changed their approach.

And because some of the guns used in recent atrocities have come from CZ, any county a carrier crosses is likely to look at their loads quite critically.

My advice is to try different carriers who work in CZ, I know my last FAC rifle that came from Germany was by DHL and had to go to a dealer with FAC import allowed, and it cost 120 euro, I believe DPD may do it as well, but contact them in CZ not here, here will just say no. I have no doubt you will find a carrier by doing that but it will cost more.

There are internet dealers "circling" the carriers regs with air guns by not accurately describing what is being carried, and sending them in bits but with the recent events, they are at best at risk of the item being returned if scanned early, at worst it being impounded if there is any deception involved which gets backs up when its discovered.

A very well know German company that I know well told me he will not send Airguns to the UK as even when the carrier accepts them he's still had them returned after they get scanned along the route.

Best of Luck
Robin