Who would you guys recommend? Turnaround time? Cost? Best way to ship to the engraver?

Where is the best place to engrave the upper that is low profile but still meets ATF requirements?

Thank you gentlemen (and ladies).

I used Ident Marking in Texas. Had several to get done so took them in personally but most of their business is shipped in. Had mine engraved below the bolt where the "restricted law enforcement" would be on the 552.

Tarheel State Firearms in Charlotte, NC. They do outstanding work, have reasonable prices, and are very easy to deal with.

I would engrave the barrel in a location that is visible through a vent hole of the B&T railed fore end. I personally find the B&T fore end to be a necessity on the 552/553, albeit a costly one. The upside to engraving the barrel is that should you ever decide to sell as a title-1 pistol later, the markings may be removed by simply swapping the barrel.

I used KGB Armament in Pompano Beach. Great work.

quote:

Originally posted by JoshNC:
Tarheel State Firearms in Charlotte, NC.

+1 they are top notch, my SCAR engraving looks great.

I have used ident and Tarheel state, both did great work. Tarheel was faster turnaround, less expensive for the service, and closer so shipping was cheaper.

I would try to find a trophy shop in your vicinity that could do the work. It would save you the cost of shipping to and from an engraver in another state. Check with some local gunshops, especially those dealing with NFA firearms. Chances are one of them may actually do engraving. By the way, I had my 553 engraved on top of the receiver toward the front. IMO, that's the best (most discreet) location for that model.

quote:

Originally posted by David W:

quote:

Originally posted by JoshNC:
Tarheel State Firearms in Charlotte, NC.

+1 they are top notch, my SCAR engraving looks great.

They did my SCAR and PS90 while I waited. Awesome work and really easy to deal with.

quote:

Originally posted by kaschi:
I would try to find a trophy shop in your vicinity that could do the work. It would save you the cost of shipping to and from an engraver in another state. Check with some local gunshops, especially those dealing with NFA firearms. Chances are one of them may actually do engraving. By the way, I had my 553 engraved on top of the receiver toward the front. IMO, that's the best (most discreet) location for that model.

It's been my experience that most trophy shops are either unwilling, or unable to do the type of engraving required.

I did have a local trophy shop engrave my name on a trap gun, but the depth of the engraving wouldn't be satisfactory on an NFA firearm. Also, you end up what just what you would expect to see on a trophy name plate.

Mod1 did mine
http://mod1firearms.com

They are local to me so I just dropped it off and picked it up.

I was shopping for engraving for my SBR build a few months ago and contacted Heavy D in GA for their suggestions, since I had gotten my gun trust from Dean. They suggested I contact Orion Arms in MN.

www.orion-arms.com
Orion Arms
2090 64th St
Lino Lakes,MN 55110
07 FFL / 02 SOT

I used their services and was extremely pleased. Quality was excellent. Price was $54 total, including return shipment, and only extra was for my shipment to them via UPS. I had my AR lower back in a week, so almost all of the time was spent in transit. I will use them again when the occasion arises.

@JJexp: yes, that COULD be the case with trophy shops, which is why I also suggested checking with local gunshops (see my post). That is the best choice. $30-$40 EACH way in shipping is a lot of money to throw into the wind. Just sayin'...

quote:

Originally posted by JJexp:

quote:

Originally posted by kaschi:
I would try to find a trophy shop in your vicinity that could do the work. It would save you the cost of shipping to and from an engraver in another state. Check with some local gunshops, especially those dealing with NFA firearms. Chances are one of them may actually do engraving. By the way, I had my 553 engraved on top of the receiver toward the front. IMO, that's the best (most discreet) location for that model.

It's been my experience that most trophy shops are either unwilling, or unable to do the type of engraving required.

I did have a local trophy shop engrave my name on a trap gun, but the depth of the engraving wouldn't be satisfactory on an NFA firearm. Also, you end up what just what you would expect to see on a trophy name plate.

Most trophy shops don't have an FFL, so if you want to give them the actual firearm it's illegal for them to do the work without an FFL.

I had a local trophy shop engrave my 552 sbr on their pantograph while I waited. I asked the guy to practice a few times on a blank to be sure I was happy with the font, size, etc. It took about 10 passes to get to an appropriate depth. In the end it turned out fine, but now that Tarheel State is within driving distance, there is no reason to use any other engraver.

http://nflgun.com/

These folks do a great job and are in state for you.

quote:

Originally posted by JoshNC:
I had a local trophy shop engrave my 552 sbr on their pantograph while I waited. I asked the guy to practice a few times on a blank to be sure I was happy with the font, size, etc. It took about 10 passes to get to an appropriate depth. In the end it turned out fine, but now that Tarheel State is within driving distance, there is no reason to use any other engraver.

Doesn't matter if you stand and wait, if they're working with the frame/receiver, they need to have an FFL.

I believe if u send it away before you have NFA approval you don't need to transfer the receiver on a form 5. If it has been approved, you need to transfer it on a form 5 unless you stay there while the work is being done.

for South Florida its a no brainer its in our backyard!! I'm actually waiting on my 553 SBR also and will use them when it comes in.
https://accubeam.com/news/lase...class-3-or-title-ii/

can't engrave on the barrel as they can be removed.

did you get the railed or diopter model? I had mine engraved down the center of the rail (its welded on so technically part of the gun but if someone wanted to remove it, there's no permanent mark from the NFA engraving on the receiver itself).

Here's video of it being done with a fiber laser



https://youtu.be/rGe_sTRKg5Q

all barrels can be removed no? says in the cfr the barrel can be marked. lots of conflicting info out there for sure.

(2) By engraving, casting, stamping (impressing), or otherwise conspicuously placing or causing to be engraved, cast, stamped (impressed), or placed on the frame, receiver, or barrel thereof certain additional information. This information must be placed in a manner not susceptible of being readily obliterated, altered or removed. For firearms manufactured, imported, or made on and after January 30, 2002, the engraving, casting, or stamping (impressing) of this information must be to a minimum depth of .003 inch