Need advise on Solvent Trap stopped customs, they claim it's something else

Legal & Second Amendment
1

I spent some time looking at solvent traps, how people say stay away as they are ATF traps and such.

While I would imagine there are people out there who would buy them for the intent of making illegal suppressors out of them, if used for their original purpose, as manufactured, used as a solvent trap, they are perfectly legal.

Being as how I didn’t see many around and one popped up on I site I use here and there for overseas orders, I ordered one for the sole intent of using it as intended, for the cleaning of certain firearms.

Since it’s made of such cheap aluminum, to me it’s not worth the serialization, filing the forms, paying the tax stamp, and waiting the year to then modify a device made from cheap aluminum that if said process was done, such a device would probably self destruct under regular use and it would be an expensive paperweight.

I am waiting on a second actual suppressor to arrive at a authorized dealer so I can file the paperwork for a couple of real cans with lifetime warranties…

I got this in the mail the other day, see pictures.

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They are claiming a perfectly legal to own solvent trap is a suppressor and have given me 1 of 2 choices to choose from. The first being to abandon the item so they can destroy it and the second is to say I will be filing the forms with the ATF to make it a suppressor.

I will not ever and have no intent to ever have a projectile travel through it for use as a noise reduction device. I intend to use it as manufactured. A device to assist in cleaning.

I think I have found the customs place phone number (no phone number on what they sent me), is there anything I can do to get them to release the solvent trap without having to file for the ATF form 1 I believe it is since I have absolutely no intentions on using for what they claim, a suppressor???

1 Like
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If it’s a cheap piece of crap aluminum, is it really worth hassle?

3

I haven’t seen “solvent traps” but I did look into some “fuel filters” that kept popping up on a big name media web site as advertising. It seems the same thing is happening with them and the ATFE has been quite busy sending out those letters. Make sure you re-read the last sentence of that letter a couple of times before shopping OCONUS for parts in the future especially if you have real cans.

Cheers,

Craig6

2 Likes
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Reports of ATF going after Solvent Traps as suppressors have been around for years, and it hasn’t been helped by companies that sell them saying just file a Form 1 and off you go. As with many other things, enforcement of this view (that they are suppressor parts) by Customs is far easier than by other means as many legal protections just don’t exist there. But even for a domestically produced Solvent Trap, I have seen articles where lawyers were quoted advising against possession of a Solvent Trap precisely because the ATF is considering them parts of a suppressor. Hey, most of us have washers and a drill and we are buying the Solvent Trap to attach to the firearm and so ATF would argue there is “constructive intent” to turn it into a suppressor. It may be total BS, but under political pressure that’s where ATF goes.

One other person brought up that why couldn’t they just say a block of aluminum could thus be construed to be a suppressor? Well, almost none of us have (or have access to) the equipment to machine a block of aluminum would be the first obstacle to establishing “constructive intent”. And even if you had said equipment, they’d need to convince a jury that is what you intended to do with it. Meanwhile all the articles, and I haven’t looked but I bet there are Youtube videos, and marketing by various Solvent Trap dealers, could be used as part of convincing a jury there was constructive intent. In other words, that would be easy while convincing them of the same thing for a block of aluminum would not be.

The resulting advice would be walk away and don’t consider buying a Solvent Trap from any source, including domestic, in the future. You are walking on thin ice.

3 Likes
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@Orpackrat Please walk away from it, brother.

6

Hmmm, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck… It’s probably a suppressor.

7

Guess I’ll be abandoning a cleaning device…

Part of me wants to mail them a cleaning bill for when solvent gets all over when cleaning with a caption of if only there was a legal cleaning accessory to prevent this…

8

Can you post a link to the product and site here?

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Abandon the solvent trap. Its not worth it. Tipton makes a product using a bottle. Dont even have to clean it out, just throw away/recycle the bottle and you are good to go. Also, works with unthreaded barrels as well. Try this instead. Not a fan of amazon, but its what my work filters allow me to do right now. Buy from your favorite LGS or firearms mail order site.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=solvent+bottle&i=sports-and-fitness&rh=n%3A10971181011&dc&page=2&qid=1592857720&rnid=2941120011&ref=sr_pg_2

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1 Like
11

What is the purpose of all the baffling in what is essentially supposed to be a fancy drain pan?

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12

Looks like a silencer/suppressor to me.

2 Likes
13

Many of them look that way. Just cause something looks like something else, does not mean it is… I’d rather it have a completely hollow space but, would make draining it out much easier.

14

I would not walk, but run from the ‘solvent trap’.

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… To act as a suppressor.

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Not trying to offend OP, but a person can kid themselves if they want, but with this “trap” you can’t kid this group, nor the ATF.

If you want a solvent trap, but a plastic one, or one that can’t be used as a suppressor.

17

Noisy solvent… hmmmm…

1 Like
18

I had the same one that you have posted and it’s not worth it. I blew mine off the end of barrel after second shot. I also received a letter today saying the exact same thing for a solvent trap that they have in Miami at customs. They can have it. Only cost $6. But it is bullshit bc it doesn’t have holes in it and I was using it for an addition to extend my snorkel kit on my 4wheeler.

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Solvent trap Charlie Foxtrot in NJ:

Ready made entrapment.

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@Brent28

So you filed the paperwork for a suppressor, paid 200 for something that broke after the 2nd shot.

Like stated, was never going to use it as a suppressor due to the cheap construction. If I’m going to spend 200 of a stamp and wait a year, im going to buy one with a warranty.

1 Like