Highland Rim Engraving offers laser custom engraving to mark NFA items, including short barrel shotguns (SBS) and short barrel rifles (SBR) marked in compliance with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) standards.
Engraving appointments are scheduled in advance and completed on-site so we can have you in and out quickly. You are welcome to watch and even video your firearm engraving being while it's being marked, and we provide protective eyewear for your safety.
We offer a convenient service to help you properly identify your Form 1 build, thereby completing the process.
Each project is handled individually and discreetly in our private shop under your direct oversight.
NFA Handbook, Chapter 6, Section 6.4
Our experience and equipment allow us to exceed the ATF's mandated depth requirement of .003" for NFA engraving. If you decide to have your firearm coated later on, you don't have to worry about it withstanding bead blasting and recoating without flooding out.
While Arial is widely used, you can choose any font for your engraving provided it uses Roman letters, Arabic numerals and is readily legible at the mandated size for depth and height.
You may be uncertain of exactly where you want your custom engraving to go, so we show you options until you are sure of the placement before we touch a thing. We are working under your direct oversight on your personal firearm so you call the shots here!
And yes, we can engrave in places others can't, including under the
flared magwell lip.
Many owners want their firearm marked as discreetly as possible and we offer complimentary touchup with Birchwood Casey products to re-blacken/blue the engraving on the spot.
For those who may enjoy showing off at the range (you know who you are), we offer in-house graphic design services and can create a completely unique design incorporating your NFA mark with a design.
We can also re-create original markings that have worn off or are damaged, your personal logo, custom artwork, clipart, handwriting, phrase or motto, or pretty much anything else onto your firearm during the same visit for your NFA engraving or as a standalone service.
NFA Engraving on aluminum, steel, and titanium is a flat $50
Polymer (CZ, Glock) and glass filled nylon (SIG) are $75 and will require a longer appointment.
$10 Booking Fee to be paid when scheduling your appointment. This DOES APPLY toward your total engraving charge but is not refundable should you ghost.
Multi-stamp, Military, 1st Responder discounts offered.
Cash, Card, Venmo, CashApp, PayPal, Personal Check are all accepted.
We have no desire to compete with local gun stores, retailers, and other FFLs who refer their clients to us for NFA/Class 3 or logo marking.
Our area of expertise and business focus is in graphic design and engraving. We are local engraving experts, marking on all types of materials and items, including firearms that are brought in by the registered owner.
Per the NFA Handbook, Section 6.4, you'll need to be on site to provide direct oversight and retain custody of your firearm while we engrave.
NFA Handbook, Chapter 6 reads in part:
If the applicant on the Form 1 lacks the skill, ability, and/or equipment to manufacture the NFA firearm, the applicant, after receipt of the approved Form 1, can have the firearm created or modified at a premises other than shown on the approved Form 1 as long as the creation or modification was done under the direct oversight of the applicant, thus having the applicant retain custody and control of the firearm.
Any type of mark breaking the finished surface of steel exposes the bare metal to atmospheric conditions that can possibly induce rust. This is true whether you have your firearm engraved by a laser or with a contact engraving method such as a rotary or Dremel. With regular gun maintenance, there should be no issue.
At Highland Rim Engraving, we have you covered. As a final step, we anneal the engraved surface of every project involving steel. This laser annealing process alters the metal on a molecular level to help provide maximum corrosion resistance long term.
We also offer chemical re-blacking/re-bluing with Birchwood Casey products at no extra charge.
Absolutely! We surpass the NFA’s engraving depth requirement of .003” on Aluminum, Steel, and Titanium. This mark is engraved deeply enough so it will remain visible after bead blasting and will not 'flood out' if you choose to have a coating such as Cerakote applied at a later date.
If you choose to coat your item first, the engraving will not be the same color as the finish, but will be deeper and contrast more.
We do not offer refinishing services but are happy to refer you to a trusted area dealer who does.
Totally up to you. You can have your item engraved before or after receiving your tax stamp, but you should not manufacturer or assemble said NFA item until the engraving is complete, as the identification (engraving) of your item is part of the process and not something to be done later, even with stamp in hand.
If you choose to engrave before you receive your stamp, worst case scenario is that you might, on a very remote chance, have to re-engrave a correction to the maker name/city/state in the event of a disapproval. Disapprovals are commonly due to simple errors that can be fixed very easily, however. The advantage to engraving before you receive your tax stamp is that you can immediately legally assemble your NFA item once you have the stamp in hand.
$50 first item, $25 for each additional
Starting at $75, each additional 50% off
“Additional” items are of the exact same mark/design engraved on separate Form 1 items during the same appointment.
While we can make suggestions (making sure what we engrave matches your Form 1, middle name and all) we are professional engravers - not ATF/NFA/firearm experts. No information posted here or communicated by us in any way should be construed as legal advice.
Here are a few links for you to explore to conduct your own research. Please note that we are not affiliated with any of these entities or businesses in any way nor do we specifically endorse any.
Final Rule 2021R-05F - Definition of "Frame or Receiver" and Identification of Firearms
PowerPoint Summary
Final Rule 2021R-05F - Definition of "Frame or Receiver" and Identification of Firearms
Detailed Publication in you want to get into the nitty gritty
Rocket FFL - NFA Tax Stamp Guide, 2023
NationalGunTrusts.com Walk-Through Reddit Thread
Highland Rim Engraving, LLC
1547 Stewart Creek Road, Murfreesboro TN 37129
Copyright © 2024 Highland Rim ENGRAVING, LLC - All Rights Reserved.