ATF bound book requirements: the complete FFL guide

The bound book — formally the Acquisition and Disposition (A&D) record — is the backbone of FFL recordkeeping. Get it right and inspections are routine; get it wrong and you’re exposed to violations that can threaten your license. This guide walks through exactly what the ATF requires, in plain language, so you can check your own book against the rules.

Everything below flows from one federal regulation: 27 CFR § 478.125 (specifically the recordkeeping subsections that apply to dealers). Your state may add requirements on top; this covers the federal baseline.

What has to be in the book

For every firearm that passes through your inventory, the bound book records two events — the acquisition (when you receive it) and the disposition (when it leaves). Each entry must capture:

• Manufacturer and/or importer
• Model
• Serial number
• Type (pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, receiver/frame, etc.)
• Caliber or gauge
• Date of acquisition and the name and address (or FFL number) of the source
• Date of disposition and the name and address of the transferee, plus the Form 4473 serial/transaction reference for transfers to non-licensees

Entries are kept in a continuous, line-numbered format. The line numbering matters: your book is a sequential ledger, not a re-sortable spreadsheet. This is one of the details cheap bound book software gets wrong.

Timing: when entries are due

The rules are specific about when an entry has to be made:

• Acquisitions must generally be recorded not later than the close of the next business day following receipt.
• Dispositions must be recorded not later than seven days following the transfer.

In practice, the safest habit is to record both at the moment they happen. Backlogged entries are one of the most common findings in an inspection, and they compound quickly.

Corrections: never erase

Mistakes happen. What matters is how you fix them. You may not erase, white-out, or overwrite an entry. The correct method is to line through the error so it remains legible and enter the correct information, typically with a note. The original and the correction both stay in the record.

This is exactly where a good electronic system helps: corrections are logged automatically, with the prior value preserved and time-stamped, so you get a clean audit trail without defacing anything. (See paper vs. electronic bound book for the fuller comparison.)

Multiple-sale reporting

Your bound book connects to two reporting obligations that are easy to miss:

• ATF Form 3310.4 — two or more handguns to the same unlicensed person within five consecutive business days.
• ATF Form 3310.12 — for FFLs in AZ, CA, NM, and TX, two or more qualifying semi-automatic rifles to the same person within five consecutive business days.

Both are covered in depth in ATF Form 3310.4 and 3310.12, explained. The key point for the bound book: the obligation only becomes visible when you connect transactions across days — something software should surface for you.

Retention: how long to keep records

• Bound book (A&D) records: retained for 20 years, and if the business is discontinued, sent to the ATF.
• Form 4473s: retained for at least 20 years (transfers where a sale was completed), with different handling for incomplete or denied transactions.

Records must be available at your licensed premises and produced for an ATF investigator on request. If you keep records electronically, they must be readily retrievable and readable during an inspection — the basis of ATF Ruling 2016-1.

What inspectors actually look for

An ATF compliance inspection generally checks that:

1. Every firearm in inventory is accounted for in the book (and vice versa).
2. Entries are complete, legible, and timely.
3. Corrections were made properly.
4. 4473s match dispositions, and required multiple-sale reports were filed.
5. Records are retained and retrievable.

The single best thing you can do is keep the book current and complete in real time. Reconstructing months of entries the night before an inspection is where errors — and violations — creep in.

How BoundPro handles it

BoundPro is ATF bound book software built around every requirement above: a § 478.125-aligned ledger with preserved line numbers, corrections logged rather than erased, automatic 3310.4/3310.12 detection, retention well beyond 20 years, and a one-click audit-mode export that produces the whole record for an inspector. Start a free trial and import your existing book — line numbers and dates intact.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Verify current requirements against the regulations and ATF guidance; the FFL holder is responsible for compliance.