Gun shipping question

[49cub]

Hello

So my rifle gets a trip to the gunsmith to have them fix the feeding. It was shipped to me in a crappy soft case I don't trust at all so I want to ship it to the smith right. Does anyone have good recommendations on how to ship a gun? I bought a decent little Plano case to ship it in but have read it should ship inside a box and I don't know that I could find a box big enough for the case. Does anyone make a box and case that I can buy to ship it in? Any others ideas?

Thanks for the help

 

[tarbe]

You can make your own box.

Just need some donor boxes for cardboard, a knife and some good tape.

Use heavy brown wrapping paper over it all, to hide the seams between the pieces.

Tim

 

[Bullthrower338]

My ex has a big box, I could send you the contact info! Lol, sorry I couldn't resist a good box joke!
I usually ship mine in the soft case, inside the hard case with a few wraps of gorilla tape around the hard case and then use brown shipping paper like Tim has suggested. Knock on wood the only time I have had damage done in shipping was from a manufacturer that didn't seem to care how they shipped it.
Cody

 

[JimP]

Have you talked to the gunsmith to see what he says?

I personally have shipped rifles in a round tube container with the rifle wrapped in 2" foam rubber with no problems. The round shape does not give away what is inside it and the foam rubber protects it. You could also wrap the rifle in bubble wrap. Check with a UPS store or hardware store to find the round cardboard tube container.

Remember take your scope and mounts off before shipping.

 

[James.Grage]

I have a simple plastic single rifle gun case and the box it came in. Pack your rifle and add additional foam rubber, place in the cardboard box and ship this to your gun smith.

Always insure your rifle/shotgun and i do next day air.

 

[Rob404]

I saved a few shipping boxes from rifles I have purchased just in case

 

[sandman0921]

I've shipped several rifles for work, gunsmithing, etc. I've always put them in a gun-sock, especially if they have nice wood, and placed them in a Plano, or similar hard case, and zip-tied the case shut through the lock holes. After that, I package it in an appropriate sized box padded with packing paper, bubble wrap, etc. I'm not sure that's the best way, but it's the way I do it. If your gun has really expensive wood on it, you may want to upgrade your case. I'm not saying to go out and buy a $300.00 Pelican, but something a little more bulky/rugged than the cheap Planos.

A good source I've found for long boxes are gun departments/stock rooms at sporting goods stores like Cabelas, Bass Pro, Sportsmans Warehouse, etc., or your FFL. FFL's are always getting boxes with long guns in them, and will most likely have several they'd love to get rid of. That's where I've gotten a bunch from lately.

Also, make sure you insure your rifle for the full replacement value.

Don't let UPS, Fed-Ex, etc., give you any crap either about shipping guns for repair. It's completely legal. Handguns are a different story, but still legal as long as the rules are followed. You are supposed to tell the shipping agent what you are shipping as well. It's best not to lie about it (i.e., machine parts, etc.). One time, I had one girl at UPS argue with me about shipping my barreled action off for restocking. I finally had enough, and asked to speak to her supervisor. I pulled out UPS's policy on shipping firearms, and showed it to the supervisor who apologized, and sent it on it's way. It's always good to have a copy of the shippers policy with you...... With UPS, long guns are sent ground, or upgraded if you desire, adult signature required. Also, you have to send it via a UPS customer center. It can't go through a UPS Store. Also, if the firearm was sent for repairs, and you legally owned it, then the gunsmith can ship it directly back to your home address, not your FFL.

You may already know this, but the following are some good links to look at when shipping firearms for repair:


UPS policy:
https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/ship/packaging/guidelines/firearms.html

Fed-Ex policy:
http://www.fedex.com/us/freight/rulestariff/prohibited_articles.html
http://www.nraba.org/graphics/Benefits/RevisedServiceMatrix(2).pdf

USPS:
http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c4_009.htm



All you ever wanted to know about shipping firearms, and general information:


http://www.gunbroker.com/Support/SupportFAQView.aspx?FAQID=1118&NoCount=1
http://americanshootingjournal.com/a-ups-drivers-suggestions-for-shipping-firearms/

 

[49cub]

Gentlemen

Thank you all for the fantastic info. I had done research online and found some of the info but this made it all so much easier. Thank you very much for all the help. With any luck the rifle will be back just after New Years.

Thanks again

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

Soft case inside a tuff pak stuffed with newspaper to prevent movement. Never fails!!

 

[sandman0921]

49cub,

Not a problem. The first couple of times I shipped a firearm, I was very nervous to do it because I didn't want to do something wrong. I researched the issue in-depth online as well. In the end, shipping long guns is pretty straight forward. Handguns can be done via Fed-Ex and UPS, but is very expensive. It's best to ship those through a FFL for repair.

The shipping box issue was always daunting to me as well, until my FFL, in passing, told me if I ever needed a cardboard shipping box for long guns, he had a bunch of them and I'd be doing him a favor if I took a few to use as needed. That solved a lot of problems, as it's very difficult to find this size box at shipping stores surprisingly. I know, because I looked everywhere..........