Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Shipping a Rifle...

Yeah, another one of these threads.
Shipping a scoped bolt action rifle in a hard case -
Leave the scope mounted, or not?
Leave the bolt in the gun, or not?

I always remove both. Been reducing my collection over the last three years and estimate I shipped over a dozen rifles using USPS. All arrived in perfect condition. Cardboard and bubble wrap are your friends. Easier to use to extra cushioning and padding than trying to file a claim later.

I remove bolt and generally ask buyer their preference on the scope.

Always an adventure

If the buyer agrees, I like to take the barreled action out of the stock. It makes for a much shorter package, and doesn't seem to scream "firearm enclosed" like a long thin package does. Most shipping damage is where the stock is broken at the wrist, and this alleviates that problem.

Where do you get your boxes? Do you make them from other boxes? Do you double box? Thanks in advance. I've been thinking of going this route. However, at least around here, boxes the size you reference are almost as hard to find as actual gun boxes.

On another note, with respect to removing the bolt, that may be a requirement by federal law. I'm not asserting that to be the case. I'm asserting that I've heard that and have always done so.

If you are shipping in a hard case - I order the simple Plano type case from a store like Cabelas - it's going to ship in an outer box already. I'll pad the inside of the case, remove the bolt, and send it UPS.

If I can pull the action out of the stock - I'll cut the same box above in half and sleeve it into the opposite half, add some extra cardboard on the ends and tape the snot out of it.

Finding boxes is a target of opportunity - LGS has daily throwaways that they give out, the local archery shop has short heavyweight boxes that are great for shipping the rifle separated. You can order boxes from U-Line and other supply houses if you're looking for above average protection.

I've only had one issue with a bolt missing, but the buyer waited 2 1/2 months to pick the rifle up from the FFL, before realizing the bolt was missing. If I ship again, the bolt will be padded, bagged and taped to the padding around the barrel. YMMV

What Biebs says!

Thanks AH64 for the response.

I shipped a rifle with the scope on. The new owner bought it for his sons birthday and wanted to shoot right of the box.

My LGS has a closet full of boxes from rifles ordered in. I get boxes from them. I always double-box, and sometimes add a piece of thin plywood top and bottom to stiffen things up. Remove the bolt on a BA rifle, as they can pop through the carton in transit.

I appreciate the suggestions, guys.

Might as well spill what I do.
I order plastic cases from Walmart for about $20 each. I line the case on each side with a piece of cardboard cut from the box the case was shipped in. This helps reinforce the case and also makes a tighter fit once the case is closed. Rifle is enclosed in a silicone gun sock and bolt is removed and wrapped separately. Tape the plastic case shut using reinforced fiber tape and zip lock all the holes. Tape a address label on the case and send it USPS.

I'm with Biebs---- but I also put something over the muzzle (plastic bottle etc.) to protect it and I put all info (Sender & receiver) inside with the rifle.

NEVER TELL ANYONE THAT IT IS A FIREARM and IF A MANUFACTURER, ADDRESS TO (IE) SRI (STURM RUGER INC.)

Hip

If its a valuable rifle, I usually ship in a case similar to snowwolfe, but then try and find a cardboard box to put the case in so it doesnt look like a gun.

I will dumpster hunt at furniture stores. Appliance etc. You can also pursue the back of malls. Lots of recycle dumpsters. Will grab a few good boxes and stash them.
Set case on broken down box and have at it. Sharp knife and you have a perfect box in under 5 minutes. Tape accordingly.
W
.

You can also turn the box the case came in inside out to hide markings.
W

Vinyl siding boxes work great. You can get 2 out of 1 long box.

Another easy way to mask a box is buy rolled brown paper (shipping aisle) from
Lowes or Walmart. Wrap it like a present.

This is pretty much what I do. Alas, the Walmart hard cases that used to cost me $9 are now $19. USPS shipping has gotten costly as well. Add to this that USPS, now my only option, seems to delay or lose them with regularity. Brother and I each have inbound rifles MIA at this time. I’m not sure what to do going forward. Strange times indeed.

What is everyone seeing as an average shipping cost for a rifle or barreled action ? I sent a barreled action to Kampfeld’s for fluting last week and it was almost 60.00. It was in a stock box inside another outer box. USPS wanted 108.00 due to the length of the box.

If you tell them you want USPS Ground Advantage I'd guess it would be a 1/3 of the 108 bucks. AKWolverine tipped me off to that. I sent a 77/22 a few weeks back and it was 20 bucks and I got charged extra since it was over 31". They don't offer up the Ground Advantage during checkout but if you ask them they seem to pull it up.

I went to the FedEx store a couple days ago. They said if they shipped my rifle they would be fined $150,000. I had been shipping there for years. Not sure where they got their information.
I went to the USPS. a friend works there. He was quite concerned about the regulations. Again, I’ve shipped there before. But in the past they had paperwork for me to ship. He looked up the regulation.
“WELL, I’L BE!” Was what he said.
I guess we can ship a rifle without any paperwork or other issues.

Where do these guys come up with their crazy ideas?

Firearms are scary I guess ..

Tip #2, if you do it at home, you get reduced commercial rates.

WT, how do you go about that?

Thanks in advance for the intel.

Just create an account on USPS then use Click-N-Ship to create and print the label at home. If it asks if you want to use enhanced Click-N-Ship or the older version, pick enhanced. The older one doesn't give reduced rates and is supposedly going away but I still have to pick between the two when I start to create a label.

https://www.usps.com/ship/online-shipping.htm

Thank you. I'll have to give that a shot. Appreciate the heads up.

They themselves are ignorant, even though they should know the shipping laws. You'll also run into liberals that hate guns, so they will lie to you. Just print out a shipping label from home, using the enhanced click and ship, so you can get the commercial discount. Easy peasy..

USPS has crazy rates for extended length on packages.
I shipped a Tikka stock a couple of weeks ago. They told me there would be an additional cost because of the length, (+ 30"). I removed the recoil pad, trimmed the box, repacked. It cut $8.00 off the shipping cost.

I ended up shipping USPS, I was surprised as the cost was low. But I added $1,500 insurance which more than doubled the cost.

Why would you tell them what's in the box?

Fedex office is not Fedex. They cannot pack or label firearm shipments but do accept pre-labeled firearm shipments from an online account.
UPS store can not accept any firearm shipments but the UPS hubs will ship pre-labeled packages.

Tag.

Insurance?

Both the FedEx people and the usps guy asked. I didn’t want to lie, who knows? That’s probably a felony at any rate.

Put it in a hard case. Gorilla tape the dog pizz out of it, slap a label on it, and kiss it goodbye!

I use USPS for shipping gun parts, scopes, stocks, etc. When shipping a rifle or shotgun, I buy a UPS shipping label with insurance from Ship my gun on line. Print it out, put it on the box, and drop it off at my local UPS Hub. No questions asked. Fast and easy, never had a problem.

It has always been the least expensive way to ship and insure a firearm for me.

Add it and never been asked.

I'd read one time that you could ship your rifle to yourself without paper work but to a different name it had to go to a dealer and paper work needed done. Sound's like that has changed!

If you're going to ship via USPS go to their website and print out their regs for shipping guns and take a copy with you when you go to the post office. Twice I've had their clerks and their supervisors tell me you're not allowed to ship a rifle. They changed their tune when I showed them a copy of their own regs.

I think if I ever ship a gun again it’s going to be in a PVC tube labeled “sewage lift station parts, used”.

Why advertise it is a firearm?

Thank you Whttail for this. Just shipped two rifles using this and it was easy, hassle free, reasonable cost.