Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Shipping a Bolt Action Rifle...

... in a hard plastic case: leave the bolt in the rifle, or wrap it separately and secure it in the case?
I have seen it done both ways, and wonder which way is preferable.

I prefer the latter. Less protrusion is my rationale.

Hard case is the way to good

I take the bolt out wrap it separately and place it under the foam (no real need to do so but gives me piece of mind)…….FWIW.


PennDog

I'm another one that removes the bolt for shipping...

I do it both ways and the choice of which way depends on the actual case being used. If you ship with the bolt installed there is no way for it to come loose due to rough handling during shipping and damage the rifle.

I remove the bolt and put it in an old sock.

What he said…

If the case is pretty deep, it should be fine left in the gun, and less likely to get lost if the shipping gorillas manage to bust the package open. If you separate them, wrap the bolt heavily in bubble wrap so it can be identified as such, but won’t booger things up if it gets loose inside. I’ve had one or two new ones arrive with the bolt on the loose, including a Ruger American Rimfire that had the cheesy trigger guard broken off as a result.

I remove it, tie it to the sling, and wrap it with a hand towel. It should stay with the rifle unless purposely removed.

I'm a belt and suspenders guy.
Be pretty easy to build a cardboard box or two tubes to cover the bolt.
Then bubble wrap. Nothing scratched or gouged.

100% on board with leaving it in the gun if possible.
That eliminates most of the worries.

Seems most manufacturers ship bolt out; granting not in hard plastic cases.

Bubble wrapped or in a few shop towels and taped securely to the rifle or something else in the case so it can’t migrate

Why remove it?

Help me out here, If the rifle is packed properly how can the bolt ‘remove itself’?

I always remove the stock, leave the bolt and all magazine parts attached to the receiver. Wrap all in brown paper (stock and barreled action separate) then bubble wrap, this process makes the total package smaller and does not typically look like a firearm to anyone handling the package.

Last one I sold I removed the bolt and wrapped it separately in bubble wrap.

I've shipped the rifle, minus the bolt..via UPS

then shipped the bolt in a smaller US Mail carton...via Postal Service..

not a complete rifle and also if someone steals the UPS package, they don't have a complete rifle to sell or hock...
and I can claim it on the insurance.. as rifle parts... which they look at differently than a complete rifle.

I've worked with Shipping in the past as a support vendor.