My gunsmith is a retired LEO and just called and told me to file a stolen gun report with local LE.

The two guns were shipped via UPS from Oregon on July 20, 2022 and haven't been scanned again since they arrived to the Hodgkins, IL hub on July 22, 2022. UPS has been "conducting" their own investigation for 6 days now. Here are details about the guns.

Winchester Pre-64 Model 70, 22" custom 30-06 barrel, Oregon brown stock with black and tan webbing, red recoil pad, Timney Trigger, Talley LW rings, Smoke Cerakote on all metal parts.

Ruger Blackhawk, 4 5/8" bbl, 45 Colt, custom (taller than normal) front sight, off-white grips, Smoke Cerakote on all metal parts.

Gunsmith suspects the Ruger may turn into a personal sidearm and the rifle may be taken to a pawn shop.

Please let me know if you see or hear anything about either of these guns.

Thanks, Dinny

Sorry to hear that, I hope they turn up. And soon!

Hate to hear that. Will keep an eye out.

Thieves should be hanged

Bummer, thanks for the heads up.

I hate a thief! Hope they are found!

You might contact ATF. They were very helpful in finding a couple a friend shipped. (They had been put in a corner and basically hidden in a supposedly secured area at a hub)

Sorry to hear that.
A gunsmith friend of mine was waiting for delivery of a real nice rifle a couple years ago via UPS. They turned up missing at the hub that delivers to our area. When he threatened to notify the ATF, UPS got very nervous but they never did find the gun. Apparently UPS has an internal scanning system that doesn't show up in the tracking that the customers see, so they can narrow it down to where it was in the building and who had access to it.

Didn’t need to hear this. I have one on the way from WA. A pox on all thieves (Monkeypox!)

Hope you find them.

Dinny: Could you forward the serial numbers of that revolver and the Rifle?
Hope they are found.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

You might consider listing them on hotgunz.com ?

Hate to hear that - nothing is safe or sacred anymore….

Same here. Got one on the way from TN.

Hope your guns are found, Dinny.

Happened to me with two Remingtons shotguns last year with UPS. Showed them in Nashville but never left. They were insured and it took me several months and threatening them with a lawyer to pay me the insurance money. Still no signs of the guns unfortunately. Good luck.

Dealer Friend Had a Daniel's Defense Go Missing For 9 Days Through FedX.. He Called The Last Hub It Was Tracked At.. They Where Less Than Helpful And Could Have Cared Less.. His Next Call Was ATF.. To Report It Stolen..Seems After ATFs Call The Gun Was Found in Less Than A Hour At The Same Hub and Was on The Way To Them.. Like Most I Hate A Theif....Hope They Show Up For You..

Shipped together? Sorry to ask but I didn't realize multiple firearms could be shipped in the same package, box, crate, etc. Anyway that sucks. Hope they turn up.

UPS is getting bad for stolen items.

Ammo is not reaching the destination.

I sent a case of 12ga shotshells but it was last scanned in Salt Lake City.

Their claim process sucks also!

Sorry to hear this Dinny.

there is a company back east that has a $30,000 order lost by UPS and it appears UPS is now WOKE and it's employees are anti firearms activists,,, check out E-Bay shipping prices via UPS...........$28.00 to ship a 8 ounce Leupold 2X7 scope from Penn to Mt................thats $56.00 a pound shipping yet look at tools of equal weight and dimentions and you'll see what I am talking about....If manufactureres loose customer orders and private transactions get diverted or stolen what's the long term effect............you figure it out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I ship I am very careful to give no indication either by box type and dimension or labeling that a firearm is in the package. Repurposing a box like what maybe a vacumn cleaner or something may have come in . Might have larger dimensions than necessary for the firearm with higher cost but to me it is cheap insurance. If going to an FFL dealer such as Dan`s Gun Shop I omit the business name and use the license holders name and address.

I wonder if it would be a good idea to include one of those Apple AirTags in the packaging when shipping something of value?
Apple AirTag at Amazon

Top

Maybe, but I'd have to find a friend to track it for me. I use Samsung phones on the Android System.

Shipped by a gunsmith who has been shipping guns together in the same package for decades.

UPS has completed their investigation and are officially taking responsibility for the loss. I was told it is lost and considered unrecoverable. They will send the shipper (Gunsmith) a payment in the next 60 days. UPS customer service could not provide an amount.

I just called the ATF and was told only the FFL dealer/transferee can file a loss report. Gunsmith isn't answering so I'll email them now.

The ATF was contacted and the gunsmith has a pile of paperwork to file. We shall see if the juice is worth the squeeze.

Hope it works out for you.

The Word ATF Will Usally Get Their Attention.. Hope It Works Out For You..

I was just informed that UPS will only pay $100 if the package was not fully insured. I'm guessing that the $37 shipping cost from OR to IN doesn't include extra insurance. I'm $2850 deep into those 2 guns.

Dang man. I despise a thief and those that accommodate them. Sure hope ATF carries some weight at UPS.

UPS never pays up.

They will eventually give up shipping guns and ammo. Too much liability and hassle for them.

I can't believe UPS doesn't have cameras in locations to pick up anyone stashing boxes. And how does one carry out a box through security? Who checks/ moniters the security?

Seems like thats on your smith at that point

What kind of idiot would ship guns uninsured ?

Thanks. The Timney trigger was the one I bought from you. I never even had a chance to try it.

Always , Always insure your packages. Ive had lost packages and USPS paid up.

It ain't on him if the receiver didn't request insurance and pay for it. They weren't his guns.

Duh...

Still work that way when no communication was made other than to send me a tracking number? I never had a say in the matter. I didn't even know they were done until I received that email. By then the package had already been picked up by UPS and on the way to IL where it was lost.

I had problems with FedEx doing similar $hit. Sold and shipped to Iowa from Mi. It arrives in Iowa and the package is opened up, with the box all but destroyed. The receiving FFl (rightly) refuses to accept the delivery. Being new to the game, I was watching the tracking about 35 times a day, so when he refused it, I immediately called the buyer to ask what for? Buyer goes STRAIGHT TO THE FEDEX HUB, the same day, and the gun had already been rerouted to Ohio! Turns out, because the gun was addressed to an obvious FFL, the ATF "assumes" that an employee opened it up, and knew the procedure for refusing acceptance, and actually got in the computer and changed the address to Ohio....Of course, I was lucky because I was on top of the tracking, and ATF was waiting in the driveway of the new address! I second the advise stated above : make the package look like anything OTHER than a gun, and be discreet with the shipping address!
And good luck with getting the money for it. Mine was fully insured, and they admitted wrong doing, but said the gun was damaged because it wasn't packed properly. I had it in a soft gun case, then wrapped in bubble wrap to fill the voids in a cardboard box. The gun could fall off the truck and not had a scratch on it if the POS hadn't destroyed all that to see what it was. Sorry for the troubles you are about to go through

Insurance?! Surely you jest.

What a scam these shippers are running. They charge you twice, once to ship it and again to insure it, then they either break it or steal it and deny the claim for insurance that you paid for!

Honest to God thieves.

Several years back I purchased an older J frame from an out of state FFL that did not arrive at my LGS when scheduled. Days went by and still no delivery so I continued the barrage of phone calls to the hub where it was last scanned in. Mysteriously it showed up at my FFL about 31 days past a 2 day delivery FYI. I hope your friend has the same luck.

https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/...6YMNZJYJFU7HY6DCZJHFZC3U/?outputType=amp

Dinny: Copied - thanks for the comeback.
Good luck in this regard.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I received some good news today. Both guns have been recovered by UPS but they're in two separate locations. The revolver was packed inside another box inside the longer rifle box. UPS is sending them both back to the gunsmith via overnight air. He will repackage and send them separately this time, requesting adult over 21 signatures, and they'll be insured for $1K+ each. The $1K insurance guarantees chain of custody handling, supervisor signatures, and that they'll be locked in a secure location if either have to remain overnight anywhere.

Let's just hope they come back in one piece.

That's good to hear. Hopefully things will go good this time.

Good to hear they were located

Great news.

First time in my LIFE I have ever heard a happy ending to something like this. I am happy for you.

All Norwegians I see.

Byron Burke, 19, Jalen Green, 19, Dishon Kinney, 18, Kenyon Peters, 18, and Tre'von Williams, 19, face charges.

GREAT NEWS.

Good deal!

Dinny,
I was Glad to hear that they were found. Your too good a Guy, and a Stand up one at that to go through this!!!

HS58

Sincerely glad they were found.

This ordeal is far from over. The ATF contractors following the report of stolen/missing firearms wanted my local PD to remove the rifle from the stolen list now that my gunsmith received it.

My local PD wanted "eyes on" to verify it has been returned to me and to verify the SN.

The gunsmith, more worried about ATF who controls their license, won't ship it to me until it's removed.

My local PD suggested I called the gunsmith's local PD to suggest I know where my missing/stolen firearm is.

Finally cooler heads prevailed (2 day process) and my PD removed it from the stolen list.

Now the rifle, which was damaged by UPS mishandling, will be shipped back to me tomorrow.

I'm hoping the damages are only cosmetic and the same force didn't crack the new stock. I was told I'll know when I shoot it with some full power 30-06 loads. 🤯

Meanwhile UPS has supposedly located the pistol and it's being shipped to their investigator in....wait for it...New Jersey. Once it arrives he will verify it's my missing Ruger and overnight it back to the gunsmith in OR.

Then we'll start the ordeal of who reports it recovered again.

I will never again ship a firearm through UPS without insuring it for $1000+ dollars (chain of custody minimum). I will also insist that no namea of business, etc will be listed that has any resemblance to a firearms business. Shipping in a shorter box might also help make it look like anything else other than a firearm too.

I have a sneeking suspicion that my package may have been targeted and that's why it was damaged and perhaps someone was either trying to dispose of or steal the contents

My rifle was packed by the gunsmith inside a hard plastic gun case inside a plain cardboard box. When it returned to the gunsmith the gun case was missing. The UPS investigator said it was destroyed beyond use again and disposed of. 😡

Latest and quite possibly the last update to this saga. UPS has once again lost the pistol. It was listed as enroute to UPS Lost and Found in NEW JERSEY but now has been listed as lost. UPS is paying the claim but I'm afraid all I'll get is $100. The gunsmith seems like he's willing to replace it so at least he's taking responsibility and remains a stand-up guy in my book. I'm sure I'll eventually get another one put together as well as that Ruger was.