doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How to pack barrels for shipping?

Hi Folks,

I need to send the bbls. from a 28 Ga. SxS out for some barrel work.

I haven't shipped a barrel before and was wondering what the best packing material/method might be. I had thought about trying to make up a container out of some PVC pipe and caps.

Anyone have any ideas they'd care to share?

Thanks,

YB

PVC pipe works great but being round I'm told it easily slips off conveyor belts, etc. Better to slip the pipe into a cardboard box. I believe Mike Orlen likes to use boxes that golf clubs come in.

Hi Joe, when I've shipped bbls, I wrapped them in bubble wrap and taped that. Then I slipped them into a box that you can buy at any UPs or other shipping store. I packed that box inside another box and packed that also with bubble wrap and newspaper until there is no play for the inside box to move around, taped that shut and off to the shipper. I've always packed my contact info with the bbls, so it's always attached to them. It's worked for me.

Best of luck!!

Greg

I would also insure them for the full replacement value in case they get lost or damaged during shipping - I spent a summer working UPS once, and the way the Gateway computers were tossed and thrown around, I'm surprised they even worked at all......the sorting folks seem to like to try and break things.....

Do you have to declare that you are shipping barrels when you ship them? If they aren't an entire gun, I would ship them as sump pump pipe or something. You also might be able to go to your local gun dealer and see if he doesn't have a box lined with styrofoam that guns originally came in. I have gotten them from my stores/dealers before. Or if you have purchased a gun you might be able to use the box from another gun. Then I would insure them as someone else mentioned. Good luck.

1/4-3/8" cardbd. tubes 4-5" dia. that alum. extrusions are shipped in are lighter in wgt. than PVC pipe. I cut 3/4" plywd. plugs for mine with a flycutter or large holesaw; each plug is a stepped affair glued and stapled or screwed such that the smaller dia. inserts as a plug and the larger dia. stops against the end of the tube. One end gets screwed thru the tube; other end held by reinforced strapping tape. Probably also rolls off conveyor belts but you're surely going to pad with a good healthy wrap of bubble pak so it's not like the barrelset is banging around inside. Mine's been back and forth to Orlen three or four times. Bit of a pull getting the passenger out I'm sure, but Orlen has always sent back the same way except that last time, the tube was packed inside one of the rectangular golf-club boxes. You don't have to declare that the contents are anything in particular but "machine parts" does as well as anything if asked. Ins. and your name and address inside w/ the barrels is a no brainer. Make certain the shipper on the other end also insures for return.

jack

Fed-x has a free sturdy triangular shipping container that's long enough for 32" barrels.
The ones I shipped I wrapped in bubble wrap inside the Fed-x container and then put it all inside another box....pretty gorilla proof.

Can you insure a piece of sump pump pipe for $1,000?

I made one from PVC with end caps....then drove over it with my truck to test it. It's been working for years.

Anybody tested their cardboard boxes? Other than j0e with his gorillas I mean.

Schedule 40 PVC, 3" diam., get a piece 32" long in case you ever get long barrels. On one end glue a 3" cap, on the other end a 3" male adapter and thread on a 3" cap.

Pack inside a cardboard box with bubble wrap or peanuts.

Insure for full amount of the gun! If you lose that set of barrels what's it going to do to the valur foe that Fox DE?

Ship USPS Registered mail. Make sure the guy on the other end does the same, get it in writing.

I'd avoid UPS. Never seem to have any packages make it to me without looking like the 'gorilla' used it for a soccer ball. It's only been by the diligence of the senders that I've only had two damaged things.