My plan is to ship a rifle to an FFL in Texas for the owner to pick up from the FFL.
I plan to ship Fed EX. I have a copy of the FFL the box is going to.
Any feedback as to what to expect with this undertaking or any advice would be appreciated.
Anything unexpected like they require cash only to ship???
Thank you in advance.

<---- FFL

• Include a copy of your driver's license
• Include a note stating who the gun is for and provide their phone number.
• Pack the gun so that it can not move around inside the box. It's best to break guns down (assuming some sort of double gun) and wrap the barrel section and stock section with bubble wrap. Pad around those sections with wadded up newspaper or more bubble wrap (Styrofoam peanuts suck). Again, the gun should not be able to shift or move inside the package.
• Insure the shipment for the full value.

I ship all rifles and shotguns by US Postal Service registered mail. They go priority mail and can be insured for up to $50,000. The postal agents may not ask what is in the box, but some do.... Nuisance is that registered mail uses the special paper tape that has fiber in it and uses water to activate the glue on it. Staples carries that tape, also called Kraft tape. Believe you'll find the Post Office cheaper than FedEx.

Good advice above on including self and buyer details inside the packing. If the gun has a case, go ahead and put peanuts inside to minimize barrels or stock moving around during shipment. I have a nearby UPS packing service that then puts the gun case in a stout cardboard box.

Regards

I ship using Priority Mail. Never have had an issue. Usually runs $35 to 40.

Anyone use a

PS Form 1508

https://about.usps.com/forms/ps1508.pdf

Mike

I've shipped a lot of them over the years and usually just USPS Priority Mail. Sometimes I insure and some I don't. Never a problem. As others have said, pack it well with plenty of cushioning all around. I often double box them--one cardboard box inside another.

If you go USPS, make sure you go Priority mail. Ground is problematic at best. Don't go ground with a nice gun unless you want problems. USPS Priority is good.

That form is for FFLs and only required for handguns.
FFLs are the only ones who can ship handguns via USPS.

Aggravating lady at local PO makes me sign one of those things. I just strike through most of it since it does not apply or is not true. Seems to make the lady happy though...Geo

Well I used Fed EX. I had a copy of the FFL from TX it was being shipped to. I told them it was a rifle being sent for repairs.
Clerk asked if it was a complete rifle I said yes. He said they would not ship without a "label" not sure what that label is.
Luckily a friend with me chimed in and said it was a gun in parts and not a working gun. Clerk said " I think that should be OK.then
He processed the deal and never asked for the FFL info from TX and cost $36.00 to ship with $3000.00 insurance AZ to TX.
I guess the trick is it is a non working gun in "PARTS"
Thanks for all your input.

While the post office has its advantages. Their speed with registered packages is not one of them. Waiting for them to deliver as you watch your package bounce around has been a maddening experience for me.

To the OP,

The only thing additional I would suggest (for the future, as you've already shipped) is that you verify the validity of the FFL before shipping. You want to know that (A) they ARE legitimately an FFL, and just as importantly... (B) that their license is CURRENT.

Go to Google and search "ATF FFL check" and you will find an ATF site which allows you to enter only the first 5 and last 5 digits of their license number (some are squirrelly about giving out their full number). The site then verifies their GOOD TIL date on their current license, the business name, and address.

This way there's no way you can be culpible for shipping a gun to a non-FFL who simply CLAIMS they are.

Just a little bit of CYA. What ever happens with the gun after you ship it is none of your concern. And if the FFL balks at giving you their first and last 5 digits, tell the buyer they need to find a different FFL to receive.

In this way YOU can never be on the hook for something bad happening downstream with what you THOUGHT was a gun you legally sold.

Nudge

It's a minor quibble, but it's FIRST THREE and LAST FIVE.

Oops, you're correct, first 3 and last 5.

Nudge

Here we go again with another multiple page thread on shipping guns.

To summarize, all carrier options are bad and any given person will have horror stories about each one. It is just a matter of which one has not pissed you off lately.

There is nothing privileged about FFL information. Every current license is listed at the BATF site. If one gets pissy about providing a copy of their license screw them and just find another. They abound.

TabA / SlotB

Hahaha! So true.

We have short memories....we are pissed at the service provider/retailer who most recently annoyed us. Just pick someone else and the odds will be in your favour. (Would be anyway if you picked the guy who just pissed you off....it's a crap shoot)

The only time I used FEDEX was when a manufacturer (Charter Arms) once sent me a pre-paid shipping label to return the gun to the factory under warranty repair.

I also use USPS Priority Mail, as there's no reason to lie about the parcel's contents - and EVERYBODY who handles the parcel during it's processing from here to there has to sign for it (making the parcel traceable).


Postal Service personnel may not open mail sealed against inspection except under the circumstances described in ASM 274 (google).

By those USPS Regulations, US Postal Clerks are required to ask only a few specific questions about the mailability of a parcel's contents, like:

“Does this parcel contain anything fragile, liquid, perishable, or potentially hazardous, including lithium batteries and perfume ? ”

I ALWAYS answer "fragile", and have already so marked the parcel on all sides/ends.

Since many long guns also have a relatively heavy, narrow end (barrel/muzzle), besides wrapping securely, I usually re-inforce both carton ends (inside) with a thin (1/4") plywood layer, cut to fit, to prevent the barrel end from breaking through the cardboard packaging.


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Packing guns well often can significantly reduce the risk.

I use 3" PVC pipe, cut to correct length (the length being the inside length, end to end, of the box you are using), to hold the barrels and pack that tube inside the cardboard box. The rigidity of the tube not only protects the barrels but provided for significantly greater rigidity for the whole package.

Each component is wrapped first in cloth, then in bubble wrap and any voids in the box are filled with Styrofoam packing peanuts. The whole thing is very tightly packed ensuring to movement inside the box and the box itself is very rigid.

"I also use USPS Priority Mail...


Postal Service personnel may not open mail sealed against inspection except under the circumstances described in ASM 274 (google).

By those USPS Regulations, US Postal Clerks are required to ask only a few specific questions about the mailability of a parcel's contents, "
I believe you have to use "registered" priority mail in order to get the signoffs etc. Costs more but worth it for high value items.
"Registered mail is the Postal Service's most secure form of mail delivery, involving an unbroken chain of custody. Registered mail is protected in sealed containers, safes and cages, and held under lock and key. This extra level of security can cause delays and may require up to 14 days for delivery. Choose registered mail when the contents of the mail require additional security and time is not a factor."

Recently used the USPS to ship some guns and everything worked as advertised. They are, however, fairly pricey anymore. Even if you don't massively insure the gun, figure on about $65-70 per shipment (this is about twice what it used to be IMHO). Interesting to note that when I observed how much more it now cost, I was told by a postal employee that the reason was because they used Fedex for delivery of packages like mine(!).

I ship guns via USPS fairly regularly. I don't recall ever paying more than $40, including insurance.

.

Funny - "time" is never a problem whenever I'm the sender, only when I'm the receiver......


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Really? . . . the sooner I can get a gun safely in the buyer's hands, the better. The way I figure it is that I'm selling a gun in a particular condition, as advertised, so I don't rest easy until it's delivered in the same state I shipped it.

I have shipped too many guns over the years that I have sold but more often to have a repair or restoration performed. I have used priority mail in nearly all cases with the exception of shipping some very high value ones. I have NEVER had an issue with USPS. If the guns are valued at a lot more than $5,000 I use USPS Registered mail. You can ship via Registered Mail for less than Priority Mail and although it takes longer by a few days; it is as secure a means of shipping as exists. It will take longer but it is guaranteed to get there. My neighbor retired as a postmaster and related how he used to receive BAGS of gold bullion via Registered Mail! However, it is slower because it must go into a locked locker or bin and be signed for throughout its trip. The packaging requirements are not bad once you learn what they are. I wish I had discovered Registered Mail earlier in my gun ownership life. I would have saved a bundle!
I have also found that using USPS is by far the most economical when shipping a handgun. As long as you first go through an FFL and ship to an FFL it meets all postal regulation requirements. I then have used a medium size Priority Mail Flat Rate Shipping box for about $15. Even adding in the outgoing FFL dealer's fees it is far less than UPS. UPS requires Overnight Express for handguns which is REAL PRICEY!

If shipping is time sensitive be wary of registered mail. I shipped a gun I was returning that way once and it took over two weeks to arrive. I think the owner suspected bad faith on my part.

As someone noted above a registered package must be signed for and put in a locker at each stage of the delivery. My gun showed up somewhere just as the responsible employee went off on a two week vacation.

I instituted a mail search which was fruitless. The gun went into a locker and nobody had any idea where it was until the employee returned to work...Geo