Mailing a rifle to a gunsmith in 2023

SDHNTR

WKR
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
7,125
You do not need to send to or from an ffl when sending your own action to a gunsmith. Stick the barreled action in a box and ship from ups. Tell them is contains sporting equipment or metal parts. Abbreviate the company name and you will have zero issues.
Exactly what I do.
 

SDHNTR

WKR
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
7,125
Well either UPS just changed its policy or it’s very loosely enforced. I just shipped a disassembled firearm about 4 weeks ago and I’m not an FFL. Dropped off at a UPS hub, zero issues. Guy asked me what was in the box, I said firearm parts. Off it went. Now I’m confused…
 

Attachments

  • B6580D83-7925-4059-944E-E7187284B2E7.jpeg
    B6580D83-7925-4059-944E-E7187284B2E7.jpeg
    139.7 KB · Views: 47
Joined
Jul 7, 2017
Messages
63
Location
Maryland
I just went thru this and got the runaround from two different USPS postmasters saying they can’t ship from private individual even tho the policy is clear you can ship it for repair. UPS and FedEx were no help either.

I ended up driving it to smith. If I had to do it again I would box it up take it to my local FFL and just have him ship it. The smith working in your gun should be able to ship it back to your house at least.
 
Joined
Aug 19, 2018
Messages
319
Location
Central Texas
I just went thru this and got the runaround from two different USPS postmasters saying they can’t ship from private individual even tho the policy is clear you can ship it for repair. UPS and FedEx were no help either.

I ended up driving it to smith. If I had to do it again I would box it up take it to my local FFL and just have him ship it. The smith working in your gun should be able to ship it back to your house at least.
That’s the postmaster not knowing the rules. It helps to bring a copy of the shipping regulations to a new post office. I’ve had this issue before and some will still refuse to ship until they see the regulations from usps.
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2020
Messages
1,345
Central ups here gave me grief over a scope a few months ago. Said it was considered gun parts and unless you had a contract with them they wouldn’t ship them.
 

Kurts86

WKR
Joined
Aug 15, 2020
Messages
561
I used USPS for shipping an action for modification earlier this year.

A good number of shops now offer turn key mailing solutions where they ship you a box, a soft case and a shipping label and you use UPS to ship it to them. Basically because they label was generated from an FFL it is within their new rules.
 
Joined
Sep 28, 2018
Messages
2,216
Location
VA
The gunsmith is an FFL but it sounds like ups and fedex wont accept a package from me since I am not.

That makes no sense. Just package up the item in a non descript box(if you've got gun and manufacturer labels all over it, you're asking for issues), slap the label on the side and drop it off with fedex. UPS and fedex deliver guns on the regular.

I literally had a rifle shipped to and from my gunsmith. Rifle came in saturday and I had to show my ID to sign for it.
 
Joined
Sep 28, 2018
Messages
2,216
Location
VA
Central ups here gave me grief over a scope a few months ago. Said it was considered gun parts and unless you had a contract with them they wouldn’t ship them.

As long as you're not shipping something of hazard they don't need to know whats in the box. My last rifle I boxed up in a Ikea box
 
Joined
Sep 28, 2018
Messages
2,216
Location
VA
I live in Oregon, and recently sent aChristiansen back for work. I had to send it from an FFL; then it had to be sent back to the FFL and I had to get a background check to get my own rifle back from the FFL.

Frustrating to say the least

Reason you had to do a background is because the FFL had to check in the firearm into their log book because the rifle was sent to them.
 
Joined
Jul 7, 2017
Messages
63
Location
Maryland
That’s the postmaster not knowing the rules. It helps to bring a copy of the shipping regulations to a new post office. I’ve had this issue before and some will still refuse to ship until they see the regulations from usps.
I did exactly that and they still wouldn’t do it lol.

USPS 432.3.d

That’s the postmaster not knowing the rules. It helps to bring a copy of the shipping regulations to a new post office. I’ve had this issue before and some will still refuse to ship until they see the regulations from usps.
 

Harvey_NW

WKR
Joined
Feb 13, 2019
Messages
1,956
Location
WA
That makes no sense. Just package up the item in a non descript box(if you've got gun and manufacturer labels all over it, you're asking for issues), slap the label on the side and drop it off with fedex. UPS and fedex deliver guns on the regular.

I literally had a rifle shipped to and from my gunsmith. Rifle came in saturday and I had to show my ID to sign for it.
It's against both of their policies to ship firearms to or from non FFL holders now, so if anything happens to your mystery package and you have to make a claim, you're screwed. That's the issue.
 
OP
R
Joined
Apr 3, 2018
Messages
328
Location
NC Montana
Good lord I just left the post office. To mail the rifle in a cheap plastic gun case in a cardboard sleeve was going to be $175. I about fell over at the counter.
 
Joined
Aug 19, 2018
Messages
319
Location
Central Texas
Good lord I just left the post office. To mail the rifle in a cheap plastic gun case in a cardboard sleeve was going to be $175. I about fell over at the counter.
That seems very high. I sent a barrelled action to idaho from texas for $23 via usps and cost $20 to get it back. That during Christmas 2022.

USPS has a shipping estimate online. Measure your box and weight it. Should get you very close.
 
OP
R
Joined
Apr 3, 2018
Messages
328
Location
NC Montana
I may have try finding a box just big enough for the barreled action and let the smith figure out full sized packing on the way back
 

Gunaddict

FNG
Joined
Dec 10, 2020
Messages
92
A gunsmith does not need to return the rifle to a FFL dealer in Oregon. He can send the rifle back to you. I have received 2 custom builds this year from the gunsmith to my house. I did use a FFL to ship. .
 
Top