Best Shipping Carrier for Shipping Long Guns Out of State

[andersonjk4]

I've been looking into shipping a rifle and have come across a bunch of differing opinions on which carrier (UPS, USPS, FED-EX, etc) is the easiest/cheapest for shipping a long gun from Washington to another state.  I know there has to be a bunch of guys on here that have shipped rifles out of state recently.  Is one carrier better or worse than any of the others? 

[carlyoungs]

I used UPS. It was the cheapest out of the three. I went to one of the little mail places that has PO boxes and such. He had a box that they sold me that he said they use all the time for shipping long guns.

[b23]

I've always used USPS, mostly because it was the most convenient, and I've never had any problems.  I don't think there's more than a few dollars difference in cost between all of them, so pick the one that's the most convenient for you.  USPS has no problem with shipping long guns and their staff is usually fully aware of that which helps things go smoothly without any issues at the counter.

[Zardoz]

It's all about the packaging.....

[yorketransport]

It's all about the packaging.....

I've been in the package delivery industry for about 15 years now and I can assure you that the big 3 shipping companies are all comparable in how the packages are handled in shipping, and that's a good thing. If you're shipping a rifle I'd plan on taking it straight to a hub though if you're going through either FedEx or UPS. There's no rules or laws about the drop stations accepting rifles, but most of them won't do it without a hassle.

[CAMPMEAT]

I shipped one to Washington State a couple months ago using UPS for around $50 with insurance.

[andersonjk4]

Thanks for all the replies. I got a little bit of grief from a Fed-Ex print and ship location when trying to ship a Muzzleloader a few years back. The guy was clueless about all gun and shipping laws. So I was curious what people’s experiences were when actually shipping a firearm.

Next question: If you don’t have the original box or any other rifle boxes around to ship them in. Where does one get such a box?  In the past I have built my own boxes by folding/cutting/taping sections from other large boxes, but I would be way easier to go buy one.

[yorketransport]

Swing by a gun shop and just ask them for an old shipping box that one of the stock guns came in.

I’m a big fan of sticking the rifle in a soft cast and then building a box around that. Most items that get damaged in shipping are damaged because of poor packaging.

[mountainman]

Swing by a gun shop and just ask them for an old shipping box that one of the stock guns came in.

I’m a big fan of sticking the rifle in a soft cast and then building a box around that. Most items that get damaged in shipping are damaged because of poor packaging.

Shipped over 1,000 longguns with basically this same method. You could count on less then one hand ever having damage claims, using both UPS and FedEx.

[BULLBLASTER]

ive Only shipped one in state to a ffl and went to the kinkos fed ex and they were great and knew everything that was needed and helped me along. It was the one on Sullivan and sprague in the valley.

[jackelope]

I've shipped a few, always used USPS and never had an issue. They ask me if there's any liquids or explosives or whatever....no...
Never had a problem.

Probably goes without saying, but make sure you're shipping to an FFL holder.

[andersonjk4]

I've shipped a few, always used USPS and never had an issue. They ask me if there's any liquids or explosives or whatever....no...
Never had a problem.

Probably goes without saying, but make sure you're shipping to an FFL holder.

Yep.    But a good reminder. 

[b23]

This kind of goes without saying, but per my post office dude, when using USPS as your shipper, the outside of the box can't say gun/s or firearm on it.  I used an old Remington box to ship a stock once and at first they told me it was a no go.  When I asked why, he explained USPS has a rule/s about what the outside of the box can say on it.  The box I was using said Remington but nothing about gun/s or firearms so I said to the counter dude how do you know this isn't a box for Remington shavers.  He said good point and all was good.

[jackelope]

This kind of goes without saying, but per my post office dude, when using USPS as your shipper, the outside of the box can't say gun/s or firearm on it.  I used an old Remington box to ship a stock once and at first they told me it was a no go.  When I asked why, he explained USPS has a rule/s about what the outside of the box can say on it.  The box I was using said Remington but nothing about gun/s or firearms so I said to the counter dude how do you know this isn't a box for Remington shavers.  He said good point and all was good.

I always wrapped mine in brown paper with lots of clear packing tape. Nothing whatsoever indicating it was a firearm.

[BULLBLASTER]

Fed ex stuck blank white labels over all markings on the box I used to ship