How to Ship Gun Stuff Without Getting Burned
Gun guys are always shipping stuff around the country — whether it’s a barrel to be chambered, or a scope that needs to go back for warranty repair. Or maybe you’ve sold some bullets or reloading dies you no longer need. To ensure your precious packages get to their destination in one piece, it’s important to take precautions when boxing up your items. And by all means insure packages for full value — even if your packaging is perfect, there is always the possibility that your shipment might be lost altogether. Sadly, that can happen, no matter which carrier you choose: Fedex, UPS, or the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Here are some tips for shipping gun stuff — we explain how to pack items properly and how to minimize the risk of loss.
Tips for Shippers
Dennis Haffner from McGowen Precision Barrels offers some advice on how to avoid damage when shipping gun parts or other valuable or heavy items. Dennis explains:
“First, I started double-packing the contents and in many cases double-boxing. I spend a fortune on heavy-reinforced shipping tape. If the contents are loosely packed, the package is going to get crushed. On real important items or delicate items, wrap the content in plastic and spray the inside void areas with non-expanding foam. They make shipping foam just for this. This method really works. Since I started paying more attention to packaging, I have just about wiped out my issues with all three companies (Fedex, UPS, USPS). Yes, I hate doing it, but in the long run for us, it’s cheaper.
Bullet shipments are the worst — a shipment of 500+ bullets can destroy a cardboard box. I have ordered bullets from individuals who put them in baggies and filled the remainder of the box with foam peanuts. That is not going to work. Any piece of metal, including a die, will puncture a cardboard box, or destroy a padded envelope. Just look at the tracking information and imagine your package bouncing around in the back of the shipping truck, probably under many other packages. My advice is to NEVER use padded envelopes. Barrel nuts or recoil lugs will most likely never make it.
ORM-D items are required to be shipped in heavily-reinforced, double-walled containers. The packages still get a little damage, but the contents usually survive.
How do shipments get damaged? Consider this — one of the shipping companies this year flipped (overturned) one of our new CNC machines (which rendered it useless). Maybe your small packages were in the same delivery truck as my CNC machine. I wonder how many little boxes were crushed underneath it.
As for USPS flat rate boxes — you would not believe what people try to stuff in these boxes. USPS finally put a weight limit on the boxes — they had to. I sometimes take my delicate items packed in an envelope or small box. I spray foam in a larger flat rate box and insert the smaller package, then fill the remainder of the void with foam. It works, and part usually arrives undamaged.”
Shipping Rifle Barrels (PVC Tube and Tennis Ball Method)
A new match-grade barrel can cost $350 or more, and it might take six months (or more) to replace it, given the current wait time with top barrel-makers. So, you don’t want your nice new tube to get damaged in transit. Forum Member Chuck L. (aka “M-61″) offers these tips for shipping rifle barrels:
“Packing a barrel can be a problem. Here’s a shipping method that won’t stop lost shipments but so far has stopped damage. Get a PVC pipe (of size appropriate to your barrel) with fitted caps for each end. Attach a cap to one end. Tape the barrel threads and tape over the muzzle. Then drop one standard tennis ball into the pipe. Place barrel in pipe. Next add whatever peanuts or foam you can jam in to support the barrel on the sides. Then place a second tennis ball into the opposite end of the PVC pipe. (So now you have a tennis ball on either end of your barrel.) With everything secure inside, attach the upper cap and tape it down securely. With this packing procedure, when the carrier launches the pipe like a javelin, at least the barrel will not come through like a spear and be gone. Label the pipe with very large address labels so no one suspects it’s just garbage laying around. This procedure may seem ridiculous but it has worked for me. Oh and definitely get insurance. If your item is insured, the shippers will look harder to find it.”
Editor’s Note: Fedex also makes a triangular-profile cardboard shipping box. This 38″ x 6″ x 6″ x 6″ Fedex Tube (designed for blueprints and posters) is free for the asking. For most barrels, there should be enough clearance to hold your PVC tube (with barrel packed inside tube). However, don’t ship the barrel inside the cardboard box by itself. Cap and pad the ends and bubble wrap it heavily, or better yet, use the PVC tube method described above, with the PVC tube inside the box.
For More Packing and Shipping Advice, Read this Forum Thread.
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Tags: Barrel, Fedex, Insurance, PVC, Shipping, Tennis Ball, UPS
All well and good IF you are doing the shipping because there is a good chance that the return shipment will be in the same “container” – IF not thrown out at the outbound location (communicate accordingly).
I use Schedule 40 PVC pipe for storage and shipping. For shipping I then put the well-sealed and capped pipe in a box as close as possible to the size of the PVC pipe cap – into a cardboard tube, if available. The barrel should NOT move within the pipe – tightly wadded paper towels work fine.
For most barrels a PVC pipe with a standard tennis ball sized ID (2.57-2.700 inches for type 1 and 2 tennis balls) would actually allow you to ship three (3) “standard” diameter barrels in the same pipe. I strongly suggest a size much closer to the max barrel OD. [PVC standard dimensions – http://www.harvel.com/piping-systems/harvel-pvc-pipe/schedule-40-80/dimensions. You might even consider the “furniture grade” pipe like you can get at Home Depot, which is available in colors (less chance of mistaking the “package” for an industrial left-over).
Editor: ELR, you raise good points. I usually roll the barrel in bubble wrap before it goes in the PVC. That eliminates most movement. I like the larger diameter tubes as I think they are stiffer, and less likely to roll between packages and get lost.
I did a Google search on “non-expanding packaging foam” and found NO products. A couple of articles that mention such a product BUT no actual product identified. Others know of a specific product? Link please. Thanks.
ELR,
I don’t know about ‘non-expanding’ foam, but I’ve gotten any number of items packed using materials similar to this:
http://www.storopack.us/en/products-solutions/flexible-protective-packaging/foamplusr-instant-foam-in-place-custom-packaging.html
The catch is that its not exactly cheap, especially not for consumers who need one or two bags for one-off shipping. You can find related products on Amazon, but the smallest quantity I could find was like 24-30 piece sets, at a cost of several dollars per bag.
I’ve heard tell of people using DIY foam bags, using Great Stuff expanding foam (use the door/window variant, that expands less aggressively and is less likely to bend/break things) inside a trash bag as described briefly here:
http://www.ehow.com/list_6563836_expanding-foam-uses.html
Think YOU have problems shipping fragile items? A friend of mine is a professional restorer of ceramics, some of the modern studio pots she has to pack and ship are worth $1000’s. In her experience (30 years worth) the best packing material for fragile items are not foam peanuts, bubble wrap or any of the modern packaging materials but crushed up newspapers. Once packed wrap the outer container in industrial grade cling film which will stop the box coming apart
I like your idea of using tennis balls and a cardboard mailing tube to ship barrels. Many rifles can have their accuracy improved by upgrading the barrel. This won’t be the case if the barrel is damaged when it is sent to you. I’ll have to remember that tip if I ever need to ship a barrel in the future. Thanks.
Great advice for packing gun material. I’m sure it’s more complex than normal packing so this is helpful.