It CAN happen..In shipping...

[Jerry VanHorn]

A while back, I sent the 32" 16 gauge barrels to Breck G. to rust blue. They needed it, and being one of 216 guns..I wanted it nice..Breck did a beautiful job on the barrels..and sent me photos before they shipped. FEDEX delivered the barrels last Friday..The barrels were wrapped in heavy paper....2 layers of bubble wrap...AND were shipped in a PVC tube..My first thought was that the tube had to have been opened..to put that big a dent in the barrels...I took another piece of the same tubing..wrapped an old pair of barrels..sealed the tube..and beat on it with a hammer..NOTHING !..Breck had the barrels insured for 1K..and he is filing the paperwork. I imagine we will have to come up with a value on the gun...and how much the value has diminished. He is in the process of fixing it. FEDEX will fight this , and we will never know what happened for sure.....I always use USPS ??

[Paul Ehlers]

What a shame! Unfortunately things can & do happen in shipping. I hope the barrel can be repaired to save those long tubes. Good Luck!!!

Just curious. What did the box look like in the area where that dent is? It almost would have had to been run over by a forklift or get jammed in a piece of machinery to get a dent like that though a PVC pipe. What schedule of PVC pipe was it?

[Ken Hill]

Wow. How can they dent a barrel in a PVC tube? Luckily, I haven't had a problem with shipping but I'm always leery. Best of luck with getting your claim approved.

Ken

[Alfred Greeson]

Sorry but I don't think this happened in a tube, I think you proved it with your hammer.

[Alfred Greeson]

I had a DHE sent to me in D.C. The package had been slammed on one end, hard enough to crack the toe of the stock under the steel butt plate. There are some sick people who will do what they can to damage or destroy a package if they think it contains a fire arm. As a 20 year employee of Fed Ex, I don't think anyone would tell you that happened in a PVC tube. Someone probably took them out, gave them a whack and put them right back in your package. Damn shame.

[Jerry VanHorn]

I think it was schedule 30?? Breck has it now. I'll never believe that the dent was caused IN the tube..again..I hammered a piece with a test barrel and bubble wrap. Any inside help from anyone familiar with FEDEX claims will be appreciated. I'm sure they will try to not pay a dime.. Breck is confident he can make it new. His work and help has been above and beyond...PS..There was no box. The tube was capped on one end..permanently..and sealed with strapping tape on the other. The tape had to have been cut and retaped.

[Reggie Bishop]

I know of two other "incidents" involving Fed Ex shipments. One was "lost" and one a broken stock. I am apprehensive every time I ship a shotgun.

[Phil Yearout]

Wow; sorry that happened. I HATE shipping guns and am on pins and needles until they arrive safely. I recently sent a forearm for repair and all went well; wasn't too worried about damage, but what would the gun be worth if it had been lost :eek:?!

[todd allen]

It's a shame what happened to those barrels. Problem is, there are some seriously kooky people out there, and they are becoming more and more uninhibited about inflicting their kookiness on others.
The person who did that probably still lives in his mother's basement.

[George Lang]

USPS is no better. Its a risk we must take with any shipper. The sad part is what they put you thru for something that actually had to have happened during the shipping process.

[Garry L Gordon]

Was the gun insured by you? Just curious as I have, based on positive recommendations by colleagues here, insured my guns and they are covered in shipping. I've not had to use the insurance...thankfully.

Good luck with those nice barrels.

[Jerry VanHorn]

Breck insured the barrels when he sent them to me..for $1000...He has the paperwork in hand to file a claim. We need to come up with a figure ??

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

I have been lucky with shipping, I use to build a wooden case for them, not any more I only ship in metal aircraft grade aluminum cases with a Master lock, Gary

[todd allen]

I'm not a gunsmith, but from what I see it looks like a strip and relay (and all that entails) in addition to the barrel tube repair.
Gonna be pricey.

[Kenny Graft]

I have shipped barrels to Briley in heavy cardboard type tubes that will not crush under any normal circumstance. They send them back in their foam filled box, not as good as the tube that I use but very good as well. I have had 3 major shipment issues and a couple temporary lost shipments over the past 5 or so years....spent lots of money on insurance and they always cry like babies when they gotta pay! NO ONE IS HAPPY SXS Ohio

[Jerry VanHorn]

I was worried too. Breck called a few minutes ago.. He has the worst part of the dent out. He says it will not need more than a lot of tender massaging on the remainder..and strip and reblue again..The barrels were absolutely beautiful. I even had the breech engraving picked . I was in shock when I unwrapped them . The dent is about 12" from the muzzle..I don't see any other reason for the damage..other than someone opened the tube..and that is when it was dented..

[Steve Huffman]

I wondered if the insurance gave Breck the go ahead to work on the barrels ? Breck just did some barrels for me and what a job he did !!!!

[Jerry Harlow]

Twelve inches from the muzzle is typically the thinnest spot on the barrels, and without being creased I am sure Breck will have all of the dent removed and fixed, without a claim unless he claims his repair costs.

I have learned that rebluing damaged areas on a fresh rust bluing does not require a complete strip, but just to continue rust bluing until the repaired area catches up with the rest of the bluing. Before if I had a problem such as oil contamination or an accidental scratch I would remove all of the perfectly good bluing and start over. But I finally got smarter and just kept on bluing until the repaired area was the same as the rest of the work. Just happened the other day to me, corrected the blemish, and continued bluing especially in that area and ended up perfectly.

[Patrick Butler]

I have had more problems with Fedex than UPS and none with USPS- but I used registered mail with USPS, where every person who touches the package signs and it is always locked up. It's slow, but they also insure at a low rate.

Fedex ground (not the express service) in the Bay Area uses contract employees and they have routinely damaged my packages. Most are just pet products, but the last time it was two custom end tables from Cherry Pond. They were double boxed and all edges had additional triple cardboard. Really expert packing. Anyway, it looked like someone took a hammer to the boxes. The maker made it right, but what a hassle.

[Bill Jacobs]

I ship UPS whenever I can. USPS is OK, but recovering on a claim is near impossible. I don't think I have ever spoken with someone who actually claimed the Post Office and got money from them.

Bill Jacobs

[scott kittredge]

When i ship i never put the word gun on the box. Like joe blows gun shop, i just say joe blows than the address. The pvc pipe would have shattered to dent the barrel like that. Pvc does not bend it cracks when pressed that much to dent a barrel.
Scott

[charlie cleveland]

hope all goes well with those barrels those would be hard to replace...i have had a d grade 10 ga stock broke in shipment you could tell where someones foot had smashed the box and broke it completly in too at the wrist...never got a dime out of them....and had a gun that was to be signed for delivered to my neighbors house about 2 miles from me and nobody was home they just set it on the porch and left it....the buyer called me and asked how i liked the gun i said i aint seen the gun he said it showed it had been delivered to me...was about 4 hours to when the neibour called and said i had a package at their house i went and got it it was ok...i could have cost that delivery man his job but i said nothing since every thing turned out ok....charlie

[Phil Yearout]

I ship UPS whenever I can. USPS is OK, but recovering on a claim is near impossible. I don't think I have ever spoken with someone who actually claimed the Post Office and got money from them.

Bill Jacobs

I got paid by USPS on a lost shipment to an APO address. It was actually pretty painless; I was surprised.

[Craig Larter]

This is very upsetting, purposely damaging a gun. I can't believe FedEx doesn't have security cameras everywhere to record possible employee theft, etc. I am so lucky because I can drive to Turnbull, Brian Dudley and Dan May in a hour max. Breck is so careful with his clients barrels it is impossible the damage was not purposeful by a FedEx idiot. I hope all turns out ok.

[Jerry VanHorn]

Breck will have the barrels back to me in the same perfect shape they were in before the FEDEX shipment. We will worry about the insurance at the proper time. I have a LOT of spare time to work on FEDEX if they balk..He said he is done with FEDEX. I have always used USPS...The registered shipping is safe, and not excessive in cost..I compare it to peace of mind and aggravation ! Everything will work out...and hopefully FEDEX will realize that it had to be a deliberate act. Breck has the tube to show them. It doesn't have a mark on it..There was nothing on the return shipment to give a clue it was a gun part....just my name and address..Someone at FEDEX made it a point to damage the barrels. I'm just glad it wasn't worse.. Like it was mentioned..What are the chances of finding another set of 32" barrels ????

[Milt Fitterman]

In over 100 shipments with USPS Priority I have never had a problem. Fedex did manage to break a stock in two. the shipper notified them and they paid promptly probably because shipping is his business and he is probably important to Fedex. They sent a call tag and picked up the gun and it went to an FFL. Aggravation but a done deal. The lucky part for me was the gun was in much worse condition than the description from the auction house.

[Jean Swanson]

3/4 "pine box, USPS insured, never had a problem----I do not need the aggravation dealing with as claim.

Maybe I am just lucky, because I have a complete wood working shop in my basement & hundreds of native pine on stickers. So making a pine box to ship a gun /barrels for repair or for sale is simple for me. It is nearly impossible to damage a 3/4' pine box.

It looks as though the barrels can be repaired , but that is NOT the issue, I understand.

Good luck
Allan

[Dean Romig]

I recently shipped "The Editors' Gun" to Mike and Susan Koneski in an "Allan Swanson" box and it arrived in perfect condition. Mike's remark was something like "You used too many screws dammit!"





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[Richard Flanders]

I'd agree on the assessment that those barrels could not have been damaged while in the PVC tube. No way. The PVC would have shattered.

[Jerry VanHorn]

I think that the general consensus is just that...The barrels had to be removed and damaged..Breck has the original tube..and it does not have a mark on it.It will be interesting to see what FEDEX says...I will not go quietly !!

[Alfred Greeson]

Jerry, I am retired from Fed Ex as I mentioned. Any company can have a damaged or lost item and one of the worst calls I ever had to make, and I went to the customer, was to tell the family that a cherished and high dollar shotgun was lost. I had no idea but that it was stolen. Fed Ex hires many veterans and Fred Smith is a two tour Vietnam Vet., flying some very tough missions. I know him personally and if there is a real John Wayne type in the shipping business, it is him. Unfortunately, we know there are employees hired with the express purpose to have an opportunity to steal or damage, very sad but true. I hope they can repair your barrels, I worry every time I ship a firearm so I always over insure one.

[Jerry VanHorn]

Al...Thanks..With problems, I always like to start at the top..saves explaining the situation several times. Do you have a contact number and name..just in case we have problems ?..thanks..Jerry..

[Alfred Greeson]

I once saw a B grade snapped at the wrist that was an Annie Oakley gun, it went through the post office with NO insurance. Pack well and over insure. If you have ever spoken face to face with an irate anti-gun nut, you know what a lot of people are capable of....you will never understand it, just over insure to prevent your loss but I know money can't replace what you can loose.

[Alfred Greeson]

Call 1-800-463-3339. That is 1800GoFedEx. They can help you to file or follow-up on a claim. I do not have a name, many of my old group are retired. Good Luck, yours is a tough situation, I know it looks like someone did it intentionally and had to work at getting access to the barrels but the hard question will be was it a Fed Ex employee or someone else, I honestly don't know how their policy will look at it. I just know for sure Fed Ex has many good people and you can expect them to want to do the right thing. When I was there we felt like we worked for Fred, like the old Ford Motor folks felt they worked for the Ford family, not just a company.

[Jerry VanHorn]

You just stated.."pack well..and overinsure"...Then.."I don't know how FEDEX will look at it" If we purchased insurance...which we did ($1000)..and the item was not damaged when it was given to FEDEX..how could anyone BUT a FEDEX employee have done the damage ? PVC pipe doesn't bend or dent...The tube would have had to be broken for the damage to be done. So...how else could a dent like that be done without removing the barrel..then replacing it...I'm sure they will fight it..But...so will I...

[Patrick Butler]

Take photos of the tape on the open end of the PC pipe and send them to the smith. Are they the same type of tape and is it in the pattern he used to seal the container?

[Jerry VanHorn]

I mentioned to Breck when I called him that it looked like there was more tape on the end than I had originally put on. Clear packing tape ..so...The other end has a PVC cap on..permanently...That tube has been to Calif. a couple times..Georgia..and a couple trips to Missouri..and now Virginia..With all the gun haters in Virginia, there are probably hundreds of suspects !!!

[Breck Gorman]

I am changing the way I ship barrels because of this incident. Barrels will be packed in presence of FeDEx clerk and then marked “Previously inspected. Do not Open” . Insurance requires inspection. Barrels will be placed in triangle shipping tube, then PVC pipe, then cardboard shipping box. All three layers will be sealed with tamper evident tape.
Can’t prove it, but I strongly suspect that the barrels that were removed from the packaging during shipment, and that is when they were damaged.
Any insurance money collected from the claim that is in process will be sent to the gun owner to defray any loss in the guns value.

[todd allen]

I am changing the way I ship barrels because of this incident. Barrels will be packed in presence of FeDEx clerk and then marked “Previously inspected. Do not Open” . Insurance requires inspection. Barrels will be placed in triangle shipping tube, then PVC pipe, then cardboard shipping box. All three layers will be sealed with tamper evident tape.
Can’t prove it, but I strongly suspect that the barrels that were removed from the packaging during shipment, and that is when they were damaged.
Any insurance money collected from the claim that is in process will be sent to the gun owner to defray any loss in the guns value.

I think that's a pretty sound plan.

[John Knobelsdorf II]

This may slip past the social justice warriors.

[James Purdy]

I have shipped at least 50 long arms and several handguns over the last ten years. I insure heavily, and pray. So far so good. So sad to see the damage your barrels suffered.
Good luck going forward.

[Bill Murphy]

One end of my PVC shipping tube is permanently glued shut. The other end is screwed on, then several screws are inserted into the tube and cap. It is then taped over. "They" can get in there, but will have to work at it. The tube takes care of barrel shipments. I have an Allan Swanson hand made shipping box that I will use for valuable guns.

[Jerry VanHorn]

Bill...I thought for sure my PVC tube would take care of my barrel shipments. It always has...till now..I can't wait to hear FEDEX explain how the dent was put on my barrels through 2 layers of bubble wrap..Thick wrapping paper..and a PVC tube with no marks on it..

[todd allen]

I would love to see a video of the encounter.

[Mark Britton]

Jerry what happen to you was NO accident ! My gunsmith is Gunther Pfrommer he is very good and only 60 miles from my door. Thats why ! I have shipped barrles to Briley three times with no problem and have always inssured for the value of the gun. I am so sorry for your LOST because you have regauardless of the out come. A lost !