Safely Shipping a Parker

[randallro]

Originally Posted by keavin nelson

Frank's comment on using the heavy duty filament tape is spot on.

on cardboard i use black gorilla tape. never a problem and easy to see tampering/

[randallro]

i build custom crates and pack cardboard boxes to ship somewhat fragile artwork all over the world. shotguns seems like a fairly easy thing to get right. no need to go anywhere near the lengths i go to. what i would add is you can purchase one time insurance for fairly reasonable amounts. UPS tracking and the like works great when everything goes right. when it doesn't they don't have a clue. the one time they lost something it took 6 weeks to resolve and it was sitting 15 minutes from the recipient. and never trust the stick on label...put all the info on the box too.

[Dean Romig]

Right, and I have insurance on all of my guns, even when I ship them until they arrive at their destination and ownership paperwork has been exchanged and accepted...
But, regardless of whether the value is recovered, they are still either damaged, destroyed or lost forever. I refuse to take that chance if I can build a virtually indestructible wooden box/crate.





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[Gary Cripps]

What Dean does. Wood crate-easy and sure with good foam packing material.

[Phil C]

I use the Cameron boxes. They work very well. Anyone that bought a shotgun from me in the recent past had the gun shipped this way. The other way is I have custom wooden boxes built, ( I am a terrible carpenter).
I wrap the barrels, forend, and receiver in Microcloths. Held on with rubber bands, followed by a layer of bubble wrap, then fillers. ( sometimes pecans ��a) I have never had an issue. Sometimes mark Golf clubs on the box, and boxes are sealed with a fiber reinforced moisture activated tape.
Further when possible I leave off anything in the FFL’s name referencing firearms.

[Phil Yearout]

Bubble pack, sturdy cardboard box, strapping tape. Have never had an issue but maybe I've just been lucky. I once received a gun in a leg o' mutton case inside a cardboard box, no additional packing in either. Gun was fine. I also once received a $1400 fly rod in just the rod tube and bag, and the shipper didn't even insure it! It was fine too.

[Harold Pickens]

I have always shipped guns in LOM cases wrapped in bubble wrap and inside a cardboard box, black gorilla taped ends. So far never a problem, and yes cost of shipping has risen, and I never put anything on the label that would indicate that it is a gun.

[edgarspencer]

I have built 30 Walnut gun boxes for customers. Because each one is built for the specific gun, with the exception of 3, the guns are sent to me for fitting. One customer, who has ordered five boxes, has sent them to me in massive, over-built boxes, as most of these are very expensive guns.
I build my shipping boxes from 1" finished pine frames. Construction 2x4, or 2x3 are often high in moisture. Tops and bottoms are 1/4" plywood. Screws are wide head cabinet screws with torx heads.
I never wrap anything directly in bubble wrap, because bubble wrap will almost always leave a "fingerprint" of bubbles on wood, that may have have a film of preservative, oil, whatever. That fingerprint is a pain to remove.

UPS will always charge a "Special Handling Fee" of $12.00 for any out of the ordinary packaging, like Pelican cases, wooden boxes, Transit cases, etc. For this reason, all wooden boxes are wrapped, or inside, cardboard boxes. This was at the advise of the head of the UPS facility locally.
I never go to "UPS Stores" and other commercial UPS agents. I only go the the actual UPS facility. In my case, that is on the grounds of the Hartford/ Springfield airport. I always state contents as "ANTIQUE SHOTGUN-NO AMMUNITION ENCLOSED" and insure for an amount that gets their attention.

[Dean Romig]

I’m with you Edgar on every point… except the Hartford airport of course.





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[BRDHNTR]

I use an aluminum gun case to ship and it locks tight. Indestructible