Purchased a pristine M1903 Springfield online a couple weeks ago. This rifle was a 1918 manufacturer in original as issued condition. You don’t find many of these rifles like that anymore.

It arrives at my FFL today so I go to pick it up. As soon as I walk in he says “did you know the stock is broken?”

You guessed it. Those mouth breathing, knuckle dragging, good for absolutely nothing but making life more difficult while sponging off the taxpayers pieces of shit at the USPS have managed to split the stock almost in two. Despite it being wrapped in multiple layers and packaged carefully from what I can tell. The box is covered with FRAGILE! HANDLE WITH CARE stickers which obviously means (to the few USPS workers who are smart enough to read), BREAK ME FIRST”

Hind sight being 20/20 the seller (and I should have insisted) should have shipped it in a hard case. Stupid me didn’t think to insist thinking I could trust the USPS. Next time I think about trusting them I’ll just ask someone to kick me in the nads to remind me that these retards can’t be trusted with anything of value. What’s even worse is these stupid motherfuckers breed passing on their idiocy to other generations.

I swear to God the USPS is on par with the TSA. Fucking McDonalds level workers with a government job. The sooner the privatize or better yet get rid of the USPS and fire all their worthless piece of shit workers the better.

That’s what insurance is for. Sorry to see that happened.

quote:

Originally posted by bcereuss:
That’s what insurance is for. Sorry to see that happened.

It was insured. It’s not the money so much as finding another one in this condition will be hard. Not like it’s a rifle they’re still making, and this one survived the rebuilds, etc post war.

I know my anger is disproportionate...it’s not like anyone died or was hurt or anything. Still, is it too much for the USPS to do their job with some level of competence? Apparently it is.

You are perfectly justified, being angry. I would be livid.

My straight stocked 03A3 cracked in the same spot.
If something is irreplaceable, ship it Registered Mail (red label).

Why do you think the USPS broke it? You have said nothing about the box being damaged. Perhaps you should direct your anger to the seller.

quote:

Originally posted by GaryBF:
Why do you think the USPS broke it? You have said nothing about the box being damaged. Perhaps you should direct your anger to the seller.

This ^^^^^

Unless the box was severely damaged, it seems to me unlikely USPS was responsible. Those rifles were designed to survive the rigors of war.

quote:

Originally posted by GaryBF:
Why do you think the USPS broke it? You have said nothing about the box being damaged. Perhaps you should direct your anger to the seller.

Well the pics he sent prior to me buying it didn’t show a split stock. And so you’re suggesting he broke it then sent it to me anyway?

Given the USPS’s notoriety for fucking things up I’m sure where the blame lies.

(Perhaps I should have mentioned this in the original post - I refused the rifle, called the seller and the rifle is on the way back to him Monday. Upon receipt he will refund my full payment & shipping. Again, it’s not the money as I’ll get that back. It’s that the numbnut idiots at the USPS ruined pristine classic piece of history)

I’d be mad. I’d make the damage claim. While it hurts the value, a good wood worker could repair it and make it near invisible.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
I’d be mad. I’d make the damage claim. While it hurts the value, a good wood worker could repair it and make it near invisible.

I have to agree with this assessment. That break appears to be a complete clean split and if it is it can be repaired with the application of the proper epoxy and a pressure jig to hold everything rigidly in place while the epoxy sets.

I'll also note that a split that clean can be caused by an existing internal split "letting go". If so the cause could be something as simple the vibration of a truck driving down the road.

I had a rifle stock repaired and I'm sure the fellow is still in business. It was an amazing job.

http://www.classicgunstocks.co...and-restoration.html

I don't have a dog in the race, but while stationed in Italy years back I was changing out filters in an air handler at the MWR building.

My buddy who worked at the Base Post Office walked by while I was throwing the boxes of old filters into the back of the shop truck from several feet away. (Some of the boxes bounced a couple times)

He yells "Hey!! Do you think we treat your mail that way!??!"

He caught me by surprise and I didn't know what to say for a second, then he said "Well, we do!!" and walked on, laughing. A-hole.

If you would like contact info for a couple of fellows that do nothing but USGI stock repair and refinishing, send me an email.

It looks like all the wood is there, I bet that would make a clean repair.

Still sucks though.

Abrupt changes in temperature and humidity can also cause a virtually invisible defect in wood to open up like that. Add vibration to the mix during shipping and it might have been a latent defect in the stock that just happened to let go. It’s possible neither the seller nor USPS had knowledge of it or could have kept it from occurring. Just saying.

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:
Abrupt changes in temperature and humidity can also cause a virtually invisible defect in wood to open up like that. Add vibration to the mix during shipping and it might have been a latent defect in the stock that just happened to let go. It’s possible neither the seller nor USPS had knowledge of it or could have kept it from occurring. Just saying.

Quite possible/likely.

quote:

Abrupt changes in temperature and humidity

I have also seen this happen to items stored in areas with little to no humidity. Dries them out, and all it takes is a bit of shock to cause the crack.

quote:

Originally posted by mojojojo:
Given the USPS’s notoriety for fucking things up I’m sure where the blame lies.

You can be as sure as you'd like, but you've presented no evidence whatsoever to substantiate your claim. Again: It's a stock built for a weapon meant to be carried into combat. A shipper would have to work awfully hard to break something like that, unless...

quote:

Originally posted by Scooter123:
I'll also note that a split that clean can be caused by an existing internal split "letting go".

That's my guess, from the looks of it. That split follows exactly the grain of the wood. It's also no coincidence it starts just behind where the stock was relieved for the trigger guard.

I've seen hidden flaws in wood do that when a saw was taken to the wood. A previously completely indetectable flaw in the wood suddenly revealing itself--sometimes spectacularly.

Even if the box in which the rifle was shipped was banged up seven ways from Sunday, and even if the seller did an exceedingly poor job of packing it, there's still no way the shipper could have caused that damage to a piece of wood that was otherwise sound.

Hate it that your rifle is damaged, no matter the cause. The "kick in the gut", still sucks ass.



My grandfather would concur. He was as old as that rifle.

Scroll to 2:20.

https://youtu.be/o9q7b_2tkMo

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:
Abrupt changes in temperature and humidity can also cause a virtually invisible defect in wood to open up like that.

How was it shipped? Unpressurized cargo container?

I'd have to see the box it came in to see if it took a beating.