Thought this has been hashed out a bit before, I'm wanting clarification.

I'm going to send a barreled bolt action receiver from NM to CO for rebarreling by a gunsmith. I'm wanting to:

1. Bring the boxed up action to the post office.
2. Declare a firearm and ship it registered mail.

Any issues with this? The only thing I can think of is that I walked onto USPS property with a firearm, but no way around that.

You would 100% be in compliance with federal law doing what you propose. My USPIS friends even recommend using registered mail to ship firearms due to the increased scrutiny and deliberate handling that those packages are given.

You don't need to declare it a firearm at USPS. In fact the website (at least used to) tell you NOT to do that.

Totally legal for you to do so as long as you're mailing it to an FFL.

They WILL ask you if it's anything liquid, fragile or potentially hazardous. Since it's not loaded and the action's not cocked, it's not potentially hazardous, so the answer is unless they drop it on their foot, it's not potentially hazardous, no.

Other than has to go express or registered gtg.

Go to the USPS web site and look up their regulation on mailing rifles and make yourself a copy of it and take with you. I've had to educate a couple clerks and their own regulation laid out for them to read goes a long way. Unless the regs have changed in last year you do have to declare it and they are within their rights to open and inspect the item. I've never had one inspect but there is always one out there.

From their site: Except under 431.2, unloaded rifles and shotguns are mailable. Mailers must comply with the rules and regulations under 27 CFR, Part 478, as well as state and local laws. The mailer may be required by the USPS to establish, by opening the parcel or by written certification, that the rifle or shotgun is unloaded and not ineligible for mailing. The following conditions also apply:

Subject to state, territory, or district regulations, rifles and shotguns may be mailed without restriction when intended for delivery within the same state of mailing. These items must:
Bear a “Return Service Requested” endorsement.
Be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
A rifle or shotgun owned by a non-FFL may be mailed outside the owner‘s state of residence by the owner to himself or herself, in care of another person in the other state where he or she intends to hunt or engage in any other lawful activity. These mailpieces must:
Be addressed to the owner.
Include the “in the care of” endorsement immediately preceding the name of the applicable temporary custodian.
Be opened by the rifle or shotgun owner only.
Be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
Mailing of rifles and shotguns between licensed FFL dealers, manufacturers, or importers are not restricted. The Postal Service recommends that these items be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
Rifles and shotguns may be mailed by a non-FFL owner domestically to a FFL dealer, manufacturer, or importer in any state. These items must be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
Except as described in 432.3a, licensed curio and relic collectors may mail firearms meeting the definition of curios or relics under 27 CFR 478.11 domestically to licensed FFL curio and relic collectors in any state. These items must be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
Firearms meeting the definition of a rifle or shotgun under 431.4 which are certified by the curator of a municipal, state, or federal museum, which exhibits firearms to be curios or relics of museum interest, may be accepted for mailing without restriction when mailed between governmental museums.
Air guns (see 431.6) that do not fall within the definition of firearms under 431.1a are mailable. A shipment containing an air gun with a muzzle velocity of 400 or more feet per second (fps) must include an adult signature service under DMM 503.8. Mailers must additionally comply with all applicable state and local regulations.

Thanks for the clarifications.

I hadn't had to ship a firearm in years, so I wanted to be a bit more sure about it.

My advice?

Take it to a UPS hub and ship from there. They ship guns all the time and the last time I shipped one via them, they didn't bat an eyelash.

I once tried to do the same at FedEx and you would have thought I had put a loaded .454 with a hair trigger loose in a box the way they freaked out on me.

Yes, some USPS employees don’t know the rules.

The good thing about going in for servicing, the gun can ship right back to you, no FFL required on return.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
My advice?

Take it to a UPS hub and ship from there. They ship guns all the time and the last time I shipped one via them, they didn't bat an eyelash.

I once tried to do the same at FedEx and you would have thought I had put a loaded .454 with a hair trigger loose in a box the way they freaked out on me.

Only a real hub. I sent a gun back to the manufacturer for warranty work with a call tag and they didn't care one bit it was a firearms. I even told them to make sure they were doing whatever they were supposed to do correctly and they didn't mind at all.

UPS Store refuses to ship any "gun parts", which I think is stupid because they have the UPS logo on the sign. They also overcharge for insurance and lie about the rates being "same as UPS" when you ask.

FedEx has been OK, but the counter person sometimes doesn't understand that non-FFL can always ship to an FFL for repair/service.

USPS will only do long guns (rifle), remove the bolt from the action and pack it well. No need to identify it as a firearm since it is just "machine parts". DO insure it for its replacement value.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
Other than has to go express or registered gtg.

not true, Priority is good to go as well

quote:

Originally posted by trebor44:
USPS will only do long guns (rifle), remove the bolt from the action and pack it well. No need to identify it as a firearm since it is just "machine parts". DO insure it for its replacement value.

USPS will do handguns for Dealers, not for non dealers,

nothing to declare if it is just a barreled action,


as an FFL/SOT, I ship 99% of the firearms I ship USPS Priority or if the insurance needed it high, Registered,

I also have an account at all the major shippers and print the labels at the shop, and just drop them off,


I did have a Postal Clerk question me about a firearm in a box once, and wanted to open it etc etc,

I told her I was fine with that, and that I had packed it correctly,

I also reminded her that since she had it in her hand, on her desk, she had now taken possession of the package, and it was insured, so she would be responsible for any damage if it was not repacked correctly, ,


she let it slide,


as in aside, I dropped off a box of lead bullets one day , shipped Priority Flat Rate,
just the lead, not a cartridge, and maybe 25lbs worth,

I got a call the next day from the local branch saying I needed to pick up my package, since it was not allowed to be shipped USPS,

I told her fine, please schedule me a time to meet her, and her Postmaster, and I would stop by and they could show me where it was illegal in the regs,

OK, she says,

calls me the next day, says the same, so I repeated myself, and gave her a brief explanation of what a cartidge is vs a bullet etc etc, (I was exceeding polite) ,

ok, she says, she will get back to me,


the next day,, tracking said it was on the way to the buyer

[quote]They WILL ask you if it's anything liquid, fragile or potentially hazardous. Since it's not loaded and the action's not cocked, it's not potentially hazardous, so the answer is unless they drop it

I wouldn't even joke with them about dropping it as it can only confuse some employees.
Something happened to me this morning at the local post office when I got in line to mail an old man some brass in a small flat rate box. Dude who was 2 in front of me was doing the same thing and when the lady asked him if it was anything explosive, flammable, etc, he said no, just brass and bullets.
She stopped typing and said what? He knew he was screwed I think. He said, ' not real ammo, just components for reloading'. 'For shooting?' she said. Yeah, but not put together ammo.
She said, 'sorry, you can't ship that here. Go to UPS'.
She was wrong but also was running the outfit at that time.
When I got up there the answer was 'no' to every question. Just don't joke with them.
bb

When my FAL blew up and I sent it back to DSA, the UPS store douche owner jumped back from me and my package like I was dropping off depleted Uranium,,,, IN TEXAS! Lectured me a little too. Jackass.

Went to the hub, and a couple ladies there thought I was the best thing going. Gave me free tape and a extra box to get it armored up. Polar opposite experiences, circa 2013.

quote:

Originally posted by Slippery Pete:
When my FAL blew up and I sent it back to DSA, the UPS store douche owner jumped back from me and my package like I was dropping off depleted Uranium,,,, IN TEXAS! Lectured me a little too. Jackass.

Went to the hub, and a couple ladies there thought I was the best thing going. Gave me free tape and a extra box to get it armored up. Polar opposite experiences, circa 2013.

That's because the stores are not allowed to take firearms. They must be taken to the hub.

The easiest avenue is usually UPS.

UPS stores are franchises and not the real thing. Can not ship guns or ammo via UPS stores. UPS stores are also much more expensive than shipping from a genuine UPS hub.

Suggest to ask your gunsmith what carrier they prefer. Guessing they'll say UPS or FedEx.

For my work shipped countless expensive fragile parts, never used USPS, poor tracking.

Another thing I took away from shipping work parts is how we package stuff. If not in a factory box, we always made "crates". I've shipped many barreled actions UPS in a crate, never had a problem with damage. I feel it's worth the little bit of effort it takes to build one.

This simple crate (1x3 sides, 1/4 ply top and bottom screwed together, use bubble wrap) has been back and forth to NC and Arizona a couple times. Sent out a action in it, returned to me a barreled action. Could throw it off a building! Also does not scream firearm.

Who's your gunsmith in Colorado?

If you're still the least bit concerned after talking to your gunsmith about how to ship, glad to send you sigforum member fritz's info, put it on the return address!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: offgrid,

quote:

Originally posted by cas:

They WILL ask you if it's anything liquid, fragile or potentially hazardous.

If you print your own postage they're not even supposed to ask you that since "no" is the answer you agree to when you print the label.

The closest UPS hub is 45 minutes away so I am fortunate to have a good rapport with my buddy's one man LGS. He lets me use his UPS account for shipping all manner of things except handguns which go through his bound book and are sent USPS since it's so much cheaper, particularly the Regional Flat Rate boxes.