shipping box

Am considering selling a rifle on line or thru a forum. What is the best type of box to safely ship. I will break it down so the package does not scream of "RIFLE" inside.

There were threads on using a rifle case to ship. If it breaks down maybe a brief case or such lock and send keys seperatly.

I buy boxes from U-Line. With many guns the factory box will fit inside it.

I also tape a piece of pallet wood to the outside of the factory box as I had one incident where the gorillas cracked a stock.

If I do not have a factory box, I wrap the gun in bubble wrap.

If it's a bolt action, especially if the bolt handle sticks straight out, Remove it and wrap it up separately before packing it with the rifle itself. Otherwise the handle will be sticking out of the package when or if it arrives at its destination.

I make wooden boxes with screws to hold the lid in place.
Also when addressing the package I never put any label on that suggests it would be going to a gun shop or pawn/gun shop. Instead I address it in the shop owners name.

I have seen rifle cases used then wrapped in brown wrapping paper.

I bought an 8mm Turkish Mauser from Sportsmans Guide years ago, it came in a long cardboard box with absolutely no packing.
It was in perfect condition, how, I will never know.

I sold an 1878 Sharps Borchardt and had the buyer send me a rifle case that I ten put in a box that had contained flourscent light fixtures in it. To anyone looking at the package it would appear that instead of a $6000 gun it was a light fixture.

I bought cheap gun hard plastic gun cases, and asked for the shipping boxes they came in. The most effective way to avoid theft, is to prominently place your address, and receivers address in at least three places on the box. Thieves will generally slap an address tag over a single address, and have things delivered to them. Having more than one address to cover stops a lot of this.

"I make wooden boxes with screws to hold the lid in place."
I also do this when shipping long guns or barreled actions. I use 1"x1" rips of wood with 1/4" plywood glued and screwed, (except no glue on the top). I make little cross beams inside out of pieces of foam to hold the gun so it doesn't contact the inside of the box anywhere. I've been doing this for years and never had an issue.

Wooden boxes or plastic gun cases in cardboard work great. If using cardboard, use a lot of packing protection and consider double boxing. When I am packing something for shipping, I always pack with the idea that the shipper will intentionally try to destroy it. Don’t forget to put shipping information inside just in case something happens to the exterior.

disguise it as best you can
no gun shop address on the box again disguise that name
wrap, and wrap then wrap again remember tape is cheap
I cover sights and all protusions with essa cardboard and tape securly and wrap
and don't forget to wrap and include all paperwork for transfer

You may ship in for repair but may not ship person to person. So take the rifle to a FFL dealer to ship to the recipient's dealer after a transfer copy of the FFL has been exchanged between dealers. Most dealers prefer to ship USPS, which they can do, you can not do, and to ship in a padded hard rifle case wrapped or encased in cardboard. The description and serial number must be recorder so take the rifle in with the case and turn it over to your local dealer for shipment.

You do not ship a firearm in the US, to anyone direct, except to the factory for repair, a repair licensed dealer or a transfer licensed dealer. Period. Those people will tell you how to ship to them and give you a #ed return sticker to print.

Dealers do not have to ship for you, their choice. Good luck on finding one to ship to CA or NY.

You don't have to have an FFL dealer ship a long gun for you. You can ship to a dealer.
Rick

I have shipped barrel actions out for re-barreling and Cryo. I have shipped long guns to myself in other states, and I have boxed up rifles for shipment from my local FFL to another party. All legal.