How to package a rifle cheap and safe for shipment

[MBTcustom]

OK fellers admit it, we are some of the most gun tradinest folks on the internet. We swap guns like women swap handbags.
SO
Let's say Bob decides to sell 'ol Betsey, and use the money to buy the gun that Larry has for sale in swappin and sellin.
Bob posts up Ol Betsy and Joe falls in love with it cause it will match his hunting boots perfectly etc etc and proudly exclaims in bold blue text those magical words: "I'll Take IT!!!!!"
Happy day! Moneymoneymoneymoneymoneymoneymoney!!!!!
Bob knows that the gun has to ship to a licensed FFL and he guesses that it's going to cost about $30 from the eagle truck drivin folks because that's what the average gunbroker seller lists for shipping. Brilliant I say!

Now, all he needs is a box!

I say, all he needs is a box.

Bob has a devil of a time finding a box. Bob receives the MO in the mail, but he's still trying to find a dam box!
Sends a PM to Joe explaining his troubles and Joe decides to be patient while wondering if he's getting screwed.
Finally in desperation, Bob either
A. cuts down a huge boxand hashes something together that looks like hammered hell.
Or B. goes to wally world and drops $75 on a gun case and then begs the associates to find him a box, whereupon striking out, he goes home and slips it lovingly into the the hammered hell box and makes up the difference with packing tape.
Bob's mad because he didn't end up with as much money as he thought he would and Joe is mad because the rifle shows up looking like USPS drug it behind the truck with a 30' tether cord and got happy with the off road deliveries.

Sound familiar?

Want to know a better way?

Joe PM's this thread to Bob about 5 minutes after the deal is done, and asks Bob if he would purchase said box and ship it in this way once it arrives, and offers to pay an extra $35 to make it happen.
Bob agrees wholeheartedly. What the heck, it's only $35 right? and after all, Joe was going to be paying for it. Why not?

So, Bob goes to www.Brownells.com and immediately orders this case from them:
Attachment 100225
http://www.brownells.com/shooting-ac...prod41076.aspx
What with shipping it ends up being exactly $35.74 delivered.

When the box arrives with the case in it, open it up and remove the case.
Slip the rifle inside and don't forget to sip your coffee before and after shutting the case and snapping the plastic buckles shut (pinky in the air mind you).
Run zipties through all the the grommets around the perimeter (be sure to play some classical music while doing this. It heightens the experience.)
Slip it back into the box it was shipped to you in (mind you don't get a paper cut. If you where white gloves during this operation, it reduces the likelihood of this happening)
Tear even lengths of tape from a roll and close the end of the box.
Paste your shipping information over Brownells shipping information.
Take a leisurely drive to the Post Office or UPS or FedEX and hand it over to them and rest assured that it will reach it's destination perfectly intact and safe.
I have shipped everything from a 22 crickett to a bench rifle using this system and it works perfectly.
I do believe you could drag the rifle to it's state of destination by a logging chain and it would probably make it as long as it doesn't have to go through Missouri or Oklahoma LOL!

Now light your darn cigar and blow a smoke ring cause you just did it like a BOSS!

[country gent]

Some of the custom makers of BPCR now require 1 of 2 tthings to happen for your rifle to be shipped to you. You buy a hard case from them or send them one. My one came in a bow that looked from a flat sheet of corrogated card board and bent formed in a siding break. didnt look bad just looked like it was "made" for its intended use. It actually does work pretty good we would do it to ship parts to other plants at work. A Heavy Pallet liner and bending break make the box up and packaging tape. Didnt take long with the break had straight true bends and was solid.
But as you stated I also pefer shipping guns in a hard case in a box. much more protection and security had there.

[DRNurse1]

What a great idea. I might play Hank Sr instead of the classical stuff, but this is so elegant in its sheer simplicity....Thanks!

[Reg]

Yup, the hard case is a great way to go BUT
You still have to pack that rifle tight in that case. A few years back while still licensed used to buy and sell on a regular basis and had a lot of hard cases come through the door but every now and then one would show up with a hole punched in the end and often a muzzle sticking out or you could see where it had been. As luck would have it , never had any damage other than to the case itself and never had any damage whatever to any rifle but the potential is sure there.
I found that the foam, under hard impact, would let the rifle slide. If the butt hit, no problem but if the muzzle hit, it would go through.
I got to putting in a bit of extra foam around the rifle then putting a few thick layers of a heavy cardboard ( cut them on the band saw ) on the muzzle end. Puts a lot of extra pressure on the rifle but it sure wont move and if it does it won't punch through the end. Bind everything in fiberglass tape in multiple places along the length of the case.

You wouldn't think that a case like that could be handled so roughly but at times I thought that handy handle on top was used to "underhand" chuck it.

[texassako]

I have one of those cases. A rifle showed up in a box with that case in it and the buttstock had slipped out its' end. Scratched and gouged it all up. Tape the ends shut real good. The case is still warped from that trip several years ago. It is way better than J&G shipping a $1k rifle with no packing at all except a sheet of newspaper around the loose bolt, and arriving with the bolt hanging out of the box.

[sparky45]

One of the most helpful posts I've seen in a long time, thanks Tim!

[sidecarmike]

I have one of those cases. A rifle showed up in a box with that case in it and the buttstock had slipped out its' end. Scratched and gouged it all up. Tape the ends shut real good. The case is still warped from that trip several years ago. It is way better than J&G shipping a $1k rifle with no packing at all except a sheet of newspaper around the loose bolt, and arriving with the bolt hanging out of the box.

Interesting. Here in Wisconsin, it's legal to ship long guns to another Wisconsin address without an FFL middle man. The one and only time I ever bought a rifle through the mail, it arrived from Milwaukee in an undamaged box. Inside the canvas case, it had a tennis ball on the end of the barrel. I thought the guy did it to protect the front sight. Never thought about it saving the case or barrel.

[tomme boy]

I thought I was the only one that have done this. Easiest way there is to get a box. I put right up front if it is going to ship in a hard case it is XXXX amount extra. I also ask if they want insurance. Then it will be XXX amount extra. I use a lot of strapping tape when I ship stuff. I don't want anything coming out and getting lost. Ask anyone I sell stuff to. The heavy brass is really taped up well. You have to to make sure stuff arrives like it is supposed to. I have a tape machine too, but I don't like that type of tape. It is the paper with threads through it. It has to be put on with water to the back to activate the glue on the tape. The strapping tape has nylon fibers running through it and it very strong.

Tim, I think this should be a sticky in the for sale section. It could help a lot of people out.

[snowwolfe]

Easiest way to get the perfect box is to visit your LGS as most cutomers don't want the box and they just toss them in the dumpster. Failing that go to Cabelas as they sell hard plastic cases for $20.
If that fails order one from Amazon for $25. Not only will you get the hard plastic case but it will also be delivered inside a cardboard box.

Beware if a buyer declines insurance it is still the sellers responsibility to deliver the item as it was described.

[Frank46]

I once sold a lyman junior targetspot to a gent and racked my brain on shipping it so it wouldn't get crushed. Got 3" and the thickest schedule pvc pipe I could find. Rolled the scope in bubble wrap, taped the ends together and then stuffed it in the triangular mailer you get at the po. Scope arrived safely and I take no credit as the idea came from someone on the assra forum. Heavy rifle barrels get two inch and plenty of bubble wrap. Last time I shipped out a rifle for some work I told the guy to save the box and wrapping. Why?, that was packed and taped like a mummy. He called me to let me know it arrived safely and said it was the best packed rifle anyone sent him. Frank

[DCM]

Your timing is oddly impeccable Tim.
Thanks for the info.

[zuke]

Buy the case at Walmart, and put the receipt under the foam before you ship. If case arrive's in decent shape the buyer can return the case to Walmart.

[JSnover]

Dang, I have closet full of cases. I'd ship it inside one of them, either as part of the deal or as a loaner; send me back the empty case and we're square.

[MBTcustom]

Again, where are ya gonna get the box? That's the thing, you can buy boxes from online box makers but it's more hassle than just buying from brownells and shipping. This is about money and convenience.
So you're going to pay $30 to the guy to ship you back an empty case?
Why not keep the big picture in mind and let him buy the case for $35 and once the shipment has arrived you're done?
This isn't about weather you have a case or not. This is about getting the gun to it's destination safely and inexpensively, with minimal hassle.

[jonas302]

Good ideas it always amazes me how poorly some people will pack things and then blame the post office or whoever for damage

[MBTcustom]

Buy the case at Walmart, and put the receipt under the foam before you ship. If case arrive's in decent shape the buyer can return the case to Walmart.

You can't just ship a guncase in the mail and not a soft one either. Nothing on the outside of the box can be firearms related. I have to abbreviate Malcolm Ballistic Tool "MBT" on the shipping label because "Ballistic" is not allowed.

How much are you going to pay for a hardcase from walmart? Does it come with a box to ship it in? When it's all said and done, it better be less than $35.74 for it to be better than what I have told you about.

I do quite a bit of business sending guns all over the USA so I buy a lot of these boxes at once. Heck I threw three of them on my last Brownells order just for luck! LOL!
I'm trying to see if I can buy them cheaper from the source if I get 25 at a time or something, but I don't know if they would come with the groovy cardboard box or not.

[JSnover]

As someone mentioned above, your local gun shop probably has a spare box. Tape will cover any firearm-related markings. It really is that simple.

[imashooter2]

No offense, but if our deal was $30 shipping then that's what it is. You do whatever it takes to ship it to me in good condition for $30. If you want to figure an extra $35 for the hard case in the price you want for the rifle, that's fine, but don't be calling me up after the deal is done suggesting I spend more to get what we originally agreed upon.

[JSnover]

No offense, but if our deal was $30 shipping then that's what it is. You do whatever it takes to ship it to me in good condition for $30. If you want to figure an extra $35 for the hard case in the price you want for the rifle, that's fine, but don't be calling me up after the deal is done suggesting I spend more to get what we originally agreed upon.

I thought the same thing. The total shipping cost should include sending my empty case back to me, unless the buyer decides to keep it. Maybe a deposit in case i never see it again. Either way it's a good idea, as long as everybody knows the terms ahead of time.

[imashooter2]

I thought the same thing. The total shipping cost should include sending my empty case back to me, unless the buyer decides to keep it. Maybe a deposit in case i never see it again. Either way it's a good idea, as long as everybody knows the terms ahead of time.

I agree that it is a good packing tip. I just disagree with the premiss in the original post that after the deal is done you contact the buyer to suggest that he pay more. Such a PM to me would not generate a favorable response.

Every seller needs to understand how he will ship his product before he offers it for sale and every seller needs to include that entire cost and condition in the terms of the original agreement.