FedEx Broken Model 88 Winchester

[TXGunNut]

Welcome to the forum! In my business shipping damages are a huge issue so I get a bit nervous shipping my personal rifles and scopes for repair. Like others when shipping a rifle I use a hard case enclosed in a cardboard box. Costs a little more, takes a little more time but I don't care. My guns are special to me, I want them back in one piece.

[nekshot]

i know this thread is old yet the reality is everyday. I only shipped a few guns (4) to be exact. I took them all out of the stocks to shorten the package and make it look smaller and pack tighter. If I ever bought a gun that had to be shipped I would gladly be a little extra to have someone take it out of the stock and pack together that way.

[double8]

A sad state of affairs when a shipping company will do things like this, and yes, I believe "they" do it intentionally. I shipped a telescope, filled the tube with bubble wrap, wrapped it in layers of tightly taped bubble wrap, put it in an oversized heavy cardboard box with shipping peanuts. UPS still managed to break the lens.
As I mentioned in another thread here, I shipped a few guns when I moved east to west by taking them apart, shipped the stocks in a box labeled "wood carvings", shipped the barrels called "tubing", and carried the bolts, scopes etc with me in the car.
I guess the only safe way to ship them would be to crate them...a bit expensive.

[TXGunNut]

I suspect that shipping a firearm as anything other than a firearm is probably a bad idea.

[double8]

I suspect that shipping a firearm as anything other than a firearm is probably a bad idea.

Maybe, but it worked out great. Why advertise?

[pls1911]

As others stated, a good repair of a fresh break is indeed hard to see, and is usually stronger than the origenal...at least at the break point.
Some of my best bargains have been on old Marlins with broken stocks. Clear epoxy ( buy by the gallon from RAKA for boat building), thinned a little and mixed with walnut dust from the sander makes a smooth and remarkable filler for repair of older breaks which have a less than perfect joint, needing very little tone blending of the finished repair.
Having said that a good repair is a viable option, there's nothing like the origenal.
My only shipping break was like yours, but on a REALLY nice Marlin '93, $450 purchase, plus UPS charge of $25. After two phone calls and a visit by UPS damage inspector, I got a check for $475, ... and got to keep the damaged goods.
Today, you would never guess that little beauty was ever broken, a nice freebee.

[7of7]

I would contact Treebone Carving and see if he can make a new one. Repair the original, and use the new one for shooting the rifle if you so desire.

[sugarbear]

Gitano,you can buy a brand new win88 walnut stock for 60.00 dollars from hoosier gun works .com

[Sagebrush7]

Bobs Stocks has the new and old model Winchester 88's in stock. Sometimes hard to deal with! Has nice wood and offers different finishes. They don't email but will get to your order in about three weeks. I just tell them what I want and send the money. Been pleased with my wood on old restored rifles and never sent any thing back! Look at his option http://www.gun-parts.com/winchesterstocks/ James

[Tatume]

A good example of why I've ALWAYS used USPS for the last 40 or so years, to ship my firearms.

My M1 Garand was shipped from the DCM via USPS, and it arrived in the same condition as Paul's Model 88. DCM sent me a replacement stock, which was of course, easier than finding a Model 88 stock.

Take care, Tom

[Elkins45]

Gitano,you can buy a brand new win88 walnut stock for 60.00 dollars from hoosier gun works .com

This thread was started in 2012. I'm guessing he has resolved the issue by now.

[Tatume]

Others may benefit from the discussion.

[pietro]

Pietro: I tried to ship a rifle by USPS to the manufacturer for repair. Both of our local post offices would not accept them saying that it was illegal. One of those who would not accept it was the local Postmistress. I sent an Email to the Postmaster General of the U.S. and within 24 hours I received an Email from the local Postmistress containing an apology and saying yes it is legal. I"ve shipped two long guns to a manufacturer by FEDEX and had no problems in either direction.

FWIW, folks using USPS, or one of the shipper's (UPS/FEDEX/etc) can run into personalities that are less than conducive to smooth transactions.

I've had to rub the noses of several different USPS Postal Clerks & Postmasters/Postmistress' into the can of worms they opened - why I carry a copy of the USPS Regulations that apply to firearms with me. (Some had refused to dig out their copy, citing interference with the P.O. operation).

If somebody frequents only a single P.O., they don't (usually) act in defiance of their own regulations a second time.

It' s not a case of "pay peanuts, get monkeys", either - USPS Clerks, etc, make pretty good money (a friend just retired as a Letter Carrier).

BTW: ONLY the sender can collect parcel insurance/damage money, and not the buyer/receiver - who has to deal with the sender for damage compensation.



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[Tackleberry41]

I think when it comes to shipping companies its more of employee apathy than on purpose, plus lots of machines. I doubt the shipping business is different than any other industry, where its company policy to stiff employees as much as possible. Its not personal, they have to squeeze every dollar, be it rent on a building, employees, or customers. I worked at plenty of car dealers, when you boss does not care about you, and goes out of their way to stiff you, well stuff like that rolls down hill. Its really hard to care a whole lot about the customer as seldom does the customer care about you.

Then I read about a policy at Fed ex where if the customer leaves specific instructions 'leave it under the mat' you do it or pay a 'fine' to fed ex. There was something I was reading it was about a package left under the 'mat'. A huge box with the mat on top of it, of course they complained as it was intended to hide the package. So the delivery guy is danged if he does, danged if he doesn't. Working under such conditions, hard to expect him to care a whole lot if your package comes in one piece or not.

I shipped a muzzle loader recently. Just happened to have a box that would fit, mostly. Took off the metal butt plate to fit. Wrapped everything in old t shirts, tapped stuff up, lots of cardboard. Rifle shows up with a chunk broke off the stock. This was UPS, so if you can't use Fed ex, or UPS, or USPS, really doesn't leave much.

[RAD57]

Back in 1991 after coming back from the first deployment to Iraq a crew chief in my unit received his dad's ole pre-64 model 88 in .308 and the stock was broken in two locations. Being an amateur gunsmith I carefully took it apart and glued everything back together with Acraglass Gel and verrrry small amounts of brown dye. Several spots of the stock where destroyed by over use of oils in the receiver channel so I had to remove those areas and then glass bedded the receiver to the stock. When everything was finished there was only one small spot that looked slightly different. After all that work I loaded 20 rounds of ammo and we went to the range. The darn thing shot consistent 1/2" - 3/4" inch groups at 100 yard with the 4X Weaver his dad had mounted on it. He was going to sell it to me before all the work, but after the trip to the range he had a bunch of different plans for the rifle. I'd like to see a picture of how the restoration went.