doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Trouble Shipping Gun

A UPS store box option is to purchase the 10x10x48 Lamp Box. Then go to Office Max or Office Depot and buy bubble wrap (they charge way less than UPS). You can also buy a map tube from UPS that will hold a bubble wrapped barrel then bubble wrap the map tube and the butt stock. Cut down the box as it will cost less if it is not 48 inches (34 to 36 will work). Then take the box to the US Post office with a copy of the FFL of the receiver and mail it Priority Mail with insurance.

US Post insurance works better than UPS and the tracking is comparable.

I just shipped a rifle this week USPS. Here is my method. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy a half sheet of 1/8" plywood. Have them cut it on their panel saw to the size for top and bottom of a box large enough for your rifle. Also get some 1" dry wall screws and a couple pieces of 1x3. Go home and cut the 1x3 into proper length for the sides and end. Save some small pieces for internal bracing. Screw bottom and sides together and put a little longer screw or a nail in each corner of the 1x3 sides. Line the box with cardboard. Use the 1x3 scraps to provide internal support for the top and bottom. (Cut hole in cardboard liner to fit these in place and screw into them from the bottom only to keep them upright.) Cushion wrap the gun and screw the lid on. Wrap the whole thing in construction paper and tape the seams with fiberglas reinforced old fashioned paper tape. Or you could cover it with cardboard and tape it as above. If you do it this way you can drive your pickup over the box and it won't crush. These boxes cost me about 15 minutes to assemble, another 15 to pack and wrap. About $8 per box. The half sheet will usually make 2 such boxes. Haven't had one damaged yet.

Huh? A DR comes apart just like a SxS and can be packed in a small readily-available box. If you don't want to buy a gun case which you would then pack in a corugated box, wrap the separae parts of the DR in a lot of bubblewrap and pack that securely in a stout corrugated box.

Corrugated cartons are rated by "burst strength" and, for example, boxes designed to ship clothing are much weaker than those designed for machinery or books. Get a box with a high burst strength, make certain there are several inches of padding around your gun parts and the box, strap the box with filament tape and seal it with gummed paper filament tape.

I ship my DR in a leather break-down case but even there I put bubble inside to prevent any wiggle (hence abrasion). I then wrap the case in more bubble and pack it in a cardboard carton sealed as above.

By the way, Jeff's Outfitters sells pretty nice leather take-down cases at very good prices. Not top-of-the-line but very nice and They protect your gun very well, as well as look nice.