I've had great luck for so many years until recently. One of my favorite rifles is a .22 Kimber Super America. It was getting a little tune up from my gunsmith and this is what happened in Fed Ex transit back to my local FFL. We have been talking to them for 2 months now on an insurance claim for it with next to no responses from them. We are going to get it fixed by a stock restoration expert but talk about feeling sick to your stomach!
If you ship enough guns, eventually something will happen and my luck ran out.
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I had a similar mishap some years ago
Green Chile In my case, on a Vancouver, Canada to Phoenix. AZ flight, with a fully bespoke Griffin & Howe rifle .340 Wby on a ZKK 602 action with all the bells and whistle (claw mounts, express sights on quarter rib, etc. etc.).
For what it is worth, the airline laughed at it, what with the Warsaw Convention and subsequent Montreal Convention that limit their liability for international flights to a couple hundred dollars per kilo.
The Warsaw Convention / Montreal Convention do not apply here, because, unless I am confused, this was not an international shipment. But even though Fed Ex is liable, their obvious defense will likely be to claim that the stock was broken before shipping, because the box was not damaged.
FYI, a friend suggested that I submit a claim to my home umbrella insurance (Farmers in those days). I would never have thought of it. To my amazement, they asked for a quote. I had Griffin & Howe submit one, and Farmers paid. And it was not cheap either...
In this event, there was obviously an external mechanical force (forklift truck?) at play.....................
More relevant to your issue, I also saw with my own eyes a stock break in the most unexpected circumstances. Actually, I am the one who broke it. It was a Sauer 90 Luxus rifle. A sharp wrap on the barrel to dislodge a twig fallen into the barrel during a hunt obviously transmitted to the stock exactly the wrong vibration amplitude at the wrong frequency, and it snapped at the wrist just like yours. I was speechless...
There is credibility to this. To this day, European countries forbid marching troops to cross bridges in parade steps. This is because in the 1900's a bridge designed to carry heavy lorries collapsed to the light weight but perfectly synchronized vibration amplitude and frequency of a regiment marching across the bridge
. True story !!!
Sorry about this my friend