Guns broken in shipping

[Ontario Hunter]

I have a guy that fixes such issues, but can't give you his name until he finishes my current project!

A mafia hitman?

 

[PARA45]

Continuing with how useless FedEx is. I purchased a 41 Mag, S&W Mod 57, and with this purchased I bought dies, and several hundred cases of 41 Mag. The seller (a friend of mine) shipped this stuff using FedEx, and this box has been in Ellenwood, GA since 21 Dec, and it has not moved from there. It's obviously lost. My friend reached out to FedEx and filed a claim. I also reached out to FedEx, and speaking to the customer service rep on the other end of the line was close to useless. I wonder how useless this claim will be, and or how much I'll end up from FedEx.

It's sickening how these big companies wipe their a$$ with us and basically don't care one bit about customer satisfaction or the product we were waiting for. It's also sickening how very little we can do about it. Ugh!!!!

 

[Green Chile]

Sorry to hear that. My claim remains unresolved even though every time we get a live voice, they say we should know something in 3 days. We've heard that so many times now.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Sorry to hear that. My claim remains unresolved even though every time we get a live voice, they say we should know something in 3 days. We've heard that so many times now.

Can you get a lawyer to write them a letter?

 

[Papa72]

Continuing with how useless FedEx is. I purchased a 41 Mag, S&W Mod 57, and with this purchased I bought dies, and several hundred cases of 41 Mag. The seller (a friend of mine) shipped this stuff using FedEx, and this box has been in Ellenwood, GA since 21 Dec, and it has not moved from there. It's obviously lost. My friend reached out to FedEx and filed a claim. I also reached out to FedEx, and speaking to the customer service rep on the other end of the line was close to useless. I wonder how useless this claim will be, and or how much I'll end up from FedEx.

It's sickening how these big companies wipe their a$$ with us and basically don't care one bit about customer satisfaction or the product we were waiting for. It's also sickening how very little we can do about it. Ugh!!!!

I’m saying this in jest, but what if you casually mentioned “ Do I need to report this pistol to the ATF as a theft, since you have it & refuse to return it?”

 

[Green Chile]

Lawyer letters can be helpful...I will have to think on who can do that.

On the pistol issue, I would ask that question and leave off the last part (since you have it..) to see what they say. All parties should be interested in reporting the loss of a handgun...right?

 

[dogcat1]

All,
I have shipped about 500 guns over the past few years. I have had 2 damaged in the manner shown in the pictures. These were both being shipped to me.
The issue is that when you leave the bolt in place, it can create a fulcrum should someone step on the box. This will break the stock.
So, I have three tips for you -

1. Take the bolt out and wrap it in bubble wrap.
2. Remove the scope if possible. Wrap it separately and possible ship it separately.
3. Insure for the full value. If the gun is expensive, ship it in a Pelican or similar hard side case. Flambeau and other $20 "hard cases" do not work. Spent $200 or so on a quality case. Make it part of the price of the gun. The styrofoam insert gun boxes that allow you to cut the styrofoam to fit are very good as well.

If I do the above, I have never had a broken or damaged item.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

All,
I have shipped about 500 guns over the past few years. I have had 2 damaged in the manner shown in the pictures. These were both being shipped to me.
The issue is that when you leave the bolt in place, it can create a fulcrum should someone step on the box. This will break the stock.
So, I have three tips for you -

1. Take the bolt out and wrap it in bubble wrap.
2. Remove the scope if possible. Wrap it separately and possible ship it separately.
3. Insure for the full value. If the gun is expensive, ship it in a Pelican or similar hard side case. Flambeau and other $20 "hard cases" do not work. Spent $200 or so on a quality case. Make it part of the price of the gun. The styrofoam insert gun boxes that allow you to cut the styrofoam to fit are very good as well.

If I do the above, I have never had a broken or damaged item.

Excellent point about bolt handle being a fulcrum. I always leave bolts in my rifles when traveling to Africa. My Pelican case is sturdy and no problems so far but from now on they will be removed and secured inside the gun case (NOT in carryon!!).

For shipping stuff to my guy in New Brunswick for bluing I made a crate from 3/4" dimension lumber (sides) and 1/4" plywood (top & bottom). Screwed it together with drywall screws (they have oversize heads). The receiver is screwed to the side of box (see the two screws at back end of side). The end of the barrel lays in a wooden cradle (drill a hole through a block of wood, cut it in half, and attach to bottom of crate) and secured with plastic tie through a hole in bottom of the cradle. The bolt could also be secured with a plastic tie through a similar cradle (I chose to keep my bolts polished in the white). Bottom metal was secured to the side of crate with long screws through nylon washers as protection. The bits and pieces to be blued (screws, bolt shroud, and scope base) were wrapped in fine bubble wrap inside a ziplock bag which was also secured to the sides of box with zip tie. Everything shipped perfectly both ways in same crate for two guns ... except a small scratch when I cut the very stout zip tie from 404's barrel. Stupid! Use a blunt solder iron to melt the zip tie instead of fighting it with a sharp knife!

Yeah, my "workbench" is primitive. Easy to tell I'm a widower.

If I was going to ship a rifle via courier, I would build a similar crate and ship the rifle in pieces. Stock attached to side of box like the barreled action. Leave the bottom metal in the stock. Make cradles attached to crate for bolt and scope. Wrap everything in bubble wrap before securing to the crate. Pretty hard to damage a rifle shipped that way.

Edit: I note from the photo that this crate for first shipment had plywood sides from scrap lumber. As I recall, Ryan sent my 30-06 back in a cardboard box. I made a second crate for the 404 and requested that he use it to return mail. That one is dimension lumber sides. Plywood might hold screws better than end grain dimension lumber.

 

[Kharn]

I'd never ship a firearm by air in anything less than a hard bodied pelican case.
I want my case to destroy what it hits not vice versa, sorry not sorry.

 

[Challer]

Loved my Super America. Never should have sold it

 

[Manwe]

Work with the shipper and don't stop till you speak with someone who can approve or advance your claim. That's what you bought the insurance for. Tough one and disappointing for sure.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I received the news today that a rifle I shipped through my FFl arrived in Nevada with a broken stock. I am refunding the buyer and most likely replacing the stock out of pocket as I have little faith in UPS making it right. I’m sure they will say it wasn’t packaged by them or to their standard. This will determine if I ever insure another gun shipment. Or just go self insured as many Manufacturers do. Roll the dice

 

[Green Chile]

Sorry to hear that Jay. My claim still isn't being handled...just bounced around with no results after months. That's on a paid insurance from one FFL to another. Ridiculous.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Back during peak COVID days, I bought a left hand Browning A Bolt Medallion for a son in law. Bought it off of GB from a large gun store in Florida. When I picked it up at the FFL, I inspected it and the stock was cracked in the wrist. I contacted the gun store seller and they said they would refund my money and I could ship it back, or they would pay for a factory replacement stock.

I was able to contact Browning and get a replacement stock for just under $400. Box arrived and it’s labeled Browning A Bolt Medallion LA LEFT HAND. I opened the box and the stock is wrapped in bubble wrap and there is a sticker that reads “LEFT HAND.” I unwrapped it and it’s a beautiful stock in pristine new condition. However, it’s a right hand stock. Called up Browning and told them what happened. The nice lady told me she would personally open the box on the next replacement and verify it was a left hand stock. So it took a while but finally had the rifle ready to hunt with the right stock.

 

[Altitude sickness]

This was the Uberti Courtney stalking rifle. I’ll refund the buyer Monday. And order another rear stock. Then decide if I’m selling it again.

 

[rookhawk]

Sad problems, but statistically probable to happen to all of us.

Get good gun insurance. Eastern Insurance is the best in the business at about $180 a year for $50,000 coverage, or $330 for $100,000 coverage. $250 deductible. They pay claims. Now part of Gallagher Insurance, one of the best in the business.

This lady is the contact:

Laura Sewall
Laura Sewall CIC, CISR
Senior Account Manager
Historic Firearms Insurance Dept.
Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBC)
Eastern Insurance Group
Office: 800-545-9326 Fax: 508-652-4392

lsewall@easterninsurance.com

 

[Doug Hamilton]

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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Damn! That breaks the heart! I hope it gets worked out for you.

 

[steve white]

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...

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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

Given all the libs/antis out there, you will never convince me that these things did not happen ON PURPOSE. Too bad we can't demand to see security footage and take things to court!

 

[Altitude sickness]

It looks like my “Guns and Trophy” policy should cover the repair or replacement.

 

[wvfred]

I always ship guns with USPS and ship them in a hard case.I had a gunsmith send me one that had been stocked and checkered he sent it FedEx and when it arrived it looked like someone had ran their first through the box.I wouldn't let the FedEx driver leave until I inspected it in front of him luckily there was no damage but the hole in the box was right beside a fragile sticker.