UPS Shipment Oops!

[PNWtrekker]

If your comfortable with the USPS laws on shipping long guns antique or otherwise, you can use an online postage vendor like ship station, add your own insurance and simply drop it on the postal counter without saying squat. I’d photograph the item with the postage label you print off on your computer in case there is an issue. I use a lot of shipping tape to tape the label on. That being said, I “almost” always ship FFL to FFL. But sometime it doesn’t make sense and it makes less sense with black powder because they are not regulated like modern firearms. That being said, I always Google to make sure the USPS rules have not changed and you have to take into account the firearms rules of the state you’re shipping to. If it’s a pistol I just use the FFL. They are more restricted for some reason. And like I said earlier. If you ask the desk clerk, I had 3 out of 3 say you could not. 2 of 3 researched it and told me I could the next time they saw me. Make sure there is no identifying marks on the box. I had a progressive reloader in a box that was clearly not gun shaped returned because there was a picture of a guy with a shotgun on the box.

 

[primer mark]

good info.

 

[CatamountRob]

I think the lesson here is that no matter whether this was accidentally or intentionally broken, guns need to be packaged as if someone is trying to break them.
Take them apart so the package is short to reduce leverage and the package needs to be rigid so that it can’t bend. Cardboard and bubble wrap don’t do much more than protect from dents.