Shipping pistol to gunsmith from Nashua NH area - UPS or Fedex

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As the title states, if you have shipped a pistol to a gunsmith, and if you are in the Nashua, NH area, what have your experiences been via Fedex or UPS? Any recomendations?

Thanks
 
Speaking as a MA guy, Fedex appears to be the only game in town for shipping firearms these days. I seem to remember using UPS in the past. Recent shipments to both Sig and Kahr required Fedex.
 
Speaking as a MA guy, Fedex appears to be the only game in town for shipping firearms these days. I seem to remember using UPS in the past. Recent shipments to both Sig and Kahr required Fedex.
well, if they issue a shipping label you use who they have the account with. when i send a firearm it always goes ups. always, just cause i have better luck with them. i've never been told to ship via one or the other. a recent return to smith generated a ups return label, ruger used fed ex. i declined to use the fed ex label so i paid ups shipping fees instead of a free return to customer service.

i'm in mass also. no experiences. i pack it up, bring to a ups shipping station, not a ups store, head to the kiosk to fill in mailing form. hand over to clerk who puts on the shipping label you just created and go home. painless. first time shipping a gun i presume?
 
"A UPS Driver’s Suggestions for Shipping Firearms" - How to Make Theft More Difficult

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this as I have no personal knowledge. But this seems reasonable to me.

http://americanshootingjournal.com/a-ups-drivers-suggestions-for-shipping-firearms/ Excerpt from comments, bolded emphasis supplied:

"Kid_Robo –
Dim weight as Integer = package.weight.dimensional
As a gun owner and an 11-year UPS driver, I get a lot of questions from people regarding the safest way to ship and insure firearms through UPS. Theft of firearms and other items by UPS employees, ‘though rare, unfortunately does occur, but there are a lot of surprisingly simple and inexpensive ways to virtually guarantee that you won’t be a victim. Please pass this information along to anyone who may benefit from it.There are two things that cause thefts from UPS – pilfering and over-labeling.

1. Pilferers are mostly thieves of opportunity.Handguns, jewelry, cameras, and prescription narcotics are their favorite targets because they are easily identifiable and can quickly be shoved into a pocket or inside of a shirt, due to the SMALL SIZE of the packages they come in.The red and black “adult signature required” (ASR) labels that are legally required to be placed on these packages are often a dead giveaway. These labels are also called “steal-me sticker,” because thieves look for them. Most UPS facilities are fenced, and employees’ belongings are subject to searched exiting, so the size of the item is critical.

The BEST way to protect your handgun is to simply put it in a big box. One gunsmith on my route “disguises” his handguns by putting them in used Amway boxes! This works VERY well. Look at the box you are shipping your handgun in.If you can stick it inside your pants or under your shirt easily, it is vulnerable.As far as the ASR labels, you are required by law to have them on firearms shipments.

What many customers don’t know, however, is that they can get a more discreet ASR label that is incorporated into the UPS tracking label. These are better because the words “adult signature required” are very small and unnoticeable. More importantly, this barcode will electronically “prompt” the driver at the other end to get a signature. In case he accidently tries to “release” the package on the customer’s porch without getting a signature. He will be unable to do so because the DIAD (that electronic clipboard that you sign) will read the barcode and will force him to get a signature in order to complete the delivery. You can order these special tracking labels through your Customer Service rep, or you can print them yourself with the UPS shipping software.

2. Another more sophisticated method of theft is “over-labeling.” This involves several conspirators who plan ahead and may get jobs at UPS for that very purpose. What they do is to print up a bunch of fake labels, with generic barcodes and phony return addresses, that are all addressed to a storage unit or apartment that they have rented in advance. One or more employees who are sorting and processing these packages will then slap the phony label over the authentic one, and the package will then proceed along its merry way to the “destination,” where an unsuspecting driver will deliver it to another accomplice who signs for it using a fake name. This will go on for a week or so until the thieves move on to another address to avoid suspicion. Since the original barcode is covered up, it is impossible to even trace these packages and they simply “vanish.”

The thieves who do this will also target handguns and jewelry but, since they are not trying to sneak it past a guard, they have the freedom to target larger packages, such as rifles, TVs, and computers. How do you avoid this?

Solution

It’s simple. You put an address label on ALL SIX SIDES of the box. A package so labeled will be passed up by a prospective thief, since he must now try to cover up six labels instead of only one. This is too risky, since the areas where these packages are sorted are often under electronic surveil-lance.If you are a gunsmith or store owner who ships UPS, and the package you are shipping is worth over $1000, inform the driver who picks it up and have him initial the pickup record.

[Conclusion] These “high value” packages are audited and are segregated from other packages. They are not sorted or run over conveyor belts, and they are subject to a chain-of-custody type of procedure that will prevent their being stolen. I feel 100% safe in saying that a handgun that is shipped in a larger-than-normal box of good quality, with a discreet ASR barcode, and with address labels on all six sides will NEVER get stolen or lost.

It’s unfortunate that a few of the 16 million pieces a day that we ship are in danger of being stolen but, if you take these simple precautions, you won’t be a victim."
 
well, if they issue a shipping label you use who they have the account with. when i send a firearm it always goes ups. always, just cause i have better luck with them. i've never been told to ship via one or the other. a recent return to smith generated a ups return label, ruger used fed ex. i declined to use the fed ex label so i paid ups shipping fees instead of a free return to customer service.

i'm in mass also. no experiences. i pack it up, bring to a ups shipping station, not a ups store, head to the kiosk to fill in mailing form. hand over to clerk who puts on the shipping label you just created and go home. painless. first time shipping a gun i presume?
Isn't it required to notify them that you are shipping a firearm? as in, more than just "here is the box, i'm dropping this package off, thanks!"
 
Isn't it required to notify them that you are shipping a firearm? as in, more than just "here is the box, i'm dropping this package off, thanks!"
yes, you need to declare. when your filling out the form it's going to ask contents. if you want any kind of insurance you need to tell the truth or it could impeded a settlement if one was ever needed. years ago i just declaided "machine tools" cause i was scared to ship the gun. the clerk asked me to be more specific and explained the insurance issues and why she needed to ask. they'll ask if the firearm is unloaded and it will say on your receipt, "unloaded firearm" under contents.

but, yes, it is just as easy as dropping the box off. no more challenging than than shipping anything else. of course a citizen can only ship back to a manufacturer or place of repair, (gunsmith or the like) not a private home. i just shipped a gun back to ruger and wrote the address as S,R & Co. and was questioned as to what that was, a business or a person.

ups and fed ex see their share of firearms being shipped, it's no big deal to them. the clerk told me once there was only 2 people who knew what was in the box. me and her. no one else needed to know.
 
Just write on the side of the box ATTN. LAB, STOOL SAMPLE. You know no one will steal that box.
 
I've shipped my fair share of handuns thru both UPS and FedEx and have never had a problem. You'll have to send them overnight which isn't cheap. You could have an FFL ship it for you via United States Postal Service at a much cheaper rate than UPS or FedEx.
 
Using FEDEX or UPS requires overnight service in order to reduce the possibility of theft by their own employees. This often costs almost $100. Licensed dealers can use the post office and send your package flat rate for $15ish. Might be cheaper to pay a local dealer to ship it for you.
 
Using FEDEX or UPS requires overnight service in order to reduce the possibility of theft by their own employees. This often costs almost $100. Licensed dealers can use the post office and send your package flat rate for $15ish. Might be cheaper to pay a local dealer to ship it for you.

Although I agree that using an FFL is a lot cheaper and you don't have to make a long drive to a UPS or FedEx depot to drop it off, there is NO reason we can't use 2nd Day Air to ship (only about 1/2 cost of overnight air). Dealers use 2nd Day Air all the time and it is a UPS and FedEx "Rule" not a law.
 
Although I agree that using an FFL is a lot cheaper and you don't have to make a long drive to a UPS or FedEx depot to drop it off, there is NO reason we can't use 2nd Day Air to ship (only about 1/2 cost of overnight air). Dealers use 2nd Day Air all the time and it is a UPS and FedEx "Rule" not a law.
I had a dealer ship a gun that I sold to another dealer. It was shipped 2 day UPS, insured. When it was stolen, UPS refused to cover it because it was not shipped next day. Might not be law but crossing their rules puts you at risk.
 
I had a dealer ship a gun that I sold to another dealer. It was shipped 2 day UPS, insured. When it was stolen, UPS refused to cover it because it was not shipped next day. Might not be law but crossing their rules puts you at risk.

I don't buy their insurance (that is rigged anyway, they paid a big fine to the gov't over that years ago). My firearms insurance includes coverage for shipping as well as any other activity.

I know that the big guys ship 2nd Day Air (distributors).

UPS and FedEx created the air only rule due to their internal theft problem, as it provides better internal tracking. I'm sure that 2nd Day Air and Overnight Air tracking is more than adequate to keep tabs on their thieving employees. I'm not surprised about denials of claims as the shippers cover their own insurance plans and the less they pay out, the higher the profits.
 
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