Box or Container to ship a longrifle

[G. Elsenbeck]

If this is in the wrong place Dennis feel free to move. 

I will be having to ship a longrifle and would like to know best thing to use to ship one so it won't arrive to it's destination in more than one piece?   

Is there containers/crates already availabe that I could use/buy??

Being a furniture maker I can make one in relatively short time so that it would/should survive a drop etc.  I'm sure making it 'over'built' mode would be my guess. 

Any one of the shippers (USPS, UPS, FEDex) better than the others?

Please advise.
Gary

[Bill of the 45th]

Two choices I can think of right off.  1x4's 1/4" luan, drywall screws, and rigid insulation, and build your own, with a cardboard over sleeve.  Second, call Track, i think the will sell you one of their rifle boxes.  Many guys use, and reuse them.  They have customers ship them back to them.  same would go for the wood box.

Bill

[flehto]

Previously shipped in handmade wooden crates which some  buyers wouldn't return , so just rec'd 2  TOW cardboard shipping boxes at a  total cost of $120 and have previously used them to ship a few LRs to TOW w/o any damage to the LR. $60 per shipping container isn't bad  and the shipping charge is a lot less than w/ a much  heavier wooden crate.  TOW's shipping container includes instructions,  a plastic sleeve, foam encasement which fits tightly into a cardboard box which is then slid into a cardboard sleeve. The cardboard is thick, heavy duty stuff. Nylon shipping tape is req'd for the different layers of packaging. ....Fred

[The other DWS]

I have had several gun building/dealing friends who have shipped custom long guns, even longer guns , using self fabricated wood boxes (pretty much as described) with spray can foam insulation moulded around a carefully wrapped rifle. It was done in two halves, an upper and a lower with plastic film insulator.  They charged for the case as part of the "shipping" but made a good part of it refundable if the case was returned.

In terms of shipping most will only use the US postal system priority mail for reliability and accountability as well as for fraud protection.

[Collector]

Long or short, I build them the same way.  My way:
3/8" plywood, 1"X4"s, 2"X4"s, 1-1/4" staples, coated deck screws and a lot of bubble wrap.  (Next time, I won't fully block the corners and gain some length, or just plan on building it longer.)  
Top (only) is just screwed down and locations identified with magic marker.  TOP is identified and indexed in. & exterior.  
Shipping instructions are placed inside, on the wood shell as well as the cardboard sleeve with magic marker and then overlayed with 8-1/2"X11" shipping instructions and completely taped/sealed down.
New cardboard boxes from Walmart (turned inside out, so clean, unmarked surface-cheap and no fuss) center wrapped and ends sleeved over (makes opening tres-easy)









Why you ask??

The USPS and/or UPS people:



Rule 1: It's not a gun or firearm, antique reproduction suits me; an extremely expensive antique reproduction.
Rule 2: Stronger is better  
Rule 3: Send Priority/Expedited with Tracking, etc.  Spare no expense.
Rule 4: Insure the living $#*! out of it.  Fear is a good thing.  They ship super FAST and handle w/EXTREME CARE.




  

[54Bucks]

 As for who you ship with...... it all depends on the person/s who handles it. I've had good and bad experiences with USPS, UPS, and Fedex. I'm sure there's good and bad employees at all three major shippers. Therefore it's also a toss-up how you package your longrifle. Track of the Wolf uses UPS  and uses well padded cardboard type containers. Others construct some type of special wood box for their longrifles. By all means INSURE YOUR LONGRIFLES WITH ADEQUATE INSURANCE COVERAGE!