Author Topic: Shipping a barrel  (Read 4410 times)

Uncle Alvah

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Shipping a barrel
« on: January 15, 2017, 04:11:30 PM »
I sent my .36 barrel off to Jack's Mountain Gunstocks yesterday. I had neglected to save the box that it came it, so I cooked up the idea of inserting the barrel in a length of pipe foam insulation, then slid that inside a piece of PVC pipe with endcaps.  Little "stuffing" in the ends so it was not loose inside as well. Seems like it should work well enough I hope.   

Offline oldtravler61

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2017, 04:37:58 PM »
  Uncle Alva my post office made me redo it. Had to ship mine in a fishing rod tube. Card board basically. They didn't like the pvc pipe. Go figure. Oldtravler

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2017, 04:52:50 PM »
I have never had trouble with PVC tubes at my PO. Weird how they are so inconsistent.
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

n stephenson

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2017, 05:03:12 PM »
I like the pvc too . I haven't had the postal problem yet!! . My biggest problem at my post office is the women that have worked there for years and "can`t be fired" . They stand and look at you while rubbing hand lotion on their hands and give you that look like "why are you hear messing with my personal time" Any time I can I avoid the USPS . In my opinion they are just another government propped up dinosaur that should have been allowed to pass with dignity when they still had it.   Just my own experience. I`m sure someone will sing high praises of them .I`m sure there are great postal employees out there just not here.     Nathan

Offline elk killer

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2017, 05:20:45 PM »
Same issue here,wouldn't at all accept pvc..
drove 12 miles down the road to another post office,
the older woman there was very glad to ship them
go figure
only flintlocks remain interesting..

Uncle Alvah

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2017, 05:25:33 PM »
I had a bad experience with USPS shipping over the Holidays.

Both the stock blank and the barrel went UPS.

Offline hudson

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2017, 06:31:41 PM »
 Looks like a good idea, are you gluing caps on the ends? In the past have used hard cardboard tubes with wood inserts and screws.

I also had a problem with UPS over the holidays, poor great grand kids still don't have there gifts.

Offline EC121

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #7 on: January 15, 2017, 07:22:37 PM »
My PO took a pvc packed barrel without question.  I got it back from the machinist with the end cap badly cracked.  It must have been dropped on its end.  Possible sharp edges might be why some don't want to take them.  Tape over wood plugs might be more durable.
Brice Stultz

ron w

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #8 on: January 15, 2017, 07:37:11 PM »
I've shipped bamboo flyrods that same way before. take it to UPS,.. they have no problem with the Pipe. it might cost a few bucks more but that's a small price to pay for the security of a good rigid shipping tube.

Uncle Alvah

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #9 on: January 15, 2017, 09:17:28 PM »
Quote
are you gluing caps on the ends?

No, they were both pretty snug so I thumped them on hard with a dead-blow hammer and secured them with  a few wraps of packing tape.

Offline Dennis Glazener

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #10 on: January 15, 2017, 10:52:10 PM »
Too late now but when I have a stock blank and a barrel to send to Mark I pull the breech plug, Mark prefers not to have it to keep up with, and tape the barrel underneath the forearm of the blank. I usually use a few turns of duct tape to make sure it stays there. I then cut cardboard to encircle the stock blank (my USPS does not like bare wood)!
Dennis

I had a bad experience with USPS shipping over the Holidays.

Both the stock blank and the barrel went UPS.
"I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend" - Thomas Jefferson

Offline Steve Collward

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2017, 11:15:23 PM »
If you have a carpet store nearby, they usually have heavy cardboard tubes that carpet or linoleum is shipped with. After the roll is used, they often have a dumpster of the tubes. (of course, ask first, but they are usually glad to get rid of it).  With a saw, they can be cut to size.  Cardboard caps can be made for each end and secured with good shipping tape.

Uncle Alvah

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #12 on: January 16, 2017, 12:52:12 AM »
Quote
I pull the breech plug

The plug is on my bench. Mark had said to leave it out and to draw file at least the two side flats before shipping it to him when we talked on the phone awhile back..

Offline JCKelly

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2017, 05:25:47 AM »
PVC pipes have worked for me just fine through USPS. I drive wood plugs in the end and Duct tape over them. Am a fan of Ben Franklin, and the assorted people with whom I deal & chat. Well, it IS a small town. Helps to flirt a little with the ladies,  from a harmless old Geezer such as I it seems well received. At local P.O. their one Uninterested Employee is now not to be seen.

WRT choice of shipping service, at least with USPS if you package is stolen that is a Federal crime. Not sure that the Feds have much sense of humor.

With other, may I say colorful? shippers it is can be hard to get their attention.

ron w

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #14 on: January 16, 2017, 08:17:43 AM »
I just glue a clean out fitting on the ends of the pvc tube and screw in a couple clean out plugs.  makes them reusable. pvc pipe and it's fittings are so cheap you can make several lengths to custom fit whatever you ship. I've shipped, cane rods, high power gun barrels arrow,..all sorts of stuff this way.

n stephenson

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #15 on: January 16, 2017, 06:52:32 PM »
PVC pipes have worked for me just fine through USPS. I drive wood plugs in the end and Duct tape over them. Am a fan of Ben Franklin, and the assorted people with whom I deal & chat. Well, it IS a small town. Helps to flirt a little with the ladies,  from a harmless old Geezer such as I it seems well received. At local P.O. their one Uninterested Employee is now not to be seen.

WRT choice of shipping service, at least with USPS if you package is stolen that is a Federal crime. Not sure that the Feds have much sense of humor.

With other, may I say colorful? shippers it is can be hard to get their attention.
I too am a fan of Franklin. I would love to here his opinion of the current state of affairs at the USPS.As far as messing with the mail being a Federal crime , in the closest town to where I live they caught two men in their early twenties that had destroyed over 40 mailboxs in one night . One of the rocket scientists posted their drunken antics on Facebook "go figure". They ended up having to replace the mailboxes and serve six monthes probation.Not much punishment for the amount of damage and inconvience to people.  I`m not singing the praises of any of the alternative carriers but, at least they have to compete for your business. Not a Monopoly.                        Nathan

Offline okawbow

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #16 on: January 16, 2017, 08:39:58 PM »
The shippers hate round tubes. They fall of conveyors, and get caught in machinery. I was sitting on an airplane once, and watched my PVC  tube with my longbow in it, fall from the door of the airplane and crash onto the tarmack below.

I ship hundreds of longbows a year, and always use long square cardboard boxes and never have a problem.

When I ship something heavy like a muzzleloader barrel, I put it in a pvc or heavy cardboard tube, and put the tube in a cardboard box.
As in life; it’s the journey, not the destination. How you get there matters most.

Offline Long John

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #17 on: January 16, 2017, 09:48:56 PM »
Friends,

I have never had the need to ship a barrel.   But------that foam pipe insulation sure does a nice job of keeping the fore-stock free of dents, scratches and other indignities during completion of the gun!  Once I have the fore-stock reduced to finished dimension it lives inside a piece of foam pipe insulation. 

Best Regards,

John Cholin

Offline JCKelly

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #18 on: January 16, 2017, 10:28:52 PM »
Mr. Okawbow - I mostly use square boxes, as I bought a Lifetime Supply of 'em to ship a few old guns. But thanks for bringing up the point of round tubes rolling around. Square does sound real good now.

Offline Keithbatt

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Re: Shipping a barrel
« Reply #19 on: January 16, 2017, 11:10:23 PM »

This is a good idea. Thank you for sharing it. I'm now headed to Home Depot for foam insulation.

Friends,

I have never had the need to ship a barrel.   But------that foam pipe insulation sure does a nice job of keeping the fore-stock free of dents, scratches and other indignities during completion of the gun!  Once I have the fore-stock reduced to finished dimension it lives inside a piece of foam pipe insulation. 

Best Regards,

John Cholin