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Legalities of Shipping Rifle & Empty Brass?

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13 January 2004, 07:54
R-WEST
Legalities of Shipping Rifle & Empty Brass?
I need to ship one of my rifles to the manufacturer (I'm in PA, the rifle's going to USRAC in Connecticut), and want to send a fired case along, too. Can I send them in the same package? I've heard that Federal laws mandate that ammo (even empty brass) must be shipped in a separate package.

What say ye??

TIA,

R-WEST
13 January 2004, 12:29
vapodog
Send the fired casing with the gun...I see no reason to not do so.

Many years ago I sent a M99 Savage back to Savage with loaded ammunition in the magazine....The action wouldn't open!!

I sent a bold printed warning with the gun explaining that the gun was loaded...Nothing was ever said!!!
13 January 2004, 23:15
TGetzen
Every time my gunsmith sends a barrelled action back to me, there is a fired case wired to the trigger guard. I would just send it; common sense tells you the regulation applies to loaded ammo, and you'd hope anyone who found it has common sense. I've never had them ask what exactly is in a package, just fragile/hazardous/perishable, and I certainly wouldn't volunteer the contents - it might never get there.

I had someone ship me a C&R rifle, that came with a label listing 'contents:' and a description of the rifle. I'm still amazed I ever got it.

Todd
13 January 2004, 23:27
rootbeer
I sent a non-functioning CAR-15 to a smithy in CA with 25 shells in the box via UPS. No one cared...
14 January 2004, 09:38
walex
RWEST I would play it safe and contact the company that you are sending it to for shipping instructions, asking how they would prefer to have it packaged and shipped, as well as what is legal. Walex
14 January 2004, 11:42
R-WEST
According to the lady at the local UPS office, empty casings can accompany the rifle. When I asked if she was sure, she said she's done quite a few such shipments, and that's how they do it.

R-WEST
14 January 2004, 12:47
jeffeosso
brass aint ammo as I understand the firearms acts and the bafte to define them

loaded ammo can not be shiped, in the us, with a gun... just too easy to make a problem with

jeffe
14 January 2004, 14:48
jimmyd223
As long as it is fired brass, put it in the chamber and ship it. It is no different than having a snap cap in the chamber. Might also put a note in with the gun stating the gun has an empty in the chamber.
15 January 2004, 05:17
R-WEST
I sometimes wonder if anyone knows what the proper procedure is!!

This morning, a UPS sales rep shows up at our office to discuss our business account, and, when I mentioned to him that I occasionally ship a firearm to a 'smithy or back to the factory, he said, "yeah, just package it up and our driver will pick it up here". I about fell out of my chair, because their policy, as I understand it, is you must take it to their shipping center, where they inspect it, make sure it's not loaded, and package it up. When I mentioned that to him, he just looked at me like I didn't know what I was talking about

Well, I'm doing what the UPS lady told me - I'm taking it to the shipping center and following their instructions!!

R-WEST
15 January 2004, 09:06
Customstox
R-West, not only that but UPS has a reg that says a private individual (non FFL) can not ship a firearm to another FFL for sale like you could by law with the USPS. Their reg says it has to go from FFL to FFL
15 January 2004, 09:50
R-WEST
Okay. Back from the UPS shipping center. Man, what an operation!!

I told the UPS lady what the sales rep said, and she said, pretty much what I expected, something to the effect that office people know numbers, but she knows the rules. Anyway, she was very helpful, checked the empty brass I was sending to see if it was actually fired, stuck it in the guncase, I put a lead seal on the case, gave her $10.00 +/-, they packaged it up, and it's on its way to USRAC.

I'm going to go hide in my bunker and wait for the black helo's

Chic - So that's strictly a UPS reg, not Federal? I've never sold a firearm (I just buy 'em ) and those were always handled FFL to FFL. Man, this stuff gets confusing, don't it?

R-WEST