Leonard, that gun was a work of art. Those sorry bastards need to pay every penny it was insured for. Don't give up on collecting. I'll be glad to testify as to it's worth since I've handled it and am familiar with gun values.......DJ

I sent a custom rifle to Brockmans for some metal work. When it arrived, the stock was completely broken at the wrist. Pictures were taken of by Brockmans of the daamage sustained during transit. I always take my rifles to FEDEX at night before closing as I always show the clerk that the rifle is sound-not damaged. FEDEX is disclaiming the damage saying that there was no evidence of damage on the plastic hard case. I have tried to work out an arrangement with them and they still will not accept responsibility. What should be my next step?

Inform them that a rifle will often break at the grip if the box the rifle is in is dropped on its end.

If they inspected the rifle prior to shipment, and the rifle was damaged upohn delivery, then it stands to reason that it occurred when they were in control of it.

It sounds like you're going to have to take them to small claims court.

Was the plastic gun case inside a cardboard box?

George

Had the same problem with a shotgun I sent back to Manufacturer for some minor warranty work. It could only have been damaged in shipping but everybody has that deer in the headlight look and disclaims any responsibility.
for the money, it was not worth the hassle at least in my case.

That sucks. I feel for you. There is a consumer advocate that operates out of KGO radio in San Francisco. His name is Michael Finney. He may have some good advice. E-mail him.



Keep in mind that all packages shipped by all carriers are treated like chord wood. At points in processing they are thrown around and scooped up in mass by machinery. They are dumped into bins. Package all items as if they will be thrown off a roof.



I am also into antique radios. If you do not take the chasis out of the cabinent and package seperately you get kindling wood at the other end. All radios need to be double boxed. Basically, wrap the item in bubble wrap, suspend in the center of the box with tight foam peanuts, box it. Then then put the box into another box and pad it again.



CMP has really tough boxes. They also use really dense egg crate foam to hold the rifle in place. Maybe take their lead on packaging. Check with friends and gunshops for one of those CMP boxes. You can use it over and over. I was also thinking that at CMP box with 1/4" ply inside the box under the foam, top and bottom, would make it pretty much indestructable. Something to consiter.

Hate to hear that it happened to you. It happens to some one every day, unfortunately. I have not had it happen to me, but I have been working in my friend's shop two different times when he opened a box to find a broken stock. He has had this happen numerous other times, but I was only present when two of the boxes were opened. And yes, the boxes looke dfine from the outside as with yours.

First question-how much insurance did you have on it? Folks think they can insure for any price and get paid that amount if it all hits the fan. Not the way it works! You can insure a gun for $10k, but if the gun is only worth $3k, then that is the max you can get. THe money spent on the extra iunsurance is just wasted. Even with adequate insurance and great doccumentation on what your gun was really worth, you still have a fight on your hand. It is their job to not pay out any money, and pay as little as possible when they do pay. Just get ready to plead your case and do not let it get to you. Stay professional and clam and work through the system. And expect it to be a slow process.


Is it a custom gun or a factory gun? If it is custom, then it is harder to get your money. Again, stay professional and work through the system. It is very likely that you will not get the full value of a custom stock, even with proper insurance. Assiging a value that the insurance company will agree to is not the easiest thing in the world.

No insurance? THen you are SOL. Hope this is not the case.

Yes, guns get banged around, but that is because they are larger, heavier packages. There is no widespread anti-gun conspiracy in the shippers or airlines. THese folks have to work at a blinding speed, and it is cheaper for Fed-X, UPS, whoever to pay a few insurance claims than to be sure every package does not get hurt. Simple business. But it sure does not help us out does it? This is another reason to stay calm and professional. It is aggrivating to us, but it is chump change in the overall scheme of things for a shipper, so do not get mad when dealing with them.

Unless this is a high dollar custom, then it is not worth the time and cost of going to a lawyer. NRA isnurance and home owner's insurance should kick in.

Again, I sure do hate to hear it. I hope you can get some staisfactopry resolution in a timely manner.

PS-often, but definitely not always, this happens with a stock with poor lay out. It seems to happen less often with quarter sawn English with proper lay out. Just an observation that has nothing to do with shipper's insurance paying out

lb404:

I don't have anything to offer for your current predicament, but I can tell you a way to stop future problems.

Use USPS! As much as they are maligned they are the tops for shipping high dollar firearms. I have had occassion to work on guns valued at $40,000. The shipping and insurance cost less than the insurance with UPS. But, more importantly, they take much better care of the package than any of the private shipping companies.

The package must be shipped registered mail. Everyone that touches the package has to sign for it. Shipping registered entails the PITA of wrapping and taping with craft paper, but it's worth the effort. One time I picked up a package at the post office that had been shipped registered. The paper had about an inch and a quarter tear in it. They had me open the package on the spot to make sure the contents were OK. They are very anal about registered packages.

Good luck with FedEx. I hope you get reimbursed without a huge hassle.

I use only the USPS now as well. I have had problems with UPS, Fed X, DHL, and the USPS with shipping guns. But the good old Postal Service has worked the best for me. I try to get everyone to send me their guns via the post office, and I return them through the USPS. AGain, I have had problems with them as well, but fewer. All of these shippers handle just an angodly number of packages each day, and I am really impressed that there are so few problems. I know this does not make you feel any better about your stock, though. I sure am sorry to hear about it and wish you luck

I ship a lot of expensive, delicate equipment for work and I know most carries will not honor the insurance unless the package is double boxed with at least 1 inch styrofoam or bubble wrap separating the two box. Basically, you have the make the thing indistructable (sp?)!

I was at the airport once picking up some larger computer parts, and the carriers were rolling the boxes end over end!! I coulnd't fricken beleive it. That particular box was not mine, but it contains a huge computer monitor.

Kory

Another suggestion, although unfortunately it is too late for the current situation, is to remove the stock from the barreled action. I worked in a gunshop (actually 2 different ones) for 8 years. During that time I did a majority of the packaging and shipping. I ALWAYS removed the stock and wrapped it very carefully and likewise with the barreled action. You have a much more compact package and not as big as "lever" to catch and crack the stock. In the several hundred guns I shipped, I never had a stock damaged by doing it that way. On one very, very nice custom rifle, the customer spent about $75 on packing material, but since the rifle was worth several thousand, it was a good deal. Just thought I would put my .02 in.

Use U.S.P.S. Never a problem, cheapest also.

I will repectfully disagree that USPS is better. In fact, the only problems with stock breakage I've ever had were with USPS. Amazingly, I've had better luck with UPS (only one broken trigger), though I know well from stories that they can be very tough to deal with. I think all carriers are prone to man-handling anything that doesn't say "fragile", and even then...

Good luck getting your $ back - I've heard that they will bend over backwards to deny liability, which makes their insurance business a fairly obnoxious scam.

The rifle was insured for $6000.00 just what it cost me five years ago and much less than replacement now.