Federal law states it is completely legal for:
- A gun owner to ship their gun to a manufacturer or gunsmith for repairs.
- The gunsmith or manufacturer to ship it back to the person they received it from.
That being said, it is illegal for those not possessing a Federal Firearms License (FFL) to mail a complete handgun via the US Postal Service, so this limits you to using either FedEx or UPS. Both companies specify that complete handguns are to be shipped via Next Day Priority service.
We use FedEx Standard Overnight service for all shipments. We have found them to be a more reliable and less expensive alternative to UPS for such shipments.
If you wish to cut shipping costs to the absolute minimum, you can break the weapon down (remove the slide from a semi-auto or the cylinder from a revolver). Then divide those pieces between two separate boxes. All carriers would then consider these to be firearms parts, rather than complete firearms, so you can then use any shipping method you prefer.
Packing
Regarding packing, you will need a good box (both FedEx and UPS standard boxes work well for this purpose). You will also need to adequately wrap your firearm with sufficient padding to keep the contents from bouncing/rattling around inside. Bubble-wrap works best for this. Metal parts which are not going to be refinished by us also need to be isolated from one another to prevent scratches and wear.
Labelling
In the interests of loss prevention, we strongly recommend that you DO NOT write anything on the box or shipping label indicating a firearm is inside the box. If the carrier insists you indicate the contents, enter “Metal Machine Parts.”
Insurance, etc.
We strongly recommend you pay the extra fees to both adequately insure your package(s) and require a signature by an adult over 21 years old.