I'm in Pensacola and need to send a shotgun to my son in Jacksonville. Can I break it down and ship it myself on UPS, etc., or does it have to go dealer to dealer?
You can ship it UPS yourself, but you will need to take it to the UPS hub and not one of the UPS stores. They aren't allowed to accept firearms because of their contract with UPS.
I had a fedex clerk tell me that without a FFL I could not ship a firearm back to the factory for warranty work. After insisting she call her supervisor she finally accepted it but was still bitching that it was not legal.
It's funny how it can vary from area to area. If Fedex were the only shipper left, I'd stop shipping. They suck over here, but interestingly enough as much people complain about the post office I've had great luck with USPS since we moved up here. If it's an option it's my preferred method of shipping.
From the ATF's website Q: May a nonlicensee ship a firearm through the U.S. Postal Service?
"A nonlicensee may not transfer a firearm to a non-licensed resident of another State. A nonlicensee may mail a shotgun or rifle to a resident of his or her own State or to a licensee in any State. The Postal Service recommends that long guns be sent by registered mail and that no marking of any kind which would indicate the nature of the contents be placed on the outside of any parcel containing firearms. Handguns are not mailable. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun.
[18 U.S.C. 1715, 922(a)(3), 922(a)(5) and 922 (a)(2)(A)]"
Ship the shotgun to yer son no problem with FedEx. Go to Fedex.com and print out the section about shipping guns. Take it to the station or call for a pickup. I've picked up pistols going back to manufacturer and to FFL's and rifles and shotguns going to friends and family. It's not as hard as people think it is, as long as the employee you're working with isn't a complete dumbass. Sadly, we have plenty of those.
Pack it VERY well though please! I picked up a broom handled Mauser once, all original. Looked like it was packed okay,but the wooden butt was sticking out of the box upon delivery and it was shattered. A layer of bubble wrap won't cut it. It will be put in a container with up to 8000lbs of other freight, some pointy, some leaky, some weighing up to 150lbs per piece and some all three conditions and more. Lots of padding, Pelican case, wooden box.. Whatever it takes.
All of this applies to FedEx Express, not FedEx Ground. If you ship it Ground, I can't promise ANYTHING! Totally different company, owned by the same old guy in Memphis. No clue how they work or handle stuff.