Shipping a .22 rifle

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  • expat

    Member
    Aug 29, 2012
    74
    .
    I want to ship a rifle I own from MD to me in Florida. Questions:
    1. Can I take it with me by commercial plane in checked luggage without a big fuss?
    2. Is it FedEx or UPS which is the most user-friendly for such a ship?
    Thanks,
    pat
     

    Viper-Snipe

    Active Member
    May 13, 2012
    487
    I have brought in hand guns to MD through the airlines and plan on bring in a 30/30 and shotgun over the holidays and so far no trouble at all.
    Last hand gun I brought home I even forgot to declare in checked baggage (whoops!) :D and nothing came from it.
    Of course the departing state was Gun Friendly...


    V-S
     

    expat

    Member
    Aug 29, 2012
    74
    I have brought in hand guns to MD through the airlines and plan on bring in a 30/30 and shotgun over the holidays and so far no trouble at all.
    Last hand gun I brought home I even forgot to declare in checked baggage (whoops!) :D and nothing came from it.
    Of course the departing state was Gun Friendly...


    V-S

    Thanks for the info. I'm doing the reverse -- from an 'unfriendly' state to a friendly one. :)
    How do you declare the gun in checked baggage? Is there a form to be filled out -- or do you just tell the checker verbally?
     

    BigDaddy

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 7, 2014
    2,235
    .
    I want to ship a rifle I own from MD to me in Florida. Questions:
    1. Can I take it with me by commercial plane in checked luggage without a big fuss?
    2. Is it FedEx or UPS which is the most user-friendly for such a ship?
    Thanks,
    pat
    It needs to be in a lockable case. You simply declare it to the ticket agent, they make you sign a red tag saying it is unloaded and ask you to wait for 10 min in case TSA needs to take you in a back room and give you a hummus enema in case you skipped breakfast.

    I am not sure if you can ship a rifle to yourself. Both UPS and Fedex will want you to send it next day air $$$$. You can ship it to an FFL but that is more $$.
     

    Viper-Snipe

    Active Member
    May 13, 2012
    487
    ^What he said, tell the ticket teller you have a firearm, they give you a red tag to insert into the case saying there is no ammo, and you are good to go. As I said above I even forgot to declare and had no problem, maybe a fluke but I would not bet on it.

    Be up front and you should have no problem (double check that your carry on has no ammo though!!!)

    V-S
     

    expat

    Member
    Aug 29, 2012
    74
    It needs to be in a lockable case. You simply declare it to the ticket agent, they make you sign a red tag saying it is unloaded and ask you to wait for 10 min in case TSA needs to take you in a back room and give you a hummus enema in case you skipped breakfast.

    I am not sure if you can ship a rifle to yourself. Both UPS and Fedex will want you to send it next day air $$$$. You can ship it to an FFL but that is more $$.

    Thanks for your advice. Does it have to be in a separate lockable case on the plane or is it ok to have it in a regular lockable suitcase along with your shirts, pants etc in it too?
     

    CasualObserver

    Who Observes the Observer
    Apr 27, 2012
    1,266
    Maryland Born Now in Vermont
    I fly with guns all the time. It has to be in a locked hard case. DO NOT use TSA locks. You check your bag and declare you have a firearm. You fill out a card and toss it in the case and lock it. Only you should have the key. Sometimes they want you to show them that they are unloaded and see the ammo if you have ammo in the same case, but more times then not, they aren't interested. I usually have ammo too and while it doesn't have to be in a locked case, I usually lock it in the same container. No loaded mags and the ammo must be in sturdy packaging like its original packaging. There is a an ammo weight limit... I think 11 lbs or something. Some airports have me wait 10 mins after cking my gun before going through security in case there is a problem, but other airports just tell me I'm good to go. For handguns I put my locked case in a larger piece of luggage to make it less conspicuous (I use a pelican type case for the guns themselves). I fly southwest all the time and I understand that other airlines might have different rules so be sure to check with them https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/baggage/special-luggage-pol.html . Also probably want to read up on the TSA rules of course... http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/firearms-and-ammunition I keep a copy of all the rules (airline and TSA) with me when I travel. Also, be aware of the state you are landing in or could be diverted too. I understand you are going to Florida, but NJ has some crazy laws and they have outlawed Hollow Point ammo so I don't travel to the North East with HP ammo (apparently the fed law that protects us from traveling interstate doesn't apply in NJ airports... but that is another story). Hope that helps. For me at least, it isn't a big fuss.... 10 or 15 mins longer then normal as long as the checked baggage line is short, that's all. Just know the policy's and you'll be good.
     
    Jul 1, 2012
    5,711
    ... Both UPS and Fedex will want you to send it next day air $$$$. You can ship it to an FFL but that is more $$.

    You can ship a long gun using Ground service, neither UPS nor FEDEX require Next Day Air. That's only for handguns.
    You can legally use USPS for long guns, although I wouldn't personally.
    You can mail it to yourself in care of another person; see USPS regs for details (don't believe some random dude on the interwebs :) )

    You'll need Adult Signature Required however you do it.

    But it sounds like carry-on luggage is really the way to go in this situation.
     

    expat

    Member
    Aug 29, 2012
    74
    I want to thank everyone for their helpful responses, and especially Casual for his clear and full response.<br>You guys are great.
     

    CasualObserver

    Who Observes the Observer
    Apr 27, 2012
    1,266
    Maryland Born Now in Vermont
    I want to thank everyone for their helpful responses, and especially Casual for his clear and full response.<br>You guys are great.

    No problem. One thing I'll repeat because it is important, don't use TSA locks. Its funny, they ask me about 50% of the time if the lock I'm using is a TSA lock and when I state NO, they sometimes look up like "oh crap".... but they need to be normal locks per TSA policy so they have to call you if there is a problem... either that or they have to cut them off. Don't want some joe blow baggage tosser opening it up with a TSA key.

    Good luck with your travels. I was sorta nervous the first time I checked firearms, but now it is old hat. In firearm friendly states they usually don't even blink when you declare a firearm.
     

    swinokur

    In a State of Bliss
    Patriot Picket
    Apr 15, 2009
    55,394
    Westminster USA
    Not just TSA policy but a Federal statute as well.

    There have been discussions here about the use of TSA locks on firearms cases.

    Clearly not legal, but some argue the opposite. oh well.

    49 CFR 1540.111 - Carriage of weapons, explosives, and incendiaries by individuals.

    (c) In checked baggage. A passenger may not transport or offer for transport in checked baggage or in baggage carried in an inaccessible cargo hold under § 1562.23 of this chapter:
    (1) Any loaded firearm(s).
    (2) Any unloaded firearm(s) unless—
    (i) The passenger declares to the aircraft operator, either orally or in writing, before checking the baggage, that the passenger has a firearm in his or her bag and that it is unloaded;
    (ii) The firearm is unloaded;
    (iii) The firearm is carried in a hard-sided container; and
    (iv) The container in which it is carried is locked, and only the passenger retains the key or combination.
    (3) Any unauthorized explosive or incendiary.
     

    Stephen M

    Member
    Jan 20, 2013
    95
    MoCo
    How do you declare the gun in checked baggage? Is there a form to be filled out -- or do you just tell the checker verbally?

    Did this a few times albeit a few years ago. I told them verbally when checking the bag. They pulled me aside to a different area for inspection and put a sticker on the gun case (but NOT one on the outside of the luggage the case was in). Two things:

    1) Go to the airline's website and check the most current policy
    2) Leave extra time. In my case it only added ~5-10 minutes to the whole drill, but maybe I got lucky.
     

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