How do you ship a handgun for repair?

[Dr. Goodshot 18]

From what I understand, new policies at FedEx and UPS prohibit an individual, non-FFL from shipping a firearm. So if I need to ship a gun to a company for repair, how can I do it? Will a gun store or a range where I'm a member ship the item for me? Has anyone shipped their gun in this way? Do they charge for this service? Gun store websites usually list all the services they provide, but I've never seen one that says "You can drop your gun off here for shipment."
Also, would they allow the gun to be shipped back to them and let me pick it up there, like if I am not secure about the package receiving situation at home?

https://www.ups.com/us/en/support/shipping-support/shipping-special-care-regulated-items/prohibited-items/firearms.page

https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/how-to-ship-firearms.html

[Mr.Stu 1,539]

If the repair shop send you a label on their account, are you shipping the gun, or them?

[Dr. Goodshot 18]

9 minutes ago, Mr.Stu said:

If the repair shop send you a label on their account, are you shipping the gun, or them?

No, they did not send me a label. I'm talking about just sending my gun to, say, a specialist gunsmith in another state. So I would have to create the label and pay for the shipping.

[PK90 3,530]

You'll pay a fee to your local dealer for the transfer out plus shipping costs. When it comes back to your local dealer, you'll pay another fee to pick up.

[dajonga 364]

I handle shipping guns at our shop.

Here is how it works...

You bring the gun to me.

I give you a repair receipt, I log it into my repair book, someone pays for shipping and I send it out.

The repair facility fixes the gun, someone pays for shipping and the gun ships back to me.

I call you & you come pick up the gun and it is logged out of my repair book. End of story.

No transfer fees and no NICS.

[Dr. Goodshot 18]

15 minutes ago, dajonga said:

I handle shipping guns at our shop.

Here is how it works...

You bring the gun to me.

I give you a repair receipt, I log it into my repair book, someone pays for shipping and I send it out.

The repair facility fixes the gun, someone pays for shipping and the gun ships back to me.

I call you & you come pick up the gun and it is logged out of my repair book. End of story.

No transfer fees and no NICS.

Thanks for that.

So do you take care of the boxing and packing of the gun too? All I would have to do is bring you the naked gun?

[dajonga 364]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Goodshot said:

Thanks for that.

So do you take care of the boxing and packing of the gun too? All I would have to do is bring you the naked gun?

Correct. 

[PK90 3,530]

18 minutes ago, dajonga said:

I handle shipping guns at our shop.

Here is how it works...

You bring the gun to me.

I give you a repair receipt, I log it into my repair book, someone pays for shipping and I send it out.

The repair facility fixes the gun, someone pays for shipping and the gun ships back to me.

I call you & you come pick up the gun and it is logged out of my repair book. End of story.

No transfer fees and no NICS.

So, if that gun was never purchased from your store, you provide that service and make no money whatsoever? 

[dajonga 364]

1 minute ago, PK90 said:

So, if that gun was never purchased from your store, you provide that service and make no money whatsoever? 

I do what i am told.

We make money in other ways.

[PK90 3,530]

1 minute ago, dajonga said:

I do what i am told.

We make money in other ways.

LOL. That policy won't last. IMHO.

[njJoniGuy 1,994]

27 minutes ago, PK90 said:

LOL. That policy won't last. IMHO.

In the words of yesterday's 79 year old birthday girl "Nothing lasts for long" at the Chinese Cafe.

I agree with @dajonga from a customer service standpoint, but I also agree with @PK90 from a business owner perspective.

The reality is probably somewhere in between 

[njviper91 25]

What if the manufacturer creates and sends you the label?  Do you still have to go through a gun store for this?

I have an SR22 that I may need to send back to Ruger for warranty work.  I was under the impression they send you a label and you put it in a box and send it to them.

[PK90 3,530]

5 minutes ago, njviper91 said:

What if the manufacturer creates and sends you the label?  Do you still have to go through a gun store for this?

I have an SR22 that I may need to send back to Ruger for warranty work.  I was under the impression they send you a label and you put it in a box and send it to them.

You can try and send your Multi Hole Punching Machine to Ruger as long as the counter person does not recognize the ship to company and stops it. The return address on the label more than likely also is Ruger. Tell them you work for Ruger.

[Dr. Goodshot 18]

16 hours ago, njviper91 said:

What if the manufacturer creates and sends you the label?  Do you still have to go through a gun store for this?

I have an SR22 that I may need to send back to Ruger for warranty work.  I was under the impression they send you a label and you put it in a box and send it to them.

These are apparently brand new rules that UPS and FedEx just implemented (see the links above). No firearms shipped by individuals any more. I don't think it would matter who creates the label.

[njviper91 25]

1 hour ago, Dr. Goodshot said:

These are apparently brand new rules that UPS and FedEx just implemented (see the links above). No firearms shipped by individuals any more. I don't think it would matter who creates the label.

This is so annoying, the slide is worn on one side of my sr22 and i know Ruger wont just send out a new slide.  I guess ill have to run it through the place I bought it from then.

[Scorpio64 4,687]

7 minutes ago, njviper91 said:

This is so annoying, the slide is worn on one side of my sr22 and i know Ruger wont just send out a new slide.  I guess ill have to run it through the place I bought it from then.

Have you contacted Ruger?  Their customer service is absolutely outstanding.  Get yourself on the phone with CS and tell them exactly what the issue is, without embellishments, and I'd bet my lunch money Ruger will make it right.  If the problem part does not require an FFL, and you demonstrate to the CS rep that you know what you are doing, they will most likely just send you the part you have an issue with.

[njviper91 25]

1 minute ago, Scorpio64 said:

Have you contacted Ruger?  Their customer service is absolutely outstanding.  Get yourself on the phone with CS and tell them exactly what the issue is, without embellishments, and I'd bet my lunch money Ruger will make it right.  If the problem part does not require an FFL, and you demonstrate to the CS rep that you know what you are doing, they will most likely just send you the part you have an issue with.

Yeah, I figure ill give that a try first, I was referencing other posts I have seen online for the same issue.  I don't see a serial number on the slide.  It looks like where the slide catch, catches the slide keeps missing and has worn away the aluminum.  Now its hit or miss if the slide stays open on the last shot.

[njviper91 25]

Out of curiosity when did this new policy go into effect?

[Dr. Goodshot 18]

7 hours ago, njviper91 said:

Out of curiosity when did this new policy go into effect?

The UPS policy just went into effect this last August, and the FedEx one went into effect some time last year.

https://thefirearmfirm.com/shipping-firearms-not-on-ups-your-not/

https://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2022/01/shipping-guns-via-fedex-now-limited-to-ffls-govt-agencies/#:~:text=IMPORTANT%3A FedEx policies now prohibit,into effect in Q3 2021.

[njviper91 25]

So I called Ruger today, they generated an RMA and created a call tag for UPS to come and pick up the pistol and ship it to them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Dr. Goodshot 18]

34 minutes ago, njviper91 said:

So I called Ruger today, they generated an RMA and created a call tag for UPS to come and pick up the pistol and ship it to them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And are you planning on having UPS come to your place and pick it up directly from you, or are you planning to go to an FFL and have them ship it for you?

[njviper91 25]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Goodshot said:

And are you planning on having UPS come to your place and pick it up directly from you, or are you planning to go to an FFL and have them ship it for you?

Yeah I’ll just have them pick it up here.  Ruger said they do this all the time.  I asked them about the new rules and they didn’t seem to know anything about it.  Just said UPS stopped taking rifles.  

[Dr. Goodshot 18]

On 12/2/2022 at 1:17 PM, njviper91 said:

Yeah I’ll just have them pick it up here.  Ruger said they do this all the time.  I asked them about the new rules and they didn’t seem to know anything about it.  Just said UPS stopped taking rifles.  

If you don't mind, please keep us updated and let us know how that all works out.
Thanks

[njviper91 25]

48 minutes ago, Dr. Goodshot said:

If you don't mind, please keep us updated and let us know how that all works out.
Thanks

Will do.

[njviper91 25]

So UPS came to the door today with the tag.  Guy came up and said "I have a pick up tag for you, they don't tell us what it is" (not sure what to make of that).  Put the tag on the box and gave me the other part of the tag with the tracking number on it and took the package and left.  it is being shipped 2 Day Air, the address on it just said Customer Service Ruger with an RMA number.  Hopefully all goes well hereafter.

[njviper91 25]

So all went well with the shipping.  Bad part(maybe not bad) is they have to replace the pistol.  Of course that means I need a permit now :/ I did proactively apply November 16th but im in Jackson and they took 7 weeks last time around.  I bet its more now since there are so many cary permits going in.

I talked to Howell Gun Works where I bought it and I may just trade it in for a Sig 322 or Glock 44, im a little worried i may have the same issues again with the ruger.

[Dr. Goodshot 18]

4 hours ago, njviper91 said:

So all went well with the shipping.  Bad part(maybe not bad) is they have to replace the pistol.  Of course that means I need a permit now :/ I did proactively apply November 16th but im in Jackson and they took 7 weeks last time around.  I bet its more now since there are so many cary permits going in.

I talked to Howell Gun Works where I bought it and I may just trade it in for a Sig 322 or Glock 44, im a little worried i may have the same issues again with the ruger.

But at least the shipping went well without a hitch. That is great. That means that the advice I was given, "just send it and don't tell them what's in it," is workable. Don't ask don't tell. Technically they don't allow guns to ship from individuals, but if they don't know what's in the box then they can't do anything. I suppose there's always the danger that an eagle-eyed employee might notice it's going to a place called Ruger, and that Ruger is a gun maker, and so it must be a gun....

That statement of "they don't tell us what it is" is indeed very strange. It suggests that maybe the driver knew there was something in there, and he was just going to keep his eyes and mouth shut ... ???

[njviper91 25]

10 minutes ago, Dr. Goodshot said:

But at least the shipping went well without a hitch. That is great. That means that the advice I was given, "just send it and don't tell them what's in it," is workable. Don't ask don't tell. Technically they don't allow guns to ship from individuals, but if they don't know what's in the box then they can't do anything. I suppose there's always the danger that an eagle-eyed employee might notice it's going to a place called Ruger, and that Ruger is a gun maker, and so it must be a gun....

That statement of "they don't tell us what it is" is indeed very strange. It suggests that maybe the driver knew there was something in there, and he was just going to keep his eyes and mouth shut ... ???

I read the receipt label again and there was a spot that said package contents: return merchandise.  So who knows.  Ruger also sells accessories.