Persian shamshir destroyed by USPS!!!

[rickystl]

Hi Estcrh.

That's a beautiful Persian rifle!!! Looks like it "just" fit the gun case. I've found that even double-wall boxes are good for only one round trip. I wish they made those plastic gun cases for long barrels, but they don't. I've looked everywhere.
Here's a Sind rifle I sent to the gunsmith to make a small fix on the lock position where he needed the entire gun. Imagine trying to find a gun case to fit this. LOL If you've seen these guns the butt stock is not only very wide, but also very thin. So I ended up having a co-worker make me a crate from pine wood, reinforced at the corners and the middle. He actually went a bit over board with the construction. The foam is the type used over the top of hospital beds. I could have dropped this crate off a one story building and the contents would be ok. LOL!! I was astonished that the weight and dimensions "just" made the limits for USPS. But I can use this crate again.

Rick

[Philip]

There are two types of long guns that I simply hate to ship because of packing hassles (1) the deeply recurved stocks like these Sind guns and Afghan jezails and (2) the pronounced pistol-grip butts typical of China and northern Vietnam. You have to over-engineer the packing, otherwise you're tempting fate. Commercial gun cases aren't long enough for the barrels on these guns, either (although I've squeaked under the size limit by dismounting the barrel and packing it alongside the stock, which removes a lot of stress on the curved thin wood, anyway.) But you still need a proper box...

I've had good luck buying snowboard cartons that a well-known shipping and warehouse supply company sells along with a cornucopia of other containers in all imaginable sizes. The only thing you have to order them in bundles of 5 or 10, since I'm in the restoration business that's not a problem. These cartons are 14 in. wide by about 5 thick, and about 70 in. long -- they just make it under the USPS length/girth max of 108 in. And are the only off-the-shelf size that will accommodate the two types of guns mentioned above. They are of very heavy corrugated stock and I use all the methods mentioned previously in this post to support, stabilize, and pad the contents on all sides. So far so good, although for domestic shipping I use FedEx instead of the mail.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by rickystl

Hi Estcrh.

That's a beautiful Persian rifle!!! Looks like it "just" fit the gun case. I've found that even double-wall boxes are good for only one round trip. I wish they made those plastic gun cases for long barrels, but they don't. I've looked everywhere.
Here's a Sind rifle I sent to the gunsmith to make a small fix on the lock position where he needed the entire gun. Imagine trying to find a gun case to fit this. LOL If you've seen these guns the butt stock is not only very wide, but also very thin. So I ended up having a co-worker make me a crate from pine wood, reinforced at the corners and the middle. He actually went a bit over board with the construction. The foam is the type used over the top of hospital beds. I could have dropped this crate off a one story building and the contents would be ok. LOL!! I was astonished that the weight and dimensions "just" made the limits for USPS. But I can use this crate again.

Rick

Rick, nice example, how long is it? I also have one, it looks to be much longer but it is hard to tell from photos, I will find it and take some pictures and measurements.