I had a problem with FedEx a while back. The guys down at Guns and Ammo magazine, I think it was, wanted to do a story about my itty, bitty 8 bore double rifle, so I sent it down via UPS. They received my little popgun, did some photo work with it, took it out and test fired it, packed it up and sent it back via FedEx.
They used my original packing. It was a Doscosil plastic gun case with layers of cardboard fore and aft to keep the rifle from sliding back and forth. So, you have 3 or 4 layer of cardboard in front of the muzzle, and about the same in back. Not much room for movement inside the case. Then you have the thickness of the plastic case walls. Then you have maybe four layers of cardboard where the endflaps of the box cross over.
So, a few days after it was sent off to me, I receive the delivery. I just happen to look at the end of the box and I see the muzzle of the rifle sticking through the box. What the
I call the driver's attention to it and he was sort of blasee about it. Turn it in, he said and walked away.
So, I opened the box and the case and looked at the rifle. Sure enough, the muzzle was bent in on the left barrel. I have no idea how high that gun had to be when it dropped, but to get through all that, and then bend in the edge of the muzzle, it had to have had quite a shock.
Fortunately, when the rifle was shipped they insured it. And it cost FedEx dearly. Had to disassemble the barrel set and cut about an inch off the tubes, then put the gun back together, then test fire it to re-regulate them, then solder the ribs back on then reblue the barrels. What a PITA. Plus I was planning on using that rifle on my buffalo hunt that year. Didn't happen, used my 12 bore rifle instead. It was all good. But I did want to see what that rifle would do to an 1,800 pound critter. Guess I'll never know. The rifle has gone down the trail since then.
John (Bigsmoke)
Topic: Pony express was faster than USPS (Read 3240 times)