I felt the same way... But all I did was send my H&K USC in the box it came in...FEDEX no less.  No trigger lock or anything like that, and I live in NY now too...  I had no problems whatsoever.

If you have a cardboard box from another rifle, just pack your Bushy up in that.  If not, break it down into two parts and pack it in a large box.  Both of these have worked for me.  Is it necessary to send the whole rifle?

Bradd

I didn't know the drivers could pick-up firearms; I thought you had to go to a UPS "hub."  

Fed-Ex told me the gun had to be rendered inoperable.  I'm shipping a Contender back to TC (sans barrel) and that, obviously, satisfys the requirements.  

Good luck,

Eddie

My first AR (Oly CAR-97) had to be sent back to Olympic because it had extraction problems right out the box. I took it back to the dealer to mail it off to Olympic. They fixed it for free. No problems at all with it since then.

Well, maybe I just got lucky... I didn't tell fed-ex that I was shipping a firearm.  I guess I figured that it was none of their business...hehe  I asked the folks at Heckler & Koch how I should ship it and they said fed-ex or UPS and that I wouldn't have any problems.  I didn't, not in the least, and the cardboard box that it came in worked out great.  But like I said before oneshot...I know exactly how you feel. I hated putting my new USC in the mail.  I had waited about four weeks to get it and then right when I got it, I had to send it back before even taking it to the range... another three weeks before I got it back from H&K... I had to wait 7 weeks before I could play with it!  grrrr...

As an FFL I have had to return many.  I always pack the box or case inside another unmarked box & carefully seal.

I've shipped rifles by UPS. Dont like it. I put my address all over that box(and an address label or two in the buttstock). Dont want it to get lost.
Got to a bed or curtain store and ask if you could take one of their boxes. Seems like big heavy curtain rods, and bed frames are about the right isze box.
BTW  I sent my S&W back for work. I just sent the slide. This is off the books, and staying that way!![;)]
Eric
PS I never say it's a firearm. It's "machine parts".!!
Insure it heavily!

Sent my Browning Gold 3 1/2" 12 gauge back to Browning. It was having ejection problems.


Took 6, count them, SIX months to get it back!


Turns out, it was sitting in some post office for 4 months!




Bastards.

I had to ship my Stoeger Condor back twice to get work done on it. My FFL did it for me. Warranty work.

I sent my Century Arms Cetme back due to a windage problem. Mailboxes Etc wouldn't send it UPS for me and told me I had to disable the weapon. I called 1-800 number for UPS and they said just place it in a box and ship it at the customer counter(hub) and also said that make sure that the package didn't identify itself as a firearm. I placed the original box inside of another box with those packing peanuts in-between. Century sent it back 4 weeks later in just a plain box and the front sight assy was sticking out of the box...now tell me that doesn't identify it as a firearm. I felt violated when the UPS counter clerk took my weapon to ship it, but it was sure joy when it came back and Century had fixed the problem and my rifle was shooting dead on!

I bought a NIB Ruger ranch rifle in .223 and found it to be the worst shooting firearm I've ever experienced.  Despite numerous rounds and several adjustments of the cheap iron sights, the bullets never came close to where they were aimed.  I suspected the barrel was warped due to the terrible accuracy.  I returned it to the dealer, Bradis in Indianapolis, and they sent it back to Ruger.  Ruger allegedly fired the weapon and said it checked out "okay".  

Ruger returned it to Bradis.  I never knew how it was shipped.  But I got it back only to find it still won't come close to the target.  I am considering a scope or red dot sight.

i had my dealer send back my win 1300 when the weld broke when i was shooting and i eneded up holding a forend in one hand and the rest of a gun in the other they fixed it. over all it was a worrying expericane being the first gun i ever bought. i was worried about it

I've sent & recieved firearms thru both FED-EX & UPS. the one thing not to forget is spend the extra couple of bucks on  package insurance because you never know!

I know someone that has shipped numerous firearms to their manufacturers or to gunsmiths. Never had a problem. The safest way to do it is next day delivery. It may cost more, but it gets your gun out of the system in the shortest amount of time and with less opportunity for theft to happen. Oh yes make sure you pay for INSURANCE your gun just in case.

UPS is notorious for its employees stealing firearms. Go over to GunBroker.com and see how they rate. They BLOW!! That's why you have to ship handguns NextDay Air because of high theft rate in their warehouses. I use FedExpress for handguns and USPS for longarms. The most secure form of longarm shipping is USPS. A package that is sent cert,reg,insured must be stamped by everyone that handles the package and must be secured in a LOCKED cage when not in transit.

A friend of mine had an encore stolen while being shiped to Bullbarry via UPS. They gave him the runaround for 2 months untill he finally threatned legal action if not remembursed.

UPS [-!-]

Bought a Colt Ar-15 lower receiver about a year ago. There was a parkerizing chip in the finish right next to the Colt logo ( I'm really not that picky, but with Colt products I'm always thinking of long term value). Called their customer service and was given a customer return # and told to send it back for repair.

The name and address that they gave me to use in returning the receiver in no way indicated that the item was affiliated with Colt or even  a firearm. I'm sure that was a security feature to keep Colt's returns from being stolen. I did not indicate to UPS that this was a firearm receiver.

I immediately got a letter from Colt stating they had received my shipment (I appreciated their confirmation in writing, very professional) Anyway, after a couple of months, my neighbor left a note on my door saying that she had signed for my package from UPS. Colt had reparked my original receiver (looks great) Again, the package in no way indicated Colt or firearm.

As long as you box it up and it's unidentifiable as a firearm, You can ship it USPS Priority Mail. Send It insured and request notification of delivery.

As it is warrantee work, the Rifle can be shipped back to you. Same way.

Hope this helps.
Del

Scipio -
Did you send the USC back for the charging handle fix? If so, how do you like it? Did your old one break? I'm just curious if it's absolutely necessary to get the replacement.

How do you like your USC as a whole?

Let me know if you get a chance.  Thanks.

I sent my Bushmaster in, their service and speed was unbelievable. They were a pleasure to work with. Hope you receive the same treatment I got.
Have a nice evening,   Rabon...

DO NOT invest any more money in this gun by installing optics. My advice - Go trade it for something else. Ranch rifles/Mini's are notorious for this, I had one known as "The money pit". The mini-14 thing has been debated here many times, most will agree with me.

As far as sending guns back to the factory, I have sent a total of 5 back, all UPS. They were as follows:

Bushmaster Shorty AK - Sent back after 300 rounds because it was short stroking. Bushmaster was excellent, door to door in 2 weeks exactly, and with a nice trigger job to boot. They opened the gas port, now it functions 100% w/ contract mags,(but does not like Thermolds for some reason.)

Sig Sauer 220 - After years of shooting it was having first round hang ups with full mags, shipped it back w/3 factory mags, they replaced the spring in all 3 mags now it's 100% with all ammo I have tried, turnaround was 3 weeks. No charges, gun was 8 years old. Excellent service.

Smith & Weasel "3rd generation" .45acp - Sent it back because it was not extracting properly, brass would still be in chamber sometimes. They installed a new barrel, said that the original was out of spec from factory. Turnaround was about a month, no charges. Traded it in on the Sig, as I had no confidence the gun. Proud to say I no longer own a Smith.

Springfield Armory 1911- Sent back due to slide not staying open after last round fired, (take your choise of mag, factory, Colt, Wilson, etc. etc.) They supposedly "fixed" it, but it kept doing the same thing. Sold it to a friend, he still has it. Turnaround was quick, about 3 weeks, but not really fixed. (They sent it back with an extra mag!)

Beretta 21A mouse gun - Sent back due to sometimes not firing because of light primer hits. They replaced springs in the gun, it now is reliable but the trigger pull is twice what it originally was. Slow turnaround, about 2 - 2 1/2 months and they acted like jerks on the phone.

The Browning story does not surprise me, I have heard many horror stories of 6 months to a year on repairs and sometimes the guns are returned just like they were shipped, untouched or problems not solved. A friend sent a Colt AR back and they kept it 9 months! The gun is now 100% but I would have a stroke if I had to wait that long. Dont worry Bushmaster will take care of you. I dont like sending one back through a dealer, just handle it yourself and cut out "the middle man," you will probably get it back quicker.

A friend sent a Keltec 9mm back, they turned it around in 2 weeks and there were no charges and they polished the ramp free, etc.

GOOD TIMING ON THIS TOPIC, GUYS.
I'll be shipping a couple of guns back to Remington for service work, and a Beretta slide to the outfit that does the work for Trijicon sights.

Here's direct quotes from the USPS and UPS, in that order:

USPS-[b]At 07/06/2001 01:02 PM we wrote - Only gun dealers may ship firearms through the postal
service to another gun dealer.[/b]

UPS-[b]Thank you for your inquiry. If the shipper can prove to be a
licensed gun dealer, OR if the items are being returned to a
licensed dealer, manufacturer, or importer for repair, refund,
or customizing, firearms can be accepted. Shotguns, rifles, etc.
can continue to be shipped by authorized legal parties via One
Time Pickup service, On Call Air pickup, and UPS Customer Counters.
There cannot be anything written or printed on the package that
indicates the package contains a gun.  The shipper cannot pack
ammunition in the same shipping container as the handgun. The
shipper must apply the Adult Signature Required label (21 years
of age or older). Firearms or replicas of firearms made before
1898 are accepted. Firearms will not be accepted for shipment
from any Commercial Counter and/or Authorized Shipping Outlet.[/b]

Figure that out, Gentlemen.
Ambiguity at its finest.
Looks like I'll be making the phoneloop with the reference #'s until I get a straight answer.

That is, unless one of you has a definitive truth to unload here!  I'm listening.

Incorrect BusMaster007, we've covered the subject of shipping firearms inumerable times in topics past. Long guns [b][i]MOST CERTAINLY CAN BE SHIPPED VIA PARCEL POST BY UNLICENSED PERSONS TO LICENSED DEALERS AND MANUFACTURERS.[/i][/b] This is available either online at USPS' "Postal Guide" or at any U.S. Post Office on page C024.6.0 sub-paragraph 3.0 of a USPS regulation manual. Handguns, however, can only be shipped FFL to FFL with a few minor exceptions. I've shipped beaucoup firearms to manufacturers, dealers, gunsmiths, etc. I absolutely [b][i]DESPISE[/i][/b] the UPS center in Oklahoma City. Since mid-1999, they've made a point of opening and inspecting any and all firearm related packages shipped through their center. I've tried taking this up with their silly little manager to no avail and have taken it as far as their home offices in Atlanta. I was informed that UPS reserves the right to open and inspect all packages presented to them for shipment and that the local center manager is free to run his center as he wishes as long as that is within company policy. I guess I'm free to spend my money as I choose and I choose to spend it with the Postal Service and Federal Express (they've taken over RPS and are VERY competitive with UPS). I've always played things on the up-and-up with UPS and haven't submitted any damage claims on any firearms to them (there was the case of some automotive parts pilfered from an opened box once that amounted to $40 in damages back in '97) and I sure as hell don't appreciate being treated as a criminal or a liar as they behave ("We're doing it to make sure that there's a gun actually inside").