Mailing dummy rounds

[El Chivo]

I was just about to pack and send a rifle in for rework and enclose dummy rounds for assuring certain bullets would fit.

Then I read on the H&R site that it's illegal to send dummy rounds or shells with a gun. They can be sent separately.

I know we just had a post on mailing ammo, but who knows about restrictions for sending dummy rounds through the mail?

Does it go for brass as well, or bullets as well?

[Hobie]

That is interesting. To my knowledge dummies, i.e. models of cartridges, are not ammunition, contain NO explosives whatsoever and are thus legal to mail. Has something changed?

[JB]

As I understand the postal regulations, you can't mail explosives so no loaded rounds, powder, or primers. Bullets, cases, and dummy rounds should be legal, but you'd probably raise a stink if the dummy rounds were discovered. I've went round and round with some mail personnel just trying to prove that it was legal to ship firearms. They're mostly ignorant to their own regulations.

One of the strange parts to me is that it's easy to ship loaded rounds UPS, but powder or primers require special permits.

[Chuck 100 yd]

If it cant go bang ,It`s ok as far as I know.
I have shipped lots of brass via USPS.

[DPris]

No prohibitions about dummy rounds.
They're just plastic & metal objects. Incapable of detonation or injuring anybody.

Empty brass, bullets alone (not loaded cartridges), no restrictions.
Denis

[AJMD429]

What if you drilled out the primer pocket to about 1/4" (meaning no way it could be tampered with en-route by a psycho-terrorist who's been living in the back of the postal-van who just happened to have access to a Lee Loader [but alas, no RPG's], and made to fire). Maybe that would be a silly waste of brass but make it "safer".

Why is it that the rule-makers can't seem to stick with simple, enforceable, rules against REAL crimes, instead of all these things that 'could be' bad somehow but aren't...???

[El Chivo]

this from the H&R site (repairs page):

WARNING: DO NOT SEND LIVE OR SPENT SHELLS IN YOUR FIREARM OR IN THE SAME BOX WITH THE FIREARM. THIS IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW. IF YOU FEEL YOU MUST SEND SPENT SHELLS, PLEASE SEND THEM IN A SEPARATE PACKAGE AND INCLUDE NAME, ADDRESS (WITH ZIP CODE), AND TELEPHONE NUMBERAND SERIAL NUMBER OF YOUR FIREAM.

http://www.hr1871.com/support/repairs.asp

It's the spent shells part that surprised me. But I suppose it could cause a fuss if they went through an x-ray machine and saw the shapes of the shells. But they say shells, which would include brass with no bullet, if that is correct.


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ran across a new wrinkle, if you send a firearm, you have to declare in writing to the shipper that it contains a firearm. Then they can't write the contents on the box, but they have to be told what's in the package. And you have to have proof.

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got this off the USPS site:

Replica or Inert Explosive Devices
Replica or inert explosive devices that bear a realistic appearance to explosive devices such as simulated grenades, but that are not dangerous, are permitted in the mail when all of the following conditions are met:
a. The package is presented by the mailer at a retail counter.
b. Registered Mail service is used. (Registered Mail service is only available for items mailed as either First-Class Mail or Priority Mail.)
c. The address side of the package is labeled with “REPLICA EXPLOSIVE” using at least 20 point type or letters at least 1/4-inch high


wow, that adds $11.00 to the cost of mailing!!!!!!!!!1

[Rusty]

There was a story in the news last week where an entire school was put on lockdown because a rifle round was found in the hallway of a school outside the school office. They searched the whole school looking for more rounds or a rifle but could find nothing. They did a rewind on the video system a sure enough it showed a student walking down the hall and the round fell out of his backpack and hit the ground. They IDed the student and brought him to the office. They held the bullet up in front of him and said, is this yours? The student looked at it and said yea, it's my pen, where he took the cartridge pulled the bullet out and turned it around to reveal the ball point pen.

[KirkD]

Wow! It is considerably easier to ship firearms to each other up here in Canada. The only rule is that they can't be loaded. We don't have to say what is in the package. We can ship them to anyone who has a PAL, which is pretty well all the gun owners.

[junkbug]

I strongly suspect H&R is just blowing smoke to make absolutely certain no live cartridges are packed and shipped with firearms being returned to them for service.

Basically, if they say "Don't enclose live cartridges, dummies or empties in packaging with firearms being returned to us" then that is how it should be. They shouldn't have to make excuses about it.