Shipping ammo usps ???

[lionhunter]

Does anyone know if it is legal to ship ammo? And if so is there additional charges tacked on?

Thanks for the info

Whitey

[Benbrown]

It is legal and there are no additional charges. An ORM-D sticker denoting small arms ammunition used to be required, but that regulation expired at the end of 2013. I have been told that there is a new sticker design, but have not seen it nor did I find any mention of it on an internet search a couple of months ago. You might check with your postmaster--they have updated charts that cover ammo shipments, among other BATF-related things.

 

Be sure to package it in a stout box, well sealed, and with cushioning around the ammo boxes inside. I had one shipment that "came apart" in a USPS terminal in Iowa a few years back and only about half of the ammo was in the repacked box. Since the Winchester and Remington headstamps were all repacked and the Weatherby head-stamped ammo was not, I ammore than a little suspicious that all was not on the up and up.

[lionhunter]

Thanks Ben

[AZ8]

You can't mail ammo via USPS.

 

https://www.usps.com/send/can-you-mail-it.htm?showtab=2

 

You want to go through UPS or FedEx.

[Outdoor Writer]

Summary:

U.S. Postal Service (USPS) - Shipping ammo is prohibited.
United Parcel Service (UPS) - Shipping ammo permitted with packaging/weight/labeling qualifications.
Federal Express (FedEx) - Shipping ammo generally prohibited unless HazMat certified.



Details:

U.S. Postal Service (USPS): Shipping of Ammunition is Prohibited

Ammunition (Cartridges, small arms) is a nonmailable hazardous material. "Under no circumstances may any nonmailable hazardous material, restricted matter, or perishable matter be deposited for mailing."

Publication 52 - Hazardous, Restricted and Perishable Mail
Cartridges, small arms - Appendix A - Hazardous Materials



United Parcel Service (UPS):

1. Pack ammo within a sturdy cardboard box, gross weight limit of 66 pounds.
2. Print ORM-D label, cut out and tape to a least one side of box.
3. Take package to a UPS Customer Center only - NOT at Drop-Off Box, The UPS Store, Mail Boxes etc., Sonic. Might be a good idea to have the UPS Hazardous Material Support Center number with you -- 800-554-9964. Varied success with UPS pick-up at your location.

Per UPS:
UPS accepts domestic ground shipments of ammunition that have been classified by the shipper as "Cartridges, small arms", "ORM-D" (Other Regulated Material). The package must be properly marked according to the requirements of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR). Contact the Hazardous Material Support Center at 800-554-9964 for details on regulatory information.



Federal Express (FedEx):

Per FedEx, 10/26/2006:
HazMat Training is required to qualify to ship all Hazardous Materials. Ammunition is a Hazardous Material. No Drop-Off, package must be picked up by FedEx. See How to Qualify.

[Pac8541]

I know this is an old thread, so to speak, but I wanted to add my experience to this topic.

 

About a year ago I shipped about 300 rounds of match grade Hornady AMAX to a buddy in the midwest. I did it through USPS in a flat rate box because I was being a cheap a$$ and thought I could get away with it. Honestly, I didn't realize it was illegal to ship ammo via USPS but I had my suspicions. Anyway, the box arrived at my buddy's place sure enough but all the ammo was gone. what was in the box was a small barbie doll. Yes, a doll. All the ammo had been stolen. Absolutely unbelievable. When my buddy attempted to get it investigated they told him ammo was an unauthorized item to ship via USPS and the package was uninsured.

 

So, if the items being shipped are something on their list of unauthorized items and the package is uninsured its ok to commit a federal felony within their organization. The bullets aren't going to shoot themselves or spontaneously explode. I guess I'm in the wrong business: shoulda been a postal worker then I could go through everyone's uninsured packages and take what I want. Anyway, don't ship a dam thing through USPS. Heck, I've even heard similar stories about UPS. The whole subject makes me sick.

 

Sorry for the rant.

[AverageJoe]

I will NEVER use usps again.

[Benbrown]

After consulting the USPS regs online, I was more confused than ever, but an inquiry on another firearms website yielded this, which seemed to be the most authoritative response:

 

You won't go to jail for it, but the answer is no. You'll get a nasty call from the Postmaster General if they discover it, which they won't. You'll also have to lie when they question you at the counter. You can mark it ORM-D but the truth is, you're not qualified.

You have to be Hazardous Declaration certified to sign the paperwork for a shipment. The post office is the only smart organization prohibiting it even though they do accept custody of it on a daily basis from UPS or FedEx for final delivery to the customer. The main problem stems from air shipment since the crash in the everglades some years back.

Why is the Post office the only smart one? Because if you sign your name to that damned document and mark the container, you can do jail time and a fine, if it's not right. It costs money to pay certifiers, and they ain't gonna pack it for you. No certifier worth his weight is going to sign anything he didn't pack.

Why are the other carriers putting themselves at risk? Stupidity

The reason you won't go to jail for sending it USPS ? Because by law, its the shippers responsibility....The mailer and packer, is not the shipper!

I think Hazardous cargo shipping course is harder than Ranger school, just the maritime book alone is over 10,000 pages.

Hope this helps. I know more than I should, I'm certified, and helped write the regulations on a few occasions. Most postal employees are too stupid to pass this course and back when they attempted to train a few, they quit by the second day.