Quick plug for Colt service department.

K

Kayser

New member
I recently broke down and decided to send in my somewhat sickly Python (bought new, 2002) for some adjustment. To send it to Colt all you do is box it up, include a description of the issue and contact info.

About 2 weeks after I sent it in, I got a confirmation letter from them in the mail, saying

"We have received the Colt Product (noted above) that you sent us. The work requested is being performed at NO CHARGE. Work will begin without further action on your part. Thank you for using Colt Products."

They listed, "Retime", "Repolish forcing cone on BBL", and "Test for function" as the items. Estimated time 30 days.

A little on the long side for turnaround, but that's really not a big deal. Painless, and more importantly...free :)

Side note : When I Fedexed the gun I got into a discussion with the guy at the Fedex store. He said that although they try and get you to send it "overnight insured" there's really no requirement to do that. I ended up sending it ground with insurance ($5 for $1000 of insurance). Total shipping cost : $11.09. Cheap.
 
When I Fedexed the gun I got into a discussion with the guy at the Fedex store. He said that although they try and get you to send it "overnight insured" there's really no requirement to do that.
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My FFL dealer said it was the "law" for overnight shipment of a firearm. Not sure I'd agree on the FedX employee's statement. But, it worked out for you money-wise. That's nice to hear.
 
I have always heard that you have to ship hand guns overnight. The other day I was talking to a local FFL who told me that you don't need to send them overnight and can even send them USPS. Anyone know for sure what the law says?
 
Only an FFL can ship guns via USPS. The overnight thing is a requirement of FedEx and UPS, not "the law". They do this so that the gun is in their possesion the least amount of time, to reduce the risk of theft.
 
Side note : When I Fedexed the gun I got into a discussion with the guy at the Fedex store. He said that although they try and get you to send it "overnight insured" there's really no requirement to do that. I ended up sending it ground with insurance ($5 for $1000 of insurance). Total shipping cost : $11.09. Cheap.
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You got lucky - I wouldn't try it again.

FedEx's Service Guide lists the requirements for shipping handguns; among them are the requirement to ship Priority Overnight and to hand the package to a clerk and declare that it contains handgun(s).

What happens if you don't do this? If the package arrives intact, nothing - you won. However, if the item is damaged - or worse, missing - when you attempt to collect on the insurance the claim will be denied because you violated their terms of service!

This is not theoretical - it happened with an incoming package to someone I know (another gunsmith.)

Now, if a FedEx employee told you that, I'm not sure what the outcome would be. I suspect that when the employee is confronted with the prospect of losing his/her job because of the mistake, the concept of veracity may just go right out the window!

That's why I'm very careful to follow their requirements to the letter when shipping my customer's guns back.
 
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