Shipping ammo?

K

Kayser

New member
Are there any legal hurdles or notifications that you need to do when shipping ammo to someone? For an upcoming vacation, due to travel logistics (I'm flying) I'd like to be able to ship my brother a big pile of ammo that he can drive up to our vacation spot.

I'm pretty sure there's no restrictions on shipping ammo, as long as the guy you're shipping to can legally possess it. Am I correct here? I suppose I should just ask Fedex.
 
There are labeling regulations as ammunition is ORM-D material.
Checking with FedEx should get you the required information.
But no, it isn't illegal. State laws at the other end my cause some grief.
 
Make sure that the ammo is legal in the state that you're shipping it too. For example, no hollowpoints or ArmrPrcing ammo in certain areas.
Make sure that the person is legal to accept that ammo. Age/ID... are important.

Since you might also be shipping magazines, make sure that they're acceptable in that location. Some city and states are unfriendly to high capacity magazines(even if you're not in possession of a firearm or ammo).

UPS and FEDEX are a phone call away and can answer any of your questions. Its easy once you fill out the appropriate paper work. Since shipping companies tend to be package abusive, make sure that the ammo is double or tripled boxed, well taped, and packaged extremely well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q6_9A90cUk

Make sure that you track and insure. It seems that ammo can be 'lost' or 'misdelivered'. Have your receiver wait for the shipping driver.
 
Depending on what a "pile" of ammo is, you can bring a certain amount with you on the plane - if more than their allowed amount, then UPS/Fedex works

Or course just ordering some online and having it delivered to your destination works just as easily
 
Depending on where you are, ordering and having it shipped may not work. I lived in Boston for several years, and when I tried to buy several thousand rounds of ammo and have it shipped here to Colorado, I was denied because my billing address was Boston. Why did the billing address matter, when Colorado is the only place I shoot or own guns? I dunno, but I was surprised and unhappy.

Point is, if you order it and have it shipped there, make sure they'll actually get there before you do. And if you ship it yourself, might wanna ask for an estimated delivery date just in case.

And have fun :)
 
I'm a little late to the party but I have a few notes to add...
There are labeling regulations as ammunition is ORM-D material.
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First of all, the ORM-D label is being phased out and replaced by a "Limited Quantities" symbol. However, the ORM-D labels can still be used for a while. More info here:

http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirear...-D-Labels-for-Shipping-Ammo.html#.T3h3fHnh98E

Second, I once read in an online shipping policy guidebook (FedEx I think, but I can't find it...) that USDOT guidelines call for ORM-D shipments to be contained in corrugated cardboard boxes with a 200 psi edge-test rating. These are not too hard to find, but many consumer products and mail-order shipments come in lighter-duty boxes, so using a "recycled" box may not meet the standard. That said, this seems to be loosely enforced, if it's enforced at all.

Third- and more importantly- I would recommend going to company-staffed FedEx or UPS hub or requesting a driver pickup. I'm not sure if the strip-center UPS Store (which are privately-owned franchises) or FedEx Office locations are authorized to handle ammo; however, even if they technically are, I've found that the employees at these places are often ill-informed about company shipment policies and are skittish about handling anything remotely resembling HazMat. :rolleyes: If you really, really want to use on of these places, I recommend at least calling ahead.

Fourth, in case you didn't already know this, nobody can ship ammo via US Mail. This includes FFL dealers, manufacturers, and pawnbrokers. They don't get a free pass like they do for handguns. (There have been past threads on this forum in which some people have gotten this mixed up.)
 
MidwayUSA never verified my age to purchase anything. They just let me buy away as long as it wasn't out of stock or over the limit. I'm sure if I lived in a touch state (or aka behind enemy lines, I would need some stupid state permit, which I think is nonsense).

I wonder what happens if you send something to them in that state anyway as long as they are of legal age? There are no federal requirements to have permits and I don't see how I'm supposed to verify that the card is actually real or why I should need to if I'm in another state anyway. Are they going to issue a warrant for my arrest in that state or something?

WTH? State permits make no sense and as far as I can read, they can really only truthfully be enforced by civil law when outside of another state. Meaning one state could sue another company in another state that violates it but not complain at the federal level. They might be able to get a warrant for one's arrest if they are an individual but not a company I don't think. Old thread but thoughts worth considering for an individual vs a company with 'limited liability' or incorporated.
 
carguychris

Third- and more importantly- I would recommend going to company-staffed FedEx or UPS hub or requesting a driver pickup. I'm not sure if the strip-center UPS Store (which are privately-owned franchises) or FedEx Office locations are authorized to handle ammo; however, even if they technically are, I've found that the employees at these places are often ill-informed about company shipment policies and are skittish about handling anything remotely resembling HazMat. If you really, really want to use on of these places, I recommend at least calling ahead.
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FedEx Office locations are company owned and will ship firearms and ammunition that is properly labeled.

UPS Stores are franchises and cannot ship firearms or ammunition.
 
MidwayUSA never verified my age to purchase anything. They just let me buy away as long as it wasn't out of stock or over the limit. I'm sure if I lived in a touch state (or aka behind enemy lines, I would need some stupid state permit, which I think is nonsense).
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When ordering by phone, MidwayUSA will verify your birth date for any "age restricted" items. And...
You can't order anything from the MidwayUSA website without providing your date of birth during account creation. Either you're an old account holder that hasn't ordered an "age restricted" item since the change (~8 years ago, so not likely), or you just don't remember giving them your birth date. ;)
 
dogtown tom said:
FedEx Office locations are company owned and will ship firearms and ammunition that is properly labeled... UPS Stores are franchises and cannot ship firearms or ammunition.
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Dogtown, I subsequently discovered this but did not correct my post because...
Mike1234 said:
This thread is two years old.
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I forgot about it. :o
 
Edited: Opps, this thread was somehow revived and is 2 years old.

I recently sold and shipped a couple hundred rounds of ammo.

It was HUGE hassle and expensive.

If you can avoid it, do so.

The whole experience involved probably 30 minutes worth of phone calls, and standing in a few lines for at least an hour, and driving to 3 different USPS, FEDEX, and UPS locations before I found one that 'was trained to handle dangerous items.'

Good grief. It's not a bomb!

ONLY certain FEDEX and UPS will accept it and it must be properly packaged and ORM-D clearly labeled on the exterior. It's a crime if you fail to follow the packing instructions.

Anyway, unless you have a FEDEX or UPS that is extremely close, you would be wise to avoid it.
 
I have shipped handgun ammo through two different UPS hubs. There was no hassle other than having to drive all the way to the hub even though there's a UPS Store 3 miles from home. However, it WAS expensive.
 
Oh well...

Since thread was revived anyway... might as well go "slightly" OT too.:p

Is it true that "ORM-D" labels are no longer acceptable or soon will be? I have several rolls of stickers I bought recently. I'd hate to have wasted my money but I seem to have a special knack for that.
 
From http://www.lpslabs.com/site_files/homepagedownloads/2013_ORM_D.pdf :


What are the effective dates and how long will pre - printed boxes that are stamped “ORM - D” allowed to be used?

Voluntary compliance with the new regulation was authorized effective January 1, 2011. The “ORM - D AIR” marking has already been phased out and is no longer allowed on air shipments. For domestic ground, rail and vessel shipments, the deadline for the ORM - D phase - out was December 31, 2013. However, on January 7, 2013 PHMSA extended the deadline to December 31, 2020. Therefore, beginning January 1, 2021, ORM - D will no longer be an acceptable marking for shipping hazardous materials domestically. After the mandatory compliance date, any packages of limited quantities must conform to the revised standard.
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It's quite easy to ship ammo, as long as you put two stickers on the box and ship from a UPS hub, not a UPS Store. It's only expensive because ammo is heavy.
 
Is it true that "ORM-D" labels are no longer acceptable or soon will be? I have several rolls of stickers I bought recently. I'd hate to have wasted my money but I seem to have a special knack for that.
Click to expand...
The deadline for official phase-out of ORM-D labeling was December 31, 2013.

However.... Much to the ire of companies that worked hard to comply with the original deadline, the phase-out for ground shipments was extended through December 31, 2020.

You should have plenty of time to use those labels. ;)
 
This thread is two years old.
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Yep. Another newbie grave digging. I sure with admins would find some way to lock older threads so that it took a deliberate action to revive them.
 
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