shipping primed brass USPS Priority

J

jcsmith

New member
I'm confused. I thought primed brass could not be shipped by the USPS and that it required a hasmat fee. I searched the threads on here and found one where it said shipping it USPS was no problem but it was a 5-year old thread so I figured things have changed? However, I just saw an add from Midsoth offering reprocessed (once fired) primed brass and when I contacted them they said they would ship USPS Priority Mail and there would be no hazmat fee. Anyone know what's going on? I was sure that was a no-no.

I ask because I have a lot of .44 Mag and .30-06 primed brass (factory new) I'd like to sell but shipping UPS or FedEx and paying a hazmat fee makes it a lot harder than putting it in a "if it fits it ships" PM box.
 
I'm not sure about USPS but I always thought the opposite, primed brass has no restrictions. Go to Midway and check out primed brass and you will see that there are no shipping restrictions.
 
Apparently I was wrong about the hazmat fee but maybe not about the Priority Mail (USPS) restriction. Midway does not offer it, apparently only UPS, at least for bulk packed primed brass. They also seem to indicate that the package needs an ORM-D label.
 
Further research, I came up with USPS 341.21, paragraph c, which says “Ammunition that is regulated as a Class 1 explosive and designed to be fired from a pistol, revolver, rifle, or shotgun, as well as associated primers and blank cartridges (including those designed for tools) and propellant powder for use in any firearm, is prohibited from mailing.” I don't see how Midsouth is doing it.
 
Within the past week I received primed brass from Graf & Sons. Placing the order, you are asked for shipping preference and I routinely indicated USPS Priority. Day or so later Graf called advising they could not ship that way so I replied to then ship the standard way. Order later arrived by Fed Ex.
 
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"as well as associated primers and blank cartridges"
I follow the "associated primers", I would think they just mean a pack or brick of primers. I'm not sure what their definition of "blank cartridges" is, do they mean blanks like you would use in a starter pistol? Seems like primed brass may be in a gray area, sometimes it's hard to tell when you're dealing with a bureaucracy.
I think as far as safety is concerned there is a big difference between shipping bulk packs of primers and primed brass, but that's just me.
 
Midsouth got back to me again with an apology for the error. They now say, correctly I believe, that primed brass cannot be sent through the USPS. Has to go FedEx or UPS. Bummer... I sure like those "if it fits it ships" boxes.
 
Primed brass in indeed ORM-D and effectively, for the purpose of discussion-- it is the same as loaded ammo. Just as USPS will not ship loaded ammo, they will not ship primed brass.

Regular commercially packed primers are indeed a hazmat. It is very much like powder... if the powder is loaded in to cartridges it is ORM-D. Shipped in a one pound can and it's a hazmat.
 
One good example of those that know nothing making the laws. No special handling (USPS excluded) for loaded ammo, or primed brass, but extra handling and costs to ship the components separately (no hazmat fee for aerosol cans? Labeling only...).
 
Typically... I would agree with that abbreviated rant. However, it seems a little misplaced in this case. Primed brass may be -THE- safest possible manner of "packaging" primers which are obviously explosive upon impact. Primed brass not only puts the primer in a place where it is unlikely to be smashed or otherwise detonated... it also separates the primers from each other, in much the same way that Federal packaging separates primers far better than old-style CCI packaging from the 50's through the 80's. And better than standard CCI packaging today.

The net result is that you get the BENEFIT of primed brass and loaded ammo not being a HAZMAT because each round is sufficiently contained, and not nearly as dangerous as say... a pound of powder or a thousand primers.

So I would say that your rant has little merit.
Then again... who doesn't love a good rant, directed fully at "THE MAN" ?! :D;)
 
"Abbreviate rant"? I figgered I was just stating a fact about shipping "dangerous" materials. So, is my "rant" wrong? Is there a hazmat on primed brass? Is primed brass any more dangerous than another OREM-D shipment? Kindly point out the mistake! Or did I totally misread your post and you are really agreeing with it? :confused: :rolleyes:
 
I suppose the only thing that appears clear is that you fully understand the effective use of the two smilies that you used -- but niether of the ones that I used.
 
UPS and Fedex ship loaded ammo and primed cases because it doesn't present an appreciable hazard that either of their insurance companies can identify. USPS doesn't carry for reasons likely related to political correctness and the fact they are beholding to the government for financing assistance at times.
 
Wow, Sevens must have a thing against me on his topic. I bow to your considerable expertise on everything reloading and shipping. My most sincere apologies...No smilies
 
Mikld,

Sevens had a smile and a wink, signifying that he was speaking at least somewhat tongue-in-cheek or at least doing some exaggeration for humorous purposes. Anyway, he clearly wasn't intending offense. It's just a fact of posting in forums that most of us are not professional writers, so we don't always succeed in communicating our actual attitude accurately to others.

Sevens's comment that your own comment was slightly misplaced was just because primers and powders shipped in their non-loaded packaging really are less safe to handle than loaded ammunition. We had a post up in the last year or two that included a photo of a 1000 box of Winchester primers in pieces after a partial sympathetic detonation that destroyed a couple of trays of the primers and the right end of the box. IIRC, it had arrived that way inside a bigger box shipped via UPS. That's what justifies the hazmat charge. It offsets the shipping company's own hazmat insurance premiums.
 
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