I have a couple of hundred each of .45 ACP, 9mm, and .38 special once fired brass I am thinking of selling in the classifieds. (I don't reload but pick up my brass at the range.)

Was wondering if anyone who has shipped brass used the USPS flat rate boxes to ship it. Or what is the cheapest and best way to ship brass.

Thanks,

VaTom

USPS flat rate and tape heavy - best deal going for brass and most other miscellaneous things

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S&W factory revolver armorer

That is the way I have shipped it. Also received bullets in the flat rate boxes as well. Like Ken158 said heavy tape is recommended.

I used to ship stuff in the boxes until I discovered the envelope. Watch YouTube for tips on stuffing the flare rate envelopes efficiently. The small rate rate box isn’t a bad deal.
This girl is hot too boot!

Max weight for Flat Rate boxes = 70lbs.

Priority Mail | USPS

Yeah, she has potential. I'm sure of that.

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That's just somebody talkin.

For 1000 38 brass put it in two gallon zip locks, tape the ends shut. Get a medium box and partially assemble it. Tape the insides, place an old mailer piece of cardboard on the bottom. Place the bagged brass inside and double tape all seams. Write on the outside "Rattle OK".
That's all I got.

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Front sight and squeeze

I've found the FRBs are the cheapest way to mail brass. Recently mailed off 2500 9mm cases in a medium, and have 2k 223 ready to go in a large. I'm wary of sending stuff that heavy with out reinforcing it, so I take mtgianni's method a step further, and build a box in the box. Lots of fiber tape, and make sure the load doesn't slide around. So far, so good. I think you can fit a couple hundred cases in a small, which wouldn't need all the reinforcing, just the tape.

I've sent brass in the USPS flat rate boxes numerous times. Just be sure to enclose the brass in freezer bags. Don't just leave it loose in the box.

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John

You can also out it in the flat rate tyvek envelope and then flat rate box the envelope. Tyvek won't burst.

I recently had something JUST a little too big for a small flat rate box. But the SFRB fits inside the small flat rate envelope with room to spare.

I taped the overstuffed box, put it in the envelope, taped it all over and then some.

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Just Say No - To Social Media

REINFORCE - REINFORCE - REINFORCE - REINFORCE

Long long ago I shipped some cast bullets in Flat Rate boxes.
I reinforced the box by gluing sections from other boxes inside.
Corners reinforced with corners etc.
All sides and bottoms reinforced with second layer of cardboard.
HEAVY - but did stay under the 70 pound limit for each box.
Saved quite a bit of money over standard rate for non-priority.

Bekeart

I get my bullets shipped in by the flat rate box, and I used to get up to 3000 9mm in one box. I would watch for the mail truck and run out to help the mailman, or he/she would carry it up to the house as it wouldn't fit in the mailbox. I think it weighed around 50-55 lbs and it shipped for $15.00. I think that is now up to $17 or so.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

A medium flat rate box will hold over 1900 up to 2000 10mm brass and weighs about 23 pounds. Use strap tape to support the load. If you sell your brass in separate lots there may not be enough to efficiently use the smallest flat rate box. Filling the boxes completely is the most efficient way to use them.

This way may be ok for something that wouldn't make any difference if it gets crushed. Also those envelopes are thin. I got one last week & it was torn in a few places.

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I'm 67. I don't do timeouts.

I bought some 44 mag brass from a forum member, and it arrived in USPS flat rate box with tons of tape in short order. It was 150 44 mag brass for $8 IIRC.

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What could possibly go wrong?

I have received many shipments of brass, bullets and lead in the USPS flat rate boxes. In all the packages I can only remember one problem, that was with 20 lbs of lead chunks and a POed mailman...

You aren’t using enough tape. I normally place a box inside the envelope and tape it all around the package. It save a couple of dollars here and there.

Why should mailman get pissed? It's his job to deliver the mail isn't it?

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I'm 67. I don't do timeouts.

If you would read what I typed you would have seen that it was a package mailed to me. Kind of hard for me to tape up a package being sent to me from CA.

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I'm 67. I don't do timeouts.

Worst I ever had was a $99 High Standard revolver mailed to my ffl. While responding to the seller about it's whereabouts we saw that it was held up at the Post Office. I found out later it was held up because the bbl was sticking out off the sfrb.

I knew that it was conditioned challenged but could not easily see that a pin had been replaced with a squared off nail. For $100 I kept the gun but didn't give the first time seller the review he asked for. I did tell him why.

You don't want to be that guy.

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Front sight and squeeze

I tried that once and a local post master had a tantrum on me. He said that an envelope HAD to be flat and they could not accept one otherwise. It may have just been him being a hard case, but I just paid the difference and sent it in a flat rate box.

Here is another insider tip for shipping brass. I use the small box but put the actual brass inside a tyvek envelope. Zip locks cost me money while the tyvek is paid for by the generous taxpayers. This also gets the same address label on it---just in case they destroy the box, the bag should still make it.

To go one step further---you probably didn't know that 6 of the small boxes fit perfectly inside the medium box. So if I have 2000 to 3000 pieces of brass to ship I first put the brass into tyvel bags with an address label. Then the tyvek bags go inside the small flat rate boxes with another address label. Then I put 6 of those inside the medium box. If all the small boxes are not needed, just leave them empty so they still fill the box nicely and act as a cushion for the filled boxes. This way if the big box gets destroyed the smaller boxes should make it, but if the smaller boxes get destroyed, hopefully the tyvek envelopes will still make it. Have not had an issue yet using this method.

I just today sent out 6, 250ct boxes of 158gr bullets using this method. Going from OR to NC. Should be a happy guy loading ammo by thursday.

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"Tastes just like chicken"

1500# × 200gr coated .452 from MBC arrived at the P.O. between Christmas & New years in the large box: 3×500# in their usual square carton + an empty carton to keep the others in place. The $16.00 flat rate added a penny per...

I'm a happy camper.

Cheers!

P.S. They must buy their packing tape by the truckload!

The only problem with this is that it adds 5.3 cents per case for the shipping which significantly raises the cost of each case. there was lots more room in that box that could be used at no extra charge with a bigger order. I realize that if you need them and are willing to pay it's your choice.

I was thinking the topic was flat rate boxes; cardboard boxes, fairly stout (and about 8"x6"x1 3/4" for the small size) and not the heavy paper envelopes. My mailman is just a human, 98% of the time delivering envelopes. magazines. My home uses a "group mail box site", not at each individual house and he had to stop at my house and carry a 20-25 lb box of lead 60' to my front door. I'd probably get POed too, on occasion...

Id like to know who she is...so I never buy from her!