Every line on this page comes from a postal section, a federal regulation or a carrier page that we read and dated.
What the postal rules actually say
Publication 52 splits the question by weapon type, and the split is sharper than most forum threads suggest.
The parties named in that first sentence are licensed manufacturers, dealers, importers and authorized government agents, sending to military, National Guard and law enforcement officers for duty use, with a signed affidavit filed at the time of mailing. A private seller and a private buyer are nowhere on the list.
Publication 52 adds that short-barreled rifles and shotguns capable of being concealed are nonmailable, that no marking may reveal the contents, and that the Postal Service may ask a mailer to open the package or certify in writing that the weapon is unloaded.
Where each network stands
The two private networks are stricter than the mail on this subject, and both gate access behind a license and a contract.
| Item | USPS | UPS and FedEx | SMKlog checkout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handgun | Nonmailable outside the listed licensee and officer categories | FedEx approves firearm shipping only for customers holding a Federal Firearms License; UPS carries firearms on a contract basis with approval | Declined |
| Rifle or shotgun, unloaded | Mailable with tracking and signature capture, subject to state law | Same licensed and contracted routes as above | Declined |
| Receivers and frames | Handgun frames and receivers regulated under federal law stay off the mailable list | Handled as firearms | Declined |
| Ammunition | Prohibited from the mail | FedEx states ammunition may never be shipped from a FedEx Office or other associated retail location | Declined |
| Scopes, holsters, cases, slings | Ordinary mailable goods | Ordinary parcels | Quoted normally |
FedEx puts its requirement in one sentence: customers holding a Federal Firearms License may work with their FedEx account executive to obtain approval to ship firearms. Shippers without that license are not eligible for approval, which closes the consumer path completely.
The part that does quote: accessories
A weapon is blocked. A scope in its retail box is a padded parcel with glass in it, and our classifier reads the difference. We put one through the calculator to prove the point.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Transit window returned |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $8.48 | 8-9 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $10.55 | Not returned for this row |
| UPS | Ground | $11.11 | 2-3 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $13.18 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $21.05 | 2-3 business days |
The quote came back with no dangerous-goods flag and the note that an optical instrument holds no hazardous material. Add a word like loaded, ammunition or receiver to the same description and the shipment leaves the accessory lane immediately.
The notice rule people miss
Federal regulation 27 CFR 478.31 requires written notice to a common or contract carrier that a package holds a firearm or ammunition, and in the same breath forbids the carrier from putting any label on the outside that reveals it. Both halves are the law, and they only apply on the lawful routes.
Our filter is deliberately wider than the statute
A description reading like a weapon gets declined even where a postal exception might exist somewhere. Selling a label the carrier will refuse at the counter helps nobody, and the dangerous-goods model is built to fail early rather than expensively.
Antiques and museum pieces have their own path
Publication 52 carves out curio and relic collectors and certified museum shipments under separate sections with their own paperwork. That path runs through licensed parties and the Postal Service, never through a self-service checkout, ours included.
Firearm shipping questions
Can I mail a handgun to someone in another state?
Not as a private individual. Publication 52 section 432.2 makes handguns and other concealable firearms nonmailable except between listed licensees and government officers, with an affidavit filed at mailing, and SMKlog sells no labels for firearms at all.
Are rifles and shotguns mailable?
Publication 52 section 432.3 says unloaded rifles and shotguns are mailable, subject to state and local law, and requires a product or extra service with tracking and signature capture at delivery. That transaction belongs at a Post Office counter rather than in our checkout.
Does SMKlog sell firearm labels?
No. Firearms, receivers, ammunition and weapon parts are on our prohibited list, and the quote screen returns a refusal instead of rates. There is no upgrade, account type or contact form that changes the answer.
Can I ship a scope, a holster or a gun case?
Yes, those are ordinary parcels. A rifle scope in its retail box quoted $8.48 with USPS Ground Advantage from Newark to Atlanta on 2026-07-28, with four other live services on the same screen.