My New HH bow is Trash!

[Jim Parsell]

I haven't lost one yet but very close with U.P.S.  The card board box was broken an third down from the end, all the way around!!!  I closed my eyes and opened it..  The bow was fine..  I now us U.S.P.S.  PVC tube is best, however i have found that the triangular shipping boxes from the post office are very very strong due to their shape...  I will get 2 of them and duct tape them together for the length of bow I'm sending.  That means that you have twice as much card board for part of the bow.  I bubble wrap or foam the bow and tape the hell out of it....  It is very very strong due to  the triangular configuration..  I've never had a problem with these and use them now in place of PVC as they cost nothing....  Jim

[tom sawyer]

Do what I do.  I send a bow inside an osage stave.  Never had one broken in shipping.  The assembly is a little tougher is all.

That bites, John.  I was thinking USPS did better than the rest but I guess they all have their moments.

[dachba]

The worst damage I've ever had on a bow was when it was shipped in a tube.  The sharp end of the Don Brown longbow speared right through the end of the tube destroying the tip.

I use USPS Priority mail triangular long packages glued and taped together.  The bow tips are protected with leather or folded over socks.  I just shipped a Doug Duncan with a spear tip and used a complete pair of thick socks on the spear tip.  Additionally, I cut the boxes so the bow exactly fits lengthwise, the put enough bubble wrap around the riser that it is hard to get in the box.  These two processes suspends the bow so it can't be jarred up and down if dropped on its end.  The whole bow is also covered with packing paper or bubble wrap.

I've shipped a bunch of bows this way and never had a problem.  I do always insure just in case.  I also have a theory that postal employees take better care of insured mail.
Dave in Ft. Collins, CO

[Stone Knife]

John that stinks, all the anticipation and then the letdown. It will work out in the end. I have another coming one of these days i hope that arrives in one piece.

[Dick in Seattle]

John, I really feel for you.   Your pictures were't available when I accesssed.   I wonder if you would be kind enough to send them to me direct.  I'd like to add them to the section on bow shipping on the HH Shooters web site... as a warning to always, always insure.

my direct email address is:  [email protected]

I lost a bow to the PO last year.  I was the shipper.   fortunately, I had excellent help from the recipient and between us, I eventually did collect the insurance.

My suggestion:   Pay to send an empty pvc tube to the builder, and include extra for the bow to be shipped back in it.  Those tubes are tough.

Dick in Seattle

[scotti158]

I've also had a bow trashed by the postal service. After the first month, I called every day to find out the "status" of my insurance claim. They got tired of my calls after 2 weeks and sent me a check. This is at a small town post office, a big city post office would be even worse I would guess. Don't give up, keep hassling them until you get results.

[Ghost Dog]

I have shipped and received more bows than I can count, and in some cases even PVC was not enough. In one case I sent two bows to John Strunk in a PVC tube, and when it arrived at his house about 12" of one end was missing. I have also received bows with 5" or 6" of the limb sticking out the end cap. I sent a bow to JD Jones once and the entire mid section of the tube was shattered. PVC is brittle, unless we are talking about a 2" 40, but that would have to be a very straight bow.

Heavy cardboard tubes, like carpet tubes, with wadded paper at the ends has never failed to hold up.

[HACKSAW]

If you read Hummingbirds web site they will only use Fed Ex. They have a picture of a bow trashed by ups and UPS would not honor the insurance.
Hacksaw

[darksidedsam]

Thats bad..

i have had things come through the post smashed to pieces before... =(

[One eye]

I shipped a trial run longbow back to a bowyer from the old Wall gang several years ago.  The end of the PVC tube was run over by a forklift.  The funniest thing was that they tried to just deliver it as is.  UPS did pay the claim with no problems.

I always buy the insurance.

Dan

[bayoulongbowman]

Dang, I that stinks,PVC container is the way to send them ...about 21.00 bucks to send a 4inch dia. pvc tube with caps by US mail...plus the cost of the pvc...mark