Thread: My first firearm purchase...disaster

This year I turn 30 and while I've never personally owned a firearm before, I have fired several of my friend's guns and have taken a few classes.

To commemorate turning the big 3-0 I decided to buy myself a hunting rifle, seeing as I've been wanting to get into hunting as well as guns. So I took to the internet to do research. Upon seeing a photo of full stock rifles, I instantly was obsessed and decided that I wanted a Mannlicher-style hunting rifle as my first gun purchase.

More research led me to Sako, specifically their 85 Bavarian Carbine. I was enamored and set my sights on getting one. I lucked out and found an individual on Guns International selling one near mint for a very good price.

After talking with the seller, I mailed over a cashiers check (customary for purchases of firearms online, at least from what I'm seeing from sellers on Gun Broker, Guns International, etc.) through USPS priority mail and waited the 2 days for the check to be delivered.

It's now been over a week and tracking in frozen, providing me with no update as to where the check is:

Your package is moving within the USPS network and is on track to be delivered to its final destination. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

I called USPS and they couldn't provide me with any help. I'm now left to put a stop payment on the check and hope that I can get my money back but since it's a cashiers check, I have to wait 90 days before I even have a chance of getting refunded.

The seller is a nice person and has been very understanding of the situation but who knows what will happen in 90 days. Maybe the check shows up two months from now and he cashes it but the gun gets sold next week.

Pretty frustrating, not what I was expecting to go through buying my first gun. Anyone go through something like this?

The most similar I have is a free knit cap from Wolverine never got delivered. But I think it was stolen in a FedEx truck heist back in November.

The only other incident was with Amazon and ordering a few different loupes for honing. Probably 10 bucks in loupes just never showed up. Tried contacting amazon, either got put on hold forever or no response.

Thankfully they weren't any costly items, but it still sucks to see that tracking never update after weeks in transit.

Man, that sucks. Frustrating to think that of all the millions of pieces of mail that get delivered normally and on-time, yours fell through the cracks.

Hope it's resolved soon.

FWIW, I just googled that rifle and agree it's a beaut! That's the most European-looking modern rifle I've seen in a long time. You should hunt in lederhosen when you get it.

Sorry, no experience or advice but I hope you have a speedy resolution because you are way, way overdue for your first rifle. I mean, that's supposed to happen when you're, what, three or four?

Sako makes a good rifle. What caliber?

Good luck.

I remain &c
LG Roy

Never buy firearms online! You assume all the risks and looks like this one bit you in your ass! I hope that you get your money back so you can find a local dealer that can help you out. Tough lesson learned! These lessons are always the greatest teachers! Good luck to you!

Your ffl should be dealing with that. There’s extremely strict laws for shipping firearms. I would call them and have them put the pressure on.

I didn't know you could ship firearms USPS. I used UPS or Fedex in the past.

I've had international packages get "stuck" for a few days, I guess because of customs.

People buy guns online all the time, but buying from an individual in another country is riskier. Hope the gun shows up.

He "shipped" a check, not a firearm. USPS sucks. Lots on firearms are bought online, but They (the firearms) must be shipped to an FFL, usually UPS or FedEx.

Originally Posted by jfk742

Your ffl should be dealing with that. There’s extremely strict laws for shipping firearms. I would call them and have them put the pressure on.

Thanks for the sympathies gents.

Harold, you are correct. I am not shipping the firearm, merely sending payment. The seller is already in contact with my FFL and they arranged shipping of the firearm to them.

The check has not been cashed so it's indeed lost in purgatory somewhere. It's eligible for intercept, however, so if it somehow gets found it'll come back to me. I wouldn't mind if this was something else but a cashiers check for over $1,500 sent Priority Mail gives me concern.

It's a .260 caliber. Love the 6.5x55 Swede and opted to go for the Remington since the price was right. Was planning on doing lot's of hunting with it, Europe would be amazing to go hunting in!

Library Guy, I'm most certainly way overdue on buying my first gun! Honestly, my dad wasn't around for most of my life so I've had to teach myself most everything a man should grow up doing: motorcycle riding, horseback riding, wet shaving, guns, hunting, etc. If I ever have kids of my own, at least I know how to do it right.