Box Sizing Guide for Shipping Firearms

Use our box sizing guide to find common shipping boxes for pistols, rifles and shotguns after accepting an offer from Nevada Gun Collections.

This box sizing guide helps Nevada Gun Collections customers select an appropriate outer shipping box for a pistol, rifle, or shotgun after accepting an offer. The tables below list commonly available box sizes and the types of firearm cases or uncased firearms they can accommodate.

Select a sturdy box that provides enough room for protective packing material without leaving excessive empty space. Store inventory can vary, so contact the location before making a special trip.

This page is intended only to help you select a box. Do not ship a firearm until your offer has been accepted and Nevada Gun Collections has provided written shipping instructions, a prepaid shipping label, and insurance for the full value.

Box Sizing Guide for Pistols

Box size	Recommended use	Where you can commonly find it in-store
16 × 16 × 4 in.	Best compact option for most Glock, Springfield XD, Smith & Wesson and similarly sized factory pistol cases. The square shape leaves room for cushioning around the case without excessive empty space.	The UPS Store — Moving Boxes and Packing Supplies. UPS Store locations list 16 × 16 × 4 inches as a standard box size. Local inventory can vary.
21 × 16 × 5 in.	Best one-size-fits-most option for thicker or longer factory pistol cases. FedEx sells this as its Laptop Box with Kit, and it provides additional room for padding.	FedEx Office — Boxes and Packing Supplies. FedEx Office lists the 21 × 16 × 5-inch Laptop Box with Kit, and current store pages across California, Oregon, Idaho, Maryland, Texas, Michigan, Florida and other states show it as an in-store box option.
17 × 11 × 8 in.	Longer but deeper alternative for an average factory case, a pistol secured inside a compact rigid case or shipments requiring additional padding.	The UPS Store — Moving Boxes and Packing Supplies. The 17 × 11 × 8-inch carton is included among The UPS Store’s standard box sizes.
24 × 18 × 6 in.	Large factory cases, presentation cases, revolver cases or unusually wide cases. This is the best oversized flat option that is still a standard retail-store carton.	The UPS Store — Moving Boxes and Packing Supplies. UPS Store locations list 24 × 18 × 6 inches as a standard box size.
15 × 12 × 10 in.	Widely available fallback when no shallow box is available. Suitable for most factory cases, but requires more packing material above and below the case.	Walmart — Shipping Boxes. Walmart lists the individual Pen+Gear 15 × 12 × 10-inch box with same-day pickup availability depending on the selected store.

Box Sizing Guide for Rifles and Shotguns

Box size	Recommended use	Where you can commonly find it in-store
48 × 6 × 6 in.	Best compact option for most standard unscoped rifles and traditional shotguns without a case.	The UPS Store — standard box sizes. Individual-store inventory can vary, so a call-ahead is advised.
50 × 9 × 9 in.	Best one-size-fits-most option for uncased rifles, shotguns, scoped rifles and firearms with larger stocks. Sold as a “golf club tube.”	FedEx Office — boxes and packing supplies. FedEx lists the 50 × 9 × 9-inch golf club tube as a specialty box available in FedEx Office stores.
20 × 8 × 50 in.	Wide, flat option for scoped rifles, pistol-grip shotguns, thumbhole stocks and firearms needing more side-to-side padding.	U-Haul — 20 × 8 × 50 Guitar Shipping Box or FedEx Office — specialty boxes. Both chains list this size for in-store purchase or pickup.
15 × 15 × 48 in.	Bulky fallback for large stocks, heavily scoped firearms or situations where the smaller long cartons are unavailable. Requires significantly more filler material.	U-Haul — Sport Utility Box, The UPS Store — standard box sizes, or FedEx Office — Golf Bag Box. All three chains list a 15 × 15 × 48-inch box or equivalent.