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'Tis the season to get your online ammunition purchases lost in Chicago.


ChicagoRonin70

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So, as I often do, I placed an order with Underwood Ammo for a large shipment of ammunition for my 10mm and .460 Rowland Glock conversion, Xtreme Hunter and Xtreme Penetrator rounds, plus several boxes of powerhouse JHP, including the following instructions with the purchase through their website:

 

Please instruct delivery company to place box INSIDE wall-mounted mail vault to prevent package theft, or ring doorbell to deliver package to a resident.

 

In the past, when I've included these instructions, the UPS driver has either put the smallish box in my vault, or did in fact ring my doorbell. Additionally, since I work from home, I regularly check the tracking to make sure to get the package ASAP, plus I set my service dog on watch, who is trained to alert and bark if someone rings the doorbell, knocks on the door, or even comes up onto the porch.

 

AT 4:34 p.m. yesterday, the package was ostensibly delivered by UPS, but lo and behold, my well-trained canine alarm system did not make a peep, and I can see him from my office where he was waiting at the top of the stairs where I set him. I checked the tracking at 4:42 p.m., saw that the package was supposedly delivered, ran down to retrieve it, but . . . no package.

 

Not only that, none of my tenants picked up the package, nor did they even see the UPS driver arrive. Granted, they were not specifically looking for any deliveries, but my building assistants' apartment is in the garden unit, so they are pretty good about noticing if anyone comes by. Still, maybe they missed it.

 

Checked the neighboring buildings; alas, not a thing to be found.

 

As I was doing this, I did see someone across the street carrying several packages going up to various buildings, but registered that as probably a delivery person. In retrospect . . . perhaps it was one of Chicago's wonderful "package relocation specialists" that the CPD is warning about.

 

I then called UPS, who say that the driver reported delivering the package and leaving it on the front porch—wait, didn't the instructions say to NOT just leave it? In any event, I am certain that if the driver had even come up on my porch, I would have known about it thanks to the dog that is specifically trained to make a lot of unmistakable noise if anyone does that. So, at very best the package was just tossed onto the stairs, I would suspect.

 

Today, I followed up, and UPS says that it's the shipper's responsibility, and not their driver's—even though there were instructions not to leave the package unattended and to specifically put it into the very prominent mail vault or ring the bell to deliver it. But, they are "investigating" the incident. Great, thanks!

 

So, I sent a message to Underwood detailing the situation, and while I wait to find out what's going to be done (I am sure I will either get a reshipment or a payment from UPS, or else there will be H ell to pay), several hundred rounds of the most high-powered ammunition available are likely floating around unattended.

 

The small comfort here is that at least most potential illegal misusers of ammunition aren't going to have a 10mm or a .460 Rowland firearm available to them, but the fact that sheer stupidity and laziness on the part of the UPS driver circumvented my very diligent precautions to prevent this from happening annoys the sh!t out of me. Especially since a company like Underwood is one of the good ones that will thumb its nose at Chicago's illegal attempts to dissuade anyone from shipping to firearm owners in the city, and it is incidents such as this one that could get them to change their policy to just not have to deal with theft—much less potentially having their products used by some gang-banging scum in the commission of a crime.

 

Ho ho-effin'-ho.

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It would be terrible if the thief crammed the 1cm's into a .38 and had a catastrophic failure...

 

Is that even physically possible?

 

Maybe they could get the .460s to fit in a worn-out .45, but even then the case length is specifically longer to prevent then from being chambered in .45 firearms.

 

In any event, I am hoping that they have just been mis-delivered to the wrong address, as is also common in my neighborhood with the UPS drivers who service it.

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It would be terrible if the thief crammed the 1cm's into a .38 and had a catastrophic failure...

 

Is that even physically possible?

 

Maybe they could get the .460s to fit in a worn-out .45, but even then the case length is specifically longer to prevent then from being chambered in .45 firearms.

 

In any event, I am hoping that they have just been mis-delivered to the wrong address, as is also common in my neighborhood with the UPS drivers who service it.

 

Well a 10mm should fit into a 0.39 but not sure that exists...

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It would be terrible if the thief crammed the 1cm's into a .38 and had a catastrophic failure...

 

Is that even physically possible?

 

Maybe they could get the .460s to fit in a worn-out .45, but even then the case length is specifically longer to prevent then from being chambered in .45 firearms.

 

In any event, I am hoping that they have just been mis-delivered to the wrong address, as is also common in my neighborhood with the UPS drivers who service it.

 

Well a 10mm should fit into a 0.39 but not sure that exists...

 

 

10mm case dimensions are as follows:

 

Neck diameter
  • C.I.P.: 10.74 mm (0.423 in)
  • SAAMI: .423 in (10.7 mm)
Base diameter
  • C.I.P.: 10.80 mm (0.425 in)
  • SAAMI: .425 in (10.8 mm)

Doesn't look like it would fit in anything less than a .41 magnum chamber (other than a 10mm, of course), which is .434 at both base and neck.

 

Apparently, the 10mm case was designed to prevent idiots from loading it into firearms that couldn't handle the high pressure. Alas for natural selection.

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I always make my ammo deliveries sig only. If I can't be there, then I have them rerouted to a pickup point.

 

Underwood only has a $7.95 flat shipping rate, no signature delivery option. However, as I mentioned, they do have a field on their order page for instructions, and other than the past two times, the UPS driver has followed them and notified me of the delivery.

 

I suspect a new, lazy-@ss driver has taken the route. Or a stupid one who can't read directions/addresses correctly.

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I always make my ammo deliveries sig only. If I can't be there, then I have them rerouted to a pickup point.

 

Underwood only has a $7.95 flat shipping rate, no signature delivery option. However, as I mentioned, they do have a field on their order page for instructions, and other than the past two times, the UPS driver has followed them and notified me of the delivery.

 

I suspect a new, lazy-@ss driver has taken the route. Or a stupid one who can't read directions/addresses correctly.

 

Do you have MyUPS or a UPS commercial account? If so, you can change the delivery after shipping to a UPS location like the many relatively new UPS Access Points (a business that takes packages for a fee from UPS). Then, when you show up, you need to show ID to get your package.

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I always make my ammo deliveries sig only. If I can't be there, then I have them rerouted to a pickup point.

 

Underwood only has a $7.95 flat shipping rate, no signature delivery option. However, as I mentioned, they do have a field on their order page for instructions, and other than the past two times, the UPS driver has followed them and notified me of the delivery.

 

I suspect a new, lazy-@ss driver has taken the route. Or a stupid one who can't read directions/addresses correctly.

 

Do you have MyUPS or a UPS commercial account? If so, you can change the delivery after shipping to a UPS location like the many relatively new UPS Access Points (a business that takes packages for a fee from UPS). Then, when you show up, you need to show ID to get your package.

 

 

I used to, but since I am mostly retired from my previous line of work, I got rid of my commercial account due to lack of need.

 

The point, though, is that the UPS driver is not doing the job he is being paid for. It's simple enough to read the instructions and knock on the door, or put the package in the very obvious and prominent package vault on my porch, if it will fit.

 

Lazy and/or stupid shouldn't be my problem, nor should I or anyone else be inconvenienced because of it. I am considering making sure the idiot gets fired, because of the possible ramifications of leaving ammunition unsecured in Chicago.

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Got me CR70. Trying to be funny and the facts got in the way. I'll do better research (or just measure my casings) before I try again. I guess I was just stretching in an attempt to talk about the best handgun round ever made in the history of the world.

 

I quite agree regarding 10mm being superlative, and possibly the best.

 

Although, the .460 Rowland fired from one of Rowland's own compensated barrels out of a G29/30SF frame is amazing, like the 10mm's bigger, even meaner brother.

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I used to, but since I am mostly retired from my previous line of work, I got rid of my commercial account due to lack of need.

 

The point, though, is that the UPS driver is not doing the job he is being paid for. It's simple enough to read the instructions and knock on the door, or put the package in the very obvious and prominent package vault on my porch, if it will fit.

 

Lazy and/or stupid shouldn't be my problem, nor should I or anyone else be inconvenienced because of it. I am considering making sure the idiot gets fired, because of the possible ramifications of leaving ammunition unsecured in Chicago.

 

I get your point. Problem is, this won't be the last time a UPS drive doesn't follow the directions you stipulate.

 

BTW, you can get a My UPS account free, and do the same rerouting.

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I always make my ammo deliveries sig only. If I can't be there, then I have them rerouted to a pickup point.

 

This +1

 

I have always done this. But unfortunately, like Ronins experience, the UPS driver can cause problems and not follow directions.

 

When I lived in Aurora the UPS driver would forge signatures and just leave my packages on my doorstep. My roommate worked nights at the time and would be home all day and tell me he never heard the doorbell or knocking and didnt sign for it.

 

I called UPS and complained every single time this happened. And yet, it continued to happen over and over again.

Ammo, gunpowder, expensive guitars, C&R guns...

 

Thankfully nothing was ever stolen/taken. I would get the delivery confirmation emails and text my roommate to ask if he got the package or if the UPS driver was being a lying piece of **** again.

 

Now I am lucky enough to work somewhere that has no problem with me having ammo and firearms shipped to the shop I work at. Its nice to avoid having to pick things up at the UPS store/hub.

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Tis the season...Right now they have a lot of new drivers and driver helpers. Most drivers dont leave a packages if its there normal route. There have been a few, that have been fired for forging signatures back in the day., Have no idea what they do with those drivers now, by the comments they keep on working. lol

 

I had to have a few conversations with my driver on his delivery methods.

 

GL

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My UPS driver is a shooter and one of my clients. So he knows how to deliver to me, ring doorbell and wait a couple for me to get from shop to the door.

Not today! Different driver delivering a tooling order for one of the machines, dumbass leaves it in front of the garage door. Luckily I seen him pull up, drop and run before I could yell at him.

Tis the season with deliveries, late and at a dead run.

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A shipper can pay like $3 extra to require adult signature.

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In any event, I am hoping that they have just been mis-delivered to the wrong address, as is also common in my neighborhood with the UPS drivers who service it.

 

Better hope it wasn't delivered to a snowflake. The site of a box of ammo would be enough to trigger (sorry about the pun) them and result in a call to 911 and your ammo being confiscated.

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That sucks man, hopefully you’re right and they just got lost. But yeah, unlikely a “baddie” would even have anything capable of channeling them. I’ve had some shipping troubles myself, but with Amazon’s new “private” delivery vans rather than UPS (though UPS has occasionally given me cause for irritation as well). Good luck with the replacement order, I hope it turns out ok.
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A bit of an update on this situation.

 

I heard back from Underwood regarding this, and they contacted UPS to make sure the investigation was underway, and they've told me that once it concludes they will ship me a new order of ammunition. Great customer service, absolutely, but it is UPS's fault and not Underwood's, so even if they do send me a new shipment, I'm going after UPS and the irresponsible driver as a matter of principle.

 

Even better, I found out that one of my tenants actually was watching out her window for a package of her own to be delivered at the very time mine was supposed to be dropped off, and she saw no one approach the building. She had left right when I was going around looking for the delivery, so I didn't manage to talk to her until afterwards (I talked to her fiancé, who had just gotten home), so unequivocally, the driver did not deliver it to the right address.

 

So, heads will certainly roll.

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I always make my ammo deliveries sig only. If I can't be there, then I have them rerouted to a pickup point.

Me too. A few weeks ago I had 1500 rounds delivered. I couldn't be home, but I have a UPS account, so I could direct them to a neighbor. The lady next door is home with kids, but she is European and would have freaked out about "an arsenal" being delivered. The guy across the street works from home and is a retired state cop. He gladly accepted my delivery.

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Actually this when UPS hires the temps and some of them are gangbangers. The Hodgkins and Addison hubs are notoriously bad for hiring pretty shady seasonal "helpers" and about now is when they start putting a extra guy on the trucks. He's supposed to get the packages ready for your regular driver and the driver is supposed to do the deliveries BUT some of them don't. You're 40-50, they put a 18 year old on your truck so let him do the running even though you are not supposed to. I know drivers who even share their tips with their helpers.

During the holiday season I never have anything sent that is expensive or important. I'll wait until after the New Year.

Why is it so hard to teach them to ring a doorbell and wait a few seconds instead of run up to the door, slap the you werent here sticker above the doorbell and run back to the truck and away before you even get to the door after seeing the truck out the window?
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I spent almost two hours on hold to get to talk to a supervisor, who for some reason tried to convince me that it wasn't important that I had someone who could attest to the UPS driver never coming to our building, which meant that they not only didn't read the address correctly, they ignored the instructions for the delivery. They only straightened out and added the new information to the investigation when I informed them that in Illinois, a FOID card is required for ammunition, and that if they didn't do so, I would be contacting the ISP to report that the ammunition was possibly stolen, thus requiring an investigation by a police entity. Suddenly, after I said that, the supervisor was extremely helpful.

 

Imagine that.

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I spent almost two hours on hold to get to talk to a supervisor, who for some reason tried to convince me that it wasn't important that I had someone who could attest to the UPS driver never coming to our building, which meant that they not only didn't read the address correctly, they ignored the instructions for the delivery. They only straightened out and added the new information to the investigation when I informed them that in Illinois, a FOID card is required for ammunition, and that if they didn't do so, I would be contacting the ISP to report that the ammunition was possibly stolen, thus requiring an investigation by a police entity. Suddenly, after I said that, the supervisor was extremely helpful.

 

Imagine that.

Good for you. Good luck with getting this straightened out.

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Actually this when UPS hires the temps and some of them are gangbangers. The Hodgkins and Addison hubs are notoriously bad for hiring pretty shady seasonal "helpers" and about now is when they start putting a extra guy on the trucks. He's supposed to get the packages ready for your regular driver and the driver is supposed to do the deliveries BUT some of them don't. You're 40-50, they put a 18 year old on your truck so let him do the running even though you are not supposed to. I know drivers who even share their tips with their helpers.

During the holiday season I never have anything sent that is expensive or important. I'll wait until after the New Year.

Why is it so hard to teach them to ring a doorbell and wait a few seconds instead of run up to the door, slap the you werent here sticker above the doorbell and run back to the truck and away before you even get to the door after seeing the truck out the window?

 

 

They are supposed to either knock or ring the doorbell . I have yet to have either happen.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'll never forget the time I ordered ammo from someone on Gunbroker and they decided to ship it through the mail (which isn't allowed by the post office) instead of UPS. It arrived in one of those plastic "we're sorry, your shipment was damaged in transit" bags, and inside the torn box instead of my ammo were a couple plastic bags of nuts and bolts. Complained to the seller who insinuated I was trying to scam him. So obviously, someone at the local post office stole my ammo and threw a couple bags of machine bolts in instead. Was not happy.

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One time I renewed my NRA membership when they were offering a pocket knife and coffee mug. They shipped it some funky way where it starts out as UPS but then it gets handed.off to the post office. Someone must have known there was a knife in there because there was a hole in the envelope big enough for the knife to come out but not big enough for the mug. It was one of those plasticy-vinyl envelopes that don't rip easily. Inside job.
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