What's the legal way to buy and ship a rifle ?

[Cynical]

I understand that pistols need an FFL on both sides of the transfer.
But I seem to remember that a long gun may be shipped by anyone to an FFL.
Do I have this wrong or what ?
My favorite FFL is saying that he needs ID from the seller to prove the rifle is not stolen.
Wouldn't a stolen firearm show up in the NICS check ?

[lovedogs]

I'll try to get this right for you. You may ship a rifle for repair to someone with a FFL through the P.O. or shippers like UPS as long as you declare you are shipping a firearm. If it's your arm and is sent for repair it can be shipped directly back to you. You may not send a rifle to anyone who doesn't have an FFL unless you are the repairer and are returning it to the original owner.

Pistols are different. They must go from FFL to FFL. If memory serves me correctly, you can't ship one through the P.O. You must use another shipper, like UPS. Your law enforcement police or sheriff may also ship a pistol for you without them needing to have an FFL.

I assume no responsibility for any of this information. It's stated correctly as far as I'm aware of. But my suggestion is that you call your closest BATF office. It's their job to help you do it right. My closest BATF office is surprisingly gun-owner friendly and wants to help us stay on the right side of the law. Our laws now are a pain in the butt but we can ship guns if we jump through the right hoops.