I recently had a similar mailing experience with a new PCP air rifle. It was new and the seller was in LA, CA. I paid for UPS shipping, but they mailed it USPS. It was scanned in LA and then disappeared for about 14 days. Magically, it was scanned in MO 10 days later. The next scanned took long enough to make me think they were slow walking an empty box, but it did arrive in perfect condition in a perfect looking box enclosing the box identifying it as a PCP air rifle.
More than a month in transit. Only scanned once in CA, once in Springfield, MO, and once in the infamous Kansas City, MO before being announced as "out for delivery."
The long delays and the few scans just isn't a normal mailing experience. So this brings me to ask a question about this mail tracking experience. Does the USPS now have special handling for obvious rifles to stop or at least greatly reduce theft?