Never had that happen with a rifle, but I sold an old Kawasaki motor back in 2005 that I had rebuilt. Sold it on ebay. I shipped it in a solid, hardwood crate I hand built for the purpose. I could jump on the thing without breaking. Take it to the UPS, they accept it and a few days latter, The motor had arrived WITHOUT THE CRATE! Or at least, it arrived with the base of the crate since the motor was bolted solidly do it. The sides had been completely ripped off. The top of the motor itself had been crushed! The seller refused delivery of course. Of course, I filed a claim but they initially refused because "it wasn't packed sufficiently". When the motor arrived back, I found the sides had been with it. They'd just been shoved back under the motor. I then did two things. I got all the info on ebay, including the pictures I took to show the buyer the packaged product in the crate and then I called UPS and told them that they can either approve my claim, or I can sue them for false insurance claims. I argued that since they're chosen representative, "The UPS Store", had accepted the packed, fully knowing the contents, that they had therefore accepted the condition of the packaging as being adequate. I got a check a few days later.
The pictures do help, showing the condition of the items, but you must also realize, no judge will accept an excuse of "it wasn't packaged right" if the shipper accepted the condition of the package when they accepted the payment. At that point, it is up to the shipper to fulfill their part of the contract. ie, delivering the item, intact and undamaged.
