Rifle cases

[dave-t.]

I have a hard side plastic case that is pretty substantial, and will have to fly to NM in mid Oct. Are there any plane/rifle travel horror stories out there? Should I upgrade the case for one trip, or hope for the best?

My hunting partner for the trip got by fine with a plastic bow case when he archery hunting in NM two years ago, so I'm wondering if it is worth the money to got to something sturdier.

[southtexas]

I have a "airplane proof" metal case. and from looking at it after only a few flights, it looks like the gorillas on the loading crew go our of their way to destroy firearms. If your rifle is pretty expensive or special to you, I would recommend a good case.

[rimrock]

the first time I went ELK hunting I flew,this was back in 1969, I had an expensive aluminum double rifle case, I took advice from a LONG TIME HUNTER and wrapped the rifles inside the padded case rolled in 1/4" rubber pads in addition to the excellent thick foam rubber thats about 2" thick in both sides of the case, I then wrote with a magic marker CONTENTS ENGRAVED WITH OWNERS NAME AND PH #
on the outside to possibly discourage theft and painted one end of the case florescent orange and the other end florescent LIME GREEN and had it locked with 4 pad locks and two 3" leather straps, at the airport they made me take the rifle out and prove it was unloaded, then repack and relock the case then they taped it shut over the locks with RED tape that said INSPECTED
As we waited to board the baggage guys loaded the plane and I could see my case fall off the conveyor belt, the baggage guy picked it off the pavement and THREW it up to a second idiot who threw it into the plane where a third idiot took it out of sight , I was TOTALLY PISSED OFF, and when I landed the rifle case could not be located for over 45 minutes, it looked like a couple of apes had played catch with it the whole trip, two of the locks and one belt were missing, luckily the rifles were undamaged but THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I TOOK A PLANE TO HUNT, I DROVE FROM FLA to COLORADO,WYOMING,CALIFORNIA ETC FROM THEN ON!

[Bushman]

I went elk hunting via Northwest (sometimes pronounced north worst) now Delta and took my rifle in a locked plastic brown Cabela's case. They broke the end out of it. It looked like it fell about the height from the cargo door to the concrete. That was on the return trip, but the rifle was okay. I would like to think that they would be extra careful with a rifle case, but I tend to think that just the opposite is true. Bunny hugger baggage people I suspect. And don't try to take elk antlers on the plane either, couldn't be done.

[Just a Hunter]

The sturdy plastic cases are fine if your planning on transporting your rifle on a hunt.

If you wish someone else to do the transporting I would plan for the worst case scenario, and hope for the best.

I would look into a case such as the one I posted in the link below.

High-quality marine-grade aluminum cases have .063'' wall thickness and heli-arc welded corners for strength and durability. A full-length ''staked'' 16 gauge piano hinge and an O-ring type seal make this case very weather resistant. A solid ether foam protects internal items from moving during shipment. A stainless steel locking rod secures all heavy-duty plated steel latches. Manufacturer's limited lifetime warranty. Lockable. Airline approved.

The eggcrate material found in many cases will protect your rifle from limited abuse, but it can allow your rifle to shift and slide under the abuse as has been mentioned by previous posters.

The solid ether foam will do a much better job of securing your rifle if needed.


PS: Contact your outfitter and let him know you plan to mail him a few boxes of your ammo. This way if your rifle arrives with you, but your ammo is lost in transit you will still have what you need to enjoy your hunt. (Its not like the airlines are known for loosing your baggage)

Bring along/mail enough ammo to resight in your rifle if needed.
Go ahead and plan your rifle will knocked off of sight, and be tickled if you find its still good.

In your baggage pack along a few paper targets to use for checking your rifles sight-in.

enjoy

[Hi Ball]

I will only say, that if your going to protect your expensive rifles, you better get the best aluminum case with reinforced corners and heavy duty locks for taking on any of those airlines. :rolleyes:

I had one of my cases get damaged and I would have never thought, they could break the wheels or casters off of this particular guncase. This is some heavy reinforced metal but it sure was returned to me broke with missing wheels.:eek::mad:

[GF.]

I'll let you know how I make out on my trip next week :D

I was working part-time at an REI store at one point, and ordered myself a big (1750) Pelican case before I left. Glad I got one big enough for two rifles, because it's just deep enough (handle to hinge) to fit the new compound. I did a pretty slick job of trimming out the foam to fit, if I do say so myself. :cool:

Hopefully, I'll figure out how to post a few pics.

Mine is what the SEALs and certain of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children use when they're dropping a sniper off someplace far from home, so hopefully it will serve me as well as it does them. Don't imagine they do lot of sight-in work on those covert insertions.....:rolleyes:

Funny thing, though; when I flew out to CO with the ML in a cheap-ass, minimally-compliant case some years ago, it came through in surprisingly good shape. Maybe they figured anybody poor enough to have to use a case like that deserved a break :D

[Just a Hunter]

It's all luck of the draw in regards to who moves your baggage.

There are still people out there that take pride in there jobs, and respect's what belongs to others. These are the honest hard working backbones of our society that go out of the way to do the right thing.
On the other hand there are those that delight in taking away everything you worked hard for in whatever manner they can. The only good thing is these individuals typically go from job to job until they find there way into politics where it's easier to spot them.

[GF.]

On the other hand there are those that delight in taking away everything you worked hard for in whatever manner they can. The only good thing is these individuals typically go from job to job until they find there way into politics where it's easier to spot them.


"But I'm not bitter....."


:D:D:D:D:D

LOL, JAH....

This morning on my drive to work, I actually considered whether I should put some bogus military-looking name & address info on my case so the handlers might think that I'm one o' those snipers, but I seriously doubt that many military guys fly their rifles around commercially....

Just hoping I'll get lucky on my trip and get the right kind of crew tossing my kit around....