Flying with Guns

[mmw194287]

For those of you with experience flying with firearms, I wanted to get your opinions on packing my case. I'm heading up to Alaska for another summer and taking a few different guns this year (two handguns, a scoped rifle, and an 1895G) than I've taken before. I own a pelican 1750 that I've been using for a few years now but I don't want to buy a new piece of foam and cut it out (the current one is cut out for the 1895, a shotgun, and one revolver). I was never really happy with the fit of my handiwork before, so I'm thinking about just removing that middle piece and packing all the guns in their soft-cases/rugs (which I usually bring up there with me anyway) between the upper and lower pieces of foam.

Anybody ever pack a case like this? Or do something else to pack a pelican other than the trace/cut foam method? I think I remember seeing that some guys pack their clothes around their bows and/or guns, which is where I got the idea. I've had the airlines damage my firearms twice before, and I'm a little paranoid about trying something new. A few years back I got to Anchorage and found that the factory rear sight on my 45-70 was snapped clean in half--I'm not sure I'll ever figure out how that happened.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

I pack clothes around my bow everytime I fly. I always pack it really tight in there and have never had any problems.

I also have a 1750 for flying with my rifle but I have always just used the foam. My buddy has one as well and packed clothes around his with some of the foam out of it on a couple trips with no issues.

 

[Yellowknife]

I fly with guns in a Pelican case a number of times a year. Typical method for me goes like this:

Step 1: Take out foam and toss in corner:



Step 2: Layer in some MH



Step 3: Cover with clothes (puffy gear works best) and drop guns and other expensive stuff on top. Note that the "AR length" Pelican will just fit some 22" barreled bolt actions if you wedge it in at an angle. Keeps the gun from moving around too.



Step 4: Depending on how tight you are on space, you can either leave the top layer of foam in, or take it out and stack your rain gear on top.



This is probably not the method for custom guns or old family heirlooms... but it's a heck of a lot better protected in the case this way that it is going to be in the field. When traveling in the bush, baggage handling can be a difficult thing, and the smaller the number I have to carry at my destination the better. Works for me.

I sure wouldn't worry about them wrapped in rugs in your case.

Yk

 

[mmw194287]

Yellowknife--

That's a heck of a system! I love it. Thanks for the insight.

 

[colonel00]

Last trip to Alaska we just used a Cabela's rifle case similar to a Pelican case. In ours we had two rifles, two handguns and some knives and other stuff. One thing to watch is you will get to that 50lb limit fairly quickly depending on your firearms. Check with your airline and see what limits and fees they have. Usually the overweight fee is a killer and it would be cheaper to check another bag. You could always put the handguns in a hard case inside of another bag if weight becomes an issue.

 

[KMD]

You can find closed cell foam, in bulk, and cut it to size with an electric filet knife to fit snugly. I have a bunch of different foam templates cut to fit my Pelican case, for whichever rifle that's coming along on the plane. Having baggage handlers play knock hockey with my scoped rifle case doesn't sit well, so I try for as precise a fit as possible when cutting the foam inserts.

Yellowknife, great idea with using gear to pad! That's what my bowcase looks like when I fly...

 

[kuhn4]

I remove the center piece of foam in my pelican (keeping the top and bottom pieces in the case) and pack gun(s) with clothes around them. The best advice I can give you is to pack the case very tight. To the point you really have to push down on the cover to latch it. The first time I flew with the pelican I packed to a "snug fit" and the two guns inside shifted together. I saw the case get thrown onto a conveyor before I even left my home city the first time using it. Baggage handlers are rough on stuff.

 

[JustOneMoreShot]

I will second colonel00. Watch the 50 pound limit! The overweight baggage fee really stings so I try and stay under by a pound or two.
I have also had a scope damaged passing through the airport and it really sucks. I like to really have everything fit tight so there is no way for it to shift. However I don't want it so busy with lots of stuff in there shifting around in case the handlers want to open and close it and rearrange everything. It needs to be able to be reassembled by them relatively easily and not be a complicated puzzle to get back together. If it is then they start jamming stuff and scratching and beating it all to heck.

 

[HJ Handy]

SKB cases for me. I've traveled extensively commercially and in puddle jumpers with SKB cases and I've never had an issue. I've got a SKB Double rifle case which goes on about 8 flights a year for the last 3 years.

Any quality well built gun case would do though. Just be sure it can handle being literally thrown around and dropped by the luggage monkeys and the TSA.