What rifle case for airline travel?

[Jerry P]

Thanks for the input guys. This reminds me of "cooler" shopping. When do you need a Yeti and when will a Coleman Extreme do just fine?

I did a ton of research and decided I might want a couple options depending on what I'm doing. The Pelican cases are really heavy (25lbs empty), so I'll only use it when traveling with an expensive gun for a long ways. This trip is a short trip to the midwest and I'm bringing a lightweight "beater" gun with a low profile scope, so I wanted a smaller, lighter case. I'll put this case a duffle and throw hunting clothes, boots, etc around it to avoid extra baggage fees. This is what I do with my archery case and that strategy has worked great for many many years of flights (I bet 40+ flights).

I ended up ordering the Cabelas Armor Extreme (smaller, lighter Pelican knockoff). Normally it's $120, but currently on sale for $89 and I got another 10% off and free shipping as a club visa member....basically $80 to my door! So it's cheap enough to buy one, plus only weighs 13.5 lbs vs 25 lbs. Given it's smaller and lighter I'm more likely to use it for local hunting within driving distance as well. It should be plenty sturdy, but will wait until I get it and update this thread if it doesn't meet my expectations.

I'll probably still get the Pelican 1750 at some point for when I do more extensive travel with a nicer rifle and the turret scope, but I just don't need that much case for this trip. Plus now I can wait until I find a sale for the pelicans. ...maybe I'll go a double gun at that point. Wait and see what that trip requires.

Airline workers can be really careless with your guns. I prefer to have a durable case that I know will stand up to some pecker head with an attitude throwing my gun case around. I learned the hard way. Nothing like going to claim your gun and the barrel is sticking out of the end of the case. SKB or Pelican for me.

 

[Antlers]

I'm sure there are other cases that would suffice, but my Pelican has a proven record.

 

[Thunder head]

Tuff Pak,
I put the gun in a soft case. Spare boots and a bunch of clothes too. Plus everybody thinks it golf clubs.

 

[Unoboats]

Pelican 1750 is what I have used for years with no incidents.


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[Bughalli]

Update....

First off...thanks for all the great feedback and info!

I received the Cabelas case. It's nice, solid construction. No, it's not "rock" solid like a Pelican, but it's pretty close and was also 1/3 the price when on sale. I'm sure it could handle an airline...but I've decided to go in another direction. This case is long enough that you can't put it in a duffle, so you use up a luggage fee for only the gun. Not ideal. When traveling with my bow I like to put my bow case in a giant duffle bag and fill it up with clothes. Saves me from paying for a 3rd bag and adds a little padding. I think I'll keep the Cabelas case. For $80 why not.

I think for airline travel the next one I'll get is the Tuffpak. I'll never travel on a plane with a gun without having to bring a ton of other gear, so it makes sense to maximize your 50lbs weight allocation before paying for extra bags. They're too expensive ($400) to purchase this year, but maybe I can find one on Craigslist or something.

I see a lot of used SKB hard golf club cases for airline travel on Craigslist for $25-$75. That might be something to explore as well.

As for the Pelican, I wonder why no one makes saddle bags for them or a long duffle. The case weighs 25 lbs, add 8 lbs rifle...that leaves 17 lbs of extra weight you can add to your checked luggage without incurring extra fees. Seems like a modular saddle system would be ideal for bringing some extra clothes.

Just a thought..

 

[Desk Jockey]

If you do the case in a bag thing make sure your ammo is in a different bag. That can cause some grief.

Someone mentioned the locking all the latch point thing. I would say you should prepare for this. Application of the rules varies but this can be an issue so have enough locks to fill all slots. I had a trip to Kansas to go bird hunting where my locks were broken in transit. We were in a pretty small town and it required a 45 minute one way drive to find replacements on a Sunday. I have also heard wear an inspector tried to open the case and remove the contents. Sounds like he was able to pry the end of a cheap case open with his hands even with the lock in place and slide the gun out so denied the traveler. Point is, I now carry extra locks to avoid any issues.