A Good Gun Case For Traveling Wanted

[wesheltonj]

A Pelican case is heavy. But with your gun it will be under 50 pounds. The big question is if it will be under 20Kg (44 lbs) with gun and case for SSA flights. I guess I will find out soon if mine is under 20Kg soon enough.

 

[Eddie P]

Weigh your gun(s) and everything that must go in the case. That'll give you a starting point.

All decent cases have weights on the manufacturers website.

 

[Eddie P]

Also some airlines specify that only a gun can go in the case. If not then use the excess to put more kit in "for free".

 

[Rob404]

My SKB 2 rifle weighs 39#

 

[Mekaniks]

My model 1050 Tuff Pak is 17 lbs (<8kg) empty

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Hey all! Thank you so much for your advice! I went to the Cabelas bargain cave and found a PELICAN IM3410 SINGLE LONG GUN CASE for sale! I ended up getting it for $125.00 brand new, so that was a great suggestion, thank you all!

 

[Eddie P]

Hey all! Thank you so much for your advice! I went to the Cabelas bargain cave and found a PELICAN IM3410 SINGLE LONG GUN CASE for sale! I ended up getting it for $125.00 brand new, so that was a great suggestion, thank you all!

Nice find.

 

[rookhawk]

Best Safari Case Available for any amount of money:

Americase AT-2Gun case. MSRP of around $458 plus shipping of about $50.
Why is this the best? At 27 pounds it can carry two rifles or shotguns of up to 48". Two rifles will squeak under the 50 pound airline maximum for rifles on most airlines for coach fare tickets. There are storage compartments for rifle bolts, tools and accessories. It rolls beautifully and has D-Rings on the outside so you can bungy tie your duffle bag carry on to the rolling case which makes airport travel easy. Plenty of handles. Excellent closures. Excellent hinges. Highly resistant to airline buffoons mishandling your guns. Welded aluminum outer shell. For a small uncharge they make two variants: an XL model a couple inches longer OR a wider model to accommodate scopes with large turrets.

Americase AT-3Gun case. MSRP of around $510 plus shipping of about $50.
Why is this the best? At 33 pounds it can carry three rifles or shotguns of up to 48". Three rifles will squeak under the 70 pound airline maximum for rifles on most airlines for business class or first class fare tickets. There are storage compartments for rifle bolts, tools and accessories. It rolls beautifully and has D-Rings on the outside so you can bungy tie your duffle bag carry on to the rolling case which makes airport travel easy. Plenty of handles. Excellent closures. Excellent hinges. Highly resistant to airline buffoons mishandling your guns. Welded aluminum outer shell. For a small uncharge they make two variants: an XL model a couple inches longer OR a wider model to accommodate scopes with large turrets. Many airlines will allow this case to travel for a surcharge even with a coach ticket provided you do not exceed the 70 pound maximum allowable by convention. (Check with your airline always!)

I have a dealer account with Americase and will provide a discount to fellow Africa Hunting members if you'd like one of the above cases drop shipped to you directly from the manufacturer.

 

[rookhawk]

Sidebar tip/opinion passed on to me that I'll share here also:

Whenever you go on safari, make sure you have removable/quick detach scope rings that return to zero for all your rifles that are scoped. NEVER pack rifles with optics installed.

Suitable scope mounts that return to zero: Warne QD, Talley QD, G&H side mount, German Claws, EAW Pivots, Recknagel mounts, etc.

How I do it. I ALWAYS bring 2-3 shemagh scarves with me on safari. Spec Ops guys taught me the value as a concealer, arm sling, tourniquet, air conditioner, bug abatement device, bandana, etc. I carefully roll my scopes with their quick detach rings inside of a shemagh so they are very well padded. They are then packed thoughtfully in my carry-on duffle bag. I will never, never, never ever let that bag out of my sight. It has my optics, binos, meds, permits, licenses and cash in it. It stays on my person the entirety of the trip.

When I arrive at camp I start by admiring all the gouges and scratches all over my americase that survived horrid mistreatment by the airlines. I open the case and carefully inspect my rifles. I then reattach my scopes that were in my duffle to their respective guns. A single shot the next morning with each gun to validate zero is true (odds are higher it will be true than if I'd left the scopes stay on the guns during transport) and I'm ready to hunt.

Kudos and Kudus to the people that taught me how to make sure my guns don't get ruined by handling things this way.

P.S. - How I'd NEVER do it. I would never ever pack guns into nice gun slips as usual and then place them in those large plastic tuffpaks or plastic golf club storage cases and hope for the best. I've seen them drop those cases at the airports from a height of 15' directly from the airliner. The amount of G's on a gun that has the scope on it in this manner is incredible. The additional force the guns endure from having the heavy scopes on them during mistreatment accentuates the potential for a problem. Only Americase and Pelican cases immobilize guns so they cannot move back and forth shuffling around the inside of a case.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Sidebar tip/opinion passed on to me that I'll share here also:

Whenever you go on safari, make sure you have removable/quick detach scope rings that return to zero for all your rifles that are scoped. NEVER pack rifles with optics installed.

Suitable scope mounts that return to zero: Warne QD, Talley QD, G&H side mount, German Claws, EAW Pivots, Recknagel mounts, etc.

How I do it. I ALWAYS bring 2-3 shemagh scarves with me on safari. Spec Ops guys taught me the value as a concealer, arm sling, tourniquet, air conditioner, bug abatement device, bandana, etc. I carefully roll my scopes with their quick detach rings inside of a shemagh so they are very well padded. They are then packed thoughtfully in my carry-on duffle bag. I will never, never, never ever let that bag out of my sight. It has my optics, binos, meds, permits, licenses and cash in it. It stays on my person the entirety of the trip.

When I arrive at camp I start by admiring all the gouges and scratches all over my americase that survived horrid mistreatment by the airlines. I open the case and carefully inspect my rifles. I then reattach my scopes that were in my duffle to their respective guns. A single shot the next morning with each gun to validate zero is true (odds are higher it will be true than if I'd left the scopes stay on the guns during transport) and I'm ready to hunt.

Kudos and Kudus to the people that taught me how to make sure my guns don't get ruined by handling things this way.

P.S. - How I'd NEVER do it. I would never ever pack guns into nice gun slips as usual and then place them in those large plastic tuffpaks or plastic golf club storage cases and hope for the best. I've seen them drop those cases at the airports from a height of 15' directly from the airliner. The amount of G's on a gun that has the scope on it in this manner is incredible. The additional force the guns endure from having the heavy scopes on them during mistreatment accentuates the potential for a problem. Only Americase and Pelican cases immobilize guns so they cannot move back and forth shuffling around the inside of a case.

Thank you for the information and the offer! I've thought about those quick detach rings but I always assumed they were for bigger guns like the 375 and up where your shooting at something that might decide to chew on/step on/ram through you and you would not be able to rely on a scope for a moving target. I thought the cutout foam would be fine for my gun with attached scope going over, I picked up a Pelican this weekend for a pretty good price but I thank you again for the extra options! Does anyone else here have an opinion about detaching your scope v.s. just leaving it on if your packing the rifle in a cut-out foam case? Thank you all!

 

[wesheltonj]

I have a pelican case and I leave my scope attached.

 

[Dinsdale]

Does anyone else here have an opinion about detaching your scope v.s. just leaving it on if your packing the rifle in a cut-out foam case? Thank you all!

I have traveled with a rifle more than a few times both domestic and international....

I own both aluminum(Strong Case) and plastic (Pelican) cases; what goes just depends on what gets packed......

I have QD and non QD scopes, just depending on the gun......

It makes absolutely no difference if the scope stays on the gun or not for me, and i have packed both ways.

You made a great buy on that case.

Go read the thread about obsessing.

Don't fall in that trap, this is supposed to be fun, not a fret filled chore.

JMHO

 

[Divernhunter]

I have always had my scopes mounted to the rifle/pistol and never had trouble. True we only went to Africa 1 time and we had 3 rifles. I will be returning in 2017 and will have 2 rifle with scopes attached.
I have hauled my rifles/pistols all over Calif and the western USA in the back of a jeep or pickup and off road also. Never had a problem. Just use good scope rings/bases and Leupold scopes. My buddies with other brands(cheaper and more expensive) have had trouble---and ended up suing a back-up rifle. Later most went and got Leupold scopes and never had trouble after that.

 

[rinehart0050]

I have a pelican case and it's great. It hasn't been to Africa yet (24 days now!!!), but it has been all over the US with me. Be sure to maximize the amount of stuff you carry in your case by using all the levels of foam (without exceeding your luggage weight limits). Here's what mine looks like so far:

Exterior - note the requisite AH.com decal!

Center (main layer) - this holds my rifle with scope, bolt, magazine, cheek rest, cheek pad/pouch, and sling.

Bottom Layer - I can probably put more down here, just haven't yet. Shooting sticks, range finder, suppressor.

Nothing on the top layer yet. I will probably create a pouch for all documentation related to the rifle (import stuff, 4457, EIN, etc etc)

 

[Eddie P]

Is that range finder up against the plastic? Or is there another layer of foam under it?

I have a pelican case and it's great. It hasn't been to Africa yet (24 days now!!!), but it has been all over the US with me. Be sure to maximize the amount of stuff you carry in your case by using all the levels of foam (without exceeding your luggage weight limits). Here's what mine looks like so far:

Exterior - note the requisite AH.com decal!

Center (main layer) - this holds my rifle with scope, bolt, magazine, cheek rest, cheek pad/pouch, and sling.

Bottom Layer - I can probably put more down here, just haven't yet. Shooting sticks, range finder, suppressor.

Nothing on the top layer yet. I will probably create a pouch for all documentation related to the rifle (import stuff, 4457, EIN, etc etc)

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

I have traveled with a rifle more than a few times both domestic and international....

I own both aluminum(Strong Case) and plastic (Pelican) cases; what goes just depends on what gets packed......

I have QD and non QD scopes, just depending on the gun......

It makes absolutely no difference if the scope stays on the gun or not for me, and i have packed both ways.

You made a great buy on that case.

Go read the thread about obsessing.

Don't fall in that trap, this is supposed to be fun, not a fret filled chore.

JMHO

Good advice, I just fret a bit much.

@rinehart0050 Great setup and very nice looking firearm, mind if I ask what the caliber is/who the manufacturer is?

To everyone, thanks for being patent with me, I'll try to obsess less (until I need to buy my plane tickets, then....oh man...) and enjoy it more heh. Your all awesome and thanks for the help!

 

[sheephunterab]

A Pelican case is heavy. But with your gun it will be under 50 pounds. The big question is if it will be under 20Kg (44 lbs) with gun and case for SSA flights. I guess I will find out soon if mine is under 20Kg soon enough.

When did SAA go to 20kgs? We were just there and ours was right on 23kgs and they had no issue with it.

 

[wesheltonj]

I am not sure, but my BA ticket says 23Kg for BA flights and 20Kg for my SSA flights. My trip is in August.

 

[rinehart0050]

@Eddie P I've got a thin piece of foam behind the range finder. I figured with the pouch its in being padded that it didn't need much more protection. On that bottom layer, the range finder and silencer have padding behind them. The shooting sticks are up against the plastic.

When I'm cutting out the foam, I initially cut out the whole piece. Then I take the cut out and cut an appropriately sized layer to insert back into the spot. The item rests on top of that piece of foam.

@Eventually_Africa the rifle is a Fierce Firearms Edge in 7mm Rem Mag (if you're looking for a really nice 1/2 moa rifle at a *reasonable* price comparatively speaking, this is a good option). Optics are the new Nightforce SHV 4-14x56. Suppressor is a Silencerco Omega.

 

[sheephunterab]

I am not sure, but my BA ticket says 23Kg for BA flights and 20Kg for my SSA flights. My trip is in August.

Just checked and it says passengers traveling to and from Canada/US 23kgs and most other destinations 20kgs. With two rifles and a bit of gear we always are between 22 and 23kgs and they've never worried about it but we've never had it printed on our ticket either. Good to know. http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/South_African_Airways/baggage.php