So I was looking for some old school rifle cases. At suggestion of a member here I can up with Venatti. I went ahead and order a "long" rifle case. Got a 10% off code and then there was shipping for a total of $287 for the case. While waiting for it, I did some more looking and Venatti purchased the cases line/manufacturing,etc. of a business called "Jeffs outfitters" in Cape Girardeau MO that had been in business a long time and closed down in late 2022/early 23. He had the cases made in Mexico.
It arrived very quickly (5 days from ordering). VIA fedex but their automatic paclage tracker directed me to UPS. I recognized it as a fedex format number so was still able to track it. VERY well packaged. Heavy wrapped bubble wrap with no gaps and taped 100% solid.
The outside is solid. Stitching is done well with the corners nicely fitted (no bulges or excess and perfectly tapered for a nice fit). The inside is nicely put together. The straps for the rifle and bolt are solid and I don't believe will move. The interior wood baffles are solid and nicely made.
The DOWNSIDES......there's a number of them:
The lock and key are absolute garbage. You don't feel anything move and can rotate the key forever. I actually didnt think the key was metal until I scraped it. It and the lock/latch felt like plastic.
The compartments are very small.....I THINK....I can fit in a cartridge wallet in the two upper ones...maybe. I'll put a sling in the lower one.
Being not custom fitted to a specific rifle the front end can "flop". Not horribly as the upper matting presses down pretty decent. The CZ550 .416 Rigby fit snug. My Ruger Africans slopped a LOT.
The fixes I plan on making:
New lock. Dimensions online appear I can get a typical luggage/briefcase lock and install.
Add a barrel strap.
Long term: I may gut the inside and redo it in a better manner. It's a good base to build on, the leather and stitching on the outside is solid. Where some of the older cases don't measure up.
OVERALL: A good case for the money but could use some tweaking. I'll see if they would take input because a few small tweaks would be easy. Or worth an extra $200 to pay for something a shade nicer.
I also want to say I got NOTHING out of this....Bought with my own money. Just figured with how little info is out there I'd help someone out looking for something I have been and not worrying about gambling if it's a legit site or not.
It arrived very quickly (5 days from ordering). VIA fedex but their automatic paclage tracker directed me to UPS. I recognized it as a fedex format number so was still able to track it. VERY well packaged. Heavy wrapped bubble wrap with no gaps and taped 100% solid.
The outside is solid. Stitching is done well with the corners nicely fitted (no bulges or excess and perfectly tapered for a nice fit). The inside is nicely put together. The straps for the rifle and bolt are solid and I don't believe will move. The interior wood baffles are solid and nicely made.
The DOWNSIDES......there's a number of them:
The lock and key are absolute garbage. You don't feel anything move and can rotate the key forever. I actually didnt think the key was metal until I scraped it. It and the lock/latch felt like plastic.
The compartments are very small.....I THINK....I can fit in a cartridge wallet in the two upper ones...maybe. I'll put a sling in the lower one.
Being not custom fitted to a specific rifle the front end can "flop". Not horribly as the upper matting presses down pretty decent. The CZ550 .416 Rigby fit snug. My Ruger Africans slopped a LOT.
The fixes I plan on making:
New lock. Dimensions online appear I can get a typical luggage/briefcase lock and install.
Add a barrel strap.
Long term: I may gut the inside and redo it in a better manner. It's a good base to build on, the leather and stitching on the outside is solid. Where some of the older cases don't measure up.
OVERALL: A good case for the money but could use some tweaking. I'll see if they would take input because a few small tweaks would be easy. Or worth an extra $200 to pay for something a shade nicer.
I also want to say I got NOTHING out of this....Bought with my own money. Just figured with how little info is out there I'd help someone out looking for something I have been and not worrying about gambling if it's a legit site or not.
