Hard rifle case

llwynog

Well-Known Member
I'm in the market for a hard rifle case. I want something nice and was thinking a Peli 1770 until I saw the price.
Has anybody got any suggestions for a quality case that doesn't cost as much as a cheap rifle?
 
Pelis are too big and too over engineered for use as a rifle case in almost any practical stalking situation, I use them a lot for other things and they are great in the right place but for practical use as a rifle case they are not so great at all.

Go and take a look at flight cases such as are used by musicians. Musicians are often shipping items much more delicate than your rifle across the world for months or years on end plus a good flight case will be less bulky and less weighty than a Peli.

A local music shop might have some and there will almost certainly be someone local who can build you a custom one to your own spec and requirements. For example Easyjet give you an extra 12kg of baggage if flying with a rifle so I got a friend to build me a flight case for my Blaser and with rifle, bipod, sling, scope and bolt plus the case it comes in just under the 12kg which was how we designed it. In saying that an "off the shelf" flight case will probably suit your needs and they are available in many shapes and sizes, clearly off the shelf is much less expensive than going with a custom built solution.
 
Peli's are the dog's danglies for trips by air or sea, If you are not bothered about cosmetic appearances, get something off e blag, some good useful stuff on there. Steve.
 
Pelican is very heavy. I have one for handguns, and a heavy Plano with wheels because I bought it way cheap and have some use for it, but prefer the much lighter weight SKB cases. The Single Scoped Rifle case is sturdy, very protective, comes with several choices of locks, and weighs less than most rifles.
 
Pelis are too big and too over engineered for use as a rifle case in almost any practical stalking situation, I use them a lot for other things and they are great in the right place but for practical use as a rifle case they are not so great at all.

Go and take a look at flight cases such as are used by musicians. Musicians are often shipping items much more delicate than your rifle across the world for months or years on end plus a good flight case will be less bulky and less weighty than a Peli.

A local music shop might have some and there will almost certainly be someone local who can build you a custom one to your own spec and requirements. For example Easyjet give you an extra 12kg of baggage if flying with a rifle so I got a friend to build me a flight case for my Blaser and with rifle, bipod, sling, scope and bolt plus the case it comes in just under the 12kg which was how we designed it. In saying that an "off the shelf" flight case will probably suit your needs and they are available in many shapes and sizes, clearly off the shelf is much less expensive than going with a custom built solution.


I have to disagree with you there. My rifle/rifles are housed in Peli cases whenever away from home. It is the only case I have found that keeps my rifle/scope/bins safe in any environment. Fortunately the case fits very easily in my car.

Prior to using Peli cases I tried various flight cases, one of which was the same cost as a Peli and it didn't survive a flight.


Regards
 
Pelican is very heavy. I have one for handguns, and a heavy Plano with wheels because I bought it way cheap and have some use for it, but prefer the much lighter weight SKB cases. The Single Scoped Rifle case is sturdy, very protective, comes with several choices of locks, and weighs less than most rifles.

I looked at both SKB, and the Peli Storm, and size for size, the weights were nigh on identical.

When flying, I use the Peli Storm 3100, and can fit both my Chapuis SxS, and my Merkel Helix, or one of them, and a load of other stuff. A friend bought the Peli Storm 2700, and has fitted it out in layers, to take a Merkel Helix, extra barrel, magazines, scope, etc'.

Case, foam, rifle, scope weigh circa 12 kg, which is more than manageable, especially as it has wheels, and I know the rifles are safe, which to me, is more important than the weight, or the extra cost, over the cheaper alternatives.

Case before I swapped the Browning Maral for the Merkel Helix.

 
RPR%20in%20Case_zpssnilm6c5.jpg


This isn't as classy as the SKB but I have a lot of money tied up in it and it's transportation usually involves the back of a pick up truck and rutted, bumpy dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. The Pelican's are pretty much bullet proof with regard to this kind of abuse and my rifle gets to it's destination still holding its zero.~Muir
 
As mentioned in previous threads I have a couple of the Peli cases that anyone is welcome to borrow for a trip as I consider them to be indestructible. UK to US seems to be the most requested route for them!
 
SKB makes a molded Heavy Duty line of cases, and a lightweight vacuum formed thermoplastic with aluminum rim.
Plano and Flambeau make HD molded cases for one rifle, 2 rifles, takedown shotgun, with wheels and without, for half the price of Pelican. This one is about $65.00 USD.
plano-hd-case.jpg
If you need a really heavy duty case, which holds all your rifles for a trip - like to Africa - look at an Americase. They are all aluminum. The company makes tool boxes for construction and pickup trucks. The daughter of the owner was trying out for the US Shooting Team and cases were getting beaten up by baggage handlers, so he made a case for her with wheels on it. Then he got into the business.
 
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+1 for Peli 3100

Especially for overseas trips - I have heard too many tales of anti hunting baggage handlers deliberately throwing apparent rifle cases around and my Peli after several trips would appear to bear this out - lots of scruffs and some quite deep scratches. Altho contents have always been perfect and still zeroed. They will also take 2 rifles and additional foam inserts can be used to take various rifle combos if you have more than two rifles
Well worth the investment in my opinion

Sh1kar
 
I echo what has already been posted. I have 3 currently:
- Americase - heavy and metal. I use one for my shotgun (short, single take-down model, can't remember the number). Not convinced that they offer more protection than my 2 Pelis though. It certainly shows a lot more wear/abuse/battering than my Pelis.
- Peli 1720 - heavy and tough. Perfect for 1 or 2 rifles with barrels up to about 20in (without moderator/suppressor attached).
- Peli 1750 - as above but about 8.5in longer... Probably the most popular all-round rifle case.

The 1770 is bigger still - longer, wider and deeper - don't have one...

As an alternative, the Plano All-Weather cases are good, e.g. Plano All Weather Double Rifle / Shotgun Wheeled Case | ArdMoor | Robust Airline approved double rifle case Have a practically new one of these going spare if you are interested.
 
Do a Google search for Steyr ABS single rifle case. Excellent for £30-£40 (think I got mine for £25 a while ago on eBay). Not one for overseas trips etc, but perfect for everyday use.
 
I have a hard flight case I bought some years ago and used to transport my old Sako 75.

Another member on here was going to take it but, for one reason or another, we never got to meet up and pass it over, so it's just sitting in my game larder. It's not currently possible to lock the case, though I think a padlock type hasp can easily be retrofitted. I'm unlikely to ever use it so it's available if anyone's interested? I'm not going to go through the hassle of shipping it, so you'd need to come to Oxford/Swindon to pick it up. No payment expected, but a donation to a charity of my choice would be appreciated.

Rifle%20Case%201_zps46drrft1.jpg


Rifle%20Case%202_zpsdhkmxqcv.jpg
 
As mentioned in previous threads I have a couple of the Peli cases that anyone is welcome to borrow for a trip as I consider them to be indestructible. UK to US seems to be the most requested route for them!

I can assure you that nothing is indestructible :)

For a specialized task we acquired some cases, probably about 1m cubed sort of size, several orders of magnitude further up the protection and robustness scale than the Peli - lots of kevlar and stuff like that going on. First time out we destroyed one. When we contacted the manufacturer they simply wouldn't believe us that we'd managed to break one and were keen to highlight that the military were airdropping the things and had never broken one. They remained utterly convinced that apart from explosives or an angle grinder we simply couldn't break one and so we had to send them the photos. On seeing the photos they had to admit that in service we'd managed to destroy one. When we had to contact them less than a week later to inform them that we'd destroyed the second one it nearly killed the bloke who owned the company.
 
+1 for Flambeau. Not up to the cargo hold of a plane I dought, but for everyday transit in a vehicle over rough ground etc they are exceptional value for money.
I've been using them for 10+ years and none of my rifles have ever lost zero due to being transported in them.
Hope this helps.

ATB Lee
 
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