travelling with fire arms

Roe dan

Well-Known Member
what is the best carrying case to put your rifle in for travelling on an aeroplane?
​and where can i get one ?
 
Morning Bunnydan,

it depends upon your budget. Something like a Peli Storm rifle case is great and will suit your requirements. There tuff, last forever, some come with wheels I believe and have a pressure valve for air travel which can prevent damage to optics etc
eat there are some listed on eBay at the moment but make sure you get the foam and cut to suit your set up.

There is another brand that produces something very similar but the name escapes me. I'm sure other members can confirm.

all the best

​Robbo25
 
Peli make great cases, but they are a heck of a heavy, can be large for the payload volume, and so can be costly to use for air transport plus they can take up a lot of space in the hire car at the other end.

It would be worth seeing if there is a maker of flight cases near to you. I don't mean someone who sells bought in ones but someone who actually has the skill to build one well. I use both Peli and flight cases on a daily basis and while the Peli cases have their place they are over specified and over weight for carrying a simple rifle/scope setup on a plane. Musicians are travelling around the world every day with delicate gear in flight cases, plus the gear is loaded in and out day in and day out, and the flight cases do the job just fine.

You can get one made to your exact requirements plus it should be possible to design it to be lightweight. I had one built by a friend who is in that business and the requirement was that the rifle, scope, bipod, sling and case should come under the 12kg that Easyjet allow you when you book a firearm. He designed and built a case for me that comes in just under the 12kg when loaded up and you can jump on it with no ill effects to the case or gear inside.

Going the custom route will not be inexpensive but you will get exactly what you want, you will get something suited to the task and you will save on the excess baggage charges.
 
If you plan to fly to the USA, FAA regulations require a metal framed case so a Peli does not conform. For European travel you are OK with plastic.
 
If you plan to fly to the USA, FAA regulations require a metal framed case so a Peli does not conform. For European travel you are OK with plastic.

They certainly don't enforce this - we travel to and from the US with firearms in Pelicases and Tuffpacks all of the time, plus we have US clients that do the same. The only thing that is enforced when flying in or out of the USa is the use of TSA compliant locks - use anything else and it gets cut off with boltcroppers and dropped into the case with a note. For that reason, I tend to put stuff like bino's in my hand luggage on those trips, rather than in the Pelicase as usual.

Despite the weight, I use a Pelicase when flying with firearms and wouldn't trust my rifles in anything that was of lesser strength and build quality. I have seen the results on enthusiastic baggage handlers on cheaper cases, including ABS plastic cases and aluminium shelled cases, where cases have had to be bound up with gaffer tape for the return journey or looking like they've been run over by a JCB :eek:.

​I do use an aluminium lockable Americase for ammunition though, to comply with CAA / FAA regulations requiring ammunition to be transported in a separate case to the firearms - I have one that takes two Plano 50 rounds ammunition boxes and another that takes one box and my 10-round belt clip.
 
I stand corrected gentlemen - the advice I obtained two years ago was a metal-framed case for travelling trans-Atlantic to the USA so I duly bought one (shop damaged half price for £60, but nothing like the superficial damage sustained on its first trip).
I cannot remember where the advice came from, it may have been the particular airline I travelled with at the time.
 
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