Flying with rifles

[andy t]

I am planning on attending a course to which I will, sadly, have to fly.
Per regulations I have a Starlight case. However, I am curious about the best way of transporting my rifle. Should I cut out the foam to the shape of my rifle or put the rifle in a soft Maxpedition case and then put it into the hard case?
Also, would it make sense to remove the aimpoint from the rifle and take it into carry on? I assume there should be no issues taking optics / flashlight into carry on, but would like to hear other options.

Thanks.

[SHIVAN]

I do not believe you will be able to fit the gun inside a Maxpedition case, then inside the Starlight unless you take some foam out.

We cut our cases' foam to fit the guns. We also schedule time upon arrival to get to a range and confirm zero. We've never had an issue yet.

Some people have had issues, but this is fairly typical with low end rings and mounts getting knocked around in flimsy cases, or improperly padded cases.

I always carry my binos and laser rangefinders in carry-on. Optics should not be a problem, but you should probably get one of those small Pelican cases to put it in just to be safe.

[andy t]

Shivan,

You are right, I would have to take most of the foam out if I want to put a rifle in a soft case into the hard case.
I am also concerned about attempts to pry open the case despite the locks, since at the rear, the are only pins. I am thinking of using two lockable straps that go around outside the case or am I being overly paranoid?

[SHIVAN]

Probably being overly paranoid, though we fly in to locales that are big hunting areas, so gun cases are "normal".

I suspect that a missing gun from the luggage carousel would be a pretty big deal, and I've never known of anyone personally to lose their gun in this way.

I use Master locks on my case since once it is locked, TSA is not supposed to open it again without you present.

[KUTF]

If money is an object, you may want to review the current baggage policies and fees of your air carrier.

I had to travel cross-country earlier this year. My rifle's hard-case was a triple-threat:

1) Second piece of check luggage (fee)
2) Oversized (fee)
3) Overweight (fee)

Each fee was seperate from another, compounding the issue. IIRC, it was going to cost me approx $250+ to ship the rifle EACH WAY.

I ran out, bought a slightly smaller rifle case (shaving some weight in the process), meaning I only had to pay the check-baggage fee.

Buying a new case actually "saved" me money.

Handling of your rifle case on arrival will vary. I've had to show ID to retrieve my case, and I had a guy just dump it there; when I asked if I needed to show ID, his response was less then confidence-inspiring.

[andy t]

KUTF,

Thanks for mentioning the case sizes. Upon reviewing Jet Blue's policy, they have a linear limit of 62" which sucks since my Starlight is 8" over.
I wonder if they actually measure the case at check in?
Now I'm in the market for a Pelican 1700 or its equivalent in size.

[ST911]

Most of the time, counter agents have said "close enough" when my bags/cases were near the limits.

Reminder: You can ship firearms to yourself at your destination. Sending a long gun overnight or second day saver would be cheaper than flying with it.

[KUTF]

Most of the time, counter agents have said "close enough" when my bags/cases were near the limits.


Very true. I have seen ticket agents measure bags at check-in, and didn't want to rely on their laziness or generosity.

Actually, the case I bought was technically oversized, but it was so close you'd never know just by MK-1 eye-balling it. My originally case was obviously out of spec for the baggage enforcers.

I was only willing to live a little-bit dangerously I guess. ;)

[andy t]

Just called Jet Blue. Sporting equipment is exempt from oversized baggage charge.
The 62" limit apparently applies only to regular checked in baggage.

[rjacobs]

The TSA has to inspect it before you lock it. Ask them to grab a roll of their tape and tape the seams, that way you can tell if its been tampered with.

How are you bringing your ammo? There are limits on how much ammo can be on an aircraft per the FAR's and the IATA rules since it is considered dangerous goods.

[andy t]

I will either ship ammo or buy it at destination.