View Full Version : Pelican Cases Questions
Hello,
I just ordered a 1720 Pelican case for my Colt MT6400c, scope, accessories and 2 handguns, as it seems everyone favors these cases and I wanted a rugged hard case to protect my expensive investments. It seems the price dropped to 185 bucks so i pulled the trigger.
I was wondering 2 things:
1) I've heard various things on storing guns in these cases in terms of moisture and if its the best place to store guns in general. Is it safe to store guns in these cases? Whats the deal?
2) I've found a few things by searching, but if anyone has any recommendations on how I should go about cutting and fitting the foam, any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
I have several Pelican cases: (2) 1750s that each house a Remington 700 in .308 (1 LTR and 1 SPS AAC SD); (3) 1720s for ARs.
I have never had a problem with moisture or rust or any of those things when i store them. I would suggest when you get ready to store them if you are seriously concerned about moisture make a cut out for a pack of dessicant and put one in each case.
I used a hot wire to cut mine. I took a few posters and used them as templates for the weapons and when i cut the foam I cut the foam slightly to the inside of the template to insure a tighter fit.
FYI: When cutting the templates and the foam, patience and a sharp pair or scissors and an x-acto knife go a long way...
I've never had a problem with moisture in any of my 1700's or 1720's. Thats not to say that you couldn't get moisture in there, I've just never experianced any problems. Like N2Wish said, if you're worried about it, toss a dry pack in there to help.
As far as cutting the foam, just like the instructions say, use a piece of chalk to outline what ever it is, then use a retactable X-acto knife and a ruler to cut just inside of your lines. Chalk will wipe off when you're done. Sharpie and other pens will not. Or you can get a hotwire cutter for cheap from your local craft store. Just take your time.
Rattlehead
03-28-11, 10:11
2) I've found a few things by searching, but if anyone has any recommendations on how I should go about cutting and fitting the foam, any help is greatly appreciated!
I used an old Colt Steel knife to cut mine, it took me a couple hours for all the cutouts. I actually ended up buying a huge piece of white paper and tracing over everything that was going in the case, and then laying that over the foam and cutting through.
I've heard that using a hot wire is great as well.
Thanks for the replies. What is the benefit of cutting out paper first then placing on foam... as opposed to just using chalk. This equates to cutting twice as opposed to once.
Good to hear that i don't really need to worry about moisture.
Rattlehead
03-28-11, 10:35
Thanks for the replies. What is the benefit of cutting out paper first then placing on foam... as opposed to just using chalk. This equates to cutting twice as opposed to once.
Good to hear that i don't really need to worry about moisture.
Really no benefit, I didn't have any chalk, and I live an hour away from the nearest store.
Xacto knife worked great for me as well. I tried a hot wire first, but I just couldn't seem to manipulate it as... gracefully. Take your time and check fit often.
The standard foam in Pelican/Storm cases can rust parts. We build a lot of tool kits in my line of work, and we do see the pick-n-pluck and standard foam inlays have trouble rusting parts on occasion. If you are just storing the kit at home in a dry, climate controlled place, I doubt you would have trouble (at least for a very long time).
Closed-cell foam is really cool stuff, but it is expensive - $300-400 is not at all uncommon for even medium cases. For most people that have to write their own checks for this sort of thing, I'm not convinced the price is worth it.
I used an old electric turkey knife. It whipped through that foam like... well, turkey!
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk.
In theory foam retains moisture, but as said before if you throw a few packs of desicant in the case you should be good to go. I also have to ask, are you planing on doing a lot of traveling? If not why spend all that money on a pelican? They are certainly outstanding for travel, but for plain old storing there are plenty better and cheaper options out there.
I don't plan on traveling, now.
However I wanted one solution to hold and PROTECT all of my gear as well as be rugged enough for anything. I only have a cheapie soft case and have already banged it a few times. I will have all of my gun stuff in one, tough lockable place. thats why i wanted the pelican. Yeah yeah... someone could break into one... but with a couple of locks on it its safe enough for in my home.
oh, and i can take it to the range :)
crusader4x
03-29-11, 01:26
1) Concur w/ good dessicant in case.
2) I bought a used Pelican case that was missing the foam so I went to a foam store that replaced AND cut the foam to my template for a hair over $30. I imagine just having a foam store cut the foam would be much cheaper. To cut the foam the store used something like a glorified electric knife with two alternately reciprocating blades.
[QUOTE=Hop;952665]I used an old electric turkey knife. It whipped through that foam like... well, turkey!QUOTE]
Yep, if your wife or mother has an electric carving knife, that is the way to go. Just take your time while marking the rifle and stuff, and then cut on the inside of the line.
I wouldn't worry about someone breaking the lock and stealing your guns at your house, so much as I'd worry about them just taking the entire case and breaking the lock on their own schedule. As easy as it is for you to travel with the case, it's that easy for someone else to travel with it as well. Just something to think about if you're worried about someone stealing your weapons.
I don't plan on traveling, now.
However I wanted one solution to hold and PROTECT all of my gear as well as be rugged enough for anything. I only have a cheapie soft case and have already banged it a few times. I will have all of my gun stuff in one, tough lockable place. thats why i wanted the pelican. Yeah yeah... someone could break into one... but with a couple of locks on it its safe enough for in my home.
oh, and i can take it to the range :)
very good points. something about stealing from someone who owns firearms that always gave me a good laugh. ballsy.
Anyone else get a pelican that doesn't travel? Maybe I just like 'em and want something durable and rugged to keep my guns extra safe while transporting and storing.
The magic brown truck brought mine to me today. I got the 1750,I usually take atleast 2 rifles with me when I shoot,and I'm kinda hard on them so it's perfect for me,along with the fact you can cut/pluck the foam.I can travel with it as well if the future calls for it. I do have a good friend in Texas that always goes bore hunting I may visit again.
There is no doubt that the Pelican case is the most durable case for protection. For normal transportation (car to range)I think its overkill. Take a look at the soft cases that are designed to fit the hard cases. You can always get the pelican if you need to fly. Otherwise you may not like the bulk and weight after a few trips to the range. I have a really nice case waiting for me when decide to take a shooting vacation.
There is no doubt that the Pelican case is the most durable case for protection. For normal transportation (car to range)I think its overkill. Take a look at the soft cases that are designed to fit the hard cases. You can always get the pelican if you need to fly. Otherwise you may not like the bulk and weight after a few trips to the range. I have a really nice case waiting for me when decide to take a shooting vacation.
This^^.
I am working on getting a Pelican hard case too, and doing the cutouts for rifle/hangun/accessories.
This was helpful: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=20957
But I also really liked the idea stated above, especially after I saw it on the Magpul DVD's. Best of both worlds- since the foam is removable, you could do both and see which works better for you. Then tell me. :D
I'm not sure if they're as effective as what some other folks use, but as far as anti-moisture packs, you don't even really have to go out of your way to buy them- some sealed food products, and other things, often have moisture packets in them. Just save them, and stick one or two in with your stuff. I have been doing this for a couple years, and while I admit I usually store my gun stuff in a fairly dry place, I have never had any moisture-related problems.
When I cut the foam for a Pelican case, I traced all the outlines directly onto the foam with white chalk. I cut about half an inch inside those lines all around so everything stayed snug. I used an old electric carving knife but it wasn't work too well, so I ended up using an extremely sharp paring knife with a thin blade. I intend to build a hot wire setup to do the next Pelican case I get with the regular foam--lately I've been sticking with Pull n' Pluck foam because it's easier to keep the cut outs looking nice, in my experience.
I've never had an issue with moisture--the only moisture in the case should be what is in it when you close it. If I know I'm not going to use a particular gun for a while I oil it up good whether it's going in a Pelican case or not. I keep small desiccant packs in the same cutouts as the guns as well just to be safe--ounce of prevention versus pound of cure.
very good points. something about stealing from someone who owns firearms that always gave me a good laugh. ballsy.
Anyone else get a pelican that doesn't travel? Maybe I just like 'em and want something durable and rugged to keep my guns extra safe while transporting and storing.
I know what you mean about someone targeting a gun owner’s house, it seems crazy! But ever since becoming a police officer I can tell you every day I go into work there are BOLOs for home burglaries/ thefts of weapons. A lot of our officer’s homes have been targeted as well, just because the crook has done their homework and been patient to know when some is home or not.
I just wanted to give you this piece of advice since in my line of work I have come to see a lot of people become very complaisant with their firearms and not secure them properly. It just breaks my heart to see someone’s $10k plus gun collection end up in the wrong hands.
Pelicans are nice and look cool, but their main duty is in the traveling business, not for security/storage.
What I would do at the very least is pick a closet and at install a heavy gage door with a good couple of dead bolts. Its not completely fail-safe but it gives the crook one more barrier to get through. There are many ways out there to secure your gun investments, one can get very creative, but sticking them all in a pelican is just like handing your guns over to a criminal in a silver platter.
There is no doubt that the Pelican case is the most durable case for protection. For normal transportation (car to range)I think its overkill. Take a look at the soft cases that are designed to fit the hard cases. You can always get the pelican if you need to fly. Otherwise you may not like the bulk and weight after a few trips to the range. I have a really nice case waiting for me when decide to take a shooting vacation.
Ok, now that I actually got the case and fitted it... I see how big and heavy the thing is. I do have a soft case already, but I'm curious... they actually make a soft case insert for the 1720? If so, I might do that instead of foam.
You should be to find a soft case that will fit inside. May not be a perfect fit, but should be functional. I-Shot, Tac-Force, and Galati make 42" discrete cases that should work. Those are a the first few to come to mind. shop around and find one that has the features you want and that fits your budget. .
A couple Pelican cases arrived last night. I'm using one for my DSLR, lenses, and flash. This is why I like the pull n' pluck foam:
http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/stifled_bucket/T2i/IMG_0322.jpg
Looks pretty nice and even an idiot like me can come away with nice looking voids for my gear. Of course, my thumbs and index fingers felt like they were made of jelly by the time I was done... :cray:
If you want a soft case insert, Pelican is nice enough to provide accurate interior and exterior measurements of all their cases. All you need to do is find a case that matches somewhat closely.
Pelicans also protect your gear from more than just dings. Not only are they waterproof, they'll float. Pelican has information for how much weight each case can float. Who needs a life jacket when you can strap a 1720 to your chest?
Dessicant is a must! I don't use the foam, instead I put my weapons in a eagle soft/hard carrying case that goes into the pelican when I travel. Don't forget to get the locks for them as well because it will be very handy if you travel. If you plan on taking your rifle ont o a plane, be sure to follow the TSA rules and regs on the approved locks. http://www.masterlocktsa.com/
Coastiejohn
04-01-11, 20:17
I have the 1750 case, nice and big and heavy. I cut it for three guns with the electric turkey knife. I recently changed a few items around so i ditched the foam and use a voodoo tactical 42" padded gun case inside of the pelican. Holds my rifle, shotgun, 2 pistols, 6 ar mags, 8 pistole mags, and my cleaning kit. Whats nice is i can use the bag with or without the pelican depending what I need to do.
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