Reducing Rifle Luggage Weight for Flying

[brown dog]

Thinking of a way of minimising gun weight on low cost airlines –which really means finding a way to avoid using my trusted Storm case.

 

I think the following is an idea of sheer genius.

 

But grateful if anyone could point out why it might not be!

 

Basic idea:

 

Rifle in locked Kolpin gun boot

 

Scope in normal luggage in hard PVC tube (tough enough to stand on).

 

 

Thoughts?

[1967spud]

it looks a spot on idea to me bd , jusy one thought what about a bipod or would you take that as hand luggage, mind you , you could obtain a cheap one where ever you were going .

 

can you padlock the quad gun case?

[Foxshooter]

Is the kolpin airline approved?

 

If not youre on a loser from the getgo

 

Mark

[brown dog]

Thanks, but is 'airline approved' defined or listed anywhere?

 

A marketing term methinks!

 

I've been on flights to Scotland with people handing in shotguns in decrepit leather cases!

 

Here's how easyjet define the requirement:

 

sporting/competition firearms and a maximum of 5kgs of ammunition (UN0012 or UN0014) may be carried in hold luggage with appropriate paperwork, subject to available space, if declared at check-in and securely boxed or packaged.

[Zaitsev]

Dunno why you'd bother putting that one in a case Matt. Minus scope it's damn near unbreakable anyway....

 

Just wrap it in haz tape (bio haz would be best) and ship the darn thing

 

Seriously I think it depends where your'e going. I've heard that theres a standard test for baggage handlers that involves three cannon balls. One invariably gets broken, the second is lost without trace and the third very often contracts a very nasty disease

 

If off to foreign climes then sod the weight and pay the excess.

 

All the best

 

Gareth

[Redfox]

The general opinion of frequent flyers ( with rifles) is that none of the plastic ones are any use against baggage handler attacks, only aluminium or similar cases will do. Horror tales of rifles being collected with damaged barrels hanging out of the end of the case etc. The make just escapes me at the moment but there is a light aluminium one specifically for airline travel which is fully guaranteed, as the airline will otherwise refuse any compensation ( which is where the "airline approved" creeps in), a search on the American sites should turn it up.

Redfox

The pelican plastic cases are well liked but heavy and Napier in the UK make an "approved" airline rifle case.

[TonyH]

The aluminium cases are very smart and probably tougher (if the build quality is there) but my USA-made GunGuard plastic case has worked well for me. It's got alloy reinforcement, metal hasps, full-length hinges, and has carried my rifles around the country for about thirteen years, plus two flights to N.America: it shows signs of wear & handling but no damage at all. The first time i flew with it there was a stop en route and for some reason all the luggage was taken off then reloaded - I watched the baggage apes actually throwing luggage on and off the plane!

The "gun boot" illustrated looks gimmicky to me, not so flexible as a conventional rectangular case and I see no locking mechanism; I don't use the locks on my case for flying, but fit heavy-duty cable ties instead, which cannot be picked or tampered with - they can only be cut off, which is a giveaway. And the Kolpin is rifle-shaped - I prefer something that looks more anonymous, and I dare say many people don't actually recognise a rifle case but might think it contains a trombone or something...

It's hard to see how a rifle could slide around in its case so much that the barrel could ram through the end, unless the case was extremely flimsy or the rifle was a very loose fit inside; the fitted foam in my GunGuard holds any rifle very firmly.

These things are far cheaper in the USA, with a much greater selection.

[Redfox]

"It's hard to see how a rifle could slide around in its case so much that the barrel could ram through the end,"

Well they certainly do, its basic physics actually.

Redfox

[TonyH]

"It's hard to see how a rifle could slide around in its case so much that the barrel could ram through the end,"

Well they certainly do, its basic physics actually.

Redfox

Dependent on the fit of the rifle in its case and the quality of the supporting/restraining medium, i.e. foam. Most rifles are a bit lumpy, especially scoped ones, which provides lots of grip against tight-fitting foam linings. I've never seen any indication of my rifle sliding around in its case. YMMV

TonyH