Travel with a hunting rifle

A

ArcherAndShooter

New member
My brother and I are getting set for a trip to Wyoming for an elk hunt, :D and we have a question.

Apart from following airline and TSA rules, how is the best way to safely travel with a rifle, that will minimize damage and re-sighting on arrival?

Rules? Tips? Lessons learned the hard way? :eek:

Thanks.
 
Buy a good hard-sided case for the gun and another for the bow (if you are planning on taking it). Most of the plastic cases won't protect your rifle as well as an aluminum case.
Buy a lockable ammo case since you are supposed to keep ammo and guns separate. Don't try to ship ammo in your luggage or the gun case. The TSA guys have very little sense of humor about that.
And when you get there, sight in before you get to where you are hunting. Nothing moves the animals to the next valley like some idiot shooting for half an hour or more in the next camp.
 
I agree about getting a good hard side case, but some of the options out there in plastics are just as good as the aluminum cases. If you buy a good quality case that has a good dense foam lining you will do all right. I like pelican cases or something of similar manufacture. They are only slightly lighter than aluminum but they don't get dinged up as badly when they are handled roughly. I've seen how some of the baggage handlers at airports treat luggage, and it isn't a pretty sight.

Always take time to confirm zero when you travel with weapons it will save you a lot of heart ache in the field. I also like to recommend that the rifle you take hunting is of a common caliber like .308, 30-06, .270, .300 Win Mag, or 7mm Rem Mag this will come in handy if the airline looses your ammo. You can go down to the local store and pick up some ammo go sight in your rifle and have a great hunt if your ammo is lost. Being able to buy ammo can save you from having to pay for an extra piece of checked luggage if you decide not to bring ammo with you.
 
As far as hard sided cases you can't go wrong with a Pelican 1750 case. This is mil-spec and used by our armed forces. It is waterproof, air tight and has wheels to roll around on. It is large enough to hold 2 scoped rifles securely. I have even stood on top of mine with no problems and I weigh 225. The pelican case is approved by the TSA for transporting firearms and I higly recommend getting a couple of the Pelican locks as well (they now make TSA approved locks).

As far as a bow case get a hard sided case, Cabelas and basspro have a good assortment. If traveling via plane definately go with an aluminum case. Make sure to get travelers insurance that covers the firearms, equipment (not all insurance includes this).

For ammo, I would also recommend a pelican case, they offer many different sizes and prices run the gammut from cheap to expensive.

Make sure if traveling by plane to check all rules and regs with the airline and airports before purchasing tickets and before traveling. If driving make sure to check all the regs for all the states you are traveling through. Since you are from texas and will be heading north west you won't have to worry too much, but if you ever happen to go through New York or New Jersey make sure to never get pulled over with a firearm. I have heard and read about many horror stories of people getting their weapons confiscated because the gun was not allowed in the are they were driving through. Check the BATF site for links to all the states and any paperwork that may need to be approved by the states before going through.

Best of luck and let us know how the hunt and travel experiences turned out.
 
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