Air Travel w/Firearm - Case/Lock Recommendations?

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snailman153624
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Air Travel w/Firearm - Case/Lock Recommendations?

Post by snailman153624 »

From what I've read, the TSA rules are as follows:
-Must be declared at check-in
-Must be unloaded
-Must be in a hard-sided locked case that can't be easily pried open by hand
-Locks should NOT be TSA-approved luggage locks (only you should have the key)
-Must be checked baggage; can go alone, or inside another checked bag

The confusing part is ammo...does it have to be in a hard-sided case? Is having it in a cardboard box it came in enough? I realize it can be packed in the same case, but that's not always practical, as ammo boxes tend to be much bulkier than a pistol such as the P64.

Similarly, what case(s) do you all recommend/suggest? Can they have built-in locks, or do they have to be separate? Are combination locks OK, or does it have to be keyed?
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Re: Air Travel w/Firearm - Case/Lock Recommendations?

Post by Wiki »

The best thing to do is to call your airline with these questions. Each airline has their own differences.
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Weasel640
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Re: Air Travel w/Firearm - Case/Lock Recommendations?

Post by Weasel640 »

+1 on calling the airline. Each airline is different, each airport is different as well. Don't just check with your airport but contact the one on the other end as well.

As far as the box/locks go you really don't want anything flimsy. Most of the combo locks I've seen just looked flimsy on flimsy boxes. I prefer nice hard Pelican/Storm type boxes with pad locks. The ammo will normally fit in that type as well. Normally they want the ammo to be in the manufacturers original box/packaging or in a hard plastic box made for ammo. The key is no loose ammo, and no magazines loaded. Each airline is different on weather you can have the ammo with or separated from the firearm.
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Joker31
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Re: Air Travel w/Firearm - Case/Lock Recommendations?

Post by Joker31 »

I travel a lot both armed on plane and unarmed as a Civilian. The Hard case can contain your ammo but it needs to be fully encased in either the Cardboard box or a ammo box for reloads (Each round has its own compartment) a Magazine is not approved ammo storage, even a Pmag with a lid. (Argued that one before I dumped 80 rounds of Hornady TAP) The Locks I use are TSA Locks but I have been told both ways by TSA so I keep both kinds in my bag. I removed my Optics and carried them on... dont trust TSA with a Mark 4LRT and a PVS14, so I use a Larue mount now on all but one of my rifles, it has an Alamo 4 Star. My SBR and Suppressor Paperwork travel in the case and a copy on my person. except my Duty weapon which I only carried a set in the case, Badge and Creds were enough for the paperwork on my person because I carry an Authorization from my commander to travel with Govt Property.
snailman153624
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Re: Air Travel w/Firearm - Case/Lock Recommendations?

Post by snailman153624 »

Just saw there were some new replies, and I wanted to post back.

I bought a yellow Pelican Storm case (I believe it's this model...I'd have to go and check to be sure, as it's been over a year...http://www.pelicancases.com/iM2050-p/im2050.htm) that has worked wonderfully. Ample room for the pistol, a spare mag, and two 50 round boxes. I didn't even bother plucking out the foam, it just compresses around whatever I put in there. It's water tight but pressure vented. It was around $50 at Scheel's, and apparently you can run it over with a dump truck without crushing it.

I've traveled quite a bit, and every airport and every airline seem to treat it differently, though. Some yell at you if you check your bag via the kiosk then tell them, others yell at you and say you still need to check-in with the kiosk first. Some airports have someone walk your bag (with you) over to a special TSA booth where they inspect the outside. Some airline employees have asked me to open the box, I even had one ask me to show them the chamber was clear and eject the mag to confirm it was empty (he actually seemed like he was just trying to help me avoid any trouble with TSA, not hassle me). They all make you sign some sort of disclosure form that it's unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container, with the ammo cartridges separated. The case has slots for two padlocks; I use two keyed locks that are the non-TSA variety, in accordance with my interpretation (and thus far, the airlines' and TSA's) of the regulations.

I do wish the airline employees were a bit more discrete (I don't like to advertise, especially when it's not that hard to steal a bag off the luggage carousel), but at the same time I think it's educational to other passengers in line that owning a firearm is a freedom exercised by many, the vast majority of which are sane and ordinary people (not just "the bad guys" you hear about in the news).

Sometimes I pause before posting stuff like this online, for fear that it might be used against me someday (i.e. when the lefties try mass confiscation), but then I realized hiding too much in the shadows just creates a negative stigma. To me it's just another tool which I use to help guarantee mine and my family's safety, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. A big part of the anti-gun agenda is to try and force it into obscurity, and I'm not about to be a party to that.

I've also wondered if handling ammo right before getting swabbed would cause me some sort of grief, so far it hasn't.
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