PRS Talk Looking for tips on traveling to matches

[atomic41]

I'm thinking about flying to TX for the gas gun match in Cresson in April and I'm looking for travel tips. I might drive because I have family on the way, but if I fly I need to figure some things out.

What do you guys do about ammo? Do you pack it in your rifle case?

Do you put a few TSA locks on your case or regular padlocks?

Do you try to fit everything you can in the rifle case, tools, spotting scope, etc?

Any tips on flying with your rifle and gear?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Stag556]

Drive and avoid all that nonsense!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[atomic41]

Drive and avoid all that nonsense!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, it is a 14 hour drive that will cost me more in gas than to fly and an extra two days vacation time from work. I would prefer to drive but for those reasons I'm considering flying.

 

[Rob01]

Ship ammo to match or hotel you will be staying at. Make sure to have it in boxes or cases so the unused ammo can be taken home with you.

No TSA locks ever. Always good locks. I go buy the set that are all keyed alike.

I put rifle and pistol in case and also some mags. I don't like to cut out any more foam than need be. I never bring a spotter. Waste of weight and space. Bring a set of binos.

Get et to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Be polite! No matter how much of an ass the people at airport can act like be nice. Will get farther that way. Flying with guns isn't that hard. Just follow rules.

 

[atomic41]

Thank you sir, I appreciate the tips. I did see that this range sells ammo. It looks like they reload themselves and sell. I will order some now and test it, that is a potential option.

 

[ranchodrive]

For dealing with baggage ...buy a short, clip strap (think Amazom.com) so that you can attach your long gun case handle to your regular luggage case handle.... that way you can drag both bags in unison using a single hand

 

[bogeybrown]

Lowlight had a story about a recent trip where he said only use TSA locks, and I understood his point. I've checked both pistol and rifle cases and tend to gauge things based on where I'm going, and with what. The last time I flew to TX with a huge rifle case I packed as much shit into it as I could, including 250rds of ammo. I put the biggest locks that would fit through the lops on a 1750, and had no problems.
back when I checked a handgun to Chicago and also Puerto Rico, I'd use TSA locks and expect my shit to be triple checked at every step.

I agree that driving generally wins, but sometimes it's just not feasible

 

[Rob01]

Per TSA you ARE NOT to use TSA locks on gun cases. You are supposed to be the only one with the key and once checked at check in there should be no reason for anyone to get back into the case.

 

[bogeybrown]

Right on Rob, my apologies to you and the OP for my mistake. LL must have been talking about his camera gear or something. I've just done what the nice men with guns and badges have told me to do, I guess without always realizing it wasn't necessarily "right".
again, sincere apologies

 

[Rob01]

No problem. Just didn't want the guy to show up with the wrong locks and be screwed.

 

[bogeybrown]

Exactly, hence my profuse apology.

I went back and racked my brains and whereas I know I had huge locks on my rifle case (because it IS the luggage), what I probably did was have my locks on my pistol case, but TSA locks on the luggage it was in. I was a cop at the time so I also had a badge in my pistol case so that any X-ray would show not just my gun, but the badge also.

 

[atomic41]

Breaking news:

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2017/03/daniel-zimmerman/tsa-now-zip-tying-bags-checked-firearms/

TSA is now ziptying checked bags and cases with a firearm and requiring you to pick it up at a counter rather than baggage claim.

 

[Threadcutter308]

That could potentially be good news......picking up at a specific counter may reduce the instances of theft by DHS. Lost a 30 cnt. bottle of Percocet through normal security that way....dumb mistake, my fault.

 

[atomic41]

That could potentially be good news......picking up at a specific counter may reduce the instances of theft by DHS. Lost a 30 cnt. bottle of Percocet through normal security that way....dumb mistake, my fault.

I'm thinking the same thing. This sounds good.

 

[mercracing]

I just went to the local airport Friday to ask these same questions. The TSA agent I spoke to said any locks are fine. I plan on using big master locks. They also said every spot where you can put a lock, there needs to be a lock. Ammo is 11lb max. I'm planning on flying with my rifle(scope, bipod, etc), suppressor, and Kestrel in my rifle case.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob01]

Any lock BUT TSA locks. You don't have to have a lock on every spot. I have flown with less than the 4 spots and never an issue. I wouldn't have any less than 2 on there though. This shows the problem though that TSA is not the same at every airport even though they should be. Sometimes you have to tell them their own rules and that is why i print them out and carry them with me.

 

[JM4590]

Like Rob said, ship your ammo.
Here is how it works in the God forsaken nations capital @Dulles:
Arrive with case and locks in place. DO NOT USE TSA LOCKS. Go to check in counter. The attendants are not idiots, not even here in liberal land, and they will immediately ask if you have a firearm. When you tell them yes, they will have you sign a form certifying that your weapon is unloaded which will be placed inside the case, I just remove the bolt and have it in the case separately. The airline agent will then accompany you and your rifle to the TSA baggage scan point. Once there you will give them the key to your NON TSA locks, and they will open the case, look at the weapon to see that it is indeed unloaded, lock the case and hand you back your key. You should be the ONLY person with a key to be able to open that case.
I applaud the TSA and airlines if they now require you to pick up your rifle at the counter at your destination. I returned to Dulles once and waited about 1/2 hour after my baggage came out for my rifle. Since it was an oversized item, it came out at a different point WAY the hell away from where I was with no one standing by to keep watch or to see that I was the owner of the case. Anyone could have picked it up and rolled out! And it ain't like no one knows what the hell is inside a Pelican rifle case with Nightforce / BCM / Armageddon Gear / stickers all over it.
All in all, it's amazingly simple. And I think it goes without saying, DO NOT open the freakin case anywhere in the airport other than for TSA, or you may be snackin on dirt, face down, with a dog biting you on the ass!
Good Luck In The Match!!

 

[atomic41]

Thanks for the tips guys

 

[davidwiz]

Southwest counts the firearm case as "sporting equipment" and not toward the checked bag limit. Never, ever, ever, let the key for your firearm case out of your sight, have the TSA open the case in front of you. Also, *MAKE SURE* that the TSA locks the case again before putting it on the conveyor belt!

 

[shamir]

Can you put ammo in the same case as the firearm? Or does it need to be in a separate box by itself? I get the ship it to destination advice, but my itinerary will be complicated, so that probably won't work for me.

 

[Rob01]

Can you put ammo in the same case as the firearm? Or does it need to be in a separate box by itself? I get the ship it to destination advice, but my itinerary will be complicated, so that probably won't work for me.

You can put ammo in the case but you are still bound by the 50 pound case limit and only 11 pounds of ammo. It would have to be in the same containers they state to carry ammo on planes so basically plastic boxes or original boxes. No ziplocks full of ammo.

 

[jackinfl]

I ship ammo either to the range or to the hotel I am staying at. I always verify with both that they will hold it for me. Try to use a UPS or FEDex actual office/facility. The UPS store or FEDex/kinkos are private businesses and add their profit to the actual shipping. The UPS office is just that, UPS. Try to use factory cases as they have the ORM-D small arm cartridges label printed or affixed. It just makes life easy.

Jack

 

[308pirate]

No TSA locks ever. Always good locks. I go buy the set that are all keyed alike.

I put rifle and pistol in case and also some mags. I don't like to cut out any more foam than need be. I never bring a spotter. Waste of weight and space. Bring a set of binos.

Get et to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Be polite! No matter how much of an ass the people at airport can act like be nice. Will get farther that way. Flying with guns isn't that hard. Just follow rules.

That's how I've done it too.

It works

 

[MosesTheTank]

This has been a helpful thread. Has anyone removed the foam from the hard case and just had their rifle in a drag bag, or maybe the Armageddon Gear precision rifle case? Too often I pull it out of the hard case and transfer it to a soft case of some sort, so I'm thinking of just combining them.