Rifle case suggestions HELP

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  • gtodave

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 14, 2007
    14,176
    Mt Airy
    The Harbor Freight Pelican knock-offs are actually pretty good. I have one of these and one Pelican...they both work great.
     

    jrumann59

    DILLIGAF
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 17, 2011
    14,024
    The Harbor Freight Pelican knock-offs are actually pretty good. I have one of these and one Pelican...they both work great.


    I second this. I have harbor freight one as well, i plucked the foam for my needs then sprayed it with plastikote to hold it all together. The only thing that worry me about the harbor freight ones would be extreme cold, the plastic COULD become brittle.
     

    308Scout

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 27, 2020
    6,545
    Washington County
    I am looking at buying a new case and would like your thoughts. I have a CZ457 Varmint and a Ruger 10/22 that are currently being carried in cheap soft cases. I am worried they might get damaged from sliding around or banging into something. I feel like a double hard case might be the way to go. Are the Pelican cases worth the money? Are the Eylar cases comparable to the Pelican cases? Should I keep them in separate single gun cases? I would like some help figuring this all out... Also, is the foam in these cases good or do I need to replace with better stuff? Should I custom cut for the gun? Thoughts....

    Pelicans are definitely worth the money as are a number of brands. Double or single would be based on preference. If you get a single, just get additional foam inserts to cut to fit whatever rifles you plan on using it for. I have a double case and it is indeed heavy. But I have a few different inserts cut to go with different rifle pairs that I frequently shoot together. For me the weight is a secondary consideration relative to hauling multiple cases when transporting/at the range. I also have a single case and a number of soft cases, but these get a bit less use for my purposes.
     

    Rambler

    Doing the best with the worst.
    Oct 22, 2011
    2,163
    We use Pelican cases in a variety of sizes to move heavy expensive equipment from work to in the field. From commercial shippers to airplane baggage, the amount of abuse they have taken and held up is amazing.
     

    ToolAA

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 17, 2016
    10,500
    God's Country
    I have something similar and have carried two scoped precision rifles in there with no problem. Hard cases are nice but they're heavy.
    I have a Pelican case with the foam cut out for a specific rifle and have never taken it to the range, it's heavy as sh*t. (The case)


    I made this mistake too. I got a real nice hard case, then purchased 2” kaizen foam. I spend a lot of time carefully cutting out the pattern of the rifle, scope and accessories. I may have used it once and then purchased soft cases for my shooters. Those soft cases are great because they have pockets for the gun specific accessories I may need like bipod, tools and other crap. The gun goes into the safe when I get home and all of those accessories just stay in the bag for that gun.
     

    Trepang

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 10, 2015
    3,310
    Southern Illinois
    IMHO, the good Pelicans (1750s) utility is when flying with rifles wether it be commercial airlines or bush planes. They are a little bit of overkill for going to your buddies house to shoot in his backyard or to an actual range.

    I'm not worried about me handling my cased rifles, it's other people that may handle them when you travel that worries me and that is where the added protection of a good Pelican comes into play.
     

    Neutron

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2014
    1,532
    severna park
    IMHO, the good Pelicans (1750s) utility is when flying with rifles wether it be commercial airlines or bush planes. They are a little bit of overkill for going to your buddies house to shoot in his backyard or to an actual range.

    I'm not worried about me handling my cased rifles, it's other people that may handle them when you travel that worries me and that is where the added protection of a good Pelican comes into play.

    I think Trepang hit the nail on the head. Use the hard case for travel and when others are handling you firearms, and software for going to the range.
     

    SkiPatrolDude

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 24, 2017
    3,331
    Timonium-Lutherville
    I've had good luck with Plano cases. The best prices on them I've found on B&H Photo.

    36 in - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1398738-REG/plano_pla11836_aw2_36_rifle_and.html

    42 in- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1398739-REG/plano_pla11842_aw2_42_rifle_and.html

    52 in with wheels - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1398740-REG/plano_pla11852_aw2_52_double_scoped.html

    This is a "pick and pluck" style case that I use for one of my SPR builds (The 36 in model). It's not as heavy nor expensive as a pelican, and likely not as water proof, but it's plenty durable for me and I'd feel comfortable flying with it.
     

    Jamphan

    Member
    Feb 28, 2020
    1
    As others have said, and I agree, Pelican makes great hard cases. For me though, buying hard cases for all the guns I like to take to the range would be very expensive and not necessary. I only use a hard case if others are handling (I.e. flying). That said, I recently did some research on soft cases and landed on the Evolution Outdoor Marksman for my “precision” / scoped rifles. I initially bought 1 to see if I liked it, and then bought another 3 or 4 because I loved it.
     

    El_flasko

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    Nov 16, 2008
    7,298
    Abingdon, MD
    Following this thread. I was looking at Pelican for my new 308 but it seems a bit of overkill for a range gun I'll likely never travel with to cause it real potential harm. Savior series is interesting, going to have to read up on them.:thumbsup:
     

    85MikeTPI

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 19, 2014
    2,699
    Ceciltucky
    Yes, pelicans are worth it.

    Yes they are heavy.

    Still haven't found a reason to not use them. (buy Pelican classic though. The vault series is junk)


    As far as custom cutting foam: nah. I usually replace the foam on the non-lid side with a memory foam mattress topper. Contents stay put, but I don't have to change foam or cases depending on what I'm taking to the range.

    What about the Vault Series makes them junk?

    I have two vaults as upgrades over plano's, so it's hard for me to describe the vaults as junk....

    I have to pack my rifles along with supplies for a 3hr trip one-way every month, so the hard cases offer extra protection if the load shifts..
     

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