In need of a Rifle Case?

[Inukshuk]

I'm in search of a good rifle case for my 30-06. I'll use it 95% of the time on my atv when I go out and that's evey week-end if possible and the roads are very rough. I can do up to 6 hrs one way, so a lot of travelling.

So far I've heard of but not seen these ones "SKB, Starlight, Flambeau, Pelican. Are there any other options and if you have any experiance in this matter, please share it.

Thanks

 

[Glock119]

Inukshuk, I don't know how you ride, where you ride and the types of obstacles you may try to cross to get where you want to go. But we do a lot of HARD riding with little that we let stop us. also do you need quick acsess, front, rear or side mounting, what are you trying to protect and how much protection is needed? Doese it need to be water proof or just water resistant or maybe not at all?

There are many manufactures out there that offer good quality cases, but the case is only as good as what the manufacturer had intended it for.

For example some of the cases are just a plastic shell, if you owned a "redneck rifle" one that is beat up and thrown around then these plastic things will work as planned. These will beat up the firearm up nicely.

Then you have the better cases with fleece or felt lining. And if you were on a farm with maintained trails or a riding area where there was not a lot of hard riding then these would keep those better cared for firearms a little nicer. But still if riding hard or over lets say a really rocky terrain your rifle may show signs of ware from the rubbing and bouncing.

Then if you ride really hard or in an area that is really ruff and you have a fine rifle that you would like to keep that way you may find yourself using a combination of products like sticking your rifle in a soft case and then sticking it inside one of the hard cases. This pads it and eliminates the bouncing around inside those cases and keeps those finer rifles fine.

As I said there are many, many manufactures you have some of the better ones listed but a few more you may be interested in is Kolpin, Doskocil, Allen to go along with the others your looking at.

My advise is to think about the worst case terrain you are likely to drive in and then look for a case or a combination of products to protect your investment. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Dave King]

I have the Starlight and Pelican cases for travel.

These are heavy TOUGH cases, if you firearm gets damaged during transit in one of these the carrier's accident will be in the news. You could pull these on the ground/snow behind the 4-wheeler or snow machine if you wanted or need, they're that tough.

They're waterproof, have a vent for altitude changes so you can get the thing open.

The foam replacements are a little costly if you een need any.

Starlight cases can be found at some SAMS clubs stores for about $80 to $100 (USD) just now. These have the lesser quality foam inserts. You can call direct to Brock at Starlight and order a case with whichever foam you like, a costlier alternative but it's better outfitted.

Starlight: Phone (919) 965-8643 Fax (919) 965-9177 Toll Free (877) 782-7544 (Sometimes Brock has overruns for a good deal.)

There's a dealer in Calgary, AB (The Shooting Edge Bay 4, 510-77 Ave. SE Calgary, Alberta T2H 1C3 001-403-720-4867)

http://www.starlightcases.net/Merchant2/...gory_Code=cases


Pelican cases are about the same and should be easier to locate in Canada.

 

[Inukshuk]

Has any one heard about Mezzi cases and how are they?

http://www.mezzi.com/product.php?id=4&prodid=56

 

[sscoyote]

U might get ahold of Alan Marck out of Pueblo, CO. He'll custom make a case for u for a good deal. Marck's Sheet Metal-- 719-564-9238.

 

[Glock119]

I thought you were looking for an ATV style case and mount. If you just want an indestructible case then you should listen to Dave and go with a Pelican case.

We use the pelican cases for our scuba gear and you cannot destroy these things. You will have to build or modify some type of mounting system that you can use on the ATV but you will never have to worry about the case or its contents. Just a bit bulky for ATV use I think. There are better choices for ATV use in my opinion.

I would worry about anything metal as if you have a mishap on the ATV this could become another object to get injured from. As well as any of the metal cases I have seen would just get beet up on a machine (dented) which could cause closing problems in the future.

As I said just depends on how hard you ride and how much protection you want. As well as how much you have to carry on machine.

 

[Inukshuk]

[ QUOTE ]
I thought you were looking for an ATV style case

[/ QUOTE ]

I am but the ones I know of, my gun would not fit in them with my scope and Harris Bipod. That's why I was looking at the Flambeau double scope model 16276TL. It's a similar material and design as the Pelican but not as wide or as thick and lighter. It's not a Pelican, but so far the best option that I have found.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Glock119]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I thought you were looking for an ATV style case

[/ QUOTE ]

I am but the ones I know of, my gun would not fit in them with my scope and Harris Bipod.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Heres a thought. If you are riding up to 6 hrs or if you plan on using a bipod then quick access is probably not an issue. Kolpin makes two different style cases that will hold a rifle up to 26" and scopes to 50mm that I am sure of and as you can see your scope is not an issue with these units either. Your pod could easily be remove and reinstalled later (depending on your set up).

If I were traveling up to 6hrs one way I would want room for fuel and water cells, camping supplies and such and would not want to use such a large case on my machine. Something like a pelican case I would have to mount straight up in the back of the machine as I would not want something that large on the sides as control issues would certainly be a problem for me.

I have used one of the Kolpin units mounted on the side of the front rack facing back. I can use the entire front rack for fuel cells and water cells if needed and the unit is out of the way so controlling the unit while traversing hills is no problem.

Our cases are the transport 5 which is the hard shell and has a full length padded guncase with extra padding where the action and scope are. I think these are great as you can use just the padded guncase at camp at home or where ever, and then all you do is slide it into the hard case and now you have incredible protection for your gun.

They are rugged, water & mud no problem, and are removable to be used as a caring case and are airline approved.

This is just my opinion. I am a Licensed National ATV Safety Instructor and we spend a lot of time on our machines and on the trails. The other style cases are great if you just plan to use them for airline travel or transporting in a vehicles but these large cases would not be something that I would want on my machines.

To sum it up, any of the cases you are looking at will protect your rifle. I think either way you are going to have to compromise. If you keep the pod on then you will have to go with a large case, or if you want to stay with a small case you will have to remove pod. Its a compromise that you will have to decide. But because you said you will use it 95% of the time on your ATV which you ride hard, I think size and riding style will dictate what you will end up with. Good Luck and ride hard. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Ian M]

Living where you do, with the extreme cold weather I would stay away from the Pelican case because they crack and break in extreme cold. Starllights just dent, they do not crack and break - different polymer that handles cold differently. I like Pelicans a lot but have seen many of them with broken out corners when dropped in extreme cold.
Your best bet would be the Kolpin which mounts right to your atv - hopefully one of their sizes will accomodate your rifle.
I did an article a while back and had virtually every commercial hard gun case to use on the trips that I had planned. Bottom line, the cheap ones ALL leaked moisture and dust - that included the not so cheap aluminum cases.
Your use is probably as demanding as air travel - I would go with as much foam padding as possible, then hopefully keep the rifle in a soft case and put them both into a hard case. Not quick to get at but a rifle/scope that is shook enough to lose its zero is useless to you for hunting.
Good luck with your decision and hunting.