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flying with firearms - how i pack for matches.


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If you fly a lot with guns, tape a clear plastic pouch or ziploc bag or something to the outside of the gun case.  It's a great place to put the 'unloaded firearms' declaration tag where it won't get lost.

The extreme level of locking the case to the bag frame goes like this, but it's kind of overkill.

Bag2Lock.jpg

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If your main bag has zipper closure then I highly recommend you cable lock it to the bag or other big item in the bag. 

Airline employees know which bags have guns in them too, not just TSA. 

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  • 1 month later...
On 12/8/2016 at 11:13 PM, SlvrDragon50 said:

Huh, neat. I didn't know ammo could be placed in a box in the suitcase. Thought it had to go in the hard case too.

I put my reloads in old factory ammo boxes.  Never had a problem but a couple friends have had the usual plastic ammo boxes questioned

YMMV

 

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On 12/9/2016 at 1:13 AM, SlvrDragon50 said:

Huh, neat. I didn't know ammo could be placed in a box in the suitcase. Thought it had to go in the hard case too.

I've noticed different airports try enforcing different rules.  I think the lack of training for airlines and TSA is the biggest issue.  I had one airline try throwing my ammunition away because they thought it was illegal to fly with hollow points.  

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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Using my range bag as carry on is too risky for me.

One stray round, or chrono brass, or a primer finds it way into one of the many pockets of that bag and you might expect at least a missed flight and a long day at the airport. Bag is nicely organized. 

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22 hours ago, Wrist Shot said:

Using my range bag as carry on is too risky for me.

One stray round, or chrono brass, or a primer finds it way into one of the many pockets of that bag and you might expect at least a missed flight and a long day at the airport. Bag is nicely organized. 

 

I'll take a tiny backpack that I use for my laptop and other goofy stuff and use it as a range bag. I've come to always strip the bag down and rip everything out to avoid having something in there that is frowned upon. I recently flew with someone who used the DAA Medium range bag as his carry on and I think that might be in my near future. 

Surprisingly, when I was real green to this I got through STL TSA once with a live round and a pocket knife in my carry on about 2 years ago. Which is why I self-implemented the through backpack search before the flight. 

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Im flying for the first time with guns to Area 6 in a few weeks.  All of this is good info.  I got a new case from Patriot cases and I just ordered a new piece of rolling luggage.  I have the large DAA range bag I am hoping to use as a carry on for my clothes.  I am hoping to get my patriot case and the DAA cart in my rolling check luggage.  

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On 10/10/2016 at 11:17 AM, shred said:

If you fly a lot with guns, tape a clear plastic pouch or ziploc bag or something to the outside of the gun case.  It's a great place to put the 'unloaded firearms' declaration tag where it won't get lost.

The extreme level of locking the case to the bag frame goes like this, but it's kind of overkill.

Bag2Lock.jpg

Great idea.  I have to steal this and share it with the other guys in the club who travel and compete.  There was a ring of guys at a local airline who were arrested for stealing guns and other valuables out of luggage.  And the rest of the employees who knew what was happening but didn't participate are still employed.  Now they're smarter for the next time they decide to steal guns. 

 

Also can't trust TSA, who will cut off a TSA lock rather than unlock it with the key they're supposed to have.  Went to Area 2 and Area 1 this past month, and on both trips I had the TSA locks cut off of my suitcases.  FAIL.

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  • 4 weeks later...

How do you take reloaded ammo with you? They always ask if mine is factory and in its origional box. I'm assuming there would be lots of reloaded ammo to check of you're going to a match.

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

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2 hours ago, EddieCrispo said:

How do you take reloaded ammo with you? They always ask if mine is factory and in its origional box. I'm assuming there would be lots of reloaded ammo to check of you're going to a match.

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
 

 

The reg doesn't say factory.  

 

8) Small arms ammunition for personal use carried by a crewmember or passenger in checked baggage only, if securely packed in boxes or other packagings specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. Ammunition clips and magazines must also be securely boxed. This paragraph does not apply to persons traveling under the provisions of 49 CFR 1544.219.

 

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=0e643a4dc787c2bebb8e96698e046b29&mc=true&n=pt49.2.175&r=PART&ty=HTML - se49.2.175_110#se49.2.175_110

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The reg doesn't say factory.  
 
8) Small arms ammunition for personal use carried by a crewmember or passenger in checked baggage only, if securely packed in boxes or other packagings specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. Ammunition clips and magazines must also be securely boxed. This paragraph does not apply to persons traveling under the provisions of 49 CFR 1544.219.
 
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=0e643a4dc787c2bebb8e96698e046b29&mc=true&n=pt49.2.175&r=PART&ty=HTML - se49.2.175_110#se49.2.175_110

What do they consider "a small amount"?

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

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