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Ladies and Gentlemen, Just came across this, Contico Cradle Gun Case. A bit different than the normal foam style rifle case or the Tuffpak. It has a cradle that secures the rifles. Looks like it has some room that you could use clothes, etc. to place as padding around the rifles. It is made of "structural foam" and weighs 15.2 pounds and measures 53" x 11.5" x 10". [For comparison purposes Tuffpak weighs 17 pounds; 52" x 13" x 12"].  Available at Cabelas ($119.99 + shipping] or www.bagmaster.com for $115.95 + $9.95 shipping. What do you think of the "cradle" format? Better or worse than foam style or the Tuffpak guncases? Regards, Terry  Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | ||
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I saw that as well (was looking for some cases to ship rifles to gunsmiths). My concern would be whether the rifle would stay in the cradle. In the TuffPak I used a soft case and then padding, which worked pretty well. Buy one and tell us how it works!  | |||
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It is an interesting design, but I would prefer the extra space of a Tuffpak, greater flexibility for a variety of trips that way.  Member NRA, SCI- Life #358 28+ years now! DRSS, double owner-shooter since 1983, O/U .30-06 Browning Continental set. | |||
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I wonder if you put your rifles in soft cases, would they still fit in the cradles? Doesn't appear to have as much flexibility as the Tuffpak, especially when it comes to packing other stuff. I already have a Tuffpak, so don't need another rifle case, but for the price, it looks pretty appealing. Regards, Terry Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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It is hard to tell from the picture, but to me it looks like they might not snug into the cradles if they were in soft cases. | |||
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I like the price better than the Tuff-Pacs. But, looks like it needs padlocks to secure it and it looks like there are no wheels for use on pavement. So that means lugging 30/50 lbs. Two rifles (18), case (15.5), + what ever else you can cram into it. You will still need to pack soft cases, for when you cannot use the hard case. Hog Killer IGNORE YOUR RIGHTS AND THEY'LL GO AWAY!!! ------------------------------------ We Band of Bubbas & STC Hunting Club, The Whomper Club | |||
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I have used a lot of cases over the years. I like the Tuff-Pak best of all so far. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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I'm going to the Harrisburg, PA sports show next week, I'm going to stop by Cabela's (Happens to be right on the way) and check it out. I'll see if they will let me try a cased gun in it. Terry, I like that case. I like the Tuff pack too! $$$$$$$$$  "America's Meat - - - SPAM" As always, Good Hunting!!! Widowmaker416 | |||
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Despite my egging Terry on to buy one of these new ones so he can report to us, I am in the TuffPak camp.  | |||
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What I like about the Tuff-Pak is the way it is designed. The locking mechanism is not flopping around and likely to be busted off, and the way the case opens is not stressed in handling like other cases that use latches and hinges. I have not seen anything that I think is better. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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Hogkiller, It does have wheels. According to Cabela's website, they have both the wheeled and non-wheeled versions (the non-wheeled version is $20 cheaper). Regards, Terry Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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Is the outside plastic? IMO rifles are too expensive to cheap out on a travel case. Afterall it is travelling that will most likely cause damage to your rifles. I'll keep my Tuffpak and Pelican. | |||
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Thanks for the info Terry. I will get a Tuffpak when the time comes for me to fly to a hunt/safari. I think it will hold up better to the luggage gorillas. Hog Killer IGNORE YOUR RIGHTS AND THEY'LL GO AWAY!!! ------------------------------------ We Band of Bubbas & STC Hunting Club, The Whomper Club | |||
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If you want a case for travelling a Pelican case should be all you want.If you need a case to take your rifle to the range you could get by with a 50-80 dollar case.The case pictured above does not look like a case I would trust for airline travel. | |||
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All our experiences have proven that the Tuffpak gets your rifles "there" reliably as long as it is packed well. The only thing I do not like about my Tuffpak is the awkwardness of pulling out the rifle for inspection. The TSA agents used to let us pull out the rifles then we could put them back in after they look at them. Now it seems the TSA agents want to do this themselves back behind the counters or walls where we cannot see how they pack them back. I do not trust them to pack the rifles back the way I had them. Therefore I am going to try the Contico case. One could pack the rifles in a slip case (which would be handy on safari also)then pack clothing around the rifle. I also like the padlocks as opposed to the tube lock on the Tuffpak. If the key is lost to the Tuffpak you are out of luck. If the key is lost on a padlock you cut it off and buy another one for the trip home. Thanks Terry ALLEN W. JOHNSON - DRSS Into my heart on air that kills From yon far country blows: What are those blue remembered hills, What spires, what farms are those? That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain, The happy highways where I went And cannot come again. A. E. Housman | |||
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Allen, I can't tell from the photos what kind of lock the Contico uses. I don't know if it has system where you can supply your own padlock or if one of the latches has an integral lock. [In the photo, it looks like the second latch from the left may have an integral lock]. Regards, Terry Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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I do not see the issue with how large a case is to stuff items into it other than your rifle(s). Aren't the new weight restriction on international flights cut down to 50# anyway? I mean if you have a case that weighs 15# and a rifle(s) rig that goes another 18-20 # plus some ammo @ 11# what other than some tshirts or a jcket are you going to be able to pack into that case? | |||
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Palmer, You hit the nail on the head. The TSA group can do a terrible job repacking a tuff pack. I now use thicker soft cases and always remove the bolt and scope from rifles prior to placing them in the case. Then the problem is getting enough packing material in the case to provide sufficient padding without going over the 50lbs weight limit. It can be done but definitely takes some work. ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
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I almost exclusively travel with take-down rifles these days (and thank God for that), so it is rare I need any full-size gun cases. I will say this for the Tuffpak, though. What makes it literally indestructable is the fact it does without hinges. Hinges will always be a weak point in any gun case. In this respect, I would trust my Tuffpak more than this new case. About packing and re-packing the Tuffpak, it gets a LOT easier if you add the Tuffsak to the equation. Packing inside that, makes it a breeze to slide the contents of the Tuffpak in and out. I don't know, but one might even trust Government employees with getting this right. And the Tuffsak hardly adds any weight to the final result. - mike ********************* The rifle is a noble weapon... It entices its bearer into primeval forests, into mountains and deserts untenanted by man. - Horace Kephart | |||
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It looks from the picture that there is tabs on both ends (top and bottom) between the latches where locks are attached. If you have that much to fight for, then you should be fighting. The sentiment that modern day ordinary Canadians do not need firearms for protection is pleasant but unrealistic. To discourage responsible deserving Canadians from possessing firearms for lawful self-defence and other legitimate purposes is to risk sacrificing them at the altar of political correctness." - Alberta Provincial Court Judge Demetrick    | |||
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I don't have much experience in travelling on airplanes with rifles but I don't think it is practical to carry any single heavy item that contains 4 rifles and clothes etc..I would prefer to carry 3 or 4 lighter packages.If your one item gets lost your screwed.I love carrying those medium size blue food export containers with the screw on plastic lid.You can pack bottles of wines,scopes,cameras,and other fragile things along with your clothes in an indestructible container.The air is what makes it indestructible.Those are the same containers used in canoeing or rafting whitewater.I'll swear by this combo.Put your rifles in a pelican cases and the rest of your items in the container.I also got the two containers I have for free.Just went to a ethnic food importing warehouse and asked politely even offered to pay.They work so good that even my father who doesn't agree with anything I represent likes them. | |||
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well I'll buy one and report back Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I will find out this next Wednesday. Going to see if Cabelas will let me try a gun in a soft case. "America's Meat - - - SPAM" As always, Good Hunting!!! Widowmaker416 | |||
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I fly international frequently. Most every airline has still posted a 70 lb capacity maximum for each checked bag. However several have been using 70lbs for first and business and 50lb for economy now. I think we are probably heading towards an additional fee for bags over 50 pounds even on international flights in the coming year(s). Unless of course you pay to upgrade your seating assignment. I have been a huge fan of the pelican case for a long time. But at 20-25 pounds empty it's becomes an issue with two guns. I still use an Aluminum case made by ICC that is about 2/3 that weight. This new case at 15 lbs with each gun in it's own soft case sounds pretty nice. It's also far easier to have them inspected by TSA the way it opens, and lastly using padlocks is the only way to go with a gun case in my opinion. Actually with all your luggage it's simpley the best choice. Integral locks once broken to allow a search to screw up the case forever. I simpley pack inside a spare set of opened padlocks with a memo asking them relock the case. These have now been used twice. Once in Houston, and once someplace between Joburg and Atlanta. Both times the spare locks were put back on my case. I'm good to go should they have been broken into for inspection now. I would like to see the new case in person but the description and picture look positive to me. | |||
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Similar concept Plano Air Glide I have one of the Plano's and like it. Nothing for the scope to bump into. The gun is held down by velcro straps. No real provision for a soft case though. You can stuff one in it. | |||
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metalman29 is that a one gun case or two? "America's Meat - - - SPAM" As always, Good Hunting!!! Widowmaker416 | |||
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JJHack I bought a flambeau double rifle case the other day.That is the one with the metal hinges and locks.It cost about half the price of a pelican but that is not why I bought it.I wanted something light that I can use to carry my rifle to the range.The salesman told me that I can travel with it too.Sinclair sells the same one and says it does for travel.I feel it may do but it is not 100% fullproof.If it is ever tested I am scared for the scope.If it were a Pelican I would feel no worry. | |||
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I looked at these at the DSC show and like the concept. I have a Tuffpak and love it, but if I am just flying back to Texas for a few days at my hunting lease it is a pain in the butt to have to unpack and repack it at the check in counter, even with the Tuffsack. I may buy one of these for my single rifle trips back to Texas, and use my Tuffpak for multiple rifle long duration trips. ____________________________________________ "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett. | |||
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