I have been postponing buying a new rifle�s case for too long! My old case came back from my last safari (Namibia) is such a bad shape that I couldn�t consider taking it to another one.

After all that has been written about rifle's cases on this forum, I decided to contact Mims Reed about Tuffpak.
I got an immediate answer from him saying how happy he would be in selling me the case but that, as the freight costs to Portugal would be enormous, I should better try to find some one going to the USA that could bring it as luggage.
I call this being an honest dealer!

I couldn�t find any friend going to the USA right now, and with my next hunting trip coming in about a month, I decided to check on the Pelican case (some of the AR members seem to find it a very good choice).
On Pelican�s Internet site I found out that there is a Pelican office in Spain and after calling them I was informed that there was an agent in Portugal!
Yesterday, after calling the agent (who also has his own Internet site), I placed my order for a Pelican 1750 Travel Vault case!

And, less than 24 hours later, I have already received my rifle's case! This is really good service!
They even sent me the case before I paid for it! I had to run and make a money transfer, as they deserve no less!

B.Martins

I am glad to hear that you received such great service. The Pelican will serve you well.

I too have been putting off getting a gun case. I also have come down to between the Tuffpak and the Pelican. I can see the advantage and disadvantages of both. I'm curious to know what your guys' experiences are when you have to open the tuffpak to show the airport personal your rifles? Doesn't that create sort of a hassle?

Sevens

The airport guys do not seem to mind a tuffpak.



If you are looking at Pelican, you might also consider a Starlight case. They are like a Pelican, but heavier duty in some respects (better handles).

Thanks for the kind words. Most appreciated.
Wish we could have found a way to get you a Tuffpak however I used a Pelican case on my first safari and it worked like a charm. The airport gorilla did manage to knock off one of the bumpers on one corner during the trip but there was no damage to the double rifle in there.
The case should be almost bomb proof but...the one I had then (double rifle) did not have wheels and whew...I got my daily exercise hauling that thing around the airports. That was 1992 and I was a wee bit trimmer in the waist line then.
Good hunting and better tomorrows!

Sevens,

I have traveled to Africa twice with my Tuffpak, once in 2001 and again this year. When I purchased mine, the Tuffsak was not in production yet. I found that Samsonite makes what ammounts to large zip-lock packing bags. You can purchase them at Walmart, Target, etc. It is unreal how much space is saved when you compress these bags and get the air out. The plastic bag also slides easily down the side of the Tuffpak. I always pack a set of Stoney Point telescoping shooting sticks. Whether I use them or not, they are light, take up little space and work as an excellant ram-rod to assist in packing the case. I always place a coat or something like that on the bottom to rest the muzzle on. I then place the rifle/rifles in their soft cases and pack around them, shoes, boots, cleaning kits etc. can be placed on top. Since my first safari was pre-911, we had no problems. This year my wife and I each took a Tuffpak and had to empty them at our home airport in Omaha, NE and in Atlanta. With the packing bags it was no problem at all, and I repacked both bags in five minutes or less. T.S.A. placed a pressure seal over the lock, and we were off. All in all, my experience with the Tuffpak has been great. There have been some concerns expressed lately about the lock system, and T.S.A. destroying the case to get it open. I like the lock. Maybe I will change my mind when I here one case of this happening, but untill then, I am 100% sold on Tuffpak!

BOWHUNR

Hi All,

Just for the heck of it I bought a Pelican 1750 rifle case today. I found out that there is a large on-line dealer around the corner from my office and I was able to go pick up a case with the foam. Do most who have these cases cut out the foam? How do you all fit your guns to the case? Do you take out the middle foam and put your gun in a thick soft gun case?

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks, PG

I put a notice in another post that I have expanded my lines of cases. Besides Tuffpak I now carry Pelican, Storm and Dosko Sport.
If I may be of service please let me know.

PG:

Your question on whether to cut out the inner layer of foam for your rifles is quite interesting in the timing. A friend and I just got back from a buffalo hunt in Australia. We both took Browning 2-rifle cases (made by Pelican). I made cutouts for rifles in mine. The foam cuts easily if you have an electric knife. I actually carried only one rifle and put a fishing rod in the other cut out. My friend had a new case and was running short of time, so he just put his rifles inside in soft cases without making cut outs. My rifle arrived in perfect condition. His case was apparently dropped hard, because several chips were broken from the outside. He had a Ruger M77 in .416 Rigby with an old Leupold 3X and a Merkel double rifle in .470. The Ruger appeared to have slid inside and slammed against the inside of the case, and the eyepiece was totally broken off the 3X Leupold. The Merkel was undamaged. Based on this, I would definitely recommend making cutouts for your rifles in the middle layer of foam. We got into Darwin about 2:30 on Saturday afternoon, and were able to find a Leupold 4X at a store only 2 blocks from the hotel just before the stores closed. Now he is fighting with Quantas to try to get reimbursed for the broken scope.

Dale

Dale,

Thanks for the info. I just walked in from the garage. I took out the middle foam and put a cheap rifle in a thick soft case. I closed the case, which was quite difficult, and then dropped the case to see if there would be movement.

I had the rifle on one side and after the drop it had slid to the other side. Not a good thing.

Take care, PG

PG:

My friend had all 3 layers of foam in the case, and the rifle still slid. It is definitely worth the time to make the cut outs.

Dale

PG,

Lynn and I traveled to Africa in '02 for our hunt. We ended up choosing the Starlite case. It also comes with the uncut layers of foam with instructions to cut to size to fit the gun to be carried. Since there were two of us traveling, we seemed to have plenty to take along. We removed the foam from the case, put the rifle in a soft case and then filled the Starlite with clothing, boots, and whatever else. It worked out great. The case was filled completely with packed, but supportive and relatively soft contents. Everything made the round trip perfectly. We obtained the same utilitarian values that Tuffpak users relate in their packing practices and we had the soft case to use daily in the field. My belief is that the gun must be fully supported, from all angles and directions, with material that can give if needed. The gun must not be allowed to take a "running start" inside of the case before it hits the internal edges of the case. Likewise, under compression, there must be some ability for the supportive material to give, hence the mfg.'s provide the foam and give instructions for use.

Good Luck,

Marv

I tried most of them and some worked and some didn't...

My Tuff Case just made its 17th trip to Africa and still looks like new, but must have been a salesmans sample as it has a few abrasions on it!! I will never own another case...thanks Mims!

Thanks one and all for the feedback. I just bought a Kalispel rifle case with the wheels. That makes two cases I bought today. I think the Kalispel is the winner. I was inspecting my SKB travel case last night when I obseved that the hinges were broken.

My artistic abilities to cut out the foam is not to be trusted , I didn't like the handles on the Pelican, it was heavy and it wouldn't stand up. Hence, I can see it sliding around on the floor in the airport. The Kalispel seems to be my answer.

Anyone want to buy a new Pelican 1750 case with the foam?

Regards, PG

The only real "problem" with the Pelican and/or Starlight case is that thety are very heavy even when empty. That extra 20 lbs can make a difference on some charter/bush planes.

Whatever you get, the foam cutout is the best way to go. I cut out my doskocil, and my brother did not. When we checked our sights mine were fine and his were off horizontally. His rifle had taken a "set" or bow because he'd a) not cut out the foam, and b) not removed the bolt. The gun went back to it's former zero after about three days of hunting -- not the time when you want your zero moving!

Don,

Not sure about Pelican, but Starlight actually seem to be one of the lightest cases around.

On their site http://www.starlightcases.com/

They list case SC-061352 as being 6"D x 13"W x 52"L (internal measurements)and having a weight of 14.7lbs.

It does not say if thats a single or double gun case, but SBK list a similar size case as holding two rifles "bunk bed style"

Regards,

Pete

I cut the foam in my pelican. I have purchased a few rifles from the CMP and used the eggcrate foam from their packaging to make cutouts for other guns. I took 2 pieces of the eggcrate foam from the cmp, glued them together with spray adhesive and cut to fit. I traced the guns and made the cuts with an exacto knife.