I'm getting ready to head to Namibia Friday morning...

Was just reading an article by Boddington in G&A, where he says he always removes the bolt from rifles when he travels, to reduce chances for stock breakage, etc. Does anyone else do this? I'm packing in a Tuff-Pak...

Just wondering what others do/don't do, and where they stick the bolt if they do remove them.

I always remove the bolt and wrap it up in a piece of old toweling or a heavy hunting sock. Then I just place it in the gun case along side the rifle.

TEX,

I do about the same as Mike does. It is just one less thing to have pressure against. I doubt that this is a problem, but I'm not going to find out.

I too use a TUFF-PAK and have my rifles in a KOLPIN Rhino Rib case. Great way to go!

I'm sure that you know this, but mark your bolts if you have two of the same model rifles and the bolts will close in both.

Sam

I remove the bolts from my rifles when traveling.



I don't use a Tuff-Pak but got in the habit because my first gun case (Americase) didn't have enough space to accomodate the bolts on the rifle. There was a separate compartment to put them. I wrapped a hand towel around them to prevent them from banging into each other. With my current gun case (Zeigel) I still remove the bolts and place the bolts in the aforesaid hand towel underneath the rifle.



Wherever you put your bolts DO NOT put them in your carry on. Even before 9/11 this was somewhat of a no-no.

T.Texan,

I have had Airline personel ask me to remove the bolt on a couple occasions. I also had one try to get me to take the action out of the stock, which I refused to do!!! I think it just helps smooth the check in procedure a bit and it isn't that much trouble to do.

Hawkeye47

I also would take out the bolt as a heavy sideways blow on the case could cause a problem with the bolt inplace. I once shipped off a scoped gun in a standard plastic case with the egg carton cushion and the bolt laying along side the rifle instead of inplace. I couldn't find a box that came close to fitting the case so the Fed-ex lady and I wrapped the case up in a plastic Fed-ex bag and taped the whole thing up tight like a mummy and I'm glad we did. The gun got to the smith in good shape but apparently some Fed-ex gorilla easily recognizing what it was must have purposely bounced the case off the parking lot surface because one corner of the case was crushed inward a bit and that took a very hard blow to do that. The heavy taping probably kept the case from bulging out enough for the gun to slip in it. The smith shipped the gun and case back inside an unmarked box that fit it perfectly and used UPS. However, he left the bolt inplace.

I remove the bolt. The reasons have been pretty well explained above. Plus, it helps to ensure that the rifle is unloaded. Never can be too careful.

-Bob F.

I thought the requirement is the bolt must be removed (if it can be). I always put it in a rolled up pair of socks so it doesn't bang into anything. Then the twits get excited and wonder what I am hiding in the sock.

Keep it WITH the rifle that way when they loose the case you loose both together. Putting your bolt in another bag, examine if you lost that and turned up to Africa with a rifle and no bolt. What a goose you would look! .