Review - Jeff's Outfitters Ultimate Compact Gun Case
By David C. Owens © May 2010

Item: The Ultimate Compact Gun Case
Size: 12/16ga up to 28"
Material: Canvas & Leather
Model: #C/LCAS1030.2
Price: $189.95 plus shipping
Sold by: Jeff's Outfitters

Rifle to be held by case:

B. Searcy Field Grade Side by Side Double Rifle
.450 Nitro Express x 3 1/4"
26" Barrels
Express Sights, no scope or mounts
Splinter Forend
Left-Handed stock with cast-on.


This case is shown in the Jeff's Outfitters catalog housing a side by side shotgun. Jeff told me that a number of his customers have used it for their side by side double rifles as well.

The case lives up to its name in that is certainly compact. It measures 31" x 8 1/4" x 3 1/2" and is about half the weight of the canvas and leather case that came with my Kodiak MKIV double rifle 20 years ago. There are leather caps sewn on all corners although there are no feet on the bottom of the case. I may add some later. The case is held closed by a combination of a metal latch with a combination lock and two leather wraparound straps.





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Top and bottom of case


The leather straps are not sewn to the case, but are held in place by four "loops" sewn on the case. I would have preferred two latches to the one used on this case. Opening the case reveals a familiar green felt interior.

Inside, there is a section for the barrel (barrels/ribs/sights) assembly with forend attached. Since it was designed for a side by side shotgun, the rifle sights do project up into the covering of the padded lid. Jeff had suggested that a leather patch or something else might be used to prevent tearing of the felt over time.

Underneath the barrels, there is space for storing things such as cleaning rods.




Sights dent felt on lid

Another section holds the buttstock and receiver. They are positioned upside down compared to most cases. I liked this feature since my rifle has a left-handed stock with the cheeckpiece on the right side of the stock. It seems that makers show the best side of the wood on the cheeckpiece side, so it looks nicer in the case with the cheeckpiece facing up. The toe of the stock tucks into a recess under the barrels and the gripcap fits into a divot for a secure fit. A short leather strap and a brass buckle hold things in place and there is a piece of leather to protect the gun from the buckle. There is a felt covered piece to take up excess space between the recoil pad and the inside of this compartment. Since the leather strap holds the gun well, you might be able to forego the use of this extra piece and use it to stash something in the space.



Buttstock and barrel spacers


Also included are a matching piece of extra felt for customizing and a matching felt covered piece of wood that you can cut to fit to match your barrel length to the case if they are less than 28" long. That piece will fit into a channel at the muzzle end of the barrels.



Extras for customizing and fitting

There are storage cavities for 12 gauge snap caps, a small oil bottle or grease tin, and a another open space for other small things, but too small for a five pack of Kynoch .450 Nitro Express x 3 1/4" shells.



Kynoch five pack of .450 NE shells are too large for storage compartment

Overall, the case is a moderately priced, nice looking item for light duty use. Jeff sells a canvas cover for this case to reduce wear and tear on the exterior. For road travel, such as going to the range, the case is fine. For airline use, I have a Hardigg Storm case. The Storm case is heavy and bulky. It even has wheels. It can stand up to the "airline gorillas". Most of the time, the Jeff's Outfitters Ultimate Compact Gun Case is fine and much more convenient. The case is also nice for display. Just be careful to prevent admirers from drooling on your double rifle. I think you'll like it.

Dave:

Not sure why you went with the compact case versus the double rifle case? I assume it was because you wanted the smallest possible case? I want a nice case for my new Searcy double also just not sure which one is best. I'll try and give Jeff a call myself I just wanted to know what your thoughts were.

Thanks

Brad

Thanks for the review. What is your opinion of the usefulness of the external straps? I have always found them annoying as they catch on things!
Peter.

quote:

Another section holds the buttstock and receiver. They are positioned upside down compared to most cases. I liked this feature since my rifle has a left-handed stock with the cheeckpiece on the right side of the stock. It seems that makers show the best side of the wood on the cheeckpiece side, so it looks nicer in the case with the cheeckpiece facing up.

Brad,

The regular double rifle case is fine if you have a right handed gun. I wanted the upside down feature to show the right hand of the stock. The compactness of the case wasn't the deciding factor.

Peter,

With only one latch, you certainly need the straps. The straps are there to keep the case closed in case the latch or latches pop open during use. If you have the canvas cover that Jeff offers, the straps can't catch on anything. The case for my Kodiak MKIV double rifle has two latches and straps. In 20 years, the straps haven't been a problem for me. Of course, a method other than straps could be used. The leather straps are secure and traditional on these types of cases and I simply like them.

To make the 12ga snap cap holders work, you can fit wood fillers center drilled to accomodate your A-Zoom snap caps. Use some of the extra green felt to make them blend.

The A-Zooms are too long out of the package, but your can cut and buff them to make shorter, functional snap caps that fit within the new holders and clear the case lid.

JPK

JPK makes a good point.

Got one of Jeffs cases for my DR yesterday.
Made some adjustments with the extra felt and some blocks and modified some of the blocks. It came out PERFECT! For the price it was a good buy and is a nice looking case. A DR desefrves a good case and adds to the value of the gun.

I don't know how the buttstock and barrel spacers photo was changed to another pic of extras for customizing and fitting. Hopefully it will stay now.

Sorry about that.