I'm driving to Prairie Dog out fitter in Acton MT from Reno NV , no sweat. Out fitter wants us to arrive by 9:00 PM night before . My buddy is flying from Boise ID 11:35 AM to Billings . But 1st has to fly to Seattle change planes ,fly to Portland change planes and then fly to Billings MT scheduled to land at 6:14PM . His guns have to follow him. What are the odds of everything happening on schedule ?
Airports and rifles
- Thread starter Ironworker
- Start date
effendude
Gold $$ Contributor
Maybe I have been lucky, but I have never had an issue with flying with rifles. I have flown about 26 flights with hunting rifles, some with many transfers, and I have always had my rifles arrive safely. This includes 4 flights overseas.
A couple observations:
Just because the rifle case says it is airline approved doesn't mean the case is baggage handler proof. Buy the toughest case you can find.
Be ready to pay additional fees because your well built rifle case will often put you over the weight limit, even with a single rifle inside.
I don't trust those flimsy TSA approved locks. I have 2 Master padlocks on each case, and carry spare keys everywhere.
I hustle to the baggage claim at my final destination so I must wait for the bags at security. I might be paranoid, but an unwatched rifle case is an invitation.
Scott
A couple observations:
Just because the rifle case says it is airline approved doesn't mean the case is baggage handler proof. Buy the toughest case you can find.
Be ready to pay additional fees because your well built rifle case will often put you over the weight limit, even with a single rifle inside.
I don't trust those flimsy TSA approved locks. I have 2 Master padlocks on each case, and carry spare keys everywhere.
I hustle to the baggage claim at my final destination so I must wait for the bags at security. I might be paranoid, but an unwatched rifle case is an invitation.
Scott
He could ship the firearms, not the ammunition, directly to the outfitter.
Ammo, in my experience, has to go UPS ground.
There is a new HazMat label that covers ORM-D/ammunition but does not require labeling indicating specific contents.
This comes in handy when a local UPS store wants to be a bunch of nancy's about shipping anything firearms related.
Pay online, print a label, box it up and drop it off.
Ammo, in my experience, has to go UPS ground.
There is a new HazMat label that covers ORM-D/ammunition but does not require labeling indicating specific contents.
This comes in handy when a local UPS store wants to be a bunch of nancy's about shipping anything firearms related.
Pay online, print a label, box it up and drop it off.
effendude
Gold $$ Contributor
TSA won't allow you to carry your rifle scope or any other gun parts with you in your carry-on luggage. Ridiculous, but it is consider a weapon, or part of. I had a buddy do that coming back from Mexico. We had both rifles in one giant hard case. It was over the weight limit and in an attempt to save a few bucks, we removed scopes, bolts, slings, etc. I put my scope and rifle bolt in my checked luggage. He put his in his carry-on. Phoenix TSA didn't see his logic and the incident caused quite a hub-bub. He missed his flight home as a result.
Scott
Scott
Based on what I have read, been told, and experienced myself...
In advance of your flight, check the airlines website for their policy and print it out. If you have any questions send an email for clarification and print that out. Print extra copies to give out if needed.
Some/many airlines allow for one over sized and/or over weight piece of sporting equipment at no extra charge other than the standard extra bag fee. You must know if this is correct and be able to prove it to a clerk that wants to charge you an overage. Keep copies of your receipts for the extra bag payments - they can be helpful on the return flight.
When you get to the airport, you declare your gun(s) and let them look inside the case. Then fill out a form which goes inside your case. You then lock the case with your own lock(s) - not a TSA lock.
You may be asked to accompany your case to the TSA screening, depends on the airport.
When I have flown with a gun, someone from the airline brought it to me in baggage claim, it did not go on the carousel. And I was required to give them a baggage claim stub.
As for ammo, I prefer to ship it ahead via UPS. You can send it to your hotel or a UPS office.
In advance of your flight, check the airlines website for their policy and print it out. If you have any questions send an email for clarification and print that out. Print extra copies to give out if needed.
Some/many airlines allow for one over sized and/or over weight piece of sporting equipment at no extra charge other than the standard extra bag fee. You must know if this is correct and be able to prove it to a clerk that wants to charge you an overage. Keep copies of your receipts for the extra bag payments - they can be helpful on the return flight.
When you get to the airport, you declare your gun(s) and let them look inside the case. Then fill out a form which goes inside your case. You then lock the case with your own lock(s) - not a TSA lock.
You may be asked to accompany your case to the TSA screening, depends on the airport.
When I have flown with a gun, someone from the airline brought it to me in baggage claim, it did not go on the carousel. And I was required to give them a baggage claim stub.
As for ammo, I prefer to ship it ahead via UPS. You can send it to your hotel or a UPS office.
Have you seen the Tuff Pac gun case? It's really tough and most folks do not look/mishandle/try to steal your case. http://www.huntersheadquarters.net/Hard_Gun_Cases_s/1.htm
Interesting enough, when I got to Johannesburg, ZA last year, there were several of these cases on my same flight. I guess that in time they will be thought of as gun cases and not golf clubs or whatever. My point is that guns travel very safely in this case. Ammo can go in a separate locked case inside of the over case. Alaska airline allows 50# of ammo. That should work! However, most airlines only allow 11#. PD hunters may run into a logistics difficulty problem there, but if you are in CONUS, you can ship it -ground. Anyway-I really like my case and I thought that you might like it also.
Craig
Interesting enough, when I got to Johannesburg, ZA last year, there were several of these cases on my same flight. I guess that in time they will be thought of as gun cases and not golf clubs or whatever. My point is that guns travel very safely in this case. Ammo can go in a separate locked case inside of the over case. Alaska airline allows 50# of ammo. That should work! However, most airlines only allow 11#. PD hunters may run into a logistics difficulty problem there, but if you are in CONUS, you can ship it -ground. Anyway-I really like my case and I thought that you might like it also.
Craig
Like effendude, I've had fairly good experiences flying rifles and pistols.
I have only traveled via Southwest Airlines, and there are a few things that I've learned that have helped over the years:
Print out the Airline's procedure for checking firearms...on more than one instance I've had to help them with understanding their own procedure.
Make sure your case locks in a way that it cannot be opened and the contents sneaked out...you will likely need multiple locks to accomplish this feat.
Arrive at the airport at least 2.5 hours ahead of your flight time...on average it seems to add an additional 30-45 minutes to the check in time (my experience)
My rifles and pistols have always arrived unmolested.
Now...predicting if a weather system will disrupt your friend's flight...I will not attempt that
YMMV,
MQ1
I have only traveled via Southwest Airlines, and there are a few things that I've learned that have helped over the years:
Print out the Airline's procedure for checking firearms...on more than one instance I've had to help them with understanding their own procedure.
Make sure your case locks in a way that it cannot be opened and the contents sneaked out...you will likely need multiple locks to accomplish this feat.
Arrive at the airport at least 2.5 hours ahead of your flight time...on average it seems to add an additional 30-45 minutes to the check in time (my experience)
My rifles and pistols have always arrived unmolested.
Now...predicting if a weather system will disrupt your friend's flight...I will not attempt that
YMMV,
MQ1
I fly in and out of Billings 2-3 times a year. I have only had one time where my firearm didn't make it to my destination or back home. It was returning to Billings and the airline kept in touch with me almost hourly until they delivered it to my doorstep. Most airlines only allow 11 Lbs of ammo so this will be a problem for a good dog shoot. Ship your ammo ahead via UPS.
What the heck? If he is in Boise then he should drive. With the flight itinerary he has it would probably be quicker and a lot safer for his guns. I gave up flying with guns a long time ago. Put them in the cases, load them in the vehicle and take off. I've driven the route from Boise to several places in Montana and it's beautiful. And I say all this as a guy who lives on the east coast now. If your friend is bound and determined to fly with them then make sure the guns are insured, take lots of pictures of them before you leave, buy the best hard cases you can find, and pray.
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