Hard or soft rifle case

[rebs]

which is your preference for a rifle case ?

 

[LAH]

For hunting type rifles I put in & out of the interior of my vehicle I like soft cases.

 

[6.5 forever]

Hard cases are a little to heavy for old guys. 20 lb rifle is enough. I use a Midway drag bag in the backseat of my truck. I'm not hard on my stuff.

Guys who fly will have to comment...

 

[Charlie-NY]

Quality soft cases seem to be fine for most uses when the cased rifles are handled appropriately. Hard cases are much better for travel but do take up a bit of room in a packed SUV.

 

[ebb]

Yes

 

[TSFineGuns]

Soft for all of my rifles in non-air travels. A few of my SxS and OU shotguns came with hard cases though, so for those obv hard.

 

[AzMedic]

Old school Boyt soft case for range/hunting trips. Pelican hard case for any (air/ground) interstate travel.

 

[jpx2rk]

I use the Midway soft cases for trips to the gun range an hour drive for me, and the same rifle cases for those cross country rat/dog trips. No damage in 15K + miles.

 

[Dgd6mm]

I prefer the soft cases.
I like the Midway drag bags, I have 4 of them.
The Boyt's are very nice.
My airline approved and other hard cases I have seldom get used.
If you care to tote 2 at once the Midway drag bags will hold 2 rifles and keep them separated.

 

[T.Rhodes]

Sometimes mine travel in the bed of a pickup....I want a hard case. Doesn't to be a high $ one either - Case-Gard makes some decent ones.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Hard case, had the tailgate of a friends pickup fall once crossing a hard finger drift. Rifle in the case went out the back onto the gravel road. We didn't know it until 3 miles later when we spotted a bedded coyote. Moved the truck out of sight of the coyote and I got out and realized what the bang was I heard when crossing the drift. Got back in and told my buddy "drive back to that hard drift hopefully my rifle is still there". Took one zero check shot and went back and shot the coyote. So yes I prefer a hard case for any scoped firearm.

 

[rjtfroggy]

Hard case only. With the cost of rifles today it is very inexpensive ins., and not the cheap ones, I want the protection that the case is supposed to give.

 

[farmerjohn]

Hard case, had the tailgate of a friends pickup fall once crossing a hard finger drift. Rifle in the case went out the back onto the gravel road. We didn't know it until 3 miles later when we spotted a bedded coyote. Moved the truck out of sight of the coyote and I got out and realized what the bang was I heard when crossing the drift. Got back in and told my buddy "drive back to that hard drift hopefully my rifle is still there". Took one zero check shot and went back and shot the coyote. So yes I prefer a hard case for any scoped firearm.

Gun cases are like other things, hard or soft depends on the occasion. As I have gotten older I am finding less occasions to use the hard ones... don't travel as much as I use to..... John

 

[LuvDog]

Hard cases get heavy.

The best hard case for range only use is the Plano Air Glide. It's very lightweight, and it holds the rifle vertically so no weird pressure points on the scope or bolt.

I've had a couple of Savior cases on back order forever because I want to transition to soft cases for range trips. So for now, I continue to use my Air Glides for longer rifles.

They aren't built for air travel though. So I have heavier Pelican and Boyt hard cases for those duties.

I used to have heavy pelican cases for handguns too, but it's just a waste of space and weight for range use. Now they go in soft cases with lockable zippers for transport back and forth to the range.

I keep a couple of hard cases for air travel but only use them when absolutely necessary.

 

[bsekf]

Same here! But I am going to start putting my guns in a sock before putting them in the safe. My safe is too small and I stack them.

 

[majohnson]

Hard cases for the few rifles I own. With being scoped the dollars add up pretty fast. To get to the range from my house is about a 90 minute drive with last 17 miles on dirt county farm roads. This last bit of road can get ugly with rain and all the farm machinery rutting it up. Things can bounce around, there is just too much money to chance of damage.

 

[D-4297]

Have both , and as some have said , the older I get , the less I use the Hard cases . Weekly trips to BA , the soft cases get used , but cross-country , it's the hard cases . Have a couple of the Plano "Gun Guard" cases that are excellent , heavily made , and were approved for Air travel . Don't know if they are available any longer , though .

 

[1813benny]

Soft case for local matches, hard case (aluminum) for airlines and long road trips. I like the ICC hard cases as they are airline approved but lighter and smaller in overall dimensions than a Pelican.
https://impactguncase.com

 

[Rsadams]

Hard cases for serious travel or multiple guns in one case.... I live in a fire area and sometimes you have to pack up very quickly and I bought cases that hold two rifles or shotguns and normally a pistol crammed in there... For trips in the car to the range etc I use soft cases and have a small bag or back pack for stuff... The waxed canvas cases Midway USA sells for $45 bucks are very nice... Thick and padded with good zippers..

 

[6Creed73]

I do like a hard case, but must admit it can be a pita lugging it around and unpacking it at the range with limited space. If I'm going to shoot on private land, I bring the hard case...for the public range, I usually use a soft case.