Tips for traveling to a match by air

[delucy]

So I'm seriously considering flying to the BSWN this February, obviously I can't bring my normal pickup load of crap with me.
What do you bring to a match across the country, and how do you get it there?

Dale
SW MI

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Everything I need. I drive to wherever the match is. Sometimes it takes days to get there.

 

[rardoin]

I brought all the usual gear I bring to the line, of course, but I left out the lawn chair and pull cart. I just purchased some cheap lawn chairs and a $35 pull cart at Wal-Mart once I got to Phoenix. I donated the pull cart to the Junior shooters program at the range when I left. I shipped my Seb rest in its own Pelican case and bought a large rectangular wheeled SKB case for the rest of the gear. I bought a bit of high density foam and made cutouts for my spotting scope/stand, rear bag and fitted it in the case. The rifle was shipped in its usual hard case but I removed the scope and carried it in my take on luggage. My ammunition was packed in my luggage. There is a limit of about 11lbs in luggage per passenger so I could have split it up between my wife and I but it was not necessary. I shipped the large gear case via UPS straight to the hotel but return shipped it through a UPS store. In retrospect I could have saved a bit of money had I return shipped it from a UPS freight center but I chose convenience over $$ as I had not researched the location for a freight center and a UPS store was a block from the resort. All in all it was not as painful as I expected but I spent probably $600 (more or less) in the process.

Edit- I remounted the scope at the hotel and was able to reset 100yd zero at Ben Avery on Sunday morning. The public range cost $7 IIRC to shoot and is run by a great group of folks.

 

[jim1903a1]

I went to England this summer to shoot at Bisley. One thing I did was take the foam out of the lid of my Pelican and put my mat, sweatshirt, glove, hat, towel, and anything else I could get in there. I checked two bags and weighed them to stay below the 50lb limit. My Pelican was full and weighed 49lb 5oz. I also had spare sights, spotting scope stand, cleaning rod, and cleaning equipment in there. I took my barreled action out of the stock, too. I shoot sling, so maybe a little different but you get the idea. We shot their provided ammo but if I was flying in the US, I`d use those "if it fits, it ships" boxes from USPS.

 

[Warren Dean]

This my rifle case setup when I went to Bisley in 2009. I actually dropped it from 6' onto concrete to make sure everything would survive an encounter with baggage goons. Its a Storm IM 3100 and weighed 45#.

 

[spclark]

...if I was flying in the US, I'd use those "if it fits, it ships" boxes from USPS.

Nope, prohibited.

Even sent as ORM-D, which is OK on UPS as long as it's shipped GROUND.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

One of the best inventions out there for the air traveling shooter is the takedown rest butch lambert makes from shadetree engineering. @butchlambert

 

[Dusty Stevens]

 

[jim1903a1]

Nope, prohibited.

Even sent as ORM-D, which is OK on UPS as long as it's shipped GROUND.

View attachment 1063914

I stand corrected.

 

[Ned Ludd]

Flying should not be an issue, as long as you plan well in advance. I've flown to numerous matches without any problems. Typically when flying to smaller (club) matches and to see old shooting friends, etc., I'll simply live without some of the heavier items (i.e. folding cart, spotting scope/stand, extra shooting mat) I would consider "essentials" at a more important match.

For a match like BSWN, your best bet is to ship a box containing such items that are too heavy for luggage (NOT ammo as mentioned above) directly to your hotel. It will cost you about $1.00 per pound if you use UPS ground, and you should ship it at least two days earlier than the anticipated shipping time should require. Contact the hotel in advance to let them know it's coming. Of course, you'll need to ship all the stuff back once the match is over, so you'll also want to locate a shipping center online that is somewhere between the range and the airport. That way, you can have the shipping box along with you and simply put the gear back in it and drop it off for the return shipment on the way to the airport.

Although there is always some amount of risk when flying to a match, a little advance planning will go a long way toward making shipping your extra gear much easier. As has already been noted, a good Pelican or Plano hardcase (I've flown with both) is essential. I usually wrap the loaded ammo boxes up with bubblewrap and then put them inside a small range box, inside the suitcase. Foam rubber in the lid of the ammo boxes is useful so they can't bounce around inside the box. You can carry a fair bit on the plane: 10 lb is equal to approximately 160-170 rounds of .308 ammo, more if it's a smaller caliber such as .223, less for larger calibers. If you need more than that, shipping directly to the range is your best bet. Most bigger matches will have some mechanism in place so that you can ship ammo directly to the range, where they will hold it until you arrive. However, you will need to contact the Match Director well in advance to work out the details. Again, advance planning/arrangements are your friends for a smooth trip.

 

[Scott Harris]

As Greg says, you will need to ship some things. It's much less expensive to use FedEx Ground than to pay airline excess baggage fees. We bring as much as we can via air and ship the rest FedEx ground to the hotel.

 

[memilanuk]

A tale to drive home the 'ammo must go by ground' point:

Couple years ago I was flying to an event in Michigan. A week or so before I'd swung by the UPS shipping desk to send my ammo - locked in a hard case, with fitted foam, locks, all the appropriate stickers and labeling in place. Unfortunately there was a holiday weekend in the mix between when I was shipping and when I needed the ammo. The package was scheduled to be there by Thursday... which given my history with the brown Santa trucks, meant I'd be lucky if I get it by Friday, which is when I needed to be on the line sending rounds down range. I asked if there was any way to get it there sooner; the clerk said "lemme look... sure we can send it 3-day express" which in theory should put it there Wednesday. If he said 'air' anywhere in there, I completely missed it. I paid the premium for expedited shipping (not cheap) and went on my merry. When I got home I forwarded the tracking info to the person who would be receiving the ammo on the other end.

Over the weekend, I was a little peeved to see the tracking info showing it still sitting in Redmond WA. I figured someone had just forgot to update the tracking info.

Thursday morning as I finished checking in at the local airport I got a text from the person who was supposed to be receiving the package that they still hadn't received the package, and it showed as being in transit to Kentucky, with an ETA of Monday PM... which was when I would be *done* and packing up to head back home. Somehow I managed not to look completely homicidal as I made my way through TSA screening and into the waiting area. Where I proceeded to call UPS customer service, and tear a strip (or three) off of them. They were very sorry, they could refund the shipping charges, etc. No they couldn't get it where it needed to be any faster once it was in the system. I explained that the entire trip, thousands of dollars out of pocket expense for air fare, hotel, rental car, vacation time from work, etc. was going to be pretty much a complete and utter waste, and that refunding the shipping cost wasn't going to make me happy. Not the CS persons fault, but still.

Got to the location, and had 90 rds in my checked luggage - enough to get me through any one day of the event. My team mates rallied behind me and were lining up powder, primers, projectiles, a place to load, etc. Then mid day Friday, the package showed up?!?

When I looked at it, everything was as it should be (there's a reason I use heavy duty lockable hard-side cases, not shipping in cardboard boxes)... but the hazmat stickers were missing. As in cut off - some of the tape was still there.

I went back and looked at the shipping history... yes, the package made it to Kentucky via semi-truck all right. And then apparently some well-meaning individual came upon a solution to get my package to me in time... they cut the hazmat stickers off, and threw it on a plane!!!

Pretty sure if I did that, I'd be looking at some serious fines, if not worse. But since it was UPS...

Moral of the story, plan ahead, ship earlier than you think you need to, even if it means it will be sitting at the location a few days. And take into account that the clerks at the shipping desks will try to help you... even if it ends up not necessarily being the right answer

 

[XTR]

Then there is the story of my rifles and ammo shipped to Scott Harris in PHX for the '15 Bergers. Shipped rifles and ammo in separate shipments. Rifles shipped 3 day, ammo shipped ground, carrying 2 days of ammo on the plane just in case of screw up.

Twenty four hours after handing everything over to UPS my rifles disappeared off of tracking?! They never re-appeared on tracking. I was prepping to go to PHX with the only certainty that I would be shooting being that Scott committed to building me a rifle over the weekend if mine didn't show up. (there is a thread in here about this saga)

Turned out that UPS tossed the rifles on the truck with the ammo, and because it was on an air shipment bill it wasn't tracked on the trucks.

 

[jsthntn247]

Then there is the story of my rifles and ammo shipped to Scott Harris in PHX for the '15 Bergers. Shipped rifles and ammo in separate shipments. Rifles shipped 3 day, ammo shipped ground, carrying 2 days of ammo on the plane just in case of screw up.

Twenty four hours after handing everything over to UPS my rifles disappeared off of tracking?! They never re-appeared on tracking. I was prepping to go to PHX with the only certainty that I would be shooting being that Scott committed to building me a rifle over the weekend if mine didn't show up. (there is a thread in here about this saga)

Turned out that UPS tossed the rifles on the truck with the ammo, and because it was on an air shipment bill it wasn't tracked on the trucks.

I bet that puckered you up pretty good.

 

[memilanuk]

I went to England this summer to shoot at Bisley. One thing I did was take the foam out of the lid of my Pelican and put my mat, sweatshirt, glove, hat, towel, and anything else I could get in there. I checked two bags and weighed them to stay below the 50lb limit. My Pelican was full and weighed 49lb 5oz. I also had spare sights, spotting scope stand, cleaning rod, and cleaning equipment in there. I took my barreled action out of the stock, too. I shoot sling, so maybe a little different but you get the idea.

I've seen this backfire on people... if you jam too much crap in there, specifically solid objects that are not transparent to x-rays and/or readily identifiable via the same... they (TSA) will either call for you to come unlock the case so they can take a look inside - if you're lucky. If not... they will cut the locks off anyway, rummage through there, and then jam everything back in and zip-tie the case closed (very secure). They don't give two you-know-whats about whether everything goes back the way you had it, so if you had that case packed like a Jinga puzzle, guess what - its probably going to get pushed to the side to be "someone else's" problem, not theirs, and most likely won't make it to your destination in a timely fashion.

I'm not saying "don't do it", rather "be smart about it". Step back for a minute and consider how it will look from the other side. And consider that a case with fitted foam, while it may not allow for jamming *something* in every single cubic centimeter of the case... make it a lot harder for anyone, even TSA, to *not* put things back in the right spot should they have to open your case without you being present.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I've seen this backfire on people... if you jam too much crap in there, specifically solid objects that are not transparent to x-rays and/or readily identifiable via the same... they (TSA) will either call for you to come unlock the case so they can take a look inside - if you're lucky. If not... they will cut the locks off anyway, rummage through there, and then jam everything back in and zip-tie the case closed (very secure). They don't give two you-know-whats about whether everything goes back the way you had it, so if you had that case packed like a Jinga puzzle, guess what - its probably going to get pushed to the side to be "someone else's" problem, not theirs, and most likely won't make it to your destination in a timely fashion.

I'm not saying "don't do it", rather "be smart about it". Step back for a minute and consider how it will look from the other side. And consider that a case with fitted foam, while it may not allow for jamming *something* in every single cubic centimeter of the case... make it a lot harder for anyone, even TSA, to *not* put things back in the right spot should they have to open your case without you being present.

Only lock your cases with a tsa lock. They will just about cut every regular lock off they see

 

[memilanuk]

Only lock your cases with a tsa lock. They will just about cut every regular lock off they see

Negative, ghostrider

Firearms cases are to be locked with a regular hard lock, that only you have a key to.

From https://tsatraveltips.us/guns-cases-and-air-travel/

What Kind of Gun Case and lock do I need for air travel?
According to regulations , your gun case can be integrated with a lock or you can use a case with a separate lock. Do not use TSA approved locks for your gun case.

and from https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition

Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations. You may use any brand or type of lock to secure your firearm case, including TSA-recognized locks.

 

[Drolds72]

Only lock your cases with a tsa lock. They will just about cut every regular lock off they see

I have flown 3x this year. Only once did they ask me to open case at the oversized luggage x-ray. Once it goes thru that, good to go on plane. But in Minneapolis, they have me stay until it clears that.... Have you had a lock cut off?? Gear ok after that?

 

[hogpatrol]

Negative, ghostrider

Firearms cases are to be locked with a regular hard lock, that only you have a key to.

From https://tsatraveltips.us/guns-cases-and-air-travel/

What Kind of Gun Case and lock do I need for air travel?
According to regulations , your gun case can be integrated with a lock or you can use a case with a separate lock. Do not use TSA approved locks for your gun case.

and from https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition

Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations. You may use any brand or type of lock to secure your firearm case, including TSA-recognized locks.

Other than providing jobs for Chinese workers and profits for lock companies, TSA locks are 100% useless. Everyone and his brother has a key for them. Laugh all you want, I use zip ties on checked bags (not gun cases).

 

[memilanuk]

I have flown 3x this year. Only once did they ask me to open case at the oversized luggage x-ray. Once it goes thru that, good to go on plane. But in Minneapolis, they have me stay until it clears that.... Have you had a lock cut off?? Gear ok after that?

I have not - yet. I've had a couple TSA locks go AWOL, and replaced with zip ties. I've had team mates that had their guns miss the connecting flights, or show up at home two weeks late. The former is why I never, ever schedule short layovers (< 1 hr) if at all possible - too many chances of delays taking off or landing on one end or the other, and the latter was one of those times of jamming 10 lbs of crap in a 5 lb bag i.e. using the gun case as an auxilliary suit case.

Most airports they have me hold at check in while they send the case back to be scanned and a quick wipe for explosives. Raleigh-Durham NC they wanted me to hand the key to the airline check-in clerk, so they could take it back to the TSA inspector just in case. I told them "No", in no uncertain terms, and that if they wanted to inspect the case I would be happy to unlock it for them *in person*. So they took me back through the whole 'Authorized Personnel Only' area, damn near got ran over by a baggage cart, just so the guy could say 'Nope, everything's fine!'