Riomouse911
Member
I have several Doskocil, MTM and other brands of hard cases for long guns and handguns, but none of the heavier (and expensive!) Pelican-style cases for safari type travel.
Harbor Freight is not my first choice for anything other than clamps, tarps and other non-important items, I stay away from there for hand and power tools, etc. because I’ve had bad luck with their stuff in the past. That being said, I thought I would put some of those gun mag coupons and sale prices to work and try out a long gun ($115) and large handgun ($40) case.
I bought the tan long gun case and an olive colored handgun case. A few observations on the long gun case, I’ll give the handgun case a review in another post (not enough photos allowed for both.)
Four fold-down snaps lock the case closed. A large, well constructed handle sits at the midpoint for hand carry, and two smaller handles are at each end so you can grab it and slide it out of a truck bed. There is a set of wheels on one end to allow it to roll, which is a nice option with heavy guns inside. The wheels seem fairly sturdy and look like they’ll last for miles of airport walking, but I wouldn’t go off raiding through the gravel all day with it.
There are two padlock spots that are somewhat reinforced with metal bolsters. These aren’t the sturdiest of metal bolsters and their attachment to the shell is probably the weakest part of the kit.
The shell is pretty thick and doesn’t appear brittle at all. The rear hinges run along the back edge, and these have a rod through them that look pretty sturdy.
There is a gasket around the inside of the half that could keep water out... but I wasn’t goi g to toss it I to the pool to find out. A single air-release valve sits by the large handle to allow purging if it’s wanted.
Inside there are three foam inserts, one in each lid and a central piece of “pluck foam” that allows the owner to fit the insert to the guns outline. It is better foam than I’ve seen in some cheaper camera/gun cases, but not as sturdy as others. Since I intend to use this for a variety of guns I didn’t pluck out an outline for any one gun.
The gun case size is rather generous, fitting a 24” CZ 550 with a scope and a 26” Marlin 1895 CB with a peep. The case was not long enough for a Remington 1100 Trap with a 30” barrel to fit assembled, with about an inch of barrel overhanging. It should fit an assembled 28” pump or auto shotgun, but that will be a tight fit unless it’s laying a bit crossways inside.
If you have three rather flat guns, you could put them with two on the bottom, the pluck foam, then one centered on top if you aren’t expecting much rough travel. Since I have several lever .22’s, this could work out to carry them all.
I have not travelled with this case on an airline, but it sure looks and feels sturdy enough to take a beating and keep your long guns okay.
All in all I think this case is well worth the 125-odd bucks it costs (plus tax. etc) using the coupon. If I wanted dedicated cases for particular guns, one in black and one in tan would let me custom-fit the foam to handle each gun, plus it won’t break the bank when compared to the cost of the Pelican model.
Stat safe.
Harbor Freight is not my first choice for anything other than clamps, tarps and other non-important items, I stay away from there for hand and power tools, etc. because I’ve had bad luck with their stuff in the past. That being said, I thought I would put some of those gun mag coupons and sale prices to work and try out a long gun ($115) and large handgun ($40) case.
I bought the tan long gun case and an olive colored handgun case. A few observations on the long gun case, I’ll give the handgun case a review in another post (not enough photos allowed for both.)
Four fold-down snaps lock the case closed. A large, well constructed handle sits at the midpoint for hand carry, and two smaller handles are at each end so you can grab it and slide it out of a truck bed. There is a set of wheels on one end to allow it to roll, which is a nice option with heavy guns inside. The wheels seem fairly sturdy and look like they’ll last for miles of airport walking, but I wouldn’t go off raiding through the gravel all day with it.
There are two padlock spots that are somewhat reinforced with metal bolsters. These aren’t the sturdiest of metal bolsters and their attachment to the shell is probably the weakest part of the kit.
The shell is pretty thick and doesn’t appear brittle at all. The rear hinges run along the back edge, and these have a rod through them that look pretty sturdy.
There is a gasket around the inside of the half that could keep water out... but I wasn’t goi g to toss it I to the pool to find out. A single air-release valve sits by the large handle to allow purging if it’s wanted.
Inside there are three foam inserts, one in each lid and a central piece of “pluck foam” that allows the owner to fit the insert to the guns outline. It is better foam than I’ve seen in some cheaper camera/gun cases, but not as sturdy as others. Since I intend to use this for a variety of guns I didn’t pluck out an outline for any one gun.
The gun case size is rather generous, fitting a 24” CZ 550 with a scope and a 26” Marlin 1895 CB with a peep. The case was not long enough for a Remington 1100 Trap with a 30” barrel to fit assembled, with about an inch of barrel overhanging. It should fit an assembled 28” pump or auto shotgun, but that will be a tight fit unless it’s laying a bit crossways inside.
If you have three rather flat guns, you could put them with two on the bottom, the pluck foam, then one centered on top if you aren’t expecting much rough travel. Since I have several lever .22’s, this could work out to carry them all.
I have not travelled with this case on an airline, but it sure looks and feels sturdy enough to take a beating and keep your long guns okay.
All in all I think this case is well worth the 125-odd bucks it costs (plus tax. etc) using the coupon. If I wanted dedicated cases for particular guns, one in black and one in tan would let me custom-fit the foam to handle each gun, plus it won’t break the bank when compared to the cost of the Pelican model.
Stat safe.
