All posts tagged Range Bags

Even your shotgun should go in a case

I don’t know what it is with hunters, but when I comes to gun cases, I see more neglict with lever actions and shotguns than other rifles.   I guess some people think that if it has glass on it, you need a gun case, but if it all wood, you don’t need one.   I don’t know how many times I’ve been on hunting trips and see my buddies unload there guns and gear and the  shotguns aren’t in any kind of case.  When they pack, they just load up the bags and gear and then toss the guns in right on top.   Well, one of my second most common reasons for having a gun sock or gun cases, soft or hard shell, is not just to protect the gun from getting banged around, it’s also to keep glancing eyes from noticing what you are transporting.  I have 3 friends that have lost firearms in cars, along with laptops, because they had them in visible sight.

When you are travelling, there may be occassions where you may want to stop and get something to eat or have to run and take a leak.   Smash and grabs are the most common ways that I have seen firearms stolen from vehicles and none of them were in gun cases,  if the criminal didn’t see what was in the car, they wouldn’t know what it was or get the temptation.    There are a few criminals in New York that are walking around or sold a few of my friends Glocks and Browning shotguns.   If you are a gun owner, you may want to consider tinting the windows on your vehicles.   There are also areas in the Country where a bad cop may become problematic if it’s obvious that you are transporting firearms.

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Soft gun cases are the way to go

I still think having a couple SKB gun cases that were configured for your favorite Carbine and handgun is cool, but I don’t have the money to spend to do that for all of the firearms I own.  The other issue is storing all of the bulk in your home.  For that $3000 rifle with the $1600 optic on it, then go ahead and get  a hard case, but I think after lifting your guns in and out of a vehicle, you’ll be more than happy with using a soft gun case.   Being able to fold up 5 or 6 assault rifle type cases and put it in a closet sure beats having to figure out how the heck to fit 1 hard case in any of my closets.   A soft gun case should be labeled in my opinion so you know which magazines or gear to store in it.   Staying organized and not getting confused and showing up at a range with the wrong magazines is something that is avoidable.

I admit I have gained  much of my experience through making mistakes, but showing up with an AK rifle after an hour of driving and pulling Mini 14 magazines out of one of the gun cases, was a learning experience.  Uncle Mikes assault rifle cases are what I mostly have and for the money I spent and how little wear the cases show, I really could not have justified spending money on anything more expensive.   I have looked into getting a Tac Force transport gun case for long road trips just because I think they stack a little more consistantly, this can be an issue if you are loading up more in a vehicle than just a daily range trip.

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How much for a gun case?

As many of the choses we make when using firearms and the gear that we want to use with them, we have to ask ourselves “for what?” purpose are we using it.   If you are toting a Mini 14 around with a $180 Leupold rifle scope, you may not need a $1000 hard case with pistol magazine and handgun cutouts.   None of you are going to be deployed to Afghanistan with your gear or have it airdropped behind enemy lines, so there’s no need to worry about that level of violence occuring when moving your rifle around.   SKB gun cases are nice, but that may be for somebody else.

You really can’t go wrong with using Uncle Mike’s gun cases, or their holsters.   I wouldn’t say these are cheap products at all, some of them are priced very well and will hold up for most intended purposes.   The nylon holsters are very practical if used securely with a good gun belt and their gun cases are also very inexpensive for every day use.  They are outstanding to have for any semi-auto carbine because the magazine pouches will really help keep your Pmags or AK magazines organized.  I strongly recommend spending $25-$30 on a soft case for every gun that you won, and keep your sight in tools or magazines in the cases.

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The organized gun owner

Blackhawk Gun CasesThe organized gun owner is the guy that shows up at the range and never says, “aw frack” I forgot fill in the blank.     Some people may think that carrying their sight in tools is pointless if the gun is already sighted in.   I’m sure some of you reading this chuckled when they read that, but the reality is the serious shooter knows that even though he’s tightened everything down, stuff comes loose.   If it’s got a screw in it, it will come loose unless regular checkups are peformed.   I read a good write up by Pat Rogers where he suggested marking the tops of everything that needs locking down with a market of some sort.   Probable the best advice I’d pass on to friends.

Your ACOG and your Eotech sight all are easily attached, and they can also easily become dislodged after harsh use or thousands of rounds of ammo.   Mark  your screws so any line that looks out of place, gets retightened before it completely dislodges.   Now what should you carry tools in?   There are sometools that will fit in the grip of your AR15, but if you don’t have a range bag, I strongly suggest Blackhawk gun cases, for rifle, pistol and gear.   I would suggest that you get a bag that is primarily for handguns and tools.   Rifle cases can hold sight in tools and rifle mags and it’s best to associate a case or bag for pistols vs rifles.

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Packed and ready

Bulldog Rifle CasesSoft cases are usually made of nylon and many of the assault cases are designed similiarly.   Assault rifle cases are very practical because they hold and organize your magazines.   I highly recommend marking the case for a specific rifle just so you don’t get your semi-autos gun magazines mixed up.   If you don’t need something like an assault rifle case, then and easy think to do is just a zip up soft case or gun sock.    You may want to look into a range bag which can hold staplers or even handguns and magazines as well as ammo.

Today might be the day that you were out at the range and you realized that you forgot your sight in tools, or you forgot to bring enough magazines, or worse, you forgot your rifle mags or you brought the wrong ones.   Bulldog rifle cases are very well made and won’t burn a hole in your pocket.   Serious gear needs serious organization and that doesn’t mean we need to have an SKB hardcase for our rifles.   I would suggest that if you have a rifle that costs over $3000 and that is including the optics then you may want a hard case, but let’s be practical.   We need to transport our guns WITH the gear we need and not have to add much weight.

 

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The Reason for a gun case

Allen Gun CasesThere are som many variations of gun cases.   Some gun case can be loaded up with firearms and gear and practical have a nuke detonated on them and they’ll survive, but not everyone is concerened with that.   Some of us may want to keep our Mini 14 and Mini 30 magazines matched up to the appropriate rifle case and buy and assault rifle type case and then mark the bag and put the correct magazines with each so we don’t have to spend an entire evening preparing for the following days shooting range.    I’ve also learned to organize all of my firearm accessories and magazines so I don’t have one of those days where I show up at the range and find out I had the wrong magazines or no mags with me.
If this sounds like something you might want to avoid, as you collect firearms, try and atleast find a rifle case that is appropriate for your rifle or pistols.   Whether you are transporting a Remington 700 on a hunting trip or a Smith & Wesson model 19 to a trainings course, you may want to consider something as inexpensive as a gun case from Allen Gun cases.   The Endura pistol and rifle cases just zip up your gun and help prevent it from being scratched up.   Remember to look for the correct size case, and you may want to mark it so you know which gun it is meant for.   Spending $10-$25 on a gun case may save you some headaches and prevent disorganization of damage in transport.

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