All posts tagged SKB Gun Case

Slings on shotguns and home defense

While I must admit that I have never taken a shotgun training class, and I have not yet gotten around to watching the Magpul Art of the tactical shotgun DVD,  I have seen enough things happen on firing lines to know that the more stuff you put on a firearm, the more you are complicating things.   The more you complicate things the more you have to worry about things falling off or getting snagged.  Slings are extremely useful tools and it will get real uncomfortable carrying a firearm with out one.   I recently picked up a shotgun scabbard because I personally do not like having slings on a pump shotgun.   The fact that you have to manually cycle the gun and your sling will be moving around while you do this, I’ve  seen too many times where people’s hands get snagged up.

I must remind you that this is a personal preference, not everyone has these types of problems.   There are ways of training to get around some of the issues, but they can all  be eliminated by not having one on.   My shotgun scabbard is basically one of my rifle cases because it is attached to one of my primary shooting backpacks, I can just toss a lever action rifle or small bolt action into the same case and carry it on a hunting trip.   Some of my friends have the Galco battle sling on their shotgun and it is  a very thick sling.   Some people may prefer this because it is easy to grasp and feel.

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Rifle optics and gun cases

rifle casesI believe in having a holster for every handgun and a rifle case for every rifle.    When people are putting $1000 Trijicon ACOGs on their rifles they are considered to be tough for combat, but sometimes things get slammed around in cars and unwanted dents and dings occur.   SKB rifle cases are on the  heavy side, but if you have a bigger sized vehicle, these are very easy to stow in and get out and it’s sturdy enough to not worry about damage if you have to bury it with other gear.   You may even be able to keep most of the rifle magazines and accessories in the case as well as some othe range gear.    Drag bags are another great rifle case, but they may be a bit of an overkill when it comes to using them for something as small as a Carbine.

It is always good to think ahead of yourself when you are selecting a firearm.   Sometimes people get into situations with their tactical gear that seemed pretty obvious, but somehow it was missed.   I have never had a major problem with my rifle scopes, probable because I already owned so many rifle cases, but I have had problems with fitting my Carbines into soft rifle cases because of the flashlights or rifle optics I was using.   If it was too much of a headache, I just took my hunting rifle cases and used those for the short term.   Sometimes when you are accessorizing the heck out of your guns, the last thing you are thinking about is how to pack it all up and transport it without having to take everything off the rails.   Many of the soft tactical rifle cases may be too tight at the top of the case and you are risking damaging a mount or breaking the zipper.

 

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Transportation and travel with guns

rifle casesSKB and Pelican make gun storage units that will protect your guns if they get knocked around.  The foam pads can always be customized for specific guns and gear and I highly recommend doing so.   I strongly believe in buying gun cases that are for specific firearms and especially so for rifles.   You will be able to fit varying sizes of handguns in the pistol cases depeding on which way you place them, but rifles will get tricky and since most of them will have optics, you gotta be careful how much you pack them.  There are even some rifle cases that can hold your magazines, pistol, and pistol magazines.

There are always pros and cons of certain types of gear for your rifle and there are always trade offs.  A gun sock is good for protecting your guns from some levels of friction, they don’t take up much room in storage and they also don’t add weight to your gun in transport.   Any padded gun case will give you easy  use and easy storage, but when you start transporting firearms that are $1500-$5000 you’re going to want to think about hard rifle cases.   Granted, a sniper drag bag that is properly designed will give you plenty of protection and easy to drag around, but I’m talking about range days or inter State transportation.

 

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Training and preparedness

Tactical gun casesTactical gun cases are rarely used to their fullest.  After witnessing a lot of shooting events, I’d have to say that disorganization seems to be pretty common amongst most gun owners.  I’ve seen guys show up  with wrong magazines, no backup batteries, no screw drivers, no tools for fixing scopes and countless other goofy stuff.   There have been a few times where I was impressed at how well guys or gals organized there gear in one range bag.

The truth of the matter is only you know what your firearm needs to keep it up and running and what to repair it with, I’m not talking about stockpiling tons of ammo and tools boxes in  your rifle case, but you really should check out some of the tactical rifle cases that are out there.   Uncle Mikes, Bulldog and tacforce all make tactical cases, but their other other usefull pockets other than the standard 30rd magazine pockets.   If you’re going to pick up a gun case, you really should think about marking it with something so you know which gun is in there.   Keep a small multi purpose screw driver in there, allen keys, maybe something to carry batteries for your flashlight or Eotech optics, and you may seriously think about keeping your sight in tools there.  There are various types of tactical rifles cases, some are much close to sniper drag bags than something you can carry like a briefcase, but it may save you some headaches if you are always prepared.

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Protect and organize your guns

Gun CasesAssault rifle case cases can also hold ammo and store sight in tools, too.    Uncle Mike’s also has an inexpensive line of rifle cases that can hold anything from a collapsed M4 Carbine to a full size A2.   The soft cases are soft, but can still be folded in half to be used as a rest if you’re will to be creative on the firing line.

Sometimes people think a gun case is for transporting your firearm from your home to the range.   Many tactical gun cases can actually help keep your gun and gear all in one case.     There are several gun cases that can hold 3 or more rifle magazines and its a great way to keep your magazines organized.   I personally like to store my 5.45×39 magazines in a Bulldog Hybrid assualt case and mark the bag, that way I can just grab the rifle from storage and throw it in the bag knowing my mags are already there.

 

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