Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Flying with a pistol and a rifle

Hi guys!

Thank you all (well, most of you anyway) for the gobs of entertaining and enlightening BS that you spew out onto the interweb each week for me to enjoy and the NSA to record.

Question, have any of you ever packed a pistol and a rifle in a rifle case when you went through an airport? There is plenty of room in my rifle case for a handgun but I would like to avoid problems at the airport.

Thanks

Cross

I’ve done it and never had a problem.

Follow the guidelines for the airline you will fly

I'm getting ready to fly for a hunt and from what I have read you can fly with both in a single case, just have to declare both at check in.

Call the airline. Speak to a manager. Explain the situation carefully. Follow their recommendations. No problem.

I'm flying United and their rules say that you can have up to 5 guns in any one single locked case.

I’ve had 7 handguns in one rifle case one time. Southwest Airlines. But I called ahead to make sure that was okay.

Declare them in locked suitcase. No problems, except flying back from Maine ( they wanted to see them😁). I usually use a golf club case. Pack rifle in center of clothes. Any problems, ask for supervisor.

Just be careful. Don’t think that any locked suitcases will suffice. Go to TSA website. They have standards.

Always a fun thread topic.

Never had a problem locking them in the same case or locking them separately and putting the LOCKED case in my luggage AFTER TSA check and declarations signed.

Check the regulations of the specific airline you’re flying to KNOW the regulations intimately! I always print a copy of the regulations keeping one on me and one in each firearms case. The printing of regulations is obviously not required, merely a handy reference for a new employee. 😉

I fly almost exclusively on Alaska Airlines and have never had an issue when flying with both long guns and handguns. I’m always surprised at their competency when it comes to firearms, although with the amount of flying without an issue, I shouldn’t be. I always fly with at least one of the two which equals a lot of flying WITHOUT a problem. Just have your stuff buttoned down and be properly informed.

Good luck!

TSA has no standards for luggage. My golf club case is hard sided, locked with TSA locks.
From Southwest Airlines:
Firearms must be encased in a hard-sided, locked container that is of sufficient strength to withstand normal handling, as follows:
A firearm in a hard-sided, locked container may be placed inside a soft-sided, unlocked suitcase.
A firearm placed inside a hard-sided, locked suitcase does not have to be encased in a container manufactured for the transportation of firearms.
The locked container or suitcase must completely secure the firearm from access. Cases or suitcases that can be pulled open with minimal effort do not meet the locked criterion.
The Customer checking the luggage should retain the key or combination to the lock, and may use any brand or type of lock to secure the firearm case (including TSA-recognized locks).
Firearms may be checked and will count toward the two-piece free baggage allowance for each fare-paying passenger. We allow multiple firearms to be transported inside one hard-sided case.
Always know the rules

Like others have said, print out your particular airlines own criteria from their website and keep a copy in your pocket so you can show it to them when you check your baggage/firearms.

Thanks all! I wish I was flying Alaska but it’s Delta. Seems like that’s about all we can get around here. I appreciate your advice.

Cross