flying with firearms

[marsh chicken]

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-informat...and-ammunition

I stand corrected about the TSA lock. Doesn't mean they still won't cut your lock though if they want in it...

To answer the original question...it's a simple process

[L C Hillbilly]

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-informat...and-ammunition
To answer the original question...it's a simple process

It really is. The first time I flew with a firearm I was nervous, but everyone I have ever encountered has been professional and friendly.

I just flew home with my Black Rain Ordnance AR15 and when they were inspecting my gun the agent had all of his TSA buddies come over and check it out. They all were telling me how cool it was and wanted to talk about hunting and shooting.

[Bad Habit]

thanks for all of the help and info- one of our outstanding members has offered the use of his bad assed travel case. hopefully the details will work out.

[L C Hillbilly]

One more thing, if your gun doesn't come out of the carrousel at baggage claim, some airports hand deliver your gun to you. They do that at the Charleston airport which I see you will probably be using.

[Fish]

I fly with my gun pretty regularly. As I type this, I'm sitting in the Baltimore airport getting ready to board and head back to SC via Charlotte connect.

It's not a big deal. Make sure you have a lock for your case and no ammo with the gun. Stupid rule since you cant get to it, but just play along with it. The worst part is that they'll charge you for a checked bag.

[buckpro]

Make sure your ammo if in the case is in the correct box. I think it has to be the original or either a plastic box.
Once they inspect the firearm, and you lock the case in front of them, duck tape it shut.
And make sure any hunting bag/coat you have on the way home has not ONE round of ammo in it.

[Capt. Tom]

I am hear in Goose Creek and have the Pelican case with the wheels that you are more than welcome to borrow. If this is the first time you have flown with a gun don't spend the money when I have a perfectly good one sitting here.

[sftull]

I flew to Kansas a few years ago and they wanted one lock for each location. My case has 4 lock locations, so I put 4 locks on it. I like the TSA locks that let you know if the lock has been opened by a TSA worker.

My boss had a case with 4 lock locations and he only put two locks on it and they wouldn't let him fly with it. He had to run it back to the car and then purchase a new gun when we got to Kansas.

[HartClemson99]

I have flown 20+ times a year for the last 15 years with firearms. I use a Storm (now Pelican) case for rifles or an SKB case. I have a routine and I usually only have a 2 or 3 minutes added to each trip. Make sure that on your case you have TSA approved locks. SKB has TSA locks installed. You can purchase TSA locks from Walmart or at airport gift shops for Storm or Pelican cases. TSA approved locks can save delays as they can call you to unlock your case while boarding a flight. If you have TSA locks, they don't need to call you.

I like to leave the action open on shotguns or bolt out on rifles. Airlines used to require you to "show" the person checking in your bags that your gun was unloaded. They don't anymore, but sometimes employees still ask. I keep my locks in my pocket while walking up to the ticket counter.

I calmly and professionally say "I am checking in an UNLOADED firearm. I have my ammunition in my other bag in it's original packaging under 2 pounds and I have TSA approved locks". This statement usually puts the person at ease behind the counter if they happen to be nervous around firearms.

As I sit my gun case on the scale, I open the case. They usually take a quick look inside and ask you to sign a declaration form to put in the gun. After it is signed they allow you to shut your case and lock them. Make sure your TSA locks fit your case before you get to the airport. Once shut they sometimes ask you to take it to TSA for a quick inspection.

You can keep your ammo either in your case (in it's original packaging) or in your other bag. I have found keeping it in your other bag makes the folks checking in the bag less nervous.

If you are flying into a remote location that has a tiny airport (such as Alaska), MAKE SURE that you tell the person I am flying with an UNLOADED firearm. If they don't give you a form to fill out (yes it does happen) make sure and declare your firearm unloaded.

I have never had a firearm get lost, although delays happen. I have found that when you luggage is delayed it is sometimes on your end (getting their late). If your luggage is late, coming in on a later flight. Make sure and have an address handy of the lodge/place you are staying at, because I have had airlines pay for someone to drive 3 hours to deliver my late luggage. If you have an address of where you will be handy, it makes the process go quicker if your luggage is delayed.

Depending on where you are flying out of and going to, most airlines are trained well. Smaller airports out west that cater to a lot of hunters are good. I've flown out of Charleston, Greenville/Spartanburg, Columbia and Charlotte with no problems. I have found that Delta in Atlanta likes to hassle folks and make you take your guns to a TSA office on the other side of the airport.

[flockbuster]

Only flown mine twice. First time was no problem. Second time they lost both my guns. They found them the day I was flying home from a three day turkey hunt so I picked them up when I got to the airport to go home. If the lodge hadn't had a gun I could use I would have been screwed. Not sure how I could have avoided that problem as I did all the things suggested by Hartclemson. Sometimes shit just happens I guess.

[flockbuster]

When you are going home the boxes of shells still have to be in the original box and they have to be full boxes. It throughly pissed me off to have to throw away a $35 box of turkey loads because there was one gone.

[nitro5x6's]

When you are going home the boxes of shells still have to be in the original box and they have to be full boxes. It throughly pissed me off to have to throw away a $35 box of turkey loads because there was one gone.

Never had that problem. Tape the boxes shut......

[HartClemson99]

When you are going home the boxes of shells still have to be in the original box and they have to be full boxes. It throughly pissed me off to have to throw away a $35 box of turkey loads because there was one gone.

I've never experienced that. If I'm turkey hunting and I have a 5 or 10 box cardboard box and I'm missing a few, I use masking, electrical or duct tape to keep the box from falling apart. I had a box fall apart once in my bag in the St. Louis and TSA called me up to tell me. They were kind enough to tape my box together and suggested I do the same if I the box didn't have enough shells to keep it sturdy.

This is what TSA says:

"Travelers must securely pack any ammunition in fiber (such as cardboard), wood or metal boxes or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.
Firearm magazines and ammunition clips must be securely boxed or included within a hard-sided case containing an unloaded firearm.
Small arms ammunition, including ammunition not exceeding .75 caliber for a rifle or pistol and shotgun shells of any gauge, may be carried in the same hard-sided case as the firearm, as long as it follows the packing guidelines described above"

[GobblerHntr]

Never had that problem. Tape the boxes shut......

Me either

[Salt Marsh]

I have flown at least once a year with firearms for the past 30 years. The level of scrutiny when checking in has varied. Up until 2001, they just threw an orange unloaded tag at me and said "Put it in the case." On September 24, 2001 (right after 9/11), an armed soldier holding an M-16 laughed as he watched the little girl behind the counter, look down the barrels of my broken down side by side, and ask "How can I tell it is unloaded?"

Since then, I have just told the person behind the counter, "I am flying with firearms." For a couple years, they brought out a TSA person to physically examine the guns to see they were unloaded and then watch me lock the case. For the past 5 or 6 years, it has gone back to "Fill out this form and put it in the case."

The only exception was this January in Denver. When I got to the counter I declared the firearms. The person behind the counter told me to step over there and she would get someone from TSA to take me to the TSA screening room. After 10 minutes, an older fellow who appeared to have great difficulty walking appeared with a cart. He allowed me to load my gun case on the cart. I offered to push the cart but he said he was required to push it. I started to follow him. It took about 10 minutes as he crawled/shuffled all the way to the other side of the terminal (about a 2 min walk at normal pace).

We get to special room off the terminal with a rope around the door so you could not get within 5 ft of the door. I went to unload my gun case and was told by a fat ass in a TSA uniform that I was not to touch it. He told me the case was in their possession and I could touch it again until they said so. This did not sit well with me, but I held back any comments.

Lardo went back in the room and sat down and spoke with his buddy for a couple of minutes and then came back out and took my case in to the room. The door was left open and I stood on the other side of the rope watching and shifting from foot to foot. They rolled the case into the room and it sat on the cart for 5 minutes more while they talked about Bronco's football. One of then got up and placed the case on a conveyor belt and then sat back down. A couple of minutes went by and the fat one stood up and walked behind the X-Ray machine and started the conveyor. My case moved into the machine. Lardo looked at screen for about 10 seconds. Then he went and sat back down and started back into talking about the Bronco's again.

At this time I started to get antsy. The security lines were long and my departure time was getting closer. But, I held my tongue knowing if said anything they could retaliate and I would definitely miss my flight.

After another 5 minutes, the other one walks up to the door and asks for the keys to my case. I asked "Is there anything wrong?" His response was no, we just want to look inside the case. This was after they had x-rayed the case and seen all the contents that way. I handed over the keys. They opened the case. They pulled out the soft cases and opened them. They looked at both guns and put them back in the soft cases. I asked if I could wipe down the guns after they had handled them. I was told No in a curt voice. They then tried to put the soft cases back in my Tuff-pak, with out removing the hunting jackets that had been previously wrapped around the soft cases to center them.

The cases naturally did not fit. I offered to help and was curtly told if I step around the rope I will be arrested. They finally figured it out and got the guns back in the case. They locked the case and handed me the keys back.

I asked for my gun case. They said they would not give it back to me. They allowed they had to call the old cripple back to roll the case back to check-in. Well, the old fellow finally showed up and I started to follow him. I asked if what just happened was common. His was response was that it was a good thing I kept my mouth shut. If I had said anything they would have been even slower.

What should have been a 5 -10 minute inconvenience had turned into a 45 minute nail biter just because the TSA agents either had an agenda or were just being asholes. I did make my flight, but not with a lot of time to spare.

I will never fly through Denver again if at all possible. I will never travel to Colorado again if I can avoid it. The TSA employees gratuitously screwed with me just because they could. I have never had issues like that at any other airport flying domestically or internationally with firearms.

[HartClemson99]

Salt Marsh, good story. Come to think of it, I was stuck in a similar situation in Denver after a turkey hunt in 2012. The room was to the right before going downstairs to go through security.

Note to self, give an extra 45 minutes if flying back from Denver with guns.

[Duckman#1]

Pelican without a doubt. Had mine for 10 years. Flying a guns is very easy. Sitting in Chicago right now on the way home from Canada.

[flockbuster]

I've never experienced that. If I'm turkey hunting and I have a 5 or 10 box cardboard box and I'm missing a few, I use masking, electrical or duct tape to keep the box from falling apart. I had a box fall apart once in my bag in the St. Louis and TSA called me up to tell me. They were kind enough to tape my box together and suggested I do the same if I the box didn't have enough shells to keep it sturdy.

This is what TSA says:

"Travelers must securely pack any ammunition in fiber (such as cardboard), wood or metal boxes or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.
Firearm magazines and ammunition clips must be securely boxed or included within a hard-sided case containing an unloaded firearm.
Small arms ammunition, including ammunition not exceeding .75 caliber for a rifle or pistol and shotgun shells of any gauge, may be carried in the same hard-sided case as the firearm, as long as it follows the packing guidelines described above"

The time they made me throw away the partial box of shells was in the Omaha airport in 2008. Don't know if the lady behind the counter knew what she was talking about or if she was wrong, but the shells went in the trash can. I started to lie when she asked if I had any partial boxes but figuired I would end up in a back room somewhere if they checked so I told the truth. I will be better prepared next time.

[Fish]

Make sure your ammo if in the case is in the correct box. I think it has to be the original or either a plastic box.
Once they inspect the firearm, and you lock the case in front of them, duck tape it shut.
And make sure any hunting bag/coat you have on the way home has not ONE round of ammo in it.

I wouldn't worry too much about the ammo in checked luggage so long as it isn't in the case with the gun. I flew home yesterday with about 20 rounds in my shell pouch, three boxes of shells in my shooting bag, and a spare magazine with 15 rounds of .40 cal. I just forgot to take it out of my computer bag on the flight up. Figured I'd cut em some slack at the X-ray machine.

Heck, it's really all about who checks you.

[SCDivers]

Ammo can go in the same case as long as its not over .75 caliber. That's per tsa your airline may have a stricter policy. My advise to anyone traveling with a gun or ammo is print the tsa rules and the airlines rules and take them with you to he airport. It's saved me more than once

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-informat...and-ammunition