TargetTalk

[Bill Poole]

For those who fly with big long smallbore rifles, what do you use for a case?

Reading the websites of several airlines, it sounds like my Starlight Rifle case is larger than 62" total menasurents and subject to the $80 baggage fee (so a round trip costs more than the case!)

Has someone found a case that fits a real rifle and the silly rules?

What airlines are most accomodating?

Is there and airline that exempts rifle cases from the 62" rule that we should patronize more often?

I need to buy tickets to goto Ft Benning, twice maybe... want to get the best fare without being surprised by harrrassment charges at the airport.

Poole
http://arizona.rifleshooting.com/

[bolando]

Hi Bill,
Larry Sawyer here. Good meeting you at the Wildcat match.
Cabela's sells a hard aluminum case that's made by ICC. (icc-case.com) It comes in two thicknesses, and the heavier one is what you want, .080 thickness.
I bought two of the 52" long double rifle cases, and they've been great. They are sized within the airline's specs, and even with two rifles, it will be under 50 lbs.
They even come with built-in wheels, although the ones I bought at Cabela's didn't have them, so I added Neal Johnson's wheel kit, which works pretty well.
I've never had to pay extra baggage charges, and never had any damage to guns. The case takes a beating, but the guns are fine.
Hope this helps,

Larry

[Eric U]

Bill,

I've never been charged an extra fee for my "oversize" rifle case. I use a long, double rifle case from ICC (don't know which model), and it clearly exceeds the 62" total dimension. I think there is an exception to the overall dimension rule that falls under the "sporting equipment" category. I do frequently get charged for overweight and/or excess baggage. It is hard to be a rifle shooter and get all your stuff on an airplane in 2 bags (and be under weight). There are new rules out there now that you have to be under 50 pounds per bag. The charge for being over 50, but under 70 is minimal ($20 I think). However, if you go over 70 pounds, it is a big ball buster. Cheaper to have more bags.

Good luck! See you at Ft. Benning.

Eric

[Eric U]

Bill,

Don't pack your prone mat for Ft. Benning...they are supplied. This might save you some weight and space. Also, only bring your spotting scope if you can read mirage. Ft. Benning is actually a pretty hard range to read mirage on, at least at 50m. However, there are flags on both sides of each firing point, at two distances between you and the target. There are also wind screens between each block of 4 targets. This tames the wind quite a lot. Much easier than shooting at Ben Avery! All the targets are electronic. Any questions...now is the time to ask.

Eric

[bolando]

Bill-
Eric made some good points and clarified a couple of things. I don't know what the dimensional restrictions are, but I know I've never been charged a fee to exceed them, and my ICC case is 52" X 4.5" X 16". The airlines WILL charge you for being over 50 lbs on any given bag. My gear bag, which is a soft-sided suitcase, comes in at 68 lbs. with all of my position stuff, but I was able to jettison a pile for Wildcat. I also will frequently throw long heavy skinny things like scope stand rods, etc. into my gun case to make my gear bag lighter. I'm a cheap S.O.B when it comes to giving the airlines money that I don't have to.
Sometimes, though, you just have to bite the bullet and pay. You don't want to go to a big match without something that you THOUGHT you wouldn't need, and regret not having it when you start shooting.
Occasionally, I'll trim as much as I can, and then if I still can't get under weight, I'll just admit it, and put stuff back in! Doesn't cost any more for your bag to weigh 68 lbs. than it does if it weighs 56 lbs.
But-- not all airlines follow exactly the same rules-- so call them and check first.
Larry Sawyer

[Bill Poole]

United's website sounds like they exempt the "sporting equipment" from the 62" so I asked the reservations lady, and she agreed..... just as long as the guys at the check in counter agree, my Starlight should be OK.

and its $200 to ATL right now!

Southwest has a special to Detroit so I'll goto Perry for Rattle Battle too...

At Avery I was seeing a lot of Mirage between 50 and 100, If the range ended behind the 50m target box, it might not be so visible. I'll probably bring the scope, at least the first trip.

Now, if I can just get the heart beat to stop!

If I can leave the mat home that will allow me room to bring extra clothes, great!

Does anyone worry if the temp/pressure changes in the baggage compartment of an airline affects smallbore ammo?

Thanks for the input

Poole

[bruce]

In reply to Bill Pooles question on pressure and temperature,
as I understand it, baggage compartments in passenger airliners
are under the same conditions as the passenger compartment.
Although in strictly freight services, the Ps+Ts may vary considerably.
From what I've heard, the biggest danger to ammo and rifles, is the
baggage handler!

[Eric U]

Bill,

One of your comments caught my attention. Yes, at Ft. Benning you can see mirage past your targets...just as at Ben Avery. However, you never want to focus your scope on the mirage past your target. Just think of mirage as visible wind. If you are looking at it past your target, that doesn't actually tell you anything about the wind that is blowing your bullets around between the muzzle and the target. There are many ranges, Ft. Benning included, where the wind can be quite different past your target than in front of your target. I like to focus my scope about 2/3 of the way to the target. This seems to give me the best read on most ranges. When shooting paper targets, I try to focus as far back as I can and still see bullet holes. Some ranges are different, and you should focus on the mirage where the wind affects the bullets the most. At Ft. Benning, the wind screens come back nearly to the firing line. There is little that the wind does in this region. Most of the affect of the wind is in the last 1/3 of the bullet flight. Lesson here...watch the far flags at Benning. If the close flags really kick up, then wait until they calm down again. Some times, in the afternoon or when it is really hot out (never happens there...), you can see the mirage ok. The flags don't really lie at Benning, so I still mostly watch the flags. 300m is another story...

There is another reason to take your spotting scope along to an electronic target equipped range: to see the holes in the target rubber. You can tell if the rubber has stopped moving and could cause incorrect shot reporting (doesn't happen often at all). Also, if you have a strange shot that you don't believe, and it isn't out the bottom, you can see the shot holes in the rubber and tell if your shot is where the computer says it is. It takes a lot of faith to believe what these electronic systems tell you. I personally have never had an issue where the target gave me a shot that I couldn't confirm by looking at the rubber. Just peace of mind to be able to check.

Eric