Expedition Cases for Rifle Transport

You need a strong gun case for valuable rifles. One of our forum members recently shipped a costly match rifle via UPS. When it arrived the fancy stock was broken in half. Replacement cost? $961. We’ve also found that the inexpensive plastic cases with foam padding can put a serious side load on your scope turrets or iron sights that can affect the zero. We’ve seen a Redfield Olympic rear sight actually bend from the side pressure in a cheap plastic rifle case. The best systems for gun transport, in our view, are the expedition cases that store rifles vertically, side-by-side. This puts no bending or lateral pressure on the gun or scope/sight mounts. Also, with this “toaster”-style layout you can place the gun case on the ground with the lid open, and the rifle and optics are still shielded from dust and blowing sand.

The very best side-by-side gun cases are built by Ziegel Engineering, (562) 596-9481. Featuring heavy-gauge aluminum with welded corners, Ziegel cases are beautifully made, but expensive. Ziegel’s Double Expedition Box with cam locks retails for $639.95. A similar product is offered by Cabela’s for much less money. The “bullet-proof” Safari case, made from .063″ marine-grade aluminum with welded corners, costs $359.99 for a 2-gun version, and $379.99 for a 3-gun version. Click THIS LINK and type in “226585” for the Cabela’s item number. NOTE: The interior slots, from foam edge to foam edge, are 50.75″ long. That should fit rifles up to a 30″ barrel unless you have an extended buttstock or bloop tube.