Flying with rifle and pistol

[cooperdh]

I'm sure this may have been answered before but I thought someone could answer this question real quick. I'm flying out tomorrow on Southwest Air. I put my rifle in my hard locked travel case. The question I have is can I place my pistol in the same rifle case without it being in it's own hard case? This statement on their website threw me off.

1. A firearm placed inside a hard-sided, locked suitcase must be encased in a hard-sided, locked container.

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[American123]

Yes, but what you posted refers to this: you can put pistols in regular checked bags if they are in their own hard sided locked container and declared ahead of time.

 

[trevi]

Yes, It can be placed in the same travel approved case. The really important thing is to have NO ammunition in that case.

 

[FourTeeFive]

That statement just means if you're traveling with a handgun, for example, that it must be in a container of its own when it is inside a normal suitcase. I've done this before.

From their website:

Help Center | Southwest Airlines

Find answers to all of your travel and flight-related questions and view common FAQ articles regarding your travel experience when you fly with Southwest Airlines.

www.southwest.com

Multiple firearms in one case appear to be fine:

"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."

 

[cooperdh]

Yes, It can be placed in the same travel approved case. The really important thing is to have NO ammunition in that case.

According to the policy it says it can be in the same locked case as long as the ammo is in its own container. Is that wrong?

 

[cooperdh]

Thanks for the advice folks. Just wanted to make sure I had everything packed correctly.

 

[WillametteWill]

Yes, It can be placed in the same travel approved case. The really important thing is to have NO ammunition in that case.

According to the policy it says it can be in the same locked case as long as the ammo is in its own container. Is that wrong?

Yes, it can be in the same case as described in their policy. I ALWAYS fly under these conditions, over 100 flights in the past 6 years on Southwest, American, Delta, Alaska and I think United. For ammo, keep it in the original boxes (I've had them in aftermarket plastic cases on many flights with no issue) and watch the weight limits, I think 11 pounds on SWA if I remember correctly. Make sure there are ample locks, I always use at least two, sometimes 4 on long gun cases. If a corner can be forced open exposing the gun it is a no-go.

Hope this helps.

 

[trevi]

According to the policy it says it can be in the same locked case as long as the ammo is in its own container. Is that wrong?

I have not done that, or I do not recall, honestly. Better to call SW air. But, yes, no loose ammo, it can be a box designed to transport ammo, such as the plastic types reloaders use.

 

[American123]

Yes, It can be placed in the same travel approved case. The really important thing is to have NO ammunition in that case.

Have things changed? When I flew with a gun a few years ago. I checked a large rifle case and it had ammo and guns in it.

 

[trevi]

Have things changed? When I flew with a gun a few years ago. I checked a large rifle case and it had ammo and guns in it.

Probably not. Maybe I was told differently the last time flew with guns. Maybe they did not like the combination. But all went well, that day as I moved the ammo to a section in my checked luggage. I had 1 long gun and 4 pistols in my Pelican case and the ammo was the issue. Shrugs.

 

[P7M13]

Ammo in the same locked case as the gun as long as the ammo is in a container where the rounds are individually separated. Original mfg's ammo boxes usually OK except for bulk pack.
Putting locked gun case in suitcase is OK. Suitcase does not have to be locked.
I prefer not to, as it results in my suitcase being inspected and pawed through.
Depending on the airport, the retrieval of the gun can be an eye-opener.
Also pay attention to the firearm check procedure at the airport where you start your return flight. Some are ridiculous in the steps you have to take as well as the time consumed. I think my longest "check in" is 1 hour, just for the firearm.
Finally, some airlines will not allow you to check in online before your return flight if you checked a firearm for your originating flight. Irritating to say the least.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Fly the friendly skies:

 

[trevi]

Fly the friendly skies:
View attachment 760989

Which airline?!

 

[American123]

Probably not. Maybe I was told differently the last time flew with guns. Maybe they did not like the combination. But all went well, that day as I moved the ammo to a section in my checked luggage. I had 1 long gun and 4 pistols in my Pelican case and the ammo was the issue. Shrugs.

They have seemingly arbitrary limits on what can be in the case. I forget exactly the limits, but a quick TSA website check could solve it. The other factor you can run into is employees who don't know bubblegum, but are very confident they do. In terms of ammo and guns in the same case though. Not a problem as long as they are stored as requested.

 

[Lazyfaire]

Yes, It can be placed in the same travel approved case. The really important thing is to have NO ammunition in that case.

I flew Alaska not SWA but here is how things went for me.

Just flew to (San Antonio)Texas and back with 2 pistols. On the way down I carried them in a separate locked case along with 2 loaded mags. The guns were not loaded and cleared and the loaded mags were separate. Also had ammo in hard cases in my main bag, which he said was fine and that they were only interested in the guns, not the ammo. OK...?

On the way back I made room for the locked case in my main bag and when I checked in at the counter I was told the TSA changed their ways and that they were now using a sniffer to test the main bag and that I did not need to go to TSA. Hmmm. No problem everything was where it should be when I got home.

 

[cooperdh]

Interesting as it seems most airports operate differently. When I flew out of PDX, I had my rifle, pistol, and boxed ammo all in my locked rifle case. The SWA agent directed me to the TSA agent at the end of the row. He inspected everything and said it was all good to go. On my way back at LAS, the SWA agent took my case and told me to wait at this specific seating area and if no one comes to get me in 15 minutes, I was good to go. No one showed up after 15 minutes so I went to my gate and flew home. It was all very easy.

 

[L84Cabo]

Here is my understanding of things based on conversations with a couple TSA agents and what I've been able to piece together. Take it for what it's worth because it's based on info from TSA agents...and you know how they can be...

It used to be that if you had a true, hard sided, large, lockable case, that you could use that case as BOTH your suitcase and a gun case. Meaning you could throw all your clothes in, toss your pistol in, slap your locks on it, and you were good to go...with ALL of your contents locked with your own, non TSA locks. It was awesome if you had such a case (like my Pelican 1615 Air case).

But my understanding is that too many people have been using hard sided luggage that has a soft zipper...because that's just about the only type of hard sided luggage on the market now unless you go with something like a Pelican case. And too many people were breaking into the soft zipper...because it's easy to do.

So rather than TSA actually enforce their own policy and reject cases with soft zippers...because those aren't true hard cases...they've now implemented this stupid rule. Which means people like me now have to go buy a second smaller case...which actually makes snatch and grabs far easier...just take a pen and shove it through the soft zipper, reach in and grab the smaller gun case and throw it in a backpack or under a coat or something, and off you go. This really doesn't do anything to solve the reported problem. But that's TSA.

My belief is that if you are traveling with a true hard sided rifle case in addition to your regular suitcase, you can likely toss your handgun into the rifle case and be ok. Key here is making sure that it's a true hard sided rifle case and you have enough locks on it to ensure that nobody can slide your guns out.

This new rule seems to be mostly for the handgun in a suitcase situation because of the issue with the soft zippers. But don't quote me on this. Airports aren't consistent on how they handle these things.

If you're at all worried, you can pick up a small, lockable metal pistol case off Amazon for $20 or so and it should be able to fit into most decent sized rifle cases.

Ammo can be transported in the factory cartons. Or if you want to load your mags, find a small case that will fully enclose the mags so that if the rounds fell out (not likely) they would still be contained.

Good luck...and may the odds be ever in your favor!

 

[American123]

Here is my understanding of things based on conversations with a couple TSA agents and what I've been able to piece together. Take it for what it's worth because it's based on info from TSA agents...and you know how they can be...

It used to be that if you had a true, hard sided, large, lockable case, that you could use that case as BOTH your suitcase and a gun case. Meaning you could throw all your clothes in, toss your pistol in, slap your locks on it, and you were good to go...with ALL of your contents locked with your own, non TSA locks. It was awesome if you had such a case (like my Pelican 1615 Air case).

But my understanding is that too many people have been using hard sided luggage that has a soft zipper...because that's just about the only type of hard sized luggage on the market now unless you go with something like a Pelican case. And too many people were breaking into the soft zipper...because it's easy to do.

So rather than TSA actually enforce their own policy and reject cases with soft zippers...because those aren't true hard cases...they've now implemented this stupid rule. Which means people like me now have to go buy a second smaller case...which actually makes snatch and grabs far easier...just take a pen and shove it through the soft zipper, reach in and grab the smaller gun case and throw it in a backpack or under a coat or something, and off you go. This really doesn't do anything to solve the reported problem. But that's TSA.

My belief is that if you are traveling with a true hard sided rifle case in addition to your regular suitcase, you can likely toss your handgun into the rifle case and be ok. Key here is making sure that it's a true hard sided rifle case and you have enough locks on it to ensure that nobody can slide your guns out.

This new rule seems to be mostly for the handgun in a suitcase situation because of the issue with the soft zippers. But don't quote me on this. Airports aren't consistent on how they handle these things.

If you're at all worried, you can pick up a small, lockable metal pistol case off Amazon for $20 or so and it should be able to fit into most decent sized rifle cases.

Ammo can be transported in the factory cartons. Or if you want to load your mags, find a small case that will fully enclose the mags so that if the rounds fell out (not likely) they would still be contained.

Good luck...and may the odds be ever in your favor!

The magpul mags with the lids work really well for this.

 

[lwarner]

TSA and various airlines are very inconsistent, often times the employee you deal with will either not know the rules/procedure or they will think they know them but be incorrect.
I always print out or screenshot both the TSA and airlines stated rules so I can politely refer to it if needed.
Then I just walk up with my case and say, "I need to sign a declaration", if they know what's up they hand it over, tell me where/if inspection is and it's smooth sailing.
If they seem confused I can usually tell they aren't very experienced.

 

[nehalemguy]

Fly the friendly skies:
View attachment 760989

This is really how air travel should be. No more entitled Karens who won't turn off the phones or return their seat to the upright position.

-E-