Looking for a lockable hardsided AR15 case for airline travel

[chiefsalami]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to buy a case for my AR15 in order to take with me in a checked and declared luggage on an upcoming trip. Ideally, the case should be small enough to fit the rifle (16" carbine), even taken apart to cut down on the length (it only really needs to be about 29"x13"x5" interior dimensions), so that I can fit it into the suitcase and not have to pay to send it separately. The box must be lockable and be a hardsided case (not soft material) to comply with TSA rules. I know Pelican makes good cases, but the one I want is not available locally so I can check it out, and is a bit pricey.

I'm hoping someone has some recommendations. Thanks,

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[Beta1759]

i have a DPMS hardcase that came with my AP4 that should work. $50?

 

[chiefsalami]

How big is it? Can you link to a pic of it?

 

[g.i. joe]

I used a Pelican Storm case for years, they have lots of sizes, including smaller ones to even fit a AR with upper receiver removed.

 

[locobob]

You can buy the Pelican 1700 from Fry's Electronics in Wilsonville for $160 complete with foam (not a stocked item, special order only). It is a little longer than what you want... think 38in off the top of my head.

 

[chiefsalami]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I had not been able to find ANYTHING that will fit in a suitcase, and happened to come across a used Pelican 1700 at a good price. So I think I'm going to end up just checking the case itself, and being a Pelican, it should hold up very well.

 

[AMProducts]

umm... you're not likely to find a suitcase that fits an AR-15 and is airline size acceptable.

I fly fairly frequently, and often bring my AR and pistol along for the ride. In fact I have a flight on monday. As was stated, there are really only two contenders for acceptable use, the first, and most common is the universal pelican 1700. It meets the airline requirements of 60 lineal inches external, so it won't incur excess baggage charges. It is also lockable with padlocks so you don't have to worry when you lose one of the the two precious keys that come with many of the other cases on the market. It is also usually one of the more expensive options, setting you back somewhere around $200 new.

The other one is the plano AW series 36" gun case. It comes in at a perfect 59.5 lineal inches (length + width + depth), usually runs for about $150 retail. It is very similar to the pelican 1700, but unlike the pelican, doesn't have wheels. Personally that's not a deal breaker. I think it's actually better constructed over-all than the 1700, but that opinion is based entirely on when I found them both at the same gun shop and did a side-by-side.

I will admit, in the end, I didn't buy either of these cases as I had other things I needed money for that were more important (rental car). Instead I used an 81mm mortar ammo can, that I have used previously for airplane trips with guns (the AR requires the flash-hider to be removed to fit). It's heavy, it's steel, and I get a lot of strange looks carrying it around an airport, but it works.