I can only go on my one trip I took when I moved from Alaska to California.
I took my Rem 70 rifle and Wingmaster shotgun in a double gun case and my Glock in a single pistol case. You need at least 2 locks on the rifle cae. Bolt must be removed where applicable (I put it in my pistol case). You can take ammo with you as well but I didn’t
Alaska Airlines has online rules for guns and I followed them to the letter.
http://www.alaskaair.com/as/www2/help/faqs/SportRelatedItems.asp
As stated earlier, take the rules with you so TSA won’t hassle you. Go to the ticket counter and tell them you have weapons to put on board. They will give you the red tags and tell you to go to the TSA station.
TSA will have you open the cases so they can see that no live ammo is shipping with them and that the bolt is removed from the rifle. They will them sign off the tags, put them in them in the case and then have you lock the cases up. They then take your cases.
At the other end, the ramp cargo guy will bring it out separately to you at the baggage carousel. The whole thing was a non event.
That was 2 years ago.
Joe,
do like I do and fly your self using your own plane.
Pilots are allowed to have weapons to keep their planes safe.
And I always fly with at least a few.
Don’t worry so much about the horror stories of guns stolen. A stolen camera and the feds and airlines don’t blink. A stolen gun gets the feds very interested and investigations going. Go to the airline’s website and look at their policy for shipping firearms.
Generally, have the gun case unlocked at check in. You will be instructed to take it to the TSA baggage check in where you will open the case and demonstrate that the firearm is unloaded and that there is no ammunition in the case. You will then lock it and the TSA guy will send it on it’s way. You’ll have to pick up the firearm at a TSA station on the othre side.
I have a couple of the Starlite cases and they are excellent for traveling. The cheapest way to ship ammo is to buy it and have it sent to the place you are going.
FedEx or UPS them all to where you are going (insured of course). It is perfectly legal to ship a firearm, any firearm to yourself. It is quite expensive, but if you consider the cost of replacing them all, it is cheap insurance. I wouldn’t trust any of the TSA gerbils with any of my weapons, even the cheapest one.
I dunno about the firearms on planes, but if you know anyone in a small business, have them ship it ups or fedex ground.
Just another box among many.
as stated before, follow the tsa regs
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm
you show the firearm is unloaded to the ticketing agent, not the tsa, then take the LOCKED case to the tsa for their screening.
per southwest airlines rules....
http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/guns.html
Our Customers must declare the gun to the Customer Service Agent at the ticket counter (no firearms will be accepted curbside) and ensure that the firearm(s) chambers are free of ammunition and the magazine clip has been removed (when applicable). Paintball guns and BB guns are considered the same as all other firearms.
Ammunition
* Small arms ammunition for personal use (provided it is properly packed) is permissible in checked baggage only.
* The ammunition may be placed in the same container as the firearm and must be securely packed in cardboard (fiber), wood, or metal boxes, or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.
* When checking ammunition, Customers are limited to 11 pounds gross weight (ammunition plus container) per person.
the above may cover your ammo needs of 11 pounds....
per aa - new to me - a limit on number of arms per case
http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/baggage/firearms.jsp
Allowance
* Maximum per case is three rifles/shotguns or five pistols/revolvers, ammunition, shooting mat, noise suppressors, and tools. There is no limit on the amount of cases allowed.
per the tsa.....
# The container must be locked. A locked container is defined as one that completely secures the firearm from access by anyone other than you. Cases that can be pulled open with little effort do not meet this criterion. The pictures provided here illustrate the difference between a properly packaged and an improperly packaged firearm.
# We recommend that you provide the key or combination to the security officer if he or she needs to open the container. You should remain present during screening to take the key back after the container is cleared. If you are not present and the security officer must open the container, we or the airline will make a reasonable attempt to contact you. If we can’t contact you, the container will not be placed on the plane. Federal regulations prohibit unlocked gun cases (or cases with broken locks) on aircraft
In no way should the tsa be allowed to finger **** your firearms. the check for them being unloaded should occur at the ticket counter. if the tsa agent tries to pick up your firearms, ask for a supervisor and inquire why they need to inspect or play with your firearms, and what firearms certification and training they have had - which will be none. If they try to play the line that it is tsa regulations, ask to see where in the regs they are permitted to inspect your firearm.
Ask the ticket agent for a supervisor if they don’t know how to proceed with getting the paperwork to fill out about the firearm, and if they want to mark the exterior of the outermost case somehow with an indication the case has firearms.
there should be no special handling of the case to indicate there are firearms inside, except for a non tsa lock.
also... firearms do get stolen all the time, especially if there is a long delay between connecting flights. that is why i reccommended a cable lock locking things together, just to make things harder to steal.
barring that, if you are paranoid, you can take a quick cell phone picture quietly, of your open case with firearms inside when showing them to the ticket agent, showing the firearms being checked in at the counter for evidence of their presence, if they get stolen.
imho - most tsa people are there because they couldn’t keep a job at mcdonalds. there may be some good ones, but they seem to be few and far inbetween.
Put the AR lowers, the bolt action rifle, and the handguns into the case you already have.
DO NOT CUT THE FOAM.
Pelican cases are designed to use the side walls to compress the foam and hold the guns in place. If you cut the foam, the guns can and will move. I ship and receive a lot of guns. I pack them as tight as possible. Movement damages sights and sometimes actions. Even if the guns arrive in good, working order, you can live without the scratches.
Shipping firearms to yourself across state lines is technically a no-no, so don’t do it.
Shipping AR-15 upper receivers to yourself is perfectly okay. The upper is not a gun.
You can’t do an FFL transfer for the handguns unless you’re a resident of the state where you plan to receive them. If you’re not an Arizona resident, the dealer can not give the handguns to you.
Your local FFL is not a haz mat shipper. They don’t need the permit and they can’t be bothered paying the extra fees and investing the time to get the permit from U.P.S. or Federal Express. You might find a U.P.S. Store or a Kinko’s that has the haz mat permit. Call and ask, I don’t know if there are any. Tell them you want to ship hairspray. Ammunition and hairspray are both classed ORM-D for shipping, so if they can accept one, they can accept the other.
You might also want to purchase your ammunition on line and have it drop-shipped. If you’re going to Front Sight, they won’t accept it. Your hotel might do this, probably for an extra charge. If so, you can also send the uppers there.
Consider buying new ammo and having the retailer ship it to your destination. Also, shipping your AR uppers ahead makes sense (and note that gun parts may not be serialized, but like ammo, you can’t carry them on board, or fail to declare them in your luggage.
Put your pistols in a locked hard case inside your suitcase. This is a layer against theft.
Prepare to have on hand the FAA regulation that prohibits THEM from marking the tag with an indication that a firearm is inside. They do this all the time (with a big red “F”) and they shouldn’t.
Don’t fly through Chicago or anywhere else the unionized goods have a healthy black market for firearms.
The NRA website should also have travel tips.