Posted: 4/22/2015 9:52:06 PM EDT
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I am trying to decide if I want a hard case like Pelican or a soft case. I will not be flying with it, at the most I will have to drive a few hours to the nearest range over 100 yds. The hard case will give me the most protection so I possibly could put it in my truck bed, strap it down and not worry about anything being damaged. The downside is that I would only be able to store a few other items in the case ie sling, extra mags, etc and I would only be able to use it for the one rifle.
The soft case would only give me limited protection so it would have to ride in the back seat. The problem with that is that it would limit me to 1 to 2 other people riding to the range with me. Not the worse thing but I don't want to squeeze the person in the back with more range bags and cases. The positive is that the soft case would give me more space for items that go specifically with my precision rifle such as rear bag, data book, possibly spotting scope, etc. I would also be able to use the soft case for other long guns. A compromise I could make is find a soft case that fits inside a Pelican case body. That would give me more of the protection of a hard case and with the extra storage of a soft case, but not as much protection as a regular hard case since there is no foam surrounding the rifle. One downside to this idea is that I am paying for 2 cases, but only get 1 in the end. Basically if each case cost $200 on average, paying $400 for the use of 1 case. What would you do and why? Thanks in advance for your time. 
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OK, so you get your precision rifle ($1500+)
setup and ready to shoot long range ($1000+ optics rings, base) and you want to trust the zeros on your scope to a think thickness of cloth ($60) instead of actually hard plastic and foam ($120)? This seems pound foolish in order to be penny wise. |
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Quoted:
OK, so you get your precision rifle ($1500+) setup and ready to shoot long range ($1000+ optics rings, base) and you want to trust the zeros on your scope to a think thickness of cloth ($60) instead of actually hard plastic and foam ($120)? This seems pound foolish in order to be penny wise. If your rifle is properly built with quality optics you won't have to worry about your "zeros" going anywhere. The soft "drag bag" type cases are way more user friendly. Quality cost as much or more than the hard (pelican) cases. I use my Tactical Taylor bag way more. The hard cases are good because you can cable them to your vehicles frame in the trunk or in my case under the rear seat in my truck. Like Kilt I have both. |
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Quoted:
OK, so you get your precision rifle ($1500+) setup and ready to shoot long range ($1000+ optics rings, base) and you want to trust the zeros on your scope to a think thickness of cloth ($60) instead of actually hard plastic and foam ($120)? This seems pound foolish in order to be penny wise. lol, you would cringe at how I treat my match rifle... toss it loosely in the floorboard of my pickup with my match gear, and quite often my shooting partners rifle and match gear. Several other items down there too... ball hitch, tow straps, tie downs, bungee cords, tools... breakfast lunch and dinner from the road trips... Usually a roll or two of toilet paper for JUST IN CASE moments. Hell winter through summer I usually have a pair of bibs and boots back there as well. I have not had an issue with losing my zero when driving long distances on back country roads. If anything I may opt for a soft case one day... If I were to get a hard case that thing would be tossed in the back of the truck with several other things. I am not made of money, my gear is not cheap, and I would be pissed if it did not hold zero because it was in a soft case and not a hard case. |
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Hard case for sure, the ranges I go to require a hard case just for transport. Very bumpy road. Everything goes everywhere. Had a steel target stand fly out the back of the truck before.
That and if you ever want to fly with the gun, or go to states that require a locked hard case for transportation, youll be prepared. |
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I have both. I use a hard case if going to a public range, and haven't used my soft case in years. Everything else is in my pack, even when I used my soft case.
I shoot mostly on my private land so my rifles ride one of two ways. Naked in the floor board, or muzzle in the floorboard angled up with the optic pushed down between the two bucket seats to keep it from sliding. This of course depends on which vehicle I am in. |
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Plano All Weather is a great line of hard cases that don't break the bank like Pelicans. I've used lots of versions of Pelicans at work for various pieces of equipment. I purchased a Plano All Weather to fly some firearms across the country and it held up as well as any Pelican could have.
I use the hard cases for transporting in the truck if I'm going any long distances...like from in-town to the desert and when with friends (I have a pickup, too) I use soft case when going from home to the local indoor range. I also try to use cases that don't scream, "Hey, there's a gun in here." For my 16" AR15 I use a Stanley, 28" long tool box with pluck foam cut to fit. It holds rifle (broken down), mags, eyes, ears with more room for stuff if needed. For long guns I use the Plano All Weather (but it's pretty non-discript...no logos). I can put two in one case, each rifle is in its own soft case. If these were new, high-end, or super accurate rifles, I would probably put one in each and cut the foam accordingly. If one rifle per case, there would be space for mags, eyes, ears, cleaning kit, optics cleaning kit, and some other miscellaneous stuff (if I was trying to reduce how much stuff I'm trying to carry). For my new AR308 I got a 32" soft case for the local range (rifle must break down first)...again it doesn't scream, "GUN IN HERE!" I'll eventually probably get another Plano All Weather for long trips (or maybe just buy another set of pluck foam for my current hard case and just swap as needed) But for your requirements, I'd definitely find a hard case as it simplifies securing in the bed. I'd also recommend getting something like an "Action Packer" to put all your range equipment in (particularly for the long haul trips). Then you can secure it all down as well. Ammo always goes in ammo cans just out of convenience sake. It's also heavy and rifle cases are heavy enough without the lead. |