Lock it in a hard case,declare it when you reach the ticket counter,have TSA check it,and you should not have any problem.To avoid problems,do not leave an empty mag in the well because although it is perfectly legal,some moron TSA personnel might see it and freak out.

Some of them think mags are an incubating place for ammo or something,so maybe if the mag is in it might fill itself with ammo and fire spontaneously through a mutation according to the theory of evolution

Take the mags/ammo in your suitcase.

Quoted:

(4)  Islip:  (no guns, just a Surefire M3 in carryon and a couple knives in checked bags)

"Why don't you just carry those bags on the plane, sir?" (TSA drone)

"I have a knife in there" (me)

"Do you work in a circus?" (confirmed dumbass TSA drone)

LMAO!

Your answer should have been: "no, but you should assclown!"

Quoted: I've travelled a number of times with my AR.  I usually have my LE6721 and my Sig 226 in the same Pelican case with about 6 30rd mags and two 20rders.  I've never had any problems with it.  However, when I was in Idaho a state police officer had to inspect it to make sure it was unloaded, etc.  Anyway, it took him about 2 minutes to figure out how to open the action (and he turned away from me with the rifle while he tried to get it open).  Also, he didn't know what the snap-caps were in my sig mags.  So he had to call over the TSA supervisor to ask about them, after I had explained what they were.  But it was no problem.  Then again, I am usually travelling in states like AK and ID.

It makes no difference what states you travel.There are misinformed people working for airlines/TSA everywhere.............. and you never know when you are going to run into them.

Edward,GB and I were returning from Dallas with some pistols,a rifle and 2 uppers.The 2 uppers had been given to us at Gunstock, by the person who built them.We were  not expecting to bring them back,so we did not have any hard cases/locks for them, so we just put the uppers in the checked luggage and declared the pistols and the rifle as required.

30 minutes before boarding,we were called to the counter by a female airline employee at the gate,saying that "Xrays/manual check of our checked luggage had revealed that we were carrying firearms that had not been declared, and that were not locked in cases as required."

We almost missed our flight trying to convince the woman,that uppers were NOT considered firearms by anyone,including government agencies like ATF or TSA ,therefore rules for FIREARMS did not apply .She was set straight when a TSA supervisor told her "it was OK to transport the uppers like we were doing" and we finally got on the plane


Moral of the story:
There are misinformed people in every state,even those that SHOULD know better because they have transportation of firearms through their airports every day.....so try to avoid giving those people a reason to keep you grounded because of their ignorance.
Of course,if you are not in a hurry to get back home and/or like to argue when you know you will "win",this does not apply to you

I've travelled with ARs, Garands and even a Serbu .50 BMG and have had zero problems.

I have flown with my AR several times, and never had any trouble. A desk agent or two got a little :fluttery: when I opened the Pelican case to show the empty chamber, but that's neither here nor there.

Quoted: Carrying guns on airlines is cool..

Yes. Yes it is. I just made a round trip to NYC armed, and I got to meet a couple of cool FAMs too.