I haven’t done this for years – wondering if anything has changed. I am flying Delta on a direct flight to upstate NY and would like to bring two .22 rifles and ammo (Probably 500rd). I have a heavy duty flight case with 4 locking hinges. I am assuming I can put everything in this case and just declare it at check in? It’s NY, so I will only bring 10rd mags.
Is this correct/anything else I need to do?
If it were me I would call the local TSA just to make sure. Their rules have varied from time to time. Especially the locking part.
Someone will likely chime it that has recently done it though.
Make sure that you use a NON-TSA lock when you lock up the case.
Make sure that you use a NON-TSA lock when you lock up the case.
Please explain on this. I have never flown, but plan on a trip to Florida and plan to bring a firearm next year. I was told to use a TSA lock. To be honest, I have not looked any further into this at all.
From what I understand is that it prevents any TSA personnel from accessing your firearm. If you google TSA- FLying with Firearm it is in there. Flew a sidearm out to my elk hunt this past fall and following their rules never had a problem.
Make sure that you use a NON-TSA lock when you lock up the case.
I’ve heard the same thing. Enough stuff goes missing from luggage you don’t a gun to be one of them.
Just found a link to the TSA rules.
http://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition
Ammo and gun supposed to be in separate checked bag.. gun must be locked. In a case. Ammo must be in a locked case. Have keys ready. You will need to open case to be inspected at time of checking bag.
Its realy simple. I fly with guns every year..
I do lock ammo and my handgun in same case. But i add a barrel lock on handgun. And they simply open. Inspect. Place inspection card in case and move on
I just use a master lock (4 pack). In Denver, a TSA agent told me that EVERY factory lock hole on the case MUST be locked. Fortunately I had an extra 4 pack in the case for a different use. Put the two extra locks on and away I went with no further issues.
Otherwise, very simple process. Set on the counter, declare that you have a firearm to check in, open case, they put a card inside, they watch you lock it up, put your tags on it, and grab it at your destination.
Also, I have my contact info plastered all over the case. Just in case 
Thanks for the replies – I am hearing from people that you can’t store the ammo with the firearm, but the TSA site clearly says you can, and that is what Delta said.
Yea, I’m going to write my name and number in several places. Also, thanks for the idea to put locks on the guns inside the locked case – I’m assuming the more secure everything is the smoother it goes.
Does anyone know if it just dumps out on the baggage claim or is it held somewhere?
Yes, ammo in case. I think there is a limit???? I need the second case for ammo anyways because it doesn’t all fit.
Yes, baggage claim
I remember the days when you could just throw a handgun into your checked luggage.
Ammo and gun supposed to be in separate checked bag.
Not true. They can be in the same checked bag but need to be in a separate locked case inside that bag. I fly with a handgun all the time.
Does anyone know if it just dumps out on the baggage claim or is it held somewhere?
Yep, you’ll find it with the rest of the bags from the flight.
Yup sorry. Thanx for correction.. not seperate checked bad. Seperate locked case..
Are saying the ammo must be in a locked case, inside of the locked gun case? I don’t see that anywhere.
TSA:
“-Firearm magazines and ammunition clips, whether loaded or empty, must be securely boxed or included within a hard-sided case containing an unloaded firearm. Read the requirements governing the transport of ammunition in checked baggage as defined by 49 CFR 175.10 (a)(8).
-Small arms ammunition, including ammunition not exceeding .75 caliber and shotgun shells of any gauge, may be carried in the same hard-sided case as the firearm.”
Delta:
“-Ensure small arms ammunition is packed in the manufacturer’s original package or securely packed in fiber, wood, plastic or metal boxes and provide separation for cartridges.”
Delta and the TSA also say it prohibits: “Ammunition, including case, exceeding 11 pounds (5 kg) gross weight per passenger.”
I get “travel updates” from Safari Club International. I can’t find the latest one, but here are the highlight I can recall:
1. Biggest issue is various airlines and TSA not knowing their own rules. Then the failure gets expanded as employees “train” each other with the wrong rules.
SCI suggests bringing a PRINTED copy of the rules from TSA and the airline’s page. It is sometimes necessary to prove to the people who should know the rules, that they don’t.
2. Locks. Per Randy’s post, it now is generally enforced that ever lock hasp has to have a lock on it. This has cause a lot of issues and many members have bought new cases because some older cases had 8 or more lock hasps that then had to be locked.
Locks should NOT be “TSA Locks”. They must be real locks.
3. Having TSA (again not knowing rules) cut off non-TSA locks. This is actually a crime, but it appears either TSA or airline employees seeing what they think to be the “wrong” lock have cut off real padlocks.
The bottom line here is bring a complete spare set of locks in case TSA or airline employees cut off your locks. Also, accessing a firearm in a secure area and leaving it unsecured are both crimes. Report this if it happens to you. Anyone doing this is a security threat and should be arrested.
4. The regs around ammo are another frequent fall-down issue, again airlines and TSA not knowing their own rules. SCI suggests that the packable ammo case that you bring in your firearm case be removable and lockable so if they insist on their wrong interpretation of the rules, you can just move it to checked baggage and move on. Obviously, you need a lock for this case as well.
5. Remember state laws vary. You must take care not to violate laws in the states you visit or transfer through. There is no “in transit” allowance made.
6. Plan extra time when checking in. If things go wrong, it can take time to get people who know what they are doing to sort things out. SCI says plan at least a half hour in addition to your regular check in time.
Those are the points that I recall.
Groues
Thanks. I have a skb rolling flight case – it doesnt have places for locks, but the 4 hinges lock individually.
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@Tindall That case may be a problem. Those locking latches are very generic and I have witnessed a number of people that were refused by TSA for use of those “locks”. I can not honestly say that TSA has master keys for those, but they are not very secure.
After visiting multiple case manufactures at Shot Show, this is the company that I was most impressed with. Quality is outstanding, drop impact reports are VERY good, and they are very cost effective compared to comparable cases that are in the $200+ range
I also have a couple of their smaller cases I use for my prairie dog ammo
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