How to Choose the Right Gun Case

How Do You Choose the Right Gun Case?

Choose a case based on how you use your firearm. For a pistol you carry to the range, choose pick and pluck foam sized to your handgun. For a rifle you carry through public spaces, choose a discreet shell. For a firearm stored at home, choose a hard sided, lockable case with moisture control.

First, choose between a hard sided and soft sided case. Then choose pre cut foam or foam you shape yourself. A hard sided case handles a dropped bag or thrown suitcase better. It suits most air travel and long term storage. Foam choice determines how snugly the case fits your pistol or rifle.

A case earns its price by doing three things well. It keeps the firearm from shifting in transit. It keeps moisture out during months of storage. It locks well enough that only you can open it. Exterior color, extra pockets, and shell shape are preferences, not protection.

What Should You Look For in a Case?

Check a few features before you buy. They help you decide whether a case works for you.

• Choose a hard shell or soft shell based on whether you are flying, driving, or storing the firearm at home.
• Choose the foam type. Pick and pluck foam gives you a fast custom fit by hand. Solid foam is cut once and kept.
• Look for at least one lock point. A case without a way to lock it will not work for checked bag travel.
• Match the size to what you own, including any accessories you want to store with the firearm.

Which Case Fits a Pistol You Carry Often?

The Pick & Pluck Pistol Case is a hard sided, TSA compliant handgun case built for that job. Choose pre scored pick and pluck foam that you shape by hand. Or choose solid EPE foam that you cut with a blade. The case comes in eight color options. Prices range from $24.99 to $29.99, depending on foam and color. Every version locks for checked bag transport or storage at home.

Prefer to buy the case and its locks together? The TSA Approved Red Gun Case Locks (2-Pack) & Black Pistol Case costs $45.99. It bundles a hard, airline compliant pistol case with two 3 digit combination locks sized to fit it.

What If You Need to Move Several Handguns at Once?

The Pistol Case Multipack costs $99.99 and is built to stack. Each case sits on another Cedar Mill pistol case. This lets you move several handguns as one stack instead of carrying loose boxes. The interior is color coded, so you can identify each case's firearm and ammunition at a glance. Pick and pluck foam gives each handgun a custom fit. The set has two locking points for airline transport. Choose it when a range trip or move involves more than one handgun and you prefer one stack to several loose boxes.

How Do You Transport a Rifle Without Drawing Attention?

The Discreet Concealment Guitar Rifle Case costs $249.99. This hard sided rifle case has the exterior shape of a guitar case. It fits standard AR-15 and AK-pattern carbines, bolt action rifles, and suppressor equipped rifles. It locks for checked bag transport. Cedar Mill calls this the Grey Man idea. A guitar case in an airport or parking lot is unremarkable, while a rifle case draws a second look. The exterior looks like a musical instrument case. The interior secures a rifle. The case changes what a stranger sees you carrying through an airport, parking lot, or hallway. It does not change how you transport the firearm.

How Do Gun Case Locks Actually Work?

Every case above locks with a TSA Approved MonoShaft™ Gun Case Lock. It is sold as a single lock or a 2 pack, in six colors, for $19.99 to $29.99. The MonoShaft design replaces the usual U shaped shackle with one solid shaft. It removes the exposed loop that bolt cutters target on a standard padlock. The 4-Pack TSA Approved MonoShaft™ Gun Case Lock costs $44.95 and comes in black or red. Choose it to secure several cases at once.

If your case zips shut instead of latching, consider the TSA-Approved 3-Digit Combination Zipper Luggage Lock. It costs $14.95 and comes in silver or black. Its size suits a zipper pull rather than a case's lock hole. It fits soft sided bags that a hard case lock will not.

How Do You Keep a Stored Firearm From Rusting?

Moisture inside a closed case is the real threat to a stored firearm, not the case itself. The Portable Pistol and Firearm Rechargeable Desiccant Dehumidifier absorbs moisture from the air inside the case. This helps prevent rust, corrosion, and mold. It is reusable. When it reaches capacity, recharge it by heating it instead of replacing it. It comes in three sizes. A pair sized for pistol cases costs $19.99. The rifle case size costs $29.99, and the gun safe size costs $34.99. Match the size to what you are protecting. This matters most in a sealed case. A sealed case traps the humidity already in the air with the firearm. An open gun safe or room lets that humidity escape.

Which Cedar Mill Gun Case Should You Buy?

Buy for the trip, not the label. The Pick & Pluck Pistol Case fits one pistol going to the range. The Pistol Case Multipack fits several handguns moving together. The Discreet Concealment Guitar Rifle Case fits a rifle you want to keep unremarkable in public. Whichever case you choose, add a MonoShaft lock and a desiccant dehumidifier. Then the firearm inside stays locked, dry, and ready the next time you open it. You do not need to guess at a brand's reputation. Check the case against the four factors above. Match the foam and lock to the firearm you own. The right choice is usually obvious.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many color options does the Pick & Pluck Pistol Case have?

It comes in eight color options.

Can I reuse the firearm dehumidifier?

Yes. When it reaches capacity, recharge it by heating it.

Which colors are available for the MonoShaft lock?

The lock comes in black, red, blue, yellow, green, and white.

What rifles fit the Discreet Concealment Guitar Rifle Case?

It fits standard AR-15 and AK-pattern carbines, bolt action rifles, and suppressor equipped rifles.

How does the Pistol Case Multipack help identify what's inside?

Its interior is color coded so you can identify the firearm and ammunition in each case at a glance.