So you wanna fly with your guns?
 

So you are going on a trip and have decided to fly and wish to take your guns and gear with you. Well here are a few things you need to do.

I Understand that policies change from time to time, that in mind, unless the airline entirely bans the transport of guns on their carriers then there isn't an issue.

1. Where do i put it?
2. Use a hard case
3. Locks
4. What do I put in it?
5. Conclusion

1. Where do I put it?
You always want to put them in a case and check them with the rest of your luggage. Last thing you want to do is to take a pistol or rifle onto the plane. This also leads me to my next point

2. Use a hard case
Last thing you want is to get to your destination and find out your gun was snapped in half, we all know airline workers aren't too gentle with luggage. My suggestion is to use a case that is fairly thick and sturdy, some of the Flambeau cases are pretty thin and flimsy and don't offer a whole lot of protection for your rifle.

3. Locks
This may not be something that is 100% needed, but in the even that your case is lost, at least no one honest can get into it. This also ads another layer of protection to you and your gear.

4. What do I put in it?
So you may think it'll be great to take all your stuff and toss it into a gear bag and toss it in there as well. Since gasses like propane and green gas don't do well with temperature change (You're about to be 30,000 feet, it's cold down there) you'll either way to leave the cans/bottles at home, or you can toss it into your carry on, but for the price of a can of gas, I'd leave it and buy a new one at the destination. BB's you will also want to put into your carry on, don't ask me why you can ask them that when you get to that point.

5. Conclusion
In conclusion, be smart about how you travel with your guns and gear, don't walk in with a soft shell case, mag pouch tops flipped in and mags hanging out, you'll end up on the floor with real guns in your face. These steps are both precautionary steps for you and your gear.

Side note: Some airlines might require you to have a trigger lock or the like on your gun before transport, so keep that in mind, best bet is to call the airline beforehand to inquire about what their policies are on travelling with rifles. If you can travel with real guns, airsoft is no issue.

Best policy is to contact you respective airline as to their rules. When I flew in April, I followed their "real steel" policy and never had a problem. If you are crossing border, insure you have customs y38 form to bring back to Canada. I believe a lot of this info has been posted. A sticky would be good, if it hasn't been done already.

More and more players are flying to events now a days.

Did a quick search before posting and only found a lot of "can I fly with my guns?" type of posts.

Decided to make this post since it recently came up in the ASC Facebook Group, what better place to have the info show up than a searchable forum that is also indexed by google.

Always declare them and follow the airlines rules for firearms. Remeber if they are not declared airport security (who does not work for the airline you are fly8ng with) does random baggage xrays find them and no declaration you will get a visit from the RCP and miss your flight.

When travelling within TSA's jurisdiction (i.e. from the US):
http://blog.tsa.gov/2013/07/tsa-trav...ling-with.html

That's because some idiot staff member decided to clear out the FAQ section recently, it's been gutted of 90% of the usable material that was once there. I had a "how to fly with airsoft" post that was very exhaustive.

Don't forget about the "Firearms Declaration" form that you'll have to fill out in order to fly with an airline in Canada.

http://www.catsa.gc.ca/complete-item-list this is what you wan to follow when flying within Canada. Anything the airlines tells you otherwise that goes against this list is wrong.

Anything the airlines adds in addition to this list is their own requirements and still needs to be followed.

Good info.