Hard case or drag bag?

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Sorry if this has been asked before, I'm on my cell right now and searching is a bit tedious...

Im trying to debate between a hard case or a drag bag to transport my rifle. What do you use? Obviously the hard case would provide that extra bit of protection but is it worth it if you're jut going to and from your range and not necessarily carrying or transporting the gun into some hard-core war situation? I can get a good drag bag for about a third of the price of a hard case, just wondering if the extra costs are justified. Thanks.
 
Think of it like a wardrobe. Dress for the occasion.

Hard case for air travel and car travel of expensive or rare items.

Soft cases for everything else. You will appreciate the low weight and storage option in smaller cars and tight spaces.

Drag bag only for working professionals, prs competitors, gear whores and mall ninjas.
 
The bags that double as cases and shooting mats...
If it rains, you've got a wet case for your rifle.

I generally use good soft cases. A heavy rifle in a quality hard case makes a heavy awkward unit.
 
Pelican case (or similar) - PROS - good protection, almost bombproof. CONS - really heavy, don't fit much in the way of accessories, takes chunks out of your walls if you aren't careful carrying it from the gun room to the car.

Drag bag - PROS - light, decent protection, lots of pockets to stuff with gear, don't need to buy new foam if you change guns, cheaper. CONS - you can't cover it in stickers. PRO - You can cover it in Velcro patches!
 
As others have stated, both have their place. You can't fly with a drag bag, but the drag bag is far less likely to damage the leather interior of your vehicle or the wall in your home. A hard case will offer better protection to the contents, but are you likley to throw around an expensive gun any way?
For use on a quad the hard case has better protection but can also limit places accessed.

Really it all boils down to what you are doing then selecting the right tool for the job. I would suspect most serious gun owners have both to cover every eventuality of use.
 
Personally I preferred a drag bag. Less bulky and clumsy, just throw it over my shoulder and go. Hard Cases offer a lot more protection, especially from the elements but for large cases like Pelican they can be really annoying to fit into a small vehicle.
 
I go with the hard cases, always. I can put multiple rifles into one case, as well as a few magazines. The foam will hold everything from smashing around. For the 12 ga. or bolt gun, a gunsock will do for me.
 
The answer is YES....

I have fold up/ trifold sniper drag case (Stalker Case by Blackhawk... google it) that fits into my empty (of foam) Pelican 1750 for LR rigs.

For CQB, I have Bulldog soft cases with zip up pockets (trigger locked HG's go in here) and the main compartment for CQB shooters (My CC SA20 or DD Mk18) and all of this goes into my Pelican 1720 case


Hope this helps with the search for cases... :wave:

Barney
 
photog_shooter said:
Sorry if this has been asked before, I'm on my cell right now and searching is a bit tedious...

Im trying to debate between a hard case or a drag bag to transport my rifle. What do you use? Obviously the hard case would provide that extra bit of protection but is it worth it if you're jut going to and from your range and not necessarily carrying or transporting the gun into some hard-core war situation? I can get a good drag bag for about a third of the price of a hard case, just wondering if the extra costs are justified. Thanks.
Click to expand...

For me the question is: do you travel with your firearm a lot? On airlines? If so you should get a hard case, if not I would say drag bag.

Drag bags are easier to store, have pockets for gadgets and ammo, can do nifty things like turn into shooting mats, etc etc etc.
 
BadLieutenant said:
I would have a question: Do soft cases are within the law for bringing restricted rifles to the range?

I cross the Canada/US border, and would not want any bad surprise on my way back in Canada.......

In this thread, many people seem to carry ARs in lockable soft bags......but I wonder

https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1434446-Cases-for-AR15?highlight=ar15+case
Click to expand...

Technically I believe it is legal, however if you encounter the wrong person at the border things could get quite interesting and very expensive. I am down into the USA frequently with guns, both restricted and Non restricted and use a lockable hardcase just to prevent interpretation error on behalf of the border folks on both sides of the 49th. It is easier to avoid a confrontation that it is to solve one.
 
no-one special said:
Technically I believe it is legal, however if you encounter the wrong person at the border things could get quite interesting and very expensive. I am down into the USA frequently with guns, both restricted and Non restricted and use a lockable hardcase just to prevent interpretation error on behalf of the border folks on both sides of the 49th. It is easier to avoid a confrontation that it is to solve one.
Click to expand...


Yeah, I'm feeling the same way.......Thanks no-one special!
 
BadLieutenant said:
Buy on amazon....free shipping ; )
Click to expand...

Yea sadly not to here... Even with Amazon Prime, the shipping isn't free up here. They changed their policies for the arctic a couple of years back. I guess we're the exception to the rule. You'd think though that with Jeff Bezos bouncing around the richest man in the world mark, that Amazon could afford to still ship some items to us for free. It's not like we're some multi million person market that's gouging their bottom dollar.
 
I've been thinking the same thing recently , the hard cases are oversized and so awkward when going to the range. Going to pick a soft case, hopefully will make things easier
 
I love my Voodoo Tactical drag bag. You can carry 2 long guns and 2 pistols. Comes with a bunch of locks (7) so you can lock every zipper.

-Main compartment fits the 2 long guns
-3 double front pockets. 1 and 3 have a pistol compartment and the front pocket fits 6 AR15 magazines (2 per pouch). The middle pocket (#2) fits 8 pistol magazines and the pocket behind could fit a third pistol but I use it for a stappler/staples, ear plugs, gloves etc...


Very well made, well padded

Havent used my Pelican1750 for while
 
BadLieutenant said:
I would have a question: Do soft cases are within the law for bringing restricted rifles to the range?

I cross the Canada/US border, and would not want any bad surprise on my way back in Canada.......

In this thread, many people seem to carry ARs in lockable soft bags......but I wonder

https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1434446-Cases-for-AR15?highlight=ar15+case
Click to expand...

For cross border travel I would probably go with a hard case but for everything else it's just personal preference.


I simply throw a lock through the zipper on my soft bags if transporting a restricted and my hard cases are easy to lock, I think either would be legal even though the soft case with a lock through the zipper is pretty easy to get around if you want in.
Lately I've been using soft cases pretty much exclusively but I have a couple Pelican cases and some of the cheap ones from Canadian Tire or Walmart. Even my Desert Tech SRS only ever saw a soft case and it was in mint shape when I sold it.
Firearms are not overly delicate so as long as you don't plan to throw it or run it over with your truck a soft case should work fine.
 
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