It was the bogus “ The cases were undamaged.“ bit that prompted my response…
I don’t know where these ludicrous stories start at, or where they come from.
CZ, the older I get the more willing I am to question the recall abilities of my 75 year old brain cells. Your skepticism prompted a call with the gentleman and was cause for a good catch-up conversation which I thank you for. (He and his wife left our neighborhood and joined the out-of-state exodus from Colorado a few years ago.). The story was accurate as I recounted it with two corrections: it happened to three rifles not two as I remembered and it was a case not “cases”. My apologies. (Corrections also made to my earlier post.)
I asked him about the case and he said it is one of those vault type hard sided Pelican travel cases that will hold two long guns. Each incident happened on a separate trip and he told me in detail about each of the rifles that were broken. I asked him if the locks were “jimmyed” or cut off and he said, “No. The case was not broken into.” I also asked him if there were any marks to indicate it had been run over with a “tug” or other vehicle. Again, he said, “No.”. His theory is that the “bag-buster” or whoever handled his case was intentionally/maliciously striking it or throwing it hard against a corner or perhaps laying it between two objects and jumping on it. Whatever the technique, it resulted in the rifles being broken at the wrist. He also checked his guns all the way through to Johannesburg so he’s not sure in what airport the damage was being done. After the third rifle was broken, he started disassembling his rifle(s) and wrapping the pieces in multiple layers of bubble wrap. Whether that or another variable was causative, the damage stopped. The Pelican case was and still is undamaged except for the normal scuffs that come with airline travel.
