i am looking for a case for both very short and also sorta long trips. by short i mean covert hopping, making 5-15, maybe 20 minutes max, get out and hunt for a short period of time, then saddle back up and hop to the next covert. i have been using canvas cases with very thick piling in it, unzipped, behind the rear seat of my truck.
for long, serious trips i use double, full length aluminum cases. they are heavy and i trust them immensely, but i don't like to monkey with them if i am not driving a fairly long ways. the canvas case behind the seat is so much easier o use, being far quicker to get a gun in and out.
so now i have a couple of guns that are nicer than any shotgun i have owned. my philosophy on life is the more i spend on something, the harder and more i use it. i want to be sure i get my money's worth out of it. with these guns i want to use them hard, but not beat them up unnecessarily. i don't want to carry the aluminum cases with me, but i also want something more protective than the cordura cases. the good gun has an oak and leather case and the second tier gun has a leather case, but i don't want to break them down all of the time.
so what about about full length leather cases? are they the happy medium i am looking for? i was looking at the ones that could be buckled together, allowing me to carry 2 guns (always have a back-up!) but it would be less cumbersome than the big aluminum cases.
any advice?
thanks!
Mark-
I had about a dozen leather gun slips and cases damaged by an inept contractor.
I tried valiantly to find exact replacements for them.
Luckily, the primary shortcomings of vintage gun slips have been overcome with modern materials.
I ultimately chose cases from the Boyt Harness Company Heritage collection.
I am very satisfied with the hides, the hardware, the brass pieces, and the linings.
I prefer those that unzip until they lay open flat because of moisture. At first I didn't feel the clasps on the end were vintage enough, but have come to appreciate the clips that attend the buckles. The brass zippers are quite heavy, and have never bound.
I have about 20 years remaining to get them all marked up and smelling of gunoil, and they are patinating nicely.
Check out the leather slips from Murray
www.murraycustomleather.com.I've had 2 of his leather slips (one for me & one for my wife)for about 15 years & use them exactly as you describe for local travel & in between coverts.
They have no zippers or any other metal to scratch a nice gun. The down side is that you can't open them up to dry but I am always careful to wipe a wet gun off before putting it into the slip & I've come to prefer this style slip.
They are not cheap but are of excellent quality. Mine have held up very well & offer a lot of protection for transporting a nice gun in a vehicle & the gun doesn't get worn from taking it in & out of the slip as I've found with zippered slips & cases.
Boyt makes a padded canvas slip w/o a zipper & I have one of those also. Much less expensive but doesn't offer the level of protection that the Murray does.
Brittany man, Have you experienced any burnishing of the bluing on the ends of your barrels yet? I found that it is impossible to clean out sleeve style cases, and the constant sheathing, unsheathing wears away the finish on barrels. And, I could never dry one out. I have a bunch.
I am in the field most everyday, and whatever firearm I am using gets cased/uncased a dozen or more times per day. I will admit that other than a rag with rem oil my shotguns basically get a rag-off, then into the case.
A damp case will etch whatever weave the lining exhibits into any blued surface very quick. I have a GR6 Browning Citori with some sort of damask pattern etched into the barrels from sitting in a case that a cooler dampened.
My choices and behaviors certainly don't mimic those of others, and unfortunately, I have experienced about every way that a firearm can be damaged.
The big difference between $1,000.00 leather cases and $250.00 cases is whether they are made with 1 hide, or 3 pieces. Oh, and whether or not the maker attaches an embossed label. Also, if a person travels, and wishes to carry matching accoutrements, not every seller has a full leathergoods line to attend the cases.
Having handled 6 or 7 brands, it was obvious that only a couple companies in the US make all the private labled sleaves.
On any of my excursions, the most glorious moment is when I unsheath my sabre of the day.
Zapper,
The guns that get used frequently do show some slight wear to the bluing on the ends of the bbls but I have experienced the same & much worse wear with zippered cases & slips. Unfortunately it's something that is going to happen with a reasonably tight fitting slip & frequent use & I'm most interested in preventing deep nicks & gouges.
The Murray slips are lined with a synthetic fleece & at first I was concerned about it re. picking up grit & moisture retention but these concerns proved to be unfounded.
I've experienced no corrosion issues but I'm careful not to put a wet gun in the slip & on the rare occasion I've got the slip wet I use the wader extension on my boot dryer to get it dry.
Obviously, I don't leave guns in the slips any longer than I must.
Re. embossed labels & matching accouterments, I don't remember if the Murray cases have a label & my luggage is usually a pair of canvas duffle bags I bought from Gander Mountain in 1970 w/my ID elegantly put on with magic marker so the Murray slips definitely don't match.
Put a gun vault in the bed of your pickup. They are the next best thing to a complete field medical kit for your dogs that you can take hunting.
The Spanish full length double gun slips for driven shooting are wonderful. One of mine is fleece lined and one is unlined. For expensive guns, I would prefer the lined. Recently marketed slips of this type are very high priced. Our friend Charlie Jordan brought them in under his Everts and Jordan brand a few years ago. They were beyond expensive, but very nice.
A little shameless self promotion.
http://www.mbabllc.com/hand_made_cases_.htmlIf you place an order from this post mention you saw it hear and you will get a 10% discount and Dave will get his due as well.
Best.
Mark