Airlines and checked firearms

[hoaxci5]

My wife and I are taking a vacation to Alaska at the end of the month. I've been reading all the TSA and Alaska Airlines websites about checking our pistols. Seems pretty straight forward, locked hard sided container, ammo in factory boxes, and declare it at checkin so the TSA can inspect it.

We have a Hardigg laptop case that I was planning to put my OEM Springfield Armory case inside of, and then it still has room for ammo and if we decide to take our Ruger..

So I think I have all my stuff in order, I've just never done it so I'm a little nervous, anyone have any experience? words of wisdom?

[Matt]

Word of wisdom... when you walk up to check-in and "declare" it, don't say "I HAVE A GUN" really loud.

[cico7]

Word of wisdom... when you walk up to check-in and "declare" it, don't say "I HAVE A GUN" really loud.

LOL!!!

[LWM]

Make sure it is a LOCKABLE case or you will not have a gun when it arrives in Alaska.

[hoaxci5]

Yea it's required to be in a locked case, and I believe it isn't even supposed to be a TSA approved lock in this case. The hardigg case is like a pelican case, so it's fully lockable and waterproof actually. I was told not to use the Springfield case because it said Springfield on it so it just says steal me..

I was figuring locked hardigg case, with trigger locks, and maybe even locking the springfield case inside also.. better safe than sorry I figure.

[LWM]

Yea it's required to be in a locked case, and I believe it isn't even supposed to be a TSA approved lock in this case. The hardigg case is like a pelican case, so it's fully lockable and waterproof actually. I was told not to use the Springfield case because it said Springfield on it so it just says steal me..

I was figuring locked hardigg case, with trigger locks, and maybe even locking the springfield case inside also.. better safe than sorry I figure.

Sounds perfect!

[CKB3]

Try not to make it too much of a pain to access either... like locking a case within another locked case. Last time traveling with mine I was instructed to unlock my case to show a properly packed (in my luggage) unloaded cleared firearm and to prove that ammunition was not in the same compartment as the firearm. Also, I employed a trigger lock AND a cable lock on my firearm before i locked it in my pelican case. it was a Fullsize SA XD40

FYI, They should NOT handle the firearm. They are only there to approve its travel means