flying with my rifle

[K9Kodi]

I always understood it as simple to fly with your rifle.  Put it in your hard case, in my case, a pelican.  Get some good locks and declare it.  However, im purchasing my airline ticket and i notice I have a layover, and I board a different airline.  Am i still supposed to declare the rifle with the new airline or does the original airline handle that?

 

[ILbowhntr]

Your checked baggage should transfer to the other airlines. Call then and asked them.

 

[Bullhunter]

Once you declare it the first time and they check the baggage then you wont have to worry about telling the new airline.  It will transfer over and it will be marked as a firearm.  As for ammo i dont know the proper requirements for transporting ammo.

 

[Immortal_Ben]

I have not flown with a rifle, but my wife and I do fly with our pistols. It is the same either way.


Firearm has to be unloaded and locked in a hard sided case. All ammunition must also be locked in a hard sided case. I always put my ammo in the factory box and place it in the same case as my pistol.


Make sure to use only TSA approved locks. If you do not use TSA approved locks, your locks may get cut if your case is picked for additional inspection. The approved locks have a small red, diamond shaped icon on the body of the lock.


Firearm has to be declared at the airline ticket counter, where you will affirm to the clerk that the firearm is unloaded and locked up. You will then fill out a small, bright orange form which is then taped to the outside of the hard case.


In our case, we then place the hard cases inside our other checked bags. This is not likely an option for you. A baggage handler will then cart your firearm to a separate TSA firearm screening station, where it will go through the x-ray machine.


Then you can follow the clerk back to the airline counter and watch him/her place the hard case on the conveyor belt. You are not required to follow them back, but I always do.


As the others have said, your firearm will transfer with your other checked baggage, and you pick it up at your destination just like everyone else waiting for their luggage.


Try not to get to the ticket counter anywhere near lunchtime, as I have been delayed by more than 40 minutes because the TSA agent was eating. When she did show up, she took one look at the x-ray unit and told me that she was not certified to run that particular machine. It took another 20 minutes to get an agent certified for that machine. I was LIVID, hungry, and still had to pass through the regular TSA mess.


You can read the firearm regulations for yourself at the TSA website. The process is supposed to be the same across all domestic airlines. I have no idea about the process for international flights.

Yes, this is my first post here. Howdy.

Good luck.