Flying with Your Shotguns
Flying is a complicated affair, and it is even more so when traveling with your shotgun. Over the past five years my shotguns and I have been throughout Europe to Rome, London, Budapest and Cyprus (with the US Sporting Clays Team), as well as to Madrid for driven partridge, and Dubai for impossible targets. There’s been extensive domestic travel throughout the United States, as well for various FITASC and Regional clays tournaments and events like the Jack Links and the Gator Cup. Once I am at my destination there is usually additional travel and sightseeing, so security is important throughout the trip.
There are few things of similar value that we traipse all over the world with as our prized shotguns and naturally the risk of loss is significant. These things can get expensive, and unlike jewelry, it doesn’t fit neatly into a hotel safe. The fit and the history of your gun can never be replaced.
Should you even take your shotgun? There’s no doubt that flying with your shotgun adds to the complexity of traveling – so much so that you may want to consider renting guns at your destination. This makes sense for places such as Argentina for volume dove or duck shoots, or to the UK for a driven bird hunt (I will never fly British Airways again, but that is another story). However, this is really not an option for a competitive shooter – someone who hopes that their custom stock might help with that one extra bird to claim the podium, or for the bird hunter that wants that special gun for a storied hunt.
Brian Booth
For those of us who unwittingly fall in with these lots, we have all the normal perils and hassle of travel complicated by the risk of keeping track of a highly valued, expensive “weapon.” Delays, lost baggage, thefts and cancellations still happen. Here is what I have found to be the best practices for making this process just a little easier and safer. Let’s start with flying domestically.
Whenever you can, book a direct flight. This reduces the opportunities for something to go wrong, including lost luggage. If you cannot book a direct flight, make sure you have plenty of time for your layover. There is no reason to think that if you need to run to make a connecting flight that the baggage handlers will feel the same way. There is nothing worse than waiting at the Philadelphia airport late at night counting the seconds until your shotgun arrives hours later with the next flight in from San Antonio because your shotgun did not make it on your connecting flight.
Get to the airport at least three hours early. When you arrive at the airport, you will need to check your shotgun in along with any other checked bags at the airline counter. No carry on with firearms or ammo. My shotgun is always broken down in my Negrini case. Contrary to popular belief, a TSA approved lock is not required for firearms. In fact, I want to be the only person with the key to open up my gun case. Under no situation would I want this popping open/opened without my knowledge. TSA approved locks are not secure enough. I would also prefer to enclose my shotgun case in a cover so it is not obvious to everyone else what I am carrying.
The Crushable Vault Line Field Vault and Tournament Vault comes ready for travel. A patented cable lock system secures up to two takedown Negrini shotgun or rifle cases.
The gate agent will confirm that the gun is unloaded and will provide you with a declaration that you will need to sign and place inside the case. They will also make sure your case is properly tagged so it will arrive at your destination. At that point, they will arrange for the TSA inspection. Every airport is different, but you will generally walk the length of 12 football fields to a different part of the airport for this inspection. It can take varying degrees of time depending on how busy they are. I tend to fly out of Newark and Philadelphia quite a bit and they are very efficient with the latest scanning tech. I hand over my shotgun to the TSA Agent and wait outside while they scan it. The issue here is simply waiting until the TSA agent is ready. At other locations, I have had to open the case as the agents physically inspect my gun/s. This takes time.
If everything is in order, I am free to head over another 12 football fields to wait in the security line. I tend to keep a nice pocketknife or Leatherman in my backpack (along with a full water bottle) for these agents to find and confiscate. Don’t laugh, it has happened to me more than I will ever admit. After getting through security, I will try and head over to a lounge for a glass of wine and a bite. Which leads to my next recommendation.
Even in your vehicle, shotguns should be locked securely for extra protection against theft.
Make sure you have access to a good airport lounge. Higher end credit cards provide this lounge access as a perk, and I seem to have this pretty well covered. You will generally have a more comfortable place to wait and work in the lounge than the bar in the airport. A valuable rule of travel is to eat and drink when you can because you never know when you will be sitting on the tarmac for hours. And I have found lounge time preferable to being short on time and trying to rush the TSA agents or to cutting through the security line. Fun fact – did you know United Lounges will pour you a nice glass of Stag’s Leap wine at a big discount? It’s the little things that help to take the edge off. I should also add that I am a huge fan of the trusted traveler programs like Global Entry. It is a hassle to get, but it saves you a ton of time in the long run. Maybe enough for that second glass of wine.
Try not to travel with ammo. It adds weight and complexity. That being said, I have at times stuck several boxes of unused ammo in my luggage after a shoot. I try to be practical, but good ammo is good ammo. An exception to this rule is if I am traveling with a 28 gauge or 16 gauge to a rural area where this type of ammo may be harder to find. You can only travel with ammunition on domestic flights in checked baggage, never in carry-on. Ammunition must be in its original manufacturer’s packaging or a specially designed container. It is also important to check with your specific airline for their own rules on ammo.
When collecting my shotgun at baggage claim I never know if it will come up with the golf clubs in special baggage or with the regular luggage on the carousel. At a big tournament, it is almost fun to see the shooters shuffle between the two locations until everything is collected. Waves of Kreighoff, Beretta, Perazzi, Caesar Guerrini and Zoli branded folks mull about anxiously until their gun is safely in hand. I am a huge fan of the baggage trackers. Apple AirTags seem to work the best, but of course they don’t work with Android phones. Improvements have been made for trackers on the Android network, but they still seem to lag. Chipolo are my favorites right now, but Apple’s AirTags seem to be faster to locate an item. It is a great way to see if your bags made it to the correct airport and if they are at the right baggage terminal. A friend of mine once found his shotgun sitting inexplicably by the airport exit, so you want to locate your gun as quickly as possible.
When it comes to rental cars and hotels, grab the rest of your luggage and head to your rental car, but this is where a lot of guns are lost. Make sure you secure your guns in the vehicle and in the hotel room.
The Tournament Vault was designed for the US Sporting Clays Team to help make traveling with a shotgun easier and more secure for the Team.
If this sounds like a lot, it is. But there are a few things that make it a bit easier. At Sporting Accessories, LTD, we designed the Tournament Vault (out of necessity) to make this entire process seamless. I personally wanted a better way to carry and secure my shotgun while traveling and there were not any solutions in the market that worked for me.
We started by making the shotgun easier to carry discreetly. Then we made it easy to secure the contents inside the case and then to lock down the unit itself. We use an 18-ounce waxed canvas soft case with heavy-duty backpack straps, so you can carry your shotgun effortlessly though the airport and while keeping your hands free for your other bags. Its classic styling doesn’t scream shotguns, instead it looks like it belongs with your other luggage. The Negrini cases fit in perfectly – whether it is a multi-barrel case, one of their luggage cases or even two smaller cases for bird guns. Our patented, inter-locking cable design allows you to securely wrap & lock down your Negrini style case after the TSA inspection with a thick, heavy-duty 10mm cable lock. There is a protective sleeve to secure the backpack straps, so the baggage carousel won’t eat them, and a Velcro flap to cover the top outer lock and keep it in place. Once you collect your gear, you can use the top outer lock to secure your shotgun in your auto rental as well as your hotel room. This made me feel a lot better about stopping at a rest area outside of Rome on my way to Orvieto or when traveling in the Tokaj wine region of Hungary.
Speaking of Orvieto, this is where I tested out the first prototype of the Tournament Vault. There were some things I really liked about the initial design, but I will say this field test highlighted a blatant failure of my imagination. Our initial design featured lighter-weight straps that you could backpack comfortably into the airport or from your car to your hotel room. But then came the reality of Orvieto. This beautiful, ancient city was not designed with today’s vehicles in mind. In fact, there was no parking within a one-half mile of our hotel, the Grand Hotel Italia. I never imagined having to walk back from a shoot in 90-degree weather, full of dust and in desperate need of a beverage while making wrong turns through these winding cobblestone streets – carrying my shotgun and other gear that I did not want to leave unattended in the car. After six days of this, it was clear that we really needed beef up the shoulder straps. At this point, I wanted something I could carry for miles. Seems that in Europe we end up walking much more than in the States – and that includes during the competitions. (By the way, we perfected the design and donated a Tournament Vault to each member of the US Sporting Clays Team in 2024 at the World Championships.)
There are a few special considerations for international travel.
You will generally need a permit or an invitation to bring your shotgun into another country. The tournament organizer or your outfitter will be your best guide to this process. Make sure your airline permits traveling with firearms and that you provide them with ample notice and required paperwork well ahead of time. This became a real issue for me when I had to change flights on United for my way to Dubai after a death in the family. I incorrectly assumed that all the notifications provided for the first flight automatically carried over to the next flight. They didn’t. That cost me a day in Newark and two Ubers back and forth as I hastily scrambled onto an Emirates flight the next day.
Plan on it taking some time to work your way through a foreign country’s customs office. As a rule, paperwork and serial numbers are carefully inspected. Have Google Translate ready if you are not fluent in the native tongue as you will be signing paperwork – generally not in English.
When returning to the US through customs, make sure you have completed CBP Form 4457 (Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad) to prove ownership and facilitate your return to the US. Have it signed by a Customs and Border Patrol officer. You will then need to take the form and your unloaded shotgun to a US Customs and Border Protection office at the airport before your departure to have the form officially stamped. Make a copy and take a picture on your phone. It is rather unpleasant to try to get back through US customs without it.
Always check local laws. Many countries have stricter firearms laws than the United States. Several countries will even hold you responsible if your shotgun is stolen. This could be a nightmare ending to a storied trip. Make sure you secure your shotgun in your rental car as well as your hotel room.
Shooting at tournaments in the US and overseas has brought me to destinations I may not have chosen on my own – and I am so grateful for that. It is an opportunity to explore the cultures and savor the local cuisines, taste their finest wines and see some incredible sites. It is a great privilege to be able to travel like this with a shotgun and to experience these events.
Brian Booth is an avid upland bird hunter, competitive sporting clays shooter and conservationist. He travels extensively in these pursuits and is the founder of Sporting Accessories LTD. He has been a strong supporter and an Honorary Captain of the US Sporting Clays Team since 2023.
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