Flying with guns

The other poster pretty much summed up the gun part. IIRC correctly, last time I flew with ammo you could only have 2 boxes in with your luggage. I was coming home and had a few extra shells exceeding my 2 boxes so I dropped them in a steel-toe boot in my suitcase. When I got home they were not in there.

Can I have more than one gun in a case?

Thanks for all the info.

I just got back from Canada. Yes to two guns in one case.

My gun case has the two incorporated locks as part of the case. EVEN though the case is TSA approved with incorporated locks, Delta agent in Canada required it to be locked with TSA approved padlocks. She said it was required to be locked with padlocks because the case had two holes for padlocks EVEN though case is TSA approved with incorporated locks.

Delta agent in New Orleans (USA) where I started my trip let me use the incorporated locks.

Flew up there with 4 boxes of shells limit of 11 lbs in separate checked bag.

Bring extra set of TSA locks as you’d be surprised at the number of people who fly with guns and run into problems with locks.

All depends on where you fly into and out of.
I had my gun checked in at New Orleans, Toronto then Saskatoon AND Toronto on way back as you also clear US customs in Toronto on flight back. Run the risk with non TSA approved locks and agent interpretation.

What risk?

Have flown with hunting rifles several times with the most recent to/from Canada last November. The TSA and each airline have rules for traveling with sporting firearms and I always print a copy and take with me.

I personally would NOT use a TSA lock and I don't care what Check-in Agent Karen says. Here's the quote from the TSA "...Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations. You may use any brand or type of lock to secure your firearm case, including TSA-recognized locks..."

I've only flown Delta and their partner airlines and Delta's policy is not hard to find. Each of the times I travelled with guns I had zero issues anywhere in the process. This includes domestic US flights as well as a couple of international trips.

Look up and review the rules and take a copy along in case you run into Karen. Supervisors or airline Station Chiefs will pay attention to the written rules.

If you are traveling to Canada, I would encourage you to avoid any connection in Toronto. Travelled thru there a number of times on business trips (no guns) and was consistently underwhelmed with that airport, the layout of connection flights and the staff in general. Not the worst airport I've ever been in, but the worst in my opinion on the North American continent.

Good luck with your trip.

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The TSA and each airline have rules for traveling with sporting firearms and I always print a copy and take with me.

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^^^This. As someone mentioned, keep printed copies of the rules on your person.

A few other thoughts.
-The airlines don't require TSA locks, but they encourage you to use them as it makes their job easier. If they find it necessary to open up your gun case and you're not there, they have a master key for TSA locks. If you're not there, they'll either have to wait for you to open it case or they'll have to cut the locks off. I don't use TSA locks. Is use two padlocks (keyed the same) and each gun case. If possible, give a second key to someone else traveling w/ you.
-There may be restrictions on the dimensions of your gun case. They gun case I'd had for years was too long, making it "oversized." The fee for the "oversized" gun case was going to be quite high, something like an $200 each way. Instead, I bought a new, smaller case from Pelican.
-There may be different restrictions on how much ammo you can transport in your luggage. On my trip, we had too much ammo and had to ship some home via UPS.
-Different airlines may have different rules.
-At the time of my last trip, the rules mandated that ammo be in factory boxes. A lot of my ammo were handholds so there were no factory boxes. Nevertheless, I used plastic boxes w/o a problem.
-Allow yourself plenty of extra time at check in and be cool about it. Don't parade around saying "I've got a gun to check" for everyone to hear.
-Use a quality gun case. The standards to be "TSA approved" are pretty lax. Pelican is hard to beat. Harbor Freight makes a Pelican knock off that looks pretty good if price is important.

I've flown maybe 40-50 times with guns. It can get complicated based on who you get as your TSA agent. For my pelican case i now carry 8 locks. 4 TSA and 4 non TSA. I have had them tell me both types are mandated and make me pull each kind off and purchase more in the airport. I have also lost a TSA lock somewhere in process prior to my layover and been detained while i provided another lock. I have had ammo been dictated to me both ways "ie ok in same case as gun, and also must be in seperate checked bag". Once i accidentally kept a shotgun shell in a jacket and that was a real cluster, as they weren't sure what to do with me. They said they couldn't dispose of it, and that i couldn't toss it in the trash. They finally followed me outside where i handed it to a city cop. If you are just taking a shotgun, i'd leave ammo at home. Also, if you do take ammo, definitely leave in original box.

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Do not use tsa locks.

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What is the down side of using TSA locks? I just flew United and had tsa approved locks on my pelican case, I had zero issue.