The AoA Tactical Case, an excellent choice for protecting your precious.
I am a huge Lord of the Rings (LOTR) fan. I read the books years ago, and I have the extended Collectors Edition of each movie. LOTR is a story and a mythical world that really appeals to me. My wife thinks that I would prefer to live in Middle Earth, and there are many times that I think she is right.
One of the characters that I can relate to is Gollum, the little creature who had the Ring of Power, lost it to Bilbo Baggins, and has been on a quest to get it back ever since. He refers to the Ring has “my precious.”
While I don’t find Gollum a very admirable character, I will admit that when I get a new airgun, I become just a little tiny bit like Gollum: my latest acquisition become “precious” to me. I don’t want to see my newest pride in joy get banged up, scraped, knocked around, or otherwise molested in any way. Bottom line: I like to take good care of my gear. I realize that some wear and tear in bound to occur if you actually use and enjoy airguns, but I like to protect them for as long as I can.
As a result, I have become a bit of a connoisseur of gun cases. My very first was a very inexpensive cloth case from a well-known discount chain. The padding was thin, and the case tapered rather sharply. Even though it was allegedly a case for a “rifle and scope,” there were a lot of rifle and scope combinations that simply wouldn’t fit with the case fully closed.
After the first cloth case, I experimented with three different models of hard shell plastic cases with foam lining. These cases work reasonably well but there are some limitations. The first is that not all guns will fit all cases. Some of the hard shell plastic cases are molded in such a way – with intrusions and the placement of the handle – that you can’t always get a gun with a scope to slide comfortably into position.
The second issue with hard shell cases is that, well, that they are “hard” shell cases. They don’t bend or conform to space constrictions. I had this demonstrated to me big time when my brother-in-law, his son, and I were headed to a field target match. We were taking my brother-in-law’s Honda Civic and had half the back seat folded down so that we could fit the gun cases. The problem was that when he showed up at my house, and we tried to slide my hard shell case into the car, it wouldn’t fit. There just wasn’t enough room for three hard shell cases in the space that was available. I put the gun in a soft cloth case, and then it fit.
So . . . all of the above was really just a long-winded introduction for what comes next. Recently, the good folks at www.airgunsofarizona.com sent me one of the nicest gun cases I’ve seen in a long, long time.
The Airguns of Arizona Tactical Case is a cloth case that is rectangular in shape, roughly 47.5 inches long by 13 inches high. That means that this case will accommodate some really large airgun and scope combinations. For example, I was able to place a Benjamin Rogue air rifle, which is one of the largest airguns I’ve seen in quite a while, with scope, inside the AoA case and zip it up completely.
The case can be completed unzipped and folded flat.
The outside is covered in what appears to be black ballistic nylon, and the inside is lined with the same material. Between the two is an impressively deep layer of foam that, it seems to me, ought to provide pretty good protection for your “precious.” A long zipper runs around three sides of the case, so that it can be unzipped completely and laid out flat, providing a convenient surface if you need to do some work on your air rifle.
The zipper has two pulls, so you can rapidly unzip one end or the other. At one end of the case, you’ll find a cloth tab with a metal ring which can be used for hanging up the case. You can also run both zipper pulls to the end of the case and run a lock through the holes on both zipper pulls as well as the metal ring. While this won’t provide ultimate security for your gun (after all someone could cut the fabric to access it), it will prevent the casually curious from getting at it.
Under the velcro flap are two large pockets.
On one side of the case, there is a large Velcro flap. Lift the flap and you’ll find two generous pockets suitable for holding a box of pellets, extra magazines, Allen wrenches, or whathaveyou. Along the long edge of the case are two cloth carry handles, and on the opposite side of the case is a long padded shoulder strap that can be unclipped if you don’t want to use it.
On the back side is a carrying strap.
In all the AoA Tactical Case is an impressive piece of gear. It’s roomy enough to accommodate most air rifles and the extras you might need, padded well enough to provide a serious level of protection, yet flexible enough to conform to odd-shaped spaces when needed.
The logo adds a touch of color to an all-black case.
If you are in the market for a soft case for your “precious,” the AoA offering deserves to be at the top of your list for consideration.
Til next time, aim true and shoot straight,
– Jock Elliott
Hey Jock, I know exactly what you mean.
I have an Avanti 853c that is in for it’s 3rd resealing…it has somewhere around 75000 (yes, 75 thousand) shots on it.
Other than the fact that the finish is worn off (and smooth as a baby’s bottom) under the loading bolt, it looks brand new.
I don’t baby my stuff…they are meant to be shot…but that’s a far cry from abusing them. And with good cases and a little care most of my guns will get handed down for a second ‘life’ when I’m too old to shoot and they are passed on to my sons.