Even Peli cases have their limits!!!

Grizzly 45

Got back last week from a trip to Germany and Hungary from a shooting break.
Only to find a great big hunk broken out of my 1750 peli case.:mad:

Looks like some gobaloon between Nurenberg and Dublin airport drove a forklift or their boot at it and speared the side of the case.Was perfect in Nurenberg as I had to open it in security and police presence and they X rayed the gun and case and that hole wasnt there.:mad: Fortunatly no damage to the gun,[might have been if we had to ditch in the English channel or the Irish sea due to the hole in it:p.]
Even the Peli box reps were amazed at this damage.
That model costs 536 .38[inc vat] Euros to buy new here in Ireland.
The Irish dealership is ten mins from me,but the kicker is that 536 euros is worth EVERY LAST DAMN CENT!! Why??A no quibble lifetime replacement warrenty that they honoured there and then irrespective of where it was bought.:D:D
When spending money is a question sometimes it makes no sense to scrimp and end up with second best especially when traveling with firearms.

I'm convinced of one thing the armies of NATO and the US could save the taxpayer millions in endurance tests of milspec gear by simply giving it to to normal airport baggage handlers anywhere in Europe,or the US and let them loose on it.
If it survives six commercial flites then its good enough to be chucked out of a cargo plane at 1000 feet over the Khanderhar region without a parachute.

Lesson learned...Pelibox are THE only cases for travelling with guns or sensitive equipment.

The Aussie

Can see why they are rated so well, was it a Scoped Rifle in the case, would be interesting to see if its still holding zero.

Also, where are the pictures of the trip (shooting ones, you can keep the family ones to yourself) report also if you have time.

Vegeta

Hey Grizz was considering getting a 1750 if my rifle will fit, that seems pricey even for a peli case. Is it a 1750 with extras?

Looks like it was money well spent though.

Scalachi

I have a Peli 1750 that I just used on a trip to Germany with 3 guns in it, No Issues and I also have a 1720.

They are so worth the money.

Have to say though, for the baggage handlers to do that type of damage takes a special kind of carelessness !!

It wasn't me!

For the 1720, what have you got in it and what's the total weight? I'm considering one for my own needs over the 1700 which wouldn't hold as much of my 3P kit as I'd like, but I think it would be a real stretch to make the 15kg limit. Have you had any hassle?

Scalachi

The 1720 weighs about 9kgs or 20lb empty with foam.

I have carried a Ruger 10/22 and a Marlin 1894 in it together in soft cases with bits and pieces.

Check with your airline, but Sports Equipment does not have a weight limit, basically its 40 Euro for the Box each way.

Coming back from Germany recently my 1750 weighed in at 22Kgs.

It wasn't me!

I'd thought several imposed a 15kg limit on gear like that. Would be great if not. It'll be a 1720 and as much of my stuff as I can get inside it! Be using the foam in the lid as much as the case itself at that rate.

Scalachi

I think most airlines are OK for sports equipment, and just charge the flat fee, but I have heard horror stories for tools and other equipment where the excess charges were something along the lines of 40.00 Euro for the first 15Kgs and then 35.00 Euro for every Kilo after

Depending on what you are carrying, that can add up really quick

IRLConor

Another happy Peli customer here! There are a few small divots out of mine but it's still in OK condition.

I've flown with my rifle with Lufthansa, Aer Lingus and Iberia this year and at least one of them mentioned a 15kg limit. I can't remember if any of them weighed it though. My 1700 comes in at 14.8kg with all the stuff in it, so I'd be fine (just!) anyway but I think one or more of them at least say they have a limit.

Sparks

Holy poopsticks. I didn't think even baggage handlers could manage to do that to a peli, the worst they've managed to do to my 1720 is to grind down some of the plastic around the hinges, but that's just scrapes and scratches. That had to be a forklift or something similar Grizz, I didn't think you could even do that to a peli in that part of the case without a jackhammer.

Really wouldn't ever use anything else for my rifle. Aer lingus, Lufthansa, even screw-you airlines (that's KLM to everyone else), none of them ever managed to damage it thanks to that peli case.

And yeah, excess baggage forms the basis of a whole host of my horror story collection...

Grizzly 45

The Aussie wrote: »

Can see why they are rated so well, was it a Scoped Rifle in the case, would be interesting to see if its still holding zero.

Also, where are the pictures of the trip (shooting ones, you can keep the family ones to yourself) report also if you have time.

Nope it was a shotgun [Benelli M3].
Will get the pics up and a breif story in the duration.;)

Grizzly 45

Vegeta wrote: »

Hey Grizz was considering getting a 1750 if my rifle will fit, that seems pricey even for a peli case. Is it a 1750 with extras?

Looks like it was money well spent though.

Nope,just a bog standard peli with DIY cut out foam. Most deffo worth the money.
EDIT. Yeah you can fit two shotguns un assembled or proably two scoped rifles as well with a bit of artful squeezing.

Thing is long enough I reckon to take a unsasembled Barrett light 50.

Grizzly 45

It wasn't me! wrote: »

I'd thought several imposed a 15kg limit on gear like that. Would be great if not. It'll be a 1720 and as much of my stuff as I can get inside it! Be using the foam in the lid as much as the case itself at that rate.

Cost me 65 quid for special baggage handling going out from Dublin direct Nurenberg and 50 Euros return...Go figure.
Didnt weigh it it came in as lighter than my clothes bag [that was close on 20 kgs] But in fairness they didnt charge any excess weight on the clothes bag.

323

Amazed to see this damage to a Peli case, even by airline baggage handlers. Agree these or the Irish made Storm, now owned by now Peli are the only job. Been shipping equipment and instruments to and from jobs round the world for years and dont remember ever seeing this.

Just bought another peli case, a 1750 also, courier emailed and expect it to be delivered later this morning.

Vegeta wrote: »

Hey Grizz was considering getting a 1750 if my rifle will fit, that seems pricey even for a peli case. Is it a 1750 with extras?

Looks like it was money well spent though.

Thanks Grizz for Peli Ireland's price. I have emailed Peli Ireland but they have not bothered to reply.
So, this time went with a guy in Omagh who I've seen mentioned numerous times here by the target shooting folks. Sells case, including foam and shipping for considerably less than that.

civdef

What sort of comeback (if any) do the airline give?

Grizzly 45

Cr*P feedback is what I'm getting Civ.:mad:
A usual sorry we broke your bag,please contact our underlings and bag menders in the UK who might fix it for you email. Talked to them,they stated as it is a Peli case thats unfixable by them and the best thing is to email LH with a replacement invoice.Duely done,and silence ensues...Rang LH and there is no way to contact LH baggage compensation except by fax and email :mad:
Apprently it takes 6to8 weeks for them to process a claim.Somthing they do not put on their emails.:mad::mad::mad:
Lufthansa customer service is going down the toilet in my opinion.

Sparks

All the baggage handling crowds are like that from what I've seen grizz, we've had a few bags destroyed over the years by them and I only know of one case where they compensated the owner (and that was a brand new case on its first trip and the handler broke it right in front of us as we were running up and yelling at him to take it easy on the cases...)

Lufthansa, oddly enough, are the best airline I've ever flown with when carrying firearms, miles better than any of the others.

Grizzly 45

Lufthansa per se are unfaultable for service and flying with and handling firearms in transit and I'd be the first to defend them on those points
.However,if they are starting to use 2nd rate ancillary services and not bother to follow up a pretty serious complaint like this then it will affect their overall image of efficency:( I mean its not like it was a load of Dunnes Stores knickers that went astray for a week or so.:rolleyes:

MadYaker

Wow I've never seen one of these cases damaged like that. I use a 1200 for a first aid kit while kayaking, I've had it for 5 years and its been dropped down a cliff, kicked, hit by a car, left in water overnight and its still functions perfectly.

IRLConor

MadYaker wrote: »

its been dropped down a cliff, kicked, hit by a car, left in water overnight

'tis but a scratch compared to the handling by any airport baggage handler worth his salt!

CJhaughey

The biggest issue with plastic is that it becomes brittle when cold, considering the temps at altitude and at ground level right now its very possible that the plastic was brittle and didn't take the knock like a Pelicase at ~10-18ºC would have.
Not excusing baggage handlers (I've seen them throwing luggage around enough times to know what can happen) but sometimes material properties change when exposed to cold temps.
I have several Pelicases and they have lasted well over 17 years.

Grizzly 45

Wouldnt it split a lot more like a crack or whatever??
this looks more like a direct impact,especially with the gouge on the piece.
I know where you are coming from on this CJ,but it would be odd that it was frozen in just that particular one spot.

Sparks

I don't think even the freezing would matter; they're certified to tolerate from -23.3ºC (-10ºF) to +98.9ºC (+210ºF). And the damage Grizz's case suffered looks to me to be a lot more like someone rammed it with a forklift than the kind of split or crack you get when you drop brittle plastic...

Grizzly 45

Lufthansa got back to me after a rather peppered email from me,and they are willing to pony up 250 lids to cover half the cost of replacement.:)
So that's good enough for me.:)
All well thats ends well as the bard used to say.

MadYaker

So Pelican are sending you a free replacement on warranty and you're 250 off lufthansa? Not bad!