Cases For Vintage Guns

[Brett Trimble]

What sort of cases are appropriate for carrying vintage guns on everyday hunting trips? I’m interested in what the good folks here use to case their vintage Parkers. What is aesthetically pleasing and practical?

[Mills]

There is a real variety and you just have to look around until you find one that fits your particular gun. This summer I bought a VH 16 from a member here. A short time later, I found a modern leather trunk case for sale at our gun club.

eBay is a good place to look. The Spring Southern or any of the major shows is great. Look around on this forum too and it is the best if you are patient

[Brett Trimble]

Do you routinely use a trunk case, as opposed to a padded “sleeve” a la Boyt?

[Phil Yearout]

A good ol' leg o' mutton case is appropriate most of the time and I have several, but I often get lazy and use my padded single or double full length cases.

[Researcher]

For hunting trips a full-length case is the only answer. Anything take-down is just an aggravation and time waster.

[Brett Trimble]

You’re right about the full length case. Which do you use?

[Researcher]

I probably have at least fifty, anything from the "Black Rhino" down to the late 1930s vintage canvas & leather ones from J. Warshal's Sporting Goods in Seattle that were my father's.

Gun Cases.JPG

[Brett Trimble]

Super duper, love that old canvas case! Very special that it came from your Dad.

[Stan Hillis]

90% of my doubles (S X Ss and O/Us) reside in LOM and takedown cases, but are transported to and from hunting, and the range, in a variety of full length soft cases. I don't really fret over the soft cases being "appropriate" for the vintage doubles, being more concerned with their ability to protect the guns inside. Modern materials and construction often trump aesthetics. As an example, my vintage duck guns ride in a boat to the blind in a floating, waterproof soft case that just happens to be camo. Duck boats, and retrievers, can be rough on nice old guns.

[Double Lab]

Originally Posted by Dave Noreen

For hunting trips a full-length case is the only answer. Anything take-down is just an aggravation and time waster.

Not to mention the chance of damage by dropping/fumbling the forend or barrels while trying to assemble the gun with cold hands in the rain, snow or dark.

My first Parker was purchased from a B17 WWll pilot who had a gun store when I was about 22 or 23. It came in a Redhead LOM case which I thought was way cool at the time but he warned me about breaking it down every time I took it out to use. He was right.

I use one of many canvas, cloth, padded cases with the gun in a sock that I've accumulated of my time with guns.