Best Rifle Cases 2020; Rigid and Soft
Table of Contents
- Types of Rifle Cases
- Best Rigid Rifle Cases
- Best Soft Rifle Cases
- Features That Make The Best Rifle Case – Rigid and Soft
When it comes to preserving the condition of your rifles during transport, or just storage, a good rifle case is a must.
There are two primary types of cases that are designed for different purposes. Rigid and soft.
Types of Rifle Cases
Rigid cases are designed to protect your rifle from impacts or the weight of items being stacked on top, mainly during transport on airlines or shipment. Rigid cases are more expensive and are the pinnacle of protection.
Soft cases are flexible but the good ones are well padded for protection. They usually accommodate storage of quite a few accessories in the many pockets on the outside of the case. Some can even double as a shooting mat when fully opened.
Below we will take an in depth look at both in order to help you the buyer make the best decision on your purchase.
Best Rigid Rifle Cases
| SKB Ultimate | Best Overall |
| Pelican 1720 | 2nd Best Overall |
| Case Club | Best For The Money |
| Pelican Vault | Best w/o Wheels |
| Plano | Lowest Price |
Rigid Case Comparison Table
| SKB Ultimate | Pelican 1720 | Case Club | Pelican Vault | Plano | |
| Best Overall | 2nd Best Overall | Best For The Money | Best w/o Wheels | Lowest Price | |
| Click image for latest price on Amazon |  |  |  |   |  |
| Capacity # rifles | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Trimmable foam | Yes | Yes | Pre-cut AR | Yes | Yes |
| Watertight | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pressure relief valve | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Wheels | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| # handles | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Length | 40 | 42 | 40 | 39.6 | 42 |
| Width | 16 | 13.5 | 16 | 17.65 | 15.7 |
| Height | 6.5 | 5.25 | 5.5 | 6.65 | 4.3 |
| Steel reinforced lock points | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Approx price | $305 | $260 | $230 | $215 | $70 |
| Warranty | Lifetime and $1500 content coverage | None | None | None | None |
Which rigid case is best for you ?
As you can see in the table above, the primary differences between these cases is that the more expensive ones have wheels with 3 handles to allow for easy rolling through airports or long distances on pavement vs the single handled Plano with no wheels.
All are injection molded from high density plastic polymers. Wall thickness and design determine the stacking strength each one will support. The more expensive cases tend to have thicker wall thickness.
Under normal usage, all of the cases examined above are strong enough to withstand stacks of other luggage being stacked on top with no damage to the contents but those designed with ribs into the large front and rear panels are stronger. These ribs along with material thickness determine strength.
I would purchase the SKB Ultimate because it is the only one with all of the needed features and there is a lifetime warranty with $1500 content replacement in certain circumstances. How can you go wrong with this?
You may not like the price tag and you may be one of those people who doesn’t have to have all of the best features but is looking for the best value for the dollar spent.
In this case, the Case Club would be your best choice. less cumbersome than the rigid variety in that they give a little while squeezing them into small spaces but always provide a barrier and cushion to the rifle. The lighter weight is always a plus.
Most of them come with external pockets to allow for storage of ammo, rangefinders, dope cards, etc. Some even double as shooting mats when fully opened.
Below are my top picks for soft rifle cases.
Best Soft Rifle Cases
| Savior Classic | Best Overall |
| VooDoo Tactical | 2nd Best |
| Feastoria | 3rd Best |
Soft Case Comparison Table
| Savior Classic | VooDoo Tactical | Feastoria | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Overall | 2nd Best | 3rd Best | |
Click image for latest price on Amazon |  |  |  |
| Material | Heavy duty 600D PVC Nylon | Rugged ballistic pack cloth | 900D heavy-duty industrial PVC nylon |
| Capacity | 2 rifles & 2 pistols | 2 rifles & 2 pistols | 2 rifles & 2 pistols |
| Lockable | Yes | No | No |
| Molle grid | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Backpack straps | Yes | Yes | No |
| Warranty | Lifetime | None | No |
| # Actual Cust Ratings | 6600 | 1245 | 31 |
| Avg Rating 1-5 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.9 |
| Approx Price | $73 | $128 | $70 |
Which Soft Case Is Best For You ?
The Savior Classic is my favorite. It comes with a lifetime warranty and has all of the features any shooter could want in a good soft rifle case.
It can accommodate 2 rifles and 2 pistols at one time with good protection from scratches or impacts. The storage pockets are always a plus.
It has recieved an average score of 4.9 out of a possible 5 over 6600 customer responses. With that many responses and such a high score, this case is almost perfect while also being priced at the lower end of the range.
Features that make the best rifle case – rigid and soft
Capacity
Capacity is how many guns the case will hold with no damage from contact or impact.
Internal dimensions
Internal dimensions are important to ensure the case will handle the specific rifle you plan to carry inside. Always check to make sure that both the length and width are sufficient for scoped rifles.
Water tight and pressure regulation
Having a rigid rifle case that is water tight and pressure regulated is always a good idea to prevent rust to vulnerable metal surfaces and expansion problems during air travel
Lockable
Both rigid and soft cases will benefit from being lockable with metal re inforced areas for the lock. All cases should be locked when checking on an airline. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want airline baggage handlers opening my rifle case even if they just intend to take a look.