I have been looking for a new case to carry the Prarie III in. The case I had was too thin to protect the wide scope and a little too flimsy to take the weight of the big bench gun.

The new case is certainly not flimsy. It is very sturdy and airline rated. Waterproof too.





The little round thing to the right of the handle is a pressure equalizing valve that has a Gortex insert to prevent water moving with air pressure.


This case is very deep but the structure takes up some length. It is a snug fit for the Prairie from end to end but this is a long gun.


This is the deepest case I could find that was not a 30+ pound monster. The internal depth is over 6 inches which provides some protection to both sides of the wide scope. I cut all the way through the first layer of foam to inset the rifle and then carved in some relief for the scope knob. I'm going to carve out a little relief for the bell of the scope as well. That scope is a 60mm model so it takes up a lot of space. The nice thing about this case is the depth of foam. There is the standard inch and a half or so of foam in the lid but there are two layers of two inch thick foam in the bottom and another 1/2" layer below that. You could probably get 4 hunting rifles in this case if they had older 40mm scopes without side wheels!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2009 05:19PM by Jerry.

Great find Jerry. I've been looking for one for the Delta 45 as well. Though, my "padded gig bag with wool sock stuffed over the barrel" method of transport is not without its charms!

-- Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2009 02:57PM by Jim.

Jim,

I got this case from Deployable Systems Inc.. They are located in Virginia, here's the webpage for the case: [www.dscases.com].

It comes in black, tan or the olive drab I got. The price here was the best I found for this case and the service was excellent.

Hi Jerry,

Nice job of cutting everything in. Looks like it's supposed to be that way.

I see it has wheels too. You're all ready to deploy to the next Big Bore shoot!

Gary

Since those pictures were taken, I've relieved the second layer of foam for the scope bell and windage knob. It is really nice having the depth to be able to have everything padded well. I'm pretty certain that the Leapers scope that was once on the rifle was destroyed because the AO wheel took an impact through the old case. The wheels are nice but the case is not so heavy it can't be toted around using the regular handle. The handles are nice and thick and comfortable too.

Hey - that's great. That's probably what Jim needs for his Delta 45 with it's crank and bolt handle opposite.

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2009 08:25PM by barnespneumatic.

Apparently the butchered guitar case and old wool sock are sufficient for Jims' requirements.

Haha.

OK, after fighting it long enough, I ordered the same case (in black). It just arrived a little while ago. I set the Delta in it and it seems like it will fit just fine. I'll have to do the same as Jerry -- cut all the way through the first layer of foam, and cut in some relief for the bolt handle and scope bell in the second layer. But no more worrying about the rifle getting banged up or damaged in transport -- looks like you could drop this thing out of an airplane and it would survive just fine with contents intact.



The depth of the case is key. Big bores and big optics like deep cases, and this one lets you close the case without leaving anything under load.

A bit pricey . . . $251.98 including shipping, but like many things, it appears you get what you paid for with this case.

-- Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/2009 02:41PM by Jim.

Very nice. Hope you ordered the pick-up truck too ...

Or ... I think they make luggage racks for Corvettes ... maybe a trailer hitch?

That case stays at YOUR place. (That Alpine case took up more room than my milling machine! ..

very smart indeed , as youve mentioned , its the depth that helps ,
what did you guys use to cut the foam , even mark it for cutting come to think of it , its a very factory like fit.

Hi Tom,

An electric knife (of all things). Just like you'd slice up a turkey with. Cheapy Wal-Mart brand works fine. There's no magic for the bottom though. Good cases come with multi layers of foam. You cut clear thru individual layers. If you want to cut halfway thru, and achieve a flat bottom, I don't have a solution for that. Would have to be a hot wire I guess - smelly and messy.

Gary

I do like that case Jer.

Hey, how do you guys cut the foam out for your particular gun? If i missed it above, its my fault as i was simply skimming the wording and looking at the cases....

Wow ... I'm slipping. I started reading this post, from the beginning. Neat. Imagine my surprise, when I ran into a comment ... from me. Ah ... I .... what????

Jan. 2009. Ah .... must be a comment somewhere below .....

I just use a serated blade knife or a really sharp smooth blade. The foam is in layers and not hard to cut smoothly.

Cool...thanx Jerry

Cedric .... also ... not sure where I got this one .... but it works very well. Use an electric knife. Especially for a total pass thru cut. You can cut out paper doll shapes if you want. Amazingly tight and square designs, effortless.

Gary