Quite a long time ago, before my disabling injury in 2004, I bought two Starlight 081454 rifle cases (shown below courtesy of Quarterbore at AR15.com - click the image for a larger view).
Starlight was a veteran-owned company that started operations in 1994. Sadly, it went out of business a couple of years ago. I was alerted to their products by a couple of Marine scout snipers who were training at Thunder Ranch in Texas when I went there for a rifle course in the early 2000's. They both used this model of case to protect their rifles, and swore by their toughness and durability. (They'd taken them to the sandbox, and been very satisfied with them.) On their advice, I bought a couple.
These are big, heavy cases, weighing in at 26 pounds and measuring 54"x14"x8" internally. They're filled with high-density foam, which you cut out in the shape(s) you need for your rifle and/or other gear. They come with very strong latches, a pressure equalizing valve, and wheels that are tougher than on any other case I've seen. In my opinion, they're at least equal, if not superior, to the Pelican 1750 or iM3300 models. (If you'd like others' opinions, here's a review of Starlight cases, and a forum thread comparing them to Pelican and other cases.)
Sadly, after my injury and resulting surgeries, I had to cut back on my shooting activities, particularly those involving shooting rifles - particularly heavier ones - from positions that were now difficult for me to get into (not to mention painful to maintain). I never even cut the foam in my cases to fit my rifles. They've traveled around with me for well over a decade, but I've never actually used them.
So . . . do any of my readers have a need for a top-end rifle case (new cost was close to $300, and they're easily in the price bracket of the Pelican cases I linked to above). If I sell them, I'd like to get $200 apiece (I'll offer a discount if you take both); but I'm open to swaps as well. For example, I'd love a Pelican EMS case, or something like it of similar quality. Shipping would be costly for such big, heavy cases, so it'll probably be best to sell or trade them to someone in or near Wichita Falls, Texas. I can drive to meet and/or deliver them during the course of other trips, anywhere inside a loop from Oklahoma City to Amarillo to Dallas/Fort Worth. It would just have to wait for a mutually convenient time.
If you're interested, and would like to discuss, please drop me a line. My e-mail address is in my blog profile (see "About Me & Contact Info" in the sidebar).
Peter
3 comments:
I can vouch for how good those cases are!
Peter,
not sure what you're looking for in the EMS case, but
It seems a little like overkill, especially for someone with mobility problems. It weighs 18 pounds empty. It's also incredibly expensive -$250- for what is essentially an empty tackle box.
I do have a couple suggestions.
1. contact Aesop; he travels with his gear and probably has some good insights on this.
2. A trip to WallyWorld or a local outfitter will provide you similar containers at a tenth of the price.
I've tried a variety of containers for my stuff, and keep it in a variety of tackle boxes, duffels and backpacks depending on where I need it. The tackle boxes are in the house. Duffels are in the cars, and they come with separate hard storage compartments to keep stuff organized. Backpacks are portable and go with when I'm travelling or camping.
Our careflight ems have soft duffels with color coded pouches inside for their junk; I'm not that sophisticated or well funded; mine are plain.
The Pelican case is pretty bright. My backpacks and duffels are nondescript and grey/black; I didn't want some brightly colored invitation visible in the back of a car.
Also, meds have to stay cool and dry; these are usually in a purse or backpack, not in the car.
Jen
Wish I was somewhere in the area in the forseeable future. I'd buy them both. If you have them still I may have someone in the Dallas area that could pick them up.
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