Many (read: most) of us live in urban areas where we are constantly being scrutinized by our neighbors. I have lived in crowded Atlanta apartment complexes and neighborhoods for over a decade with plenty of sidewalk traffic, and currently I’m in a suburban neighborhood full of nosy dog walking neighbors. I don’t need those people to know that I’m carrying thousands of dollars in weapons and ammunition when I’m going out for a day at the range. I also don’t need to draw attention to myself when travelling for conferences or classes when I enter the motel with a pelican case full of gear, if I can help it.
My modus operandi has always been misdirection and camouflage in the transport of my firearms.
There are plenty of purpose built “discreet” weapon bags on the market, almost all of which are out of my price range. I have personal experience with getting a car broken into in West Midtown Atlanta for a backpack in the rear of my hatchback. So I know that even if a bag doesn’t look like it contains guns, it still might draw unwanted attention.
I want to disguise my guns to whatever extent possible AND make them unattractive to passersby in the event they are unattended for a short time. If I know the guns are staying in the car, I’ll use a cable and padlock.
Commercial Options
Here’s a few commercial and purpose built discreet gun cases. Click the photos to check them out.
The Cheaper Way
So what are our options for discreet rifle bags that won’t raise undue attention, and aren’t a target for theft themselves?
So far, I’ve considered and used:
- A folding chair bag
- A Tool/Blueprint Bag
- A used guitar case
- A used Double Tennis Racket bag
- A yoga mat bag
I personally will immediately discount the tool bag and guitar bag because even though you might not get made for carrying a long gun, you’re still a target for people wanting to steal a bunch of tools or an instrument. Though this is less of an issue if you always are in control of the bag and don’t leave it unattended or in view in a vehicle. I’d be fine with either if I had a trunk. Personal situations will determine.
I figure that no one wants a camp chair someone has been farting in, nor do they want a sweaty yoga mat. Also, who plays tennis? It just so happens that the yoga mat bag fits my new Mossberg Shockwave, and WASR10 with magpul zhukov folding stock pretty well. I have to keep a 30 round mag for the AK in the on-board storage pouch, but that’s no big deal. A simple 6″ pvc end cap stuffed at the bottom hides the sharp muzzle and keeps everyone calm, until it’s time to not be calm.
I’ve carried full length shotguns and even a mosin-nagant in a folding camp chair bag. You can buy just the bags for not much money and in various lengths.
*Always check the dimensions of your chosen long gun against the bag you’re about to buy. This bag I’m using is 26″ long, but the fabric will reach around the 26.4″ overall length of the shockwave. There’s a bit of stretchy play in there.
My used tennis bag can easily hold the shockwave (albeit sloppily), or the AK with a mag in, stock folded. When I got into the training game, the only ammo that was affordable was 7.62×39 and 5.45×39, so AKs were the ticket. This bag will also fit my AR pistol with 10.5″ barrel, and arm-brace. An AK is my usual travel rifle. You could also easily store a full length AR broken into upper and lower halves. There’s also enough room for a battle bag of mags/medical/etc in the tennis bag.
So as you can see, with a little imagination, and some patience on E-bay, or $11 on Amazon, you can have discreet travel rifle setup that won’t cause old Mrs. Saperstein across the hallway to get nervous.
What are your discreet long gun transport methods?
Aligning some Chakras with my third eye open,
Mark
If you find value in my ramblings, please subscribe, share, and shop through our amazon affiliate link.
