In a few weeks I'll be headed off to Texas for a few days taking with me my AR and a pistol. Since I'll be flying for the first time with a firearm, I'd like to share what I've purchased as a little precaution. When flying with firearms, one is required to transport the gun in TSA approved case and locks must not be pre-approved TSA locks. This is obviously to prevent any TSA goon from stealing your gun. Most people simply attach a Masterlock and call it a day. I still remember Masterlock commercials as a youth, that showed the lock being shot with out breaking or opening. I think Masterlocks might be fine for dometic travel but if you hunt abroad or if you're not paranoid about theft I think you'll need a better lock.
A simple search on youtube will show you how easily a Masterlock can be picked or even bumped open. As such I've decided to pick up a Abloy Protec lock. Currently there is no reported case of this lock ever being picked. Made in Finland, these locks are some of the finest and strongest in the world. They are heavy and not cheaply priced but I figure it is cheap insurance. I believe any world traveling hunter should use these locks particularly if your traveling to Russia. I have known more people than I can count that have had there luggage opened and items stolen out of Russian airports.
These are Abloy Protec 321 keyed the same. If you purchase more than one lock you can have them keyed alike or differently. If you choose alike you will receive 2 keys if you want them different you'll receive 2 per lock. You also recieve a card with information in the event you wish to purchase future keyed alike locks.
The 321 fits perfectly on this Pelican 1720. I believe all lips on Pelicans are the same size. I'll confirm it on my other Pelican cases- 1650 and 1610.
There is plenty of room to rotate the lock so you have easy access to the key hole.
Honestly for domestic travel these locks may be overkill but I'd rather than safe than sorry. For the international hunter I'd highly suggest you use these locks.
I realize that this is an old post, but I wanted to thank you for the photos. I'm looking at picking up new locks for my pelican cases and I wasn't sure what size Abloy lock would fit. Thanks to your blog I can go purchase them with confidence.
ReplyDeleteBuy with confidence, I have used these on all my pelican cases from the my offroading cases 1610, 1650 to my rifle case 1720, and more for my pistol case 1170. You're good to go.
ReplyDeleteAgain, many thanks. Also, after reading through this post I looked over your blog; you're a man of fine tastes and I look forward to seeing your new posts as they come.
DeleteYou can generally fit the slightly bigger 330 series on Pelican cases, I even managed to fit the Abloy 340 on a 1400 case, but had to remove the metal sheets around the Peli holes.
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know. Thanks.
DeleteThanks for post, I am preparing for a Zimbabwe safari and have been trying to find a good lock that fits my Pelican 1750 properly. Does the shackle width of your Abloy lock allow it to be turned sideways so that the body of the lock is flat against the case?
ReplyDeleteGood luck on safari. Please post back on how you did. The lock can turn sideways but it doesn't want to stay in that position by itself. It will revert back like the third pic in this post.
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