Texas3006 Forum

...and I’m not going w/o my sidearm. So, TSA site says it has to be checked in and stored in a safe box (I’ll use my gun vault). What about ammo? Seems like the ammo can be placed in the same box so long as it is “... packaged in a fiber (such as cardboard), wood, plastic, or metal box specifically designed to carry ammunition and declared to your airline....”, so if I’m interpreting that properly, ammo can go in the same vault as my gun as long as it is in the factory ammo box.

Anyone have recent experience? Am I missing anything?

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting ... ammunition

I've flown many times with my handgun. Each airline MIGHT have different rules, so I recommend checking their individual sites to be sure.
But in general, here's my best practices:

Firearm locked in a small case, inside a piece of luggage:

• Small case locked with NON-TSA lock.
• Luggage locked with TSA lock.
• Unloaded firearm locked in the case.
• Ammo locked inside the locked case, not loaded in magazine.
• Ammo is in original factory box.
• TSA declaration is INSIDE the suitcase, best if taped to the locked box.

Firearm locked in a separate stand-alone case (e.g. big Pelican case for this example):

• Same as above, but the Pelican is locked with a non-TSA lock.

PLEASE read the page on handgunlaw.us regarding traveling in a car: https://handgunlaw.us/states/northcarolina.pdf

I'm generalizing here, but the LEOs in NC take a different approach to car carry. Here, we MUST have it concealed. in NC, they prefer it to be visible. When I'm in NC, I do as my family does: I bring a small cut section of a pool noodle, slit one side of it and insert in the cup holder, and then put the pistol in the noodle as a cup-holder holster.

Sounds crazy, but check out this page: https://www.ncgunowners.com/xf/threads/cup-holder-holster.56503/ for more discussion on the matter.

Thanks! Yep, confirmed with TSA...lock it up in a vault/safe unloaded with ammo in the factory box. Check in and declare at the counter with the airline and that’s it.