Discrete shotgun case?

[valkabit6]

Looking for a discrete way to carry a shotgun in & out of my apartment.

I do have a gunsafe, so I'm not worried about secure storage, just worried about attracting attention while transporting the gun. I'd be carrying a conventional shotgun with a 32 inch barrel, like a Beretta a400 or a Remington 870.

I've heard people have used guitar cases, but photos I've seen showed a self defense gun with a 18 inch barrel that barely fit in the case, there didn't look to be a lot of room to fit a longer barrel next to the receiver. I personally like the idea of a guitar case because it doesn't screams gun, but open to all ideas.

Thanks

[Bill DeShivs]

A properly designed "guitar case" should accommodate parts that are around 40" long.

[jmhyer]

In your search, don't forget that shotguns are easy to break down (essentially into halves).

[FITASC]

Break it down and put it in a duffle or gym type bag. A baseball bat bag works as well.

[bamaranger]

Broken down, it might well fit in a tennis racket case. There are also take down hard cases, of varying size, that are purpose made for take down shotguns.

Bamawife made me a very clunky, nerdy looking soft case out flowery upholstery fabric, rectangular, about 12"x24" that takes a broken down SXS 12 for indiscreet transport of same. Looks like a women's knitting bag.

[FrankenMauser]

The 'take-down' transportation method is what I would suggest.
But, not all shotguns can be taken down into short sections.

There are plenty out there that must be transported as at least one long assembly - and may just be easier to deal with fully assembled.
A few quick examples:
Winchester 25 [fixed barrel]
Rossi pumps [some had fixed mag tubes]
Savage/Stevens bolt guns [fixed barrels]
Many cheap imports [fixed mag tubes - or non-captured springs]
And, even the ubiquitous Rem 870 isn't a fun one to take down for transport. Easy? Yes. But, like many other shotguns, you're stuck transporting a pile of parts and having to deal with reinstalling those small parts in the field or at the range.
Same story with the Beretta A400. It's got a mag tube that is not easily removed.


My opinion:
Find a good hard-sided gun case that may leave some question about its contents; or try to find a multiple-rod fishing rod case that might fit the shotgun.
Or be sure to buy a shotgun designed as a 'take-down', and stick it in something cheap and boring, like a low-end viola or guitar case. Why cheap? ...Because you don't want the case to indicate that the "viola" or "guitar" might be worth stealing, either.
(A tennis racket case is likely to be far too short.)

Concealment does work.

I do it as more of a joke than actual concealment (since I'm usually hauling 3-10 other guns at the same time), but I transport my AR pistol in a very cheap tennis racket case.
At least half a dozen times, I have been asked - even by people that know me well, and even by people that have seen the contents come out of that very case before - "Why did you bring a tennis racket to the gun range [or desert/mountains]?"

Most people have no clue about the contents when they see sports or musical equipment cases. Automatic assumptions are made, and the brain has trouble dealing with any other possibility.

[RC20]

Find a music store, measure the guitar cases, buy the one that fits (870 can be broken down) .

[burrhead]

Golf bag

[S391]

Look at Americase. They offer aluminum travel cases and make something for just about everything. You can be discreet but also offer protection for your firearms....

That said, when I lived in NYC I had case made by John Hall... they were a black, acrylic take-down case and everyone in my building thought I plated the oboe..... Sometimes how you act when carrying the case has more to do with how discreet you are than it does what you're carrying.

[FITASC]

The A400 semi breaks down into two major components; the barrel, and the stock receiver. Boyt makes a nice protective soft case for break down guns. Put inside a different case and you're GTG. Don't overthink this.