There are some places where toting a desert tan gun case slathered in MOLLE straps is a normal everyday occurrence. I don’t live in one of those places. I live in Austin, Texas. A place where it’s more socially acceptable to ride a unicycle down the street while wearing a tight plaid shirt, suspenders and an ironic neck tattoo than it is to exercise one of your fundamental civil rights. A new company is looking to give gun owners a little bit of cover when transporting their equipment to and from the range, disguising their firearms as something more “socially acceptable.” From CovertCases.net comes the Guitar Gun Case.
Let’s get this out of the way up front: this really is just a guitar case that they have stuffed with foam. Its really nice foam — the kind that is pre-cut so you can pick out the pieces to fit your specific gun. But still just a guitar case and foam nonetheless. You can probably get the components and build this yourself in your basement, but what you’re buying from CovertCases.net is the complete package already assembled and ready to roll.
The case itself is pretty nice, featuring rigid sides (so as not to reveal what really is lurking within) and a faux leather finish. The handle is sturdy enough to keep your precious cargo from dropping unexpectedly to the ground, and there are three latches designed to keep the case closed.
Speaking of the latches, this is where we run into one of the first problems.
The latches do in fact lock (key provided inside), but they aren’t really secure enough for air travel. This would be a great way to covertly bring your firearms with you when you fly (following the rules, of course). It might make the baggage handlers think that all you’ve got is a cheap guitar instead of several thousand dollars in stainless steel and machined aluminum. The shoddy locks will make you reconsider, though. I’d love to see a version of this case with the ability to put proper padlocks on the exterior of the case, or with covert (yet secure) locks built in.
On the inside the case is exactly what you expected. The foam padding can be customized to fit your specific gun, or you can just leave it as-is and there’s still enough wiggle room to allow the cover to lock closed.
The problem with using a guitar case as a gun case is that it really isn’t designed for the job. The bulges are in all the wrong places, and woe be unto you if your gun is just a little too long. Classic firearms like a bolt action rifle or a pump shotgun will fit with relative ease but the more modern implements need not apply. Unless you happen to be rocking a suppressed SIG SAUER MPX SBR like me.
In theory this is a really cool design, especially for apartment dwellers. The ability to move your guns and gear in and out of your residence without alerting the neighbors is great. Keeping a low profile is key — people won’t be tempted to steal things that they don’t know know are there.
The problem is the execution. Covert Cases has other solutions specifically for handguns, but handgun cases are already relatively covert enough that a specialty case isn’t a requirement. Rifles are really where it’s at and for the modern firearms (like the AR-15) the case isn’t a good fit. Literally.
Specifications: Covert Cases Guitar Gun Case
MSRP: $239.99 [Website]
Ratings (out of five stars):
Quality * * * *
Leather exterior, padded interior, with custom fitted foam. Not shabby.
Function *
Doesn’t easily fit most rifles. Locks are not suitable for air travel and easily defeated.
Overall * *
If you’re looking for a good case for a PDW SBR or something relatively slim then this works. When you start adding optics and longer stocks fuhgeddaboutit. Same goes if you’ve got a long gun you want to tote stealthily.