doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Toe Under Gun Case

Does anyone make the old style toe under take down leather covered shot gun cases? I think A&F used to offer them long ago.

Jeffs Outfitters makes one

http://www.jeffsoutfitters.com/LEACAS204...p;categoryid=70

i have one of the canvas versions and it has held up well

Walter,
I have one of Jeff's older dark brown toe under cases and love it. It has held up very well. His newer ones are red-brown in color. He offers them in gauge specific sizes.
Karl

Thank you gents, I will order one.
Best, Walt

Walter,
You may want to hold off until Jeff has his Black Friday sale, as he may offer a slight discount on his cases as well.
Karl

I have several of Jeff's cases both leather and canvas in toe under and motor case style. I really wish we could get him to have his supplier do a vintage style case for hammer guns. I have a few really beat up ones and would like to get a new one with enough room for hammers and underlevers. I contacted them several times but had no response. I'd send him my beaters to copy. They are very nice cases and for transport to a event or for display work nicely.

I have one exactly the one in Karl's photo.

I love it. My favorite of my new cases. The only problem with it is I didn't order 4 of them the first time!

oops, repeat. !

New terminology for me. Didn't know there were two different case types. What is toe under and what is motor case?

If you look at the photo you will see the toe of the stock is oriented toward the barrels and under a lip. The motor cases I have seen were for 2 guns. They are stacked vertically with the barrels over the stocked actions.

Tamid,
Here is the other case that Jeffs carries. The motor case he has is more square with a hinged top.
http://www.jeffsoutfitters.com/LEACAS204...p;categoryid=70
Karl
Canvasback,
I too wish I had ordered more because I like the dark brown color that compliments older guns. Naturally, that color was dicontinued.

FWIW, I have Jeff's cases in three different leather colors: dark brown, reddish brown, and saddle tan. Color depends somewhat on when they were made, but I have not bought one in a few years. Colors and leather finish are clearly different among the cases, not just variations in the dye lots. Lining colors are green, bright red, or deep red. All are very nice cases and a great value.

David, the toe under style makes possible a much more compact case with (as far as I'm concerned) zero loss of usable, useful space inside. It ends up being just enough smaller to make a BIG difference in handling.

Canvasback,
I agree, as I'm getting ready to order another one soon. I'm planning on another toe under. Wish they still had the nice looking dark brown ones though.
Replacement,
The two I have are dark brown and saddle tan. The ones I see now are reddish brown. I'll try that for a change.
Karl

I don't care for the combination lock on the case.
Walt what gun are you putting in the case?

I always thought a motor case was the same as a toe under. Now I know better. What would you call the violin cases I made and posted here some time back a while.

I believe the "toe under" was called a VC Case for very compact.

Tamid,
I'd call the violin case.....cool! Really nice repurposeing of a case.
Karl

A violin case was a very good idea if you wanted walk around with a gun especially if you raised a family on what you could poach in Victorian times here in Brit land.
This London made 12 bore Adams Jones under leaver hammer gun was fitted in this Victorian low quality wooden Violin case at the turn of the 19th centaury by the grandfather of a late friend of mine, who was what we would call today a professional poacher.
I did re line the case also fitted more secure catches though it does prove the point that there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to ingenuity.
Though I have tried to fit many other 12 bores in this case it will only fit this gun because of its rather shallow action and thin barrels.

I like the flat profile of your case Damascus. Mine is not flat and has more room for height than needed

Tamid this gun and case fascinated me long before I became its keeper. I was so taken with it I decided to make a couple of copies being a practical type of person. At the time I was thinking of manufacturing them for sale. As the case is made of all wood with just a painted finish it was rather a cheap thing to put together. Though looking back it may be a little before its time because gun owners then wanted the traditional expensive canvas or leather rectangular cases with straps.
But in todays climate of security it may be a way to go for transporting a gun without bringing attention to ones self. I do know one of the copy cases I made makes regular walking and underground trips across a Major City being ignored by passers by because it gives nothing away other than I contain a violin.
I have posted another photograph so you can see its rather slight domed top. I made differing size copies from thin flexible plywood for the sides quarter inch ply for the bottom with a shaped pine laminated top, gluing it all together in one piece then cutting off the top.
So very quickly constructed with the handle lock and hinges taking the Lions share of the cost. Though finding the point of balance for the handle is rather problematical because of the shape and a guns weight.

Violins are light weight. Guns can be heavy. I wonder whether the re-purposed violin cases are sturdy enough to work?...Geo

Geo, they were good enough for Capone's gang to carry Thompson's. With or without shoot music. Gil

I like the one Antonio Banderas carried in "Desparado"...Geo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKU-n3sbmyA

Geo, that Victorian violin case has been married to the gun for a hundred plus years. So I am sure a well made case would out live your good self and all of us to.

.

While it's not a toe-under case, I feel I was lucky to stumble across this Connecticut Shotgun Co luggage case in relatively new condition at a CT yard sale 18 mos ago for $20




A month or so ago, I found a gun with barrels slim enough to fit into it.







.

PeterMichael, I�ve got a couple of those cases. Wished I�d paid $20.

Will someone please explain to me just what these box cases are good for? They look really neat for displaying a fine double, but you can't use them for air travel, everyone laughs at you if you take your gun to a dove shoot in one, no one travels by train anymore(at least not from here), they take up more storage space in the closet, they're ok for a road trip in the car but they advertise EXPENSIVE GUN and again they take up more space than a leg-0-mutton or gun slip.

Fire away...Geo

I must admit to liking the old Gun in the Fiddle Case idea.
But I guess that's 'cause I like to shoot , & I am a semi pro fiddle player ( Irish trad, Folky kinda stuff)....It would be a bugger to bring the wrong case to the Ceilidh ....:)
franc

Geo. I have a SUV and, unless I put the back seat down, I can't get a gun in a soft case in the car. We usually have 3 or sometimes 4 shooters in the car so not alway convenient to drop the rear seat. Next car I buy I will take a gun in a sleeve and base my purchase upon which car has enough room for.long guns.

I feel that the take down hard cases offer more protection than the typical gun sleeve. I use mine for going to the range, a car trip bird hunting, but certainly not for air travel as an Americase is better for that. A gun in a padded gun sleeve can get dammaged. Ask me how I know that.
I may get flammed for this, but I think the leather ones are worth the extra money. Seems a shame to put an expensive gun in anything else.
Karl

I got an email yesterday about a Jeffs Outfitters Black Friday sale. Their sales can be pretty impressive. I've gotten books at a significant savings the day after thanksgiving, but it is 1 day only

bsteele,
I got the same email, and am waiting until Friday morning to see their offerings. I've been a good boy/husband/father and Christmas is coming.
Karl

Me too - The seller's didn't have a clue to it's real worth.








Besides storage (it fits inside my safe), I've used them (and a leg-o-mutton case, below with a 28ga Ithaca Flues 1-S grade) for transporting the relatively thin-wall barreled double shotguns in my vehicle to/from my gun club and/or hunting areas.



If anybody laughed at me for using such gun cases, I sure wouldn't be returning to that shoot any time soon - since folks who behave like that just have no class.


.

That's the issue, thin barrel walls on doubleguns. The hard cases just offer better protection. Most of the guys at the SxS shoots show up with them anyway.
Karl

Another solution would be to just buy a BSS instead of a new case. Works for me.

Talked with Jeff yesterday. He told me he is currently out of stock on his toe under cases but expects delivery from his supplier by late December.

One solution for vehicles that don't have room for full length soft cases would be one of the leg of muttons shown above. Another solution would be one of the breakdown soft cases. If I'm on a trip and hunting for several days, I like to carry my go-to gun in a full length soft case. I'm usually driving, and my vehicle is an extended cab small pickup. Sufficient room for full length soft cases, and nothing heavy or likely to damage the cased gun back behind the seats. (Stuff like that goes in the pickup bed, under a topper.) But for a spare gun, a soft breakdown case is a very good solution. I don't like it for the gun I'm using most of the time, because it means breaking the gun down, then putting it back together a few times a day, as we move from one cover to another. But for a backup gun, they're very handy. Also for going to the range, where you only reassemble and disassemble the gun once. On a trip, the soft cases aren't as bulky as hard cases.

Why not let the man buy what he wants instead of spending 4 pages telling him he's wrong?

Good point. However it is what we do...Geo

Good point. However it is what we do...Geo [/quote]

Cost of doing business on the web I guess. Just comical sometimes how a guy like Walt can ask where to get a toe under case and wind up with advice to buy a browning bss...

I made my suggestion because of the issue Walt indicated above. If the problem is not enough room for a full length soft case, then a breakdown soft case is one other option. They're also very handy, and less expensive than a hard case. Unless you really need the extra protection a hard case offers . . .

Nah, a hard case is so...how to say...gentlemanly and 19th century..especially with patina and "shabby chic." Quit poking at iconic legends...practicality be damned.

I think toe under cases are more compact than the typical gun case. I've got one for a 20 bore (Brady VC) and it's nice; having said that, I'd rather have a motor case. Motor cases are pretty compact and ride nicely in a vehicle. If I was looking for a toe under case, I'd try to find a used English VC case (e.g., Bryant, Brady, etc.).