Have a wedding to attend in the North Country and I want to take the opportunity to rotate some equipment up and back. Shipping to yourself is still a great option, but the cost to do it right is becoming a bit steep (~$50). The airlines haven't made this an easy option for some time now (lots of hoops to jump through), but the actual cost to do it (not to mention the convenience of having everything w/you) isn't too-steep just yet (~$30). There are always other factors to consider (i.e., size of the load {the time of year affects this}, value/rarity of the firearm, amount of free time to prepare, complexity of connections, etc.).

Anybody have a rule of thumb here?

Lloyd, if you're talking a firearm, there is no such thing as "carry on". They have to go as checked bags, and if you check more than one bag, the airline will hit you with additional fees.

About 4 years ago I checked my bird gun for a trip to Texas for a quail hunt. The gun finally showed up about a week after the hunt. These guns have to be checked by the government security people and apparently my gun missed my flight. Checking guns at an airport is a roll of the dice as far as I'm concerned.

Mr. Brown: Poor use of words on my part. I've had pretty fair luck with flying my guns. I didn't fly with them last winter because of the route through Chicago to Buffalo (and all of the material I needed to take).

Lloyd, I do it both ways but if it is practical I am much more comfortable shipping the gun to where I plan to use it so I'm sure it has arrived before I leave. And Invariably when I return home I seem to have a more cavalier attitude and risk it in checked baggage. No big deal if it's late arriving home.....if it arrives at all.....

Mr. Wood: Good points! This is an opportunity to get family equipped for the coming season, and to get one back here for my boy. Fairly pedestrian stuff, but still good enough to want to protect. When I head back there in September/October, I'll be flying my good double and likely shipping the rest.

Enjoy your trip Lloyd. I'm from Livingston County, just south of Rochester. I made the trip back last fall around Thanksgiving for the first time in many years. It was great to see the family and I managed to put a doe in the freezer taken on the family farm. I was lazy and just borrowed a gun from my uncle.

Very cool. Now I know why you like bird guns.

They are rifle zone now correct? Sure glad they change it.

Yes indeed rifle zones now in Livingston Country. I used a rifled shotgun, a 20ga. deer slayer. I also had my first failure of a factory cartridge. Must have been a light powder charge because I hit her right on the shoulder less than 75 yards away and the bullet was found on top of the bone and only slightly bent. I had thought I missed on my first shot and was very surprised to find my projectile laying there while cleaning her. It was a Hornaday Sabot and it really shocked me.

Generally if I have multiple connections I won't check my guns, too much opportunity for it to miss a connection. If my final destination is within a couple hours of the airport and there are multiple flights behind mine I may do it as you can have the gun delivered to you by the airline when it arrives in the next flight.

I try whenever possible to fly direct to avoid those issues. Also I sometimes purposely take a connection with a longer layover to make sure the bags will make it. These days airlines are real popular for these 35-45 minute connections, barely have enough time to make it across the airport, you're asking for trouble with a schedule like that.

I haven't had a serious problem yet, knock on wood.