Nanuk 935 6 Up Pistol Case Review
I received today the Nanuk 935 6 Up Pistol case which is the same as the regular Nanuk 935 except that it has custom cut foam to hold up to 6 pistols. The foam also has a piece that can be removed to make the case hold up to 4 pistols with a large cavity in the middle to hold accessories or ammunition.
The slots were able to hold smaller pistols such as the Sig Sauer Mosquito, longer pistols like the Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory, and wider pistols like the Walther PPX; so very versatile in what it can hold as far as the handguns that I own. There are also slots for 10 magazines (of course that is 10+6 including magazines in the guns themselves) which is adequate for most shooters.
Being in Canada, it is quite hard to find a custom gun case solution that also gives enough room for the bulky triggers locks which are required when transporting any restricted firearm. Since most solutions are US-based, they just squeeze as many into a small space and don't leave room for us Canadians to keep legal. The Nanuk case has enough room with millimetres to spare on either side of the locks. Also the padlock holes are steel reinforced and big enough for heavy duty padlocks to keep it even more safe.
Other than the foam, this is exactly the same as the regular Nanuk 935 with all the same features: waterproof IPX7, dustproof IP6X, impact resistant NK-7 resin, stainless steel hinge hardware, powerclaw latching system, pressure equilizer valve, polyurethane wheels, retractable handle, and the padlock eyelids. In size it is very similar to the Pelican 1510 and it is also carry-on sized (not that you should try to carry 6 pistols onto a plane). The rubberized grips on the handles also make it much easier on the hands in the situations where you do have to lift it, although it is not that heavy even when fully loaded with guns and ammo.
My impressions of the case…love it! It actually feels more sturdy than the case that I am replacing with it (the Pelican 1510) and the handles will make it easier to bring around with me. The retractable handle is a little bit more wiggly than the Pelican, but it is made of metal vs their plastic so it still feels like it will survive harsher situations. The foam is what really sets it apart and I am glad that finally custom foam options are a thing! Pick’n’pluck is all well and good, but it removes versatility in the case since it is single purposed once you tear them out; change your setup and you are at a loss. The foam dividers are where I usually end up, but they have the drawback of only having so many possible configurations and if they don’t meet your needs then you are SOL.
The custom cut foam means that someone who knows what they are doing sat down and figured out the best layout. Also it ends up being much cheaper than getting the case empty and then using a service like mycasebuilder to custom cut the foam. In this case, the 6 Up foam is strong enough to hold the firearms very secure without marring them in any way and it was a very smart idea to allow a section to be removed to leave a cavity for accessories and ammunition.
I have been slowly switching my cases over to Nanuk because they are Canadian and because they have (in my experience) been a lot more durable than the equivalent Pelican case – especially the new line of Pelicans which have too much flex to be worthwhile. I have my eye on the Nanuk 950 DJI Phantom 3 case as right now I have a custom foam backpack and when I am doing professional shoots I am putting that foam into a Pelican 1560, but it doesn’t fit well so I am still using dividers and filler which takes away that professional look that I need when doing commercial shoots. I have also been using a soft case from Amazon for my GoPro cameras, but for $100 the Nanuk 910 GoPro case might be a much better option as I do a lot of winter/snowy shoots and have to sit there with a hair dryer to my current case after any shoot.
I ordered it from hardcases.ca which had a better price than anywhere else I could find -- Right from purchase the owner, David, was in contact to make sure that the purchase went okay and with shipping updates. I understand that is an automated system, but when I did email him I got a very prompt response. I don't anticipate having any issues, but that alone made me very confident about the customer service they offer. Another huge advantage was that it was shipped from Quebec which meant no duty charges or waiting for it to clear customs and all that nonsense we usually have to deal with as Canadians ordering anything that crosses the border.
- Bryan Cacciatore
