Bulldog Tactical Single Rifle Case - 43"

You wanna get to the range to shoot some rifles, and you’ve done this enough to know that fumbling around with your gear takes away precious trigger time.  You’ve learned to be organized and efficient. Bulldog helps you get the most out of your trip to the range with their 43” Single Tactical Rifle Case. It keeps all your gear organized and ready to deploy when you need it, and it just does what you need it to.

Measures 43” long. Zippered compartments. Hi-vis pockets.

The Single Tactical Rifle Case has all the features you need, and nothing you don’t.  Outer pockets with high-visibility inner liners mean you can still find all your stuff even in low light conditions.  The inner triple mag pocket have bungie releases just like on military plate carriers to keep your mags secure and give you access to them quickly as needed.

Additional Specifications

• Lockable, zippered rifle compartment
• Adjustable velcro tie-downs
• Quilted lining protects gun finish
• Deluxe padded backpack straps
• Heavy-duty oversized metal zippers w/ pulls
• Three high-visibility lined accessory pockets
• Lockable accessory & extra magazine compartment

Bulldog Tactical 43" Rifle Case Review

The Bulldog Case has plenty of PALS web rows placed on the front, for attaching extra magazine pouches or your favorite MOLLE gear. There are loads of compartments and drawstrings inside for more magazines and gear storage. To keep things compact, the pouches get cinched up with buckle straps. This is a nice touch for keeping the center of gravity near the shooter when carried, which is particularly important for this bag since it comes with a nice shoulder strap carry system. More on that later.

PALS Webbing

The Bulldog's big selling point is how much storage it provides. Each side of the front is covered in standard 1" PALS webbing, so you can affix any MOLLE gear (magazine pouches, ammo bags, or admin or medical kits) to your liking. Each row is stitched well and the bands don't sag with weight. There's enough space to squeeze at least one 30-round mag pouch on each side. Tucked behind these rows of webbing on either side is a zippered compartment, too.

Front Storage Compartments

The theme continues up front, with quite a few compartments made for more gear and magazines. Three top-load pouches are provided with buckled tie-downs. Inside you're getting some rifle magazine pouches with bungee straps to keep things tight and compressed on the move. Underneath these three pouches is a large, organized compartment.

It provides loads of space in addition to yet three more rifle and pistol mag pouches, also fitted with bungee straps. The lid of the main compartment sports an acrylic, water-resistant pouch for phones, keys, and sensitive items. A tuck-away flap is on the opposite side for papers or other small bits. Each compartment on the lid sports a zipper to keep things separate and organized.

High-Visibility Compartment

You'll have to excuse the bright color gradient, but this high-visibility compartment does wonders for night shooting or those long range days that run into the twilgiht. This water-resistant pouch lines the center front of the storage compartments, providing a nice, cushy, and well-light spot for your car keys, ID badge, or other bits and baubles. It's small touch but provides a great way to save time rummaging through your bag in the blind. To keep things secure, it, too, has a little bungee strap for cinching the top. Although difficult to tell, this pouch is large enough to hold approximately four STANAG magazines or about a dozen pistol mags.

Rifle & Pistol Mag Pouches

We were pleasantry surprised to find some high-quality mag pouches on this bag. Many soft rifle cases skimp out on this area, using some basic, single-later nylon and minimal stitching. If you're rocking a lot of mags, or you're using metal pistol mags or old STANAG rifle magazines, they're going to tear into your bag over time. The Bulldog appears built for it, with rolled and reinforced edges with a lot of stitching on each pouch. The nylon is thick and slick, and the bungee's reinforced with a nylon loop, too. Elastic straps help keep things tight in addition to the bungee. Overall, very well built.

Interior / Rifle Storage Compartment

The star of the show for this bag is its rifle storage compartment: Very well-built, with plenty of padding, structure, and extra points of padded contact to keep your tactical rifle secure and safe, even when it's being jostled around on the move. Bulldog did not skimp out on this area, which is a good thing since this bag's designed to be carried horizontally and vertically for long distances. As far as protection goes, the padding in the Bulldog is nice and thick, with layers built up underneath the ballistic nylon shell. 

We love the cross-stitched, padded squares. They help to keep the bag's shape once loaded up, and they just look good to boot. Keeping vertical orientation in mind, the Bulldog has sports a thick, wrap-around padded ring that'll help insulate your barrel or stock when carried upright. That's in addition to extra contact points meant to keep your rifle exactly where you want it. More on that next.

How Does it Fit?

Not surprisingly, the 43" bag has no problems storing a 16"-barreled AR-15, even with the stock extended. In fact, our rifle was a bit squat and almost didn't take up both of the corner pockets meant to help secure the barrel and buttstock. This can be remedied easily enough -- the provided center Velcro tie-downs allow you to precisely place your rifle in the bag where you want it, and it ain't moving from it's cinched down. The straps are large enough to accommodate any handguard or thick, solid wood stock, in addition to the typical thin buffer tube.

Carrying & Shoulder Straps

Carrying the Bulldog Rifle Case is comfortable, thanks to a well-designed and comfortably padded shoulder strap setup. Each strap is about 3" wide with extra padding to protect your neck, with a center buckle strap to keep things tucked close to the chest. There's no cummerbund, but we didn't find it necessary thanks to the bags low profile and tight center of gravity. Metal D-rings and plenty of extra strap are provided for adjustments, and the strap system sports stitching that runs along the full length of the bag to prevent it from sagging or bowing outward.

Recap & FAQ

The Bulldog Rifle Case seems to be a great buy for the price, especially considering the storage, stitching, material, and overall fit and finish. The main rifle compartment's one of the higher-end units we've seen on any rifle case below the $150 mark, and that's not to mention the very comfortable shoulder strap carry system. Is this bag perfect? No. We would've liked to see the PALS webbing stitching with more rows tucked together, which would've allowed for carrying even more weight. But that's splitting hairs on a bag that can already carry at least 50 pounds. Q&A time.

Q: What's the Bulldog Bag made from?

A: The material feels like 1000D Cordura, otherwise known as ballistic nylon. It's slick and water-resistant, which is something not found on a lower thread count (600D or 400D). 

Q: What size options are available?

A: The Bulldog Case we reviewed here measures 43" L x 13" H x 3" D. Smaller options are available that measure approximately 47" or 37". We think the 43" is a good "Goldilocks" option: It's large enough to hold an AR-10, but it's not so tall that it's unwieldy when carried vertically. 

Q: What color options are available?

A: The Bulldog Case is available in Black or an Olive Drab/Coyote Brown-ish green. Buckles on the green model are still black.

Q: Does the Bulldog Case provide any security?

A: The zippered compartments are lockable with small padlocks, which is to say that this soft rifle case provides about as much security as any soft bag can. It's good for keeping prying eyes and small hands away from your long guns, but if you want a rifle case that provides real security, you'll want to consider a hard-sided case instead. Boyt's H-Series Rifle Case provides plenty of locking points is a good option to consider.