Nanuk 995 Rifle Case: Protection For Your Most Important Gear

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Nanuks 995 rifle case offers me the extreme protection I want to protect my most valuable tool; my Sako S20 Hunter chambered in 300-win mag. A wise old man once told me that the average man would only buy one good rifle his whole life, so it’s worth saving up and buying the rifle you genuinely want.

I took that advice to heart, and that’s what I did.

Enter my Sako S20 Hunter.

I had eyed up the S20 for years; it was my forever rifle. So, the day I finally brought it home was a day to remember. I worked hard for my S20, and because I worked so hard, I want to ensure it lasts long past me to my children’s children.

Enter the Nanuk 995.

Nanuk means Polar Bear in Inuit, which is a fitting name as polar bears are among the toughest and most durable animals on earth, able to handle the most extreme environments.

Nanuk cases encapsulate these polar bear traits of toughness and durability, as they, too, are able to handle the world’s most extreme environments.

PRICE

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IS THE NANUK 995 WORTH THE COST?

Yes, the Nanuk 995 and all Nanuk cases are worth the cost IF you have something worth protecting.

I wouldn’t buy one if all I had were a stick to my name, but if you have a high-priced rifle, camera equipment, or anything else worth protecting, then YES, the Nanuk 995 is worth every penny!

OVERALL

Overall, the Nanuk 995 is an awesome gun case. The body is strong and has been completely overbuilt. Even your gun’s protection has protection.

Nanucks power claw latches are strong and durable, and their dual press opening system works great. Even if something snags the latch, it won’t open.

All four padlock holes are reinforced with steel, so once your lock is on, you know it will not come out.

The stay-open hinges are a nice touch, although they create a fair amount of resistance when you first open the lid. The hold open is very solid, and no small bump will make the lid shut on your hands.

The soft grip handles are a nice comfort feature. With the case coming in at just over twenty pounds plus the weight of your gear, it can get pretty heavy. So, the soft grip is friendly to the hands.

The four layers of foam offer great protection. With four layers instead of three, like in many cases, if you have an item a little thicker, you can still cut down another layer while maintaining protection.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

When the 995 arrived at my house, and I took it out of the box, the first things I noticed were the design and the weight.

The Nanuk 995 is sleek, with its mat black finish and overbuilt edges. It was very obvious that the 995 was meant to handle a beating.

As I said, the second attribute that stood out right away was the weight; it is not a light case, especially compared to what I would say is a regular case from Cabelas or any standard gun store.

The quality also stood out, from the triple-action locks to the stay-open hinges to the dense protective foam layers. Everything said that this was a serious case.

FIELD FIRSTS

The first time I got the 995 out into the field was at a local gun range with a couple of buddies from the infantry and police force.

I exposed the 995 to a real Canadian winter and wasn’t disappointed with how it handled the cold and wet. I covered it in snow, and not a drop got through the seal.

Hauling the 995 around is definitely more work than your average case, but it was worth it knowing that my S20 was well-protected from the weather.

In the end, it wasn’t the most brutal torture test, but it was a good first time in the field with the 995.

QUALITY AND DESIGN

BODY

Nanuk built the 995 with an overbuilt body for extra protection. Now, what do I mean by “overbuilt”? If you look all around the edges of the 995 in the picture below, you can see all the eight groups of ridges and two on the end.

The ridges help to provide extra protection for the case itself. They offer protection for the protective case protecting your gear.

The body of the 995 is made from NK-7 resin, a material designed specifically and solely for Nanuk. This is what they have to say about it:

NK-7 is a polypropylene based material that has been enhanced with several performance additives that increase toughness and impact resistance while remaining lightweight. The NK-7 resin has been engineered to perform in the harshest of environmental extremes, making these great military, industrial, and medical equipment cases.

-Nanuk

LATCHES

Multi-step locking mechanisms themselves aren’t new, but Nanuk’s multi-step power claw latches take them to a new level. They’re unique, strong, very durable, and honestly, a lot of fun to use.

The three-step latch ensures that your latch will never accidentally come open. To open, the grey button must be pressed and held down while simultaneously pulling up on the bottom latch.

These latches are not opening unless you want them to.

Nanuk has made the center two of the four power claw latches TSA-approved locks.

This means when you’re travelling with a firearm, and the TSA wants to get into your case to ensure there’s nothing of a less savoury nature hiding in there.

They can look up the number on the lock and use their special keys to gain access. This prevents them from prying open your 995 and destroying it in the process.

HANDLES

The Nanuk 995 handles are great for carrying, storage, and travel. Both handles are soft-grip snap-down handles.

Although a fully loaded 995 is fairly heavy, the rubber padding on the handles makes them extremely comfortable and eases the burden on your hand.

The snap-down handles ensure they are never in your way as you slide the case into its special storage location in your home.

Regardless of whether you’re travelling by plane, train, or automobile, the snap-down handles ensure the handles stay tight to the case, so they don’t get broken off due to mishandling by bag carriers.

HINGES

The 995’s hinges use Nanuk’s stay-open technology, which ensures that when the lid is opened, it stays open.

The stay-open hinges don’t necessarily lock the lid in place, but they do provide very solid pressure and a good solid pivot point that needs to be overcome in order for the lid to open or close.

Together, these make the hinges very functional and a solid safety feature.

PRESSURE RELEASE VALVE

The Nanuk 995 has a built-in pressure release valve. Now, what does this do for you exactly?

Well, as Nanuk puts it:

Changes in altitude and geographic location create a vacuum which can effectively seal watertight cases shut. NANUK’s integrated auto-pressure valve equalizes this atmospheric pressure difference. Using state-of-the-art technology, the micro vent allows air to pass through while preventing water from entering. 

-Nanuk

PADLOCK HOLES

The 995 has four padlock holes along the front edge. Nanuk has reinforced each padlock hole with steel rings to ensure that when your case is locked, these holes can not be easily broken.

Nanuk has done a great job of keeping the case’s slick design by placing the steel reinforcement inside the holes rather than all around them, as some companies do.

There is a solid argument to be made, though, that you lose some strength having only the inside of the hole reinforced and not the hole and surrounding area.

WHEELS

Nanuk used polycarbonate wheels moulded with polyurethane and steel bearings to create a smooth, easy roll and a strong base that allows the 995 to roll and operate over many different terrains.

INNER PROTECTION

Nanuks 995 comes with four layers of high-quality polyurethane foam to offer maximum protection for your gear. The top layer keeps all your gear situated, while the lower layers offer 360 degrees of protection.

The first two layers in the bottom half of the case are both thick layers you can cut and customize as needed. The fourth and final bottom layer is a much thinner base layer.

The foam is firm enough to hold your gear in place and just soft enough to absorb any impact the 995 might take.

The foam isn’t super hard to cut, but it can be a little bit tricky. An exacto knife will do, but it is much easier with an automatic saw. I used my Thanksgiving Day automatic turkey carving knife.

WHAT I LIKE MOST

OVERALL PROTECTION

What I like most about the Nanuk 995 is definitely the overall protection this beast of a case offers. With the four layers of foam and the big beefy hard shell, I feel confident my rifle is kept completely safe.

Whether heading to an ELR (Extreme Long Range) shooting competition on base, into the woods for some bear hunting, or to the Yukon for an Epic moose hunt, I’m confident my rifle will be in great shape when I get there.

I did not have anywhere near the same level of confidence in the safety of my gear when I had my S20 in a cheap Canadian Tire or Cabela’s rifle case.

Nanuk nailed gear protection with the 995.

BUILT-IN LOCKS

The power claw latches are another strong and functional characteristic of the 995, but specifically, the two middle latches with built-in TSA locks were awesome.

I don’t want the TSA or anyone else to go into my bags whenever they feel like it, and I am not around, but if the TSA is going to cut my lock off and go in anyway, then I’d rather not lose that lock.

So, these built-in locks with lock IDs on them that the TSA can look up and get the specific key to, and then snoop around in my pack without destroying my locks, was a great feature.

In addition to saving me locks when I’m travelling, I don’t have to worry about buying locks anymore, as the 995 has two built right into it.

CONCERNS AND CRITICISMS

WEIGHT

To say something is light or heavy can be somewhat relative. What’s heavy to me may not be heavy to you. So, to say that the 995 is made from lightweight Nk-7 resin leaves me with one question, “Lightweight compared to what?”

Compared to your standard retail gun case, the Nanuk 995 is fairly heavy at 21.6 lbs. Your common Cabela’s gun case usually comes in at around 12 lbs.

Both those weights are still the cases empty, so add to that the weight of your guns, and the 995 has the potential to be closer to 40 lbs.

Lugging around a 40-lb gun case can get tiring quickly.

If you’re headed on a big hunt far from home, the added weight may be an issue you need to consider; however, if you’re just driving to the range and can park close to where you’re shooting, it’s no big deal.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Nanuk 995 rifle case is an awesome, strong, durable, and downright great-looking case that is a strong compeditor for other big-name case companies in rifle and gear protection.

The 3 step bear claw latches ensure your case will never open by accident, the built-in locks mean you never have to remember to buy or bring locks again, and the IP67 rating means your gear is safe from the elements.

Although not the lightest case on your shelf, it will be the strongest

If protection is what you seek, then the Nanuk 995 is what you need.

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