First Tactical 42 Inch Rifle Sleeve Review: Durable & Affordable Soft Rifle Case

The First Tactical 42 Inch Rifle Sleeve is a durable, well-built, and sleek soft case for your firearm. It has a webbing strap and barrel mount to keep your rifle secure. The YKK Zippers are able to have a pad-lock inserted to keep your rifle secure. Overall, this is a durable soft case at an affordable price.

Is First Tactical gear any good?

First Tactical makes some good quality gear for the tactical community. They use durable materials and the workmanship is excellent. First Tactical gear has been used by professionals in law enforcement as well as military members. With a reputation for well made gear at an affordable price, First Tactical gear is definitely worth buying.

Full Disclosure

First Tactical did send me this rifle sleeve to try out and review for you all to see. They didn’t pay me, but I do make a small commission on sales made using the links I provide, at no extra cost to you.

With that being said, let’s get into the review. 

Specs

Size: 44” x 10.5” x 1.5”
Weight: 1.8 lbs
Material: 500D Nylon
Foam: 10mm Closed Cell Foam
Hardware: Duraflex

Pros

Affordable
Durable
Great design
Lockable

Cons

No exterior pocket

Price

The cost of the First Tactical 42 Inch Rifle Sleeve is around $100 at the time of this article.

Go check First Tactical for the latest pricing.

Material & Quality

The material used for the First Tactical 42 Inch Rifle Sleeve is 500D Nylon, which offers excellent durability while still maintaining a good amount of flexibility. 

It also used 10mm Closed Cell Foam to give it some protection, and YKK Zippers, which has the ability for a lock to be inserted to keep the two zipper pulls secure.

The case definitely feels like it was made well, and I have confidence that it will last me for years to come. Something you’d want to know when dropping $100 on a soft rifle case.

YKK Zippers

Definitely one of the best zippers you can get out there are YKK Zippers. You know when a company selects this zipper for their products that they’re not trying to cheap out. Good job First Tactical.

As mentioned previously, these YKK Zippers can be used with a lock so that your rifle or other firearm is safely secured in the sleeve. The zipper runs very smooth along the sleeve, and it doesn’t just go from end to end, but further around each end, covering about 60-70% of the bag’s exterior edge.

Handle & Buckles

Handles have a low profile, close to the sleeve. They’re nicely padded and are attached to the sleeve with a solid piece of webbing.

There are two buckles on the exterior which fasten overtop the zipper, making the rifle case even more compact.

Compression Molded Barrel Mount

This is something that I really like about the First Tactical 42 Inch Rifle Sleeve is this barrel mount. The barrel mount can be adjusted depending on the length of your firearm. It’s attached to the inner webbing by using a combination of Duraflex Hardware and Velcro tabs. 

The barrel mount has the First Tactical logo formed on it as well, wuich looks sharp in my opinion.

Internal Strap

Inside on the opposite end of the barrel mount is a strap to secure the buttstock in place. The strap has a pad with a hook and tabs. It too can be moved up and down the rifle case.

ID Panel

A nice addition to the exterior is the Velcro section to affix your ID Patches or Morale Patches. Right now I have a patch which was made by a Canadian company called Patch Panel.

Patch Panel makes some seriously awesome patches. I’ve personally designed and purchased patches from their website, and the professional organization that I work for has also had patches made by them. If you’re looking for a good quality patch, then go check them out at https://patchpanel.ca

Something to Improve

One of the things (probably the only thing) that I would have wanted for an improvement on the First Tactical 42 Inch Rifle Sleeve would be the addition of an external zippered pocket of some sort.

The reason for this is because if you need a quick spot to store your key to the lock on the zipper, or the keys to the ammunition can, or even some different chokes for the shotgun, or some Allen wrenches to just your scope, having an external zipper would be extremely helpful.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for an affordable yet durable soft rifle case, then I highly recommend the First Tactical 42 Inch Rifle Sleeve.

The soft case holds the rifle very secure and offers adequate protection. Not only that, but the quality and workmanship that went into the rifle soft case is incredible. There want a loose thread or broken stitch on the entire soft case.

Thanks for taking the time to read this review of the First Tactical 42 Inch Soft Sleeve.