The DAKA® Grid is a modular system of interlocking foam blocks that fit inside your rifle case and enable you set up a custom-fitted interior for your specific gun. Magpul offers DAKA grids for several Pelican cases right now, with more on the way for other cases. Brownells Gun Tech™ Caleb shows us how it works using the DAKA kit for the Pelican Vault V730 rifle case. The base grid fits in the bottom of the case, then you plug a set of foam pegs into the bottom grid to create the support structure around your rifle. Want to carry a different rifle? It's easy to rearrange the pegs to fit that gun. But how did Magpul come up with this clever system?
The old method of getting custom-fitted foam in your gun case was to buy a blank sheet of foam, trace the outline of your rifle, and cut it with a knife or pluck away bits of foam to make the cutout. Neither approach is easy or fast. And what happens if you alter your rifle? Say you swap a red dot for a scope? Your foam doesn't fit perfectly anymore. You have to re-cut it or may have to get a new block of foam and start over. NOT fast, easy, or inexpensive! The solution from the brilliant minds at Magpul: a modular, super easy-to-reconfigure system of interlocking foam blocks.
Magpul's chemical-resistant polypropylene foam is actually LIGHTER than the foam that comes in the typical rifle case. It's also stiffer, so the gun is even less likely to shift around in the case during strenuous handling.
Caleb shows us how to set up the DAKA Grid Organizer. You'll retain the original foam for the top of the case. Insert the DAKA base grid in the bottom. Lay the gun on the base grid where you want it to sit, then plug the pillar blocks into the base grid around the gun to secure it in place. Start by inserting a double (for guns under 7 lbs.) or triple (guns over 7 lbs.) row of pillar blocks from the rear of the buttstock to the edge of the case. Insert another row from the muzzle to the opposite edge of the case. Run more pillars around the gun to the edges of the case, but if the gun has an optic, leave it free-floating.
Try to position the thickest (side to side) part of the gun - usually the optic - as close to the very center of the case as possible. This will make it easier to close the lid. Closing the lid the first time may require some effort. The foam will soon compress and conform around the gun, and from then on closing the case will be easier. The whole point is to secure the gun tightly so it can't move.
The DAKA blocks and the outer walls of the case work together to suspend your gun in 360 degrees of protection around it, which pretty much guarantees that gun is NEVER going to shift around in there. It's like having a posse of really big, burly bodyguards protecting your gun all the time!
