I know people have been busted when flying into the city, but I would be flying into an unnamed airport in Upstate New York.
I was thinking about putting the spring, follower, and plates in my carry-on, and putting the gutted magazine in my checked bag.
Thoughts?
[UPDATE] Mailed the gutted mag to NYS, put it together yesterday. We Gucci
Try to use something that doesn't look like a gun case, like a generic Pelican instead of your Glock branded case. Use a proper (non-TSA) lock as well, and when you arrive, have it locked already. TSA regs don't allow them to open it or ask your combination, if they want to inspect it, you have to be the one to open it up. All that's usually required of you is keep the ammo out of the chamber/mag well, beyond that long as it's in a hard case and ammo isn't loose, TSA doesn't care.
Another good thing to know, if you're traveling with a handgun, put it inside your other checked baggage. That helps prevent it going to the baggage desk where you're most likely to run into trouble with steppers.