How much ammo do you take to Africa?


This is just theory for me because I have never gone, but this will help me with my reloading. i.e. How much brass do I need to get?

That depends on the length of your hunt and how many animals you plan to hunt. Every safari isn't the same. Will it be a 10 day or 21 day hunt? Will you take 1, 2, or 3 guns? You may not need 3, but if you do, you'll need enough to shoot your guns some upon arrival and still have plenty for hunting. In my case I usually take 60 rounds per caliber, though that is based upong the hunts I have planned.
You may also be limited by airline restrictions, which can be randomly enforced.

ddunn

The above advice is good, but also check with your hosting outfitter for any country specific limits. For example, South Africa does not allow more than 200 rounds of ammunition for the same calibre while the maximum allowed by Mozambique is only 60.

Staying within guidelines, I take 11 lbs of ammo. The maximum allowed by Those w/Shi*ty Attitudes or the TSA to some. Although there are some genuinely great Men and Women serving our country in the TSA, on several occasions I have met Barney Fife, and in each case he was searching his shirt pocket for his bullet. I'd rather have too much than too little.
LDK

For a 10-day 8- animal PG hunt I took 60 rounds of .338 and brought about 35 back. But we did get into some monkey control work for our host, and my scope did go haywire when it whacked the truck and took some re-tuning.

For a just buffalo hunt I took 40 rounds of .375 and brought 25 or so back. Wasted a few head-shooting Francolin for dinner.

I'll be TRYING to get on United Friday night with 40 rounds of .375 and 100 rounds of 20 ga in my duffel, which is pushing right up at the 5 kilo limit But there are no shotgun shells to be found in Zim, so what's a guy to do???


You will use between 2 and 20 rounds checking and/or re-zeroing your rifle; some of it depends on how much missing, rock shooting, varmint shooting, etc. you feel like doing.

For rifles, 40 rounds per caliber isn't too few and 60 isn't too many. If you have a non-shooting companion, you can stuff 5 kilos in your gear AND 5 kilos in theirs. If there's more than one of you, split your ammo in any event so you're both still in business if a bag gets waylaid.

Common calibers and gauges are really appreciated as leave-behinds most of the time.

LRH270, check with Ganyana on shot shells. There is a store in Bulawayo that has them; if they are still open. I have a case waiting on me in two weeks. I arranged this months ago.
Good hunting,
David
PS: I think I may have found a bird area. We should talk when we both get back from Zim.

I took 40 rounds for a 10 days of plains game in Namibia, and including sighting in I brought back 20. Actually could have brought back more, but figured it was easier to just finish off the box I already had open.

quote:

Originally posted by LRH270:
Common calibers and gauges are really appreciated as leave-behinds most of the time.

Very much so.

quote:

Originally posted by L. David Keith:
Staying within guidelines, I take 11 lbs of ammo. The maximum allowed by Those w/Shi*ty Attitudes or the TSA to some.

Actually, David, I think the 11 lbs maximum is an IATA rule (IATA = International Air Transport Association). Whatever the reasons for this maximum, I believe it predates TSA by decades.

- mike

For Aussies I can confirm that QANTAS will allow 5kg of ammunition total for each licensed shooter.

For my 308 and 243 I will be taking the full 5kg but haven't worked out how to split it yet.

The main reason to take as much as possible is if the scopes have to be realigned. My P/H has a 308 so if things get dire, hopefully he can help out.

Walter says "you have to decide how many animals you want to shoot. For each animal, you have to take one round for sighting in, one round for missing, one round for wounding, one round for putting the animal down and one round to finish him off. Extra ammo should be taken for your friends who have a habit of shooting dicks and balls off animals. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

I'll speak to Namibia, as that is where I have had experience: Namibia limits you to 100 rounds per gun and only one gun of the same caliber per hunter. My advice is to take at or near the maximum allowance, which will be far more than you need, for the following reasons:

1. Pack 40 rounds per gun in your locked gun case (where permitted). This way, if you have a gun, you have ammunition.

2. Pack the remainder of your ammunition in your checked baggage.

3. You may find that you run across large numbers of jackals and baboons that "just need killin'". Our hosts, although they listed a "trophy fee" for jackals and baboons simply to discourage cheapskates from shooting only vermin an paying no trophy fees, urged us to shoot all we saw and wished and charged no trophy fee.

4. As others have said, leaving behind some of your unused ammunition is nearly always appreciated. Even if your host does not own a gun of that caliber, some poor unluckly schmuck may show up next week with an identical .311 Imperial Magnum, but his ammunition didn't make it. Your host can save, trade, or barter whatever ammunition you leave him.

Other observations: DON'T separate your scope, bolt, etc. from the gun. You are doubling your chance of not having a functioning weapon if ALL of your pieces of luggage have to make it rather than just your gun case. If you have room in your gun case, it ain't a bad idea to put some of your personal essentials in there, also. Packing some of your ammunition in your gun case helps get it up to the 50-lb maximum and keeps your other bag lighter. The same thing applies to knives and other hunting paraphrnalia that might fit in the gun case. The 5KG rule is enforced unevenly. If you are a bit over 5KG total, there's a good chance that the ammunition in your checked bag won't be counted along with the ammo in your gun case. Splitting it up just has a lot of advantages. ALWAYS take advantage of the full baggage allowances of all the people traveling in the party. One of the three of us had a bag that weighed in at 53 lbs when it went on the scale. We quickly reshuffled a few pounds into our other bags and got all of them under 50 lbs. We took one rifle apiece, plus one spare rifle. The four rifles fit in two two-gun cases, leaving the third guy with no gun case to check. On the trip over, he took only one 50-lb checked bag. On the trip back, we filled an extra duffle with things like souvenirs and duty-free purchases and checked it as the third guy's second bag. We happily came and went with no excess/overweight baggage charges.

I took 60 rounds of .375H&H ammo on my 10 day, 8 animal plainsgame hunt in Namibia. I used about half of it, and left the remainder with the PH.

I took 60 rounds each .375 and .30-06 on my recent trip for what was supposed to be a 2 country hunt. That part didn't work out due to a personal health issue, but upon leqaving I simply left the unfired ammo AND empty cases with the ranch owner. The cost of the that self reloaded ammo was minimal compared to the cost of the hunt and then didn't have to deal with ammo issues at the airports. While I don't fly that often with guns and ammo I have yet to find an airline that lets me put any portion of my ammo in with my guns. And on the recent trip, on my departing flight with SAA from Joberg was even forced to take the ammo OUT of my 2nd checked bag, a suitcase, and check it as a 3rd separate piece of baggage. Did I saw SAA SUCKS and is not hunter friendly and I'll do whatever I can to ever have to fly with those A****** again.

Every thing included, an avareage of three shots per animal is a close figure of what I have used.
Take the 5 Kgs. of ammo you are allowed and have one thing less to get worried about.
Is not worth having preassure during a hunt about running out of ammo.

It makes no difference as you are only allowed to take 5 kilos (approx. 11 lbs.) by USA airlines..I would take that much, as you never know when a problem will crop up and you need to do some work on your rifle..You sure don't want to come up short...better safe than sorry, better too much than not enough!

For what it's worth, Botswana allows 60 rounds. That's per gun.

quote:

Walter says "you have to decide how many animals you want to shoot. For each animal, you have to take one round for sighting in, one round for missing, one round for wounding, one round for putting the animal down and one round to finish him off. Extra ammo should be taken for your friends who have a habit of shooting dicks and balls off animals. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

I had to quickly move the keyboard back to keep from damaging it because of the tears of laughter streaming down my face!

From reading your posts, Saeed, I can't decide if your friend Walter is a genius or a lunatic!

quote:

Originally posted by mho:

quote:

Originally posted by L. David Keith:
Staying within guidelines, I take 11 lbs of ammo. The maximum allowed by Those w/Shi*ty Attitudes or the TSA to some.

Actually, David, I think the 11 lbs maximum is an IATA rule (IATA = International Air Transport Association). Whatever the reasons for this maximum, I believe it predates TSA by decades.

- mike

From I've been told, technically its an IATA recommandation and not a rule. So airlines could choose to ignore it and allow you take more.
But most airlines treat it like was a absolute rule from IATA.
IIRC some IPSC shooters managed to get permission to bring more than 5kg on a flight to a match. But cant remember the airline in question.

For whatever it's worth I usually hunt with a 3006 and 458wm since my 375 was stolen. i take 40 rds soft-3006, 20 solid; 20 soft-458 and 20 solid. I have never used them all and end up leaving them in camp. I have more in Zim than I do at home!

Qantas won't let you put ammo with the rifle either. It has to be in a seperate lockable container like a pistol case. Makes sense to do it anyway.

40 rounds of each cal. not to exceed the the wt. limit on ammo...

I used to take 40 softs and 20 solids for my .375. Now I take 20 softs and 40 solids because I used up every solid I had on my last trip but left a box of softs for the appy to take his test with.

FYI - You might want to be very careful leaving ammunition with your PH in Namibia. It's against the rules to do so, and you will be asked when checking your firearms back in at Windhoek on return, how much ammo you are taking back. They ask how much you are bringing in on arrival, so they have a record of it. I have never had them actually want to look at the rounds I am bringing back, but it sounds as if they certainly could. I would not want to be the first to have them make an example of. Better safe than sorry is always my motto, so I bring back all unfired ammo and spent cases.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

I take the max, 5kg. Last hunt in Zim was 40 rounds of .458WM and 60 rounds of .375 H&H. I have left my unfired ammunition with the PH's, both in RSA and Zim. It is always greatly appreciated.

As far as accountability for the number of rounds going in and coming out, I just say I used it up sighting in, actual hunting and target shooting with the staff after the hunt was over. I don't say I left it with the camp or PH. No questions, no problems. I don't see how they could make problems for you but you never know, TIA!

RCG

50 rounds per rifle and what is not used is given to our ph every time

I'll agree w/ Ray & some of the others, might as well take the 11# worth. How much do you need? Well I have taken as much as 40rds for one rifle but always bring at least 1/2 back. For a 7day buff hunt w/ some add'l. shots on PG & camp meat, you could get by w/ 20rd IMO. ThAT's a couple of sighters, 2-3 on your buff. 3-4 PG species & still have some for camp meat. 15 softs & 5 solids for my 404 this fall. I'll probably put 20rds in the wifes luggage, just incase.

My adage is always that it's better to have more than not enough. Take the maximum that you're allowed.

I am heading to Tanzania for the first time in September. The PH told me to bring 40 rounds for each rifle. I am taking a 458 Lott and 7x57. Heck, I take 40 rounds and a tarp when I go deer hunting 10 miles from home.

I think my problem is that I saw the movie Red Dawn when I was 13 in the theatre and part of my brain makes me think that every trip into the mountains may last a very long time.

I took delivery on some loaded Hornady 500 grain DGX softs in 458 Lott. They look good, we will have to see how they perform.

I'm a 40/20 guy. I will be carrying 40-soft and 20-solid for buffalo and sable this year in 375 H&H. I know it will take 2/1, plus a sight-in shot after getting to camp. I will probably leave the rest of the solids for the PH.

I know I could get by with 20/20, but I feel naked just thinking about it.

I would bring the max. the country and the airline will let you. Better too much than too little....might get to do some unexpected shooting whether baboon or rifle problems.

I left some in Namibia w/my PH but took some out so as not to raise any eyebrows at Windhoek.

Robert