The various African countries limit the amount of ammo one may take in and it's limited to that which one has a gun to shoot it with. I would like to know if the headstamp makes any difference.

For instance, if I brought 30/06 ammo loaded in military cases with no headstamp indicating what the cartridge was, would that be a problem? Or if I was to bring 375 JDJ ammo loaded in 444 Marlin cases, would that be a problem?

If they check (they didn't bother to check when I went to RSA) the cartridge headstamb better match the caliber stamped on your barrel.

The amount of ammunition you can bring in can vary with the country. Ask your PH. In general the limit is plenty, and will cause no problems. Airlines usually limit you to 11 pounds of ammo (again, SAA didn't check mine) but that is plenty.

I have to respectfully disagree. 11 Kg is not enough if you plan on taking a shotgun anywhere there is good wing shooting. Since 20 ga shells are not readily available in the bush, and the ones you find fetch a princly sum, I would like to take more than just a 11 Kg limit which is about 6 boxes or one days shooting.
What really ticked me off was my most recent trip to Africa the TSA Jerk er agent er . . . kicked my bag back on the 11 Kg rule. The airline didn't have a problem with what I had packed but this jerk had to go remind the poor little ticket counter girl that she might get fired for letting over 11 Kg on the plane. I have to love my Congressman's description of the TSA - He said it stands for "Thousands Standing Around".

Can someone ship ammo and guns to your PH before the hunt instead of having to deal with the Airline.

Dr B

Dr. B,

Yes, but you'd need various export licenses from the munitions control people at the Department of State to do that. Takes forever on this end. Other problem is on the other end where the PH would need import permits and licenses. Much easier by and large to deal with the airlines.

On shotgun ammo, the key is to organize the kind of shells you need with your PH and a dealer in the country you will hunt in. That could work in South Africa and Namibia and I've done 2-1/2" eley 12 gauge shells in Windhoek. Rosenthal's ordered them from Cape Town.
Regards, Tim

I was able to purchase both 20 ga and 16 ga ammo over the counter in Namibia and in RSA (Pietersburg) this last trip. No problems at all, cost around $10 per box though.

Grumulkin

Your headstamps had better match your ammo because your experience with having your ammo checked will vary form trip to trip and from country to country. As I mentioned on another thread this last trip nobody cared about the ammo. On previous trips I have had it checked and the ammo counted by headstamps. So your 338-06 better not be in '06 cases or your 416 Taylor in 458 cases. Others will tell you they got away with it numerous times and I believe that but is it worth it to have your ammo confiscated particularly if it is a somewhat of a oddball or wildcat cartridge?

Mark

quote:

Airlines usually limit you to 11 pounds of ammo ...... but that is plenty.

I had to arrange with my outfitter in Zimbabwe for some rather expensive and rather light (field grade) shotgun shells.

Take a big bore, a shotgun, have the need to kill lots of baits even with a smaller caliber weapon and have an extended safari and quite frankly 11 pounds is not really enough.

There needs to be a limit perhaps about 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) but 5 kilograms (11 pounds) is not it.

quote:

I had to arrange with my outfitter in Zimbabwe for some rather expensive and rather light (field grade) shotgun shells.

Any Hunting Outfitter in South Africa who cannot or will not arrange some reasonably priced ammo for you particular shotgun if notified of your requirement WELL IN ADVANCE should not be in the business! For serious wing shooting on rock pigeons in a sunflower field 11 pounds of ammo is a joke to be enjoyed before teatime on the first day!

My advice? If you need to bring a shotgun to South Africa for serious wing shooting, please stick to a 12 gauge 2 ¾†if at all possible. It simply makes the Hunting Outfitters task to get you a supply of decent hunting load shotgun ammo so much easier.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren