Last year when I flew into South Africa my ammo was in my checked baggage seperate from my guncase.

This year I overnighted at the Afton House and they had a big sign on their safe stating to make sure you put your ammo into the guncase. They told me at the domestic terminal when they x-rayed the checked bags if they found ammo or what appeared to be ammo in a bag other than a guncase they were confiscating the bags.

Sure enough when I checked in my guns for the domestic flight they asked me if my ammo was in my guncase and not in any other bag, if so it would be confiscated.

Also upon the return trip home when I checked in at the SAA international counter they asked me if all my ammo was in my guncase. When I picked it up at Dulles I left it in the guncase and it went through there with no problems.

Also my ammo was in a small plastic container with a lock on it that fit into my guncase, luckily.

Sniper,

This stuff is an ever changing quagmire of mixed regulations. I've only flown on SAA once but at no time did they ask me to put the ammo in with the guns nor have they every asked me that on anyother airline. I guess it just shows that a hunter need to check with each different airline they are flying on for current regs and then just be prepared do whatever they tell you at check-in.

Mark

Sniper you're correct. On my last trip I experienced the very same thing. On the return, I had the ammo in my checked bag for the trip back, and they hunted me down for an explanation as to why, and right at the boarding gate, with just a few minutes to go before the plane left for Atlanta. I told them that U.S. regs required it to be separate from the guncase and that I needed to enter the U.S. with it separate. The gentleman then made a phone call and they let my checked bag with the ammo fly, but only at the last minute. I wish that everyone would get on the same page, as you don't want to enter the U.S. and then have TSA or Customs give you crap about the ammo being in the gun case.

Okay, so if I have my ammo in a checked-in bag when I leave initially from the U.S. in compliance with U.S. regulations I will probably have problems at JNB when my luggage gets transferred to WDH on SAA?

Almost makes me want to not take any ammo and have my PH pick up some .375 H&H for me there in Windhoek.

Namibiahunter

In my experience:
Guns Cases
Locked ammo can with ammo and knives and such
Regular luggage

Never been one hint of a problem at either end although one gaggle of SA plod and Customs told me once to wander out to the "free world" without checking in my guns, which would have made it a bit of a hassle to check them back out of the country.

Oh, hunting handguns cause 7 monkeys to take turns looking at all your permissioning forms and scratch their heads before they finally decide to let you go. I think part of it is that they all like taking turns holding really large handguns as much as them particularly wanting to hassle you. It's not like any of them are in a hurry so why should you be? "Don't worry, everything be fixed 'just now'".

As my friend in Durban says:
What's the difference between a tourist and a racist?
Five minutes in the Joburg airport since the changing of the guard(s).

I have been to South Africa twice and never had a problem with carrying ammo inside the guncase with the rifle either in the US or South Africa. I used ASA out of SHV and SAA out of ATL. TSA inspected my case and had no problem with the ammo inside the guncase. I went on a bear hunt to Maine in August and also had no problem bring my ammo in my guncase.



http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm
Traveling with Special Items

Firearms & Ammunition
Photo of a pistol

You may only transport firearms, ammunition and firearm parts in your checked baggage. Firearms, ammunition and firearm parts are prohibited from carry-on baggage.

There are certain limited exceptions for law enforcement officers who may fly armed by meeting the requirements of Title 49 CFR § 1544.219. Law enforcement officers should read our policies on traveling with guns.

The key regulatory requirements to transporting firearms, firearm parts or ammunition in checked baggage are:

* You must declare all firearms to the airline during the ticket counter check-in process.
* The firearm must be unloaded.
* The firearm must be in a hard-sided container.
* The container must be locked.
* We recommend that you provide the key or combination to the security officer if he or she needs to open the container. You should remain present during screening to take the key back after the container is cleared. If you are not present and the security officer must open the container, we or the airline will make a reasonable attempt to contact you. If we can't contact you, the container will not be placed on the plane. Federal regulations prohibit unlocked gun cases (or cases with broken locks) on aircraft.
* You must securely pack any ammunition in fiber (such as cardboard), wood or metal boxes or other packaging that is specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.
* You can't use firearm magazines/clips for packing ammunition unless they completely and securely enclose the ammunition (e.g., by securely covering the exposed portions of the magazine or by securely placing the magazine in a pouch, holder, holster or lanyard).
* You may carry the ammunition in the same hard-sided case as the firearm, as long as you pack it as described above.
* You can't bring black powder or percussion caps used with black-powder type firearms in either your carry-on or checked baggage.

Photo of bullets

We and other authorities strictly enforce these regulations. Violations can result in criminal prosecution and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.

Airlines may have their own additional requirements on the carriage of firearms and the amount of ammunition that you may have in your checked baggage. Therefore, travelers should also contact the airline regarding its firearm and ammunition carriage policies.

Also, please note that many other countries have different laws that address transportation and possession of firearms. If you are traveling internationally, please check with the authorities at your destination about their requirements.

One question. How does one put a reasonable amount of ammo for a hunt in a gun case and still have room for the gun? Bonus question, especially if it's a double gun case of two different calibers?

quote:

Originally posted by tom`:
One question. How does one put a reasonable amount of ammo for a hunt in a gun case and still have room for the gun? Bonus question, especially if it's a double gun case of two different calibers?

Better yet, how does one make the weight limit with two large bore rifles and a reasonable amount of ammo in the same case?

Just for clarification, is this an SAA policy change rather than any new procdure for South African airports?

As Sniper pointed out, this is a recent change (the last couple of months or so) in the Jo'burg regs on ammo in checked baggage. It doesn't matter how many times you've been there or what your experience in the past has been. Louis at Afton House told me that it was a change in the regs. He didn't say by whom or why. He just told me (and so did the very visible sign on his gun vault) to transfer the ammo to the hardside gun case with the guns, as that was now the requirement for all hunters. I used Bruce from Gracy at the airport and I was not charged for any overweight, even though my guncase then weighed approximately 58 1/2 pounds because of the transfer of the ammo to the guncase.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve:

Better yet, how does one make the weight limit with two large bore rifles and a reasonable amount of ammo in the same case?

Last time around it was 300USD in additional luggage fees. :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
As Sniper pointed out, this is a recent change (the last couple of months or so) in the Jo'burg regs on ammo in checked baggage. It doesn't matter how many times you've been there or what your experience in the past has been. Louis at Afton House told me that it was a change in the regs. He didn't say by whom or why. He just told me (and so did the very visible sign on his gun vault) to transfer the ammo to the hardside gun case with the guns, as that was now the requirement for all hunters.

So instead of having sturdy locked ammo cans I'm going to have to buy gun cases to hollow out to store ammo in instead of guns and use as ammo cans? I bet I'll do just fine with locked ammo cans forever everywhere I go.

Tom: Don't kill the messengers. That's what our most recent experiences have been. Sorry.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Tom: Don't kill the messengers. That's what our most recent experiences have been. Sorry.

I won't but when I go back in March it's going to be with ammo cans in hand. Then I suppose I shall see.

Also just reporting what I went through two weeks ago.

I have a Tuffpack guncase so luckily I had room. I know that it put me over the weight though, because my case weighed 48 pounds without adding about 10 pounds of ammo to it. To me it appeared they weighed my checked bag and my guncase together and divided by two for an average weight.

Sniper: My experience as well (Tuffpak, weighing the two together and all), but with Bruce of Gracy there just in case there was a problem.

I have put my ammo in my guncase on all 3 of my trips through South Africa. I use a Tuffpack.

On my last trip my wife went as well. Between us we had 3 tuffpacks and one duffel checked.

With the new 50 lb weight limit it will be hard for a person traveling alone to make weight with 2 rifles and ammo in one case.

One solution is to travel with 2 tuffpacks, with one gun and ammo, plus clothing in each tuffpack, up to the 50lb limit.

As a plus both of your checked bags will be locked and you will have the only key.

That is a pretty good idea and if one of them were to become lost at least you would still have one rifle with ammo.

Next year I may only take one rifle and just use it on everything. I am only hunting plains game anyway.

I sometimes have trouble understanding the written word, so: do these regs apply to flights from the US to Zim while passing through JNB?

All I know is from what I experienced two weeks ago. Once you arrive at the international terminal and if you have to collect your luggage and reconnect onto another flight at the domestic terminal and recheck your bags the ammo had to be in the same case as the gun.

I had the same instructions a few weeks ago returning home in JNB. They made me take the Ammo out of my gun case and put it into my suitcase. One other thing I will mention. I had a large roll of Zim dollars to take home with me. Several million dollars zim so it was quite the wad of cash. When I got to Atlanta and went through customs I noticed my suitcase had been broken into. I expected the Ammo was the issue and didn't think anything of the incident. Once I got home I noticed that the wad of cash was missing from the case. All I can think of is that the bastards in the airport x-ray station saw the money and helped themselves to it. Too bad they ruined a $200 suitcase for a bunch of worthless play money. Nothing else was missing. Delta Just sent me a new suitcase since mine was damaged beyond repair.

For what its worth here is what I have been doing:



One rifle and the ammo that fits it in each Tuffpak. Usually a double rifle or drilling in one and a long rifle in the other.

I lock the ammo and some small equipment like sat phone etc. in a locked pistol case which slides in the Tuffpak.

Also I pack half my clothes in each Tuffpak. I have had good experience with this setup although I still have issues with the Tuffpak.

I hope that at least one of the Tuffpaks arrive with me.

quote:

Originally posted by tom`:
One question. How does one put a reasonable amount of ammo for a hunt in a gun case and still have room for the gun? Bonus question, especially if it's a double gun case of two different calibers?

good lord, how much ammo do you take? unless you are on a 28 day full bag safari with 2 different calibers, the 5 kg. limit should provide plenty of ammo. for sure most safari camps with extra .375 H&H ammo available

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
good lord, how much ammo do you take? unless you are on a 28 day full bag safari with 2 different calibers, the 5 kg. limit should provide plenty of ammo. for sure most safari camps with extra .375 H&H ammo available

Enough for what I intend to do. It doesn't make much sense to spend eons on airplanes just to turn around and come back right straightaway and if I'm going to be reduced to sourcing local ammo I may as well just rent the rifles of unknown lineage too.

To each his own.

We had this same subject here a few weeks ago, right after the change Oct 1 [+/-].

See the SAA web site FAQ's: Firearms etc.

Looks like guncase or separate case!


"Ammunition

A maximum of 5kg securely boxed ammunition per passenger will be permitted for carriage in the hold of the aircraft. Security boxed ammunition must either be placed in the same case/rifle bag or handed in as a separate item for carriage. Any ammunition packed within normal checked baggage will be confiscated by security screening staff at South African Airports, without an option of the airline recovering these items."

Am I reading these post correctly? I fly via United to Dulles from California. It is okay to carry ammo in your checked suitcase to SA. I always spend the night at the Afton. Once at the Afton I would take my ammo out of my suitcase and place it in my gun case prior to connecting to Zim or whatever other country I'm transfering too. How about on the way home as the the luggage is routed straight through from Zim to Dulles. Do I pack ammo in my guncase in Zim, then repack in suitcase when I reach Dulles. Last time I looked United wants the ammo seperate from the guncase. Sorry for my confusion!!

quote:

Originally posted by LHowell:
We had this same subject here a few weeks ago, right after the change Oct 1 [+/-].

See the SAA web site FAQ's: Firearms etc.

Looks like guncase or separate case!


"Ammunition

A maximum of 5kg securely boxed ammunition per passenger will be permitted for carriage in the hold of the aircraft. Security boxed ammunition must either be placed in the same case/rifle bag or handed in as a separate item for carriage. Any ammunition packed within normal checked baggage will be confiscated by security screening staff at South African Airports, without an option of the airline recovering these items."

So then we are back to tom's traditional Gun Cases, Locked Ammo Can declared as such, and separate luggage. Didn't figure that had suddenly gone illegal.

South Africa continues to do whatever is in their power to make me NOT want to hunt there or travel through.

11-12-2008
From SAA rep

Kathi,
Please let me know if this works,

The agreement we reached today (and will remain until such time as a clear directive is formally received from the SA Government) is to fall back to the old SAA procedures of allowing ammunition (not firearms) within the normal checked baggage of passengers carrying firearms, limited to not more than 5kg’s of ammunition per passenger. Ammunition should however be securely packed/boxed.



I am in the process of revising the applicable SAA Policies and Procedures (inclusive of the US procedures) accordingly and will have this ready by Friday for implementation.

Thanks Kathi!!

quote:

Originally posted by Lhook7:
Thanks Kathi!!

Plus 1.

Kathi: Thanks and please keep us updated on this.