I ask this on the African travel forum and didn't get a straight answer so I will inquire here. Has anyone taken a double, say a 577 BPE, to Africa to hunt elephant. If so did you have any problem taking loaded rounds.

This may be another not so straight answer, but it may be helpful to you. Sherman Bell wrote an article in Double Gun Journal (last 2 or 3 years) describing a successful water buffalo hunt in Australia.

If I remember correctly, he used a Greener .577 BPE and gave a lot of info on bullets and Nitro for black loads. He also included data on bullet penetration,retained weight, etc.

Not exactly what you asked for but if you can access the article the info may be useful. The only actual BPE elephant stuff I can recall was using really big (4 to 8 ga.) rifles.

As you probably know, the regs for BP are different than for smokeless. Might be worth a call to some of the companies that make and ship BP loads for Cowboy Action Shooting. Perhaps if limited amounts within each shell case qualify it as an ORM instead of Hazmat, you'd be ok. That may apply within the USA only, where DOT rules, as opposed to IATA, the international regulatory agency. But in actuality, as long as the cases match the caliber on the barrel, you'd be good-to-go.

I asked the guy that killed the big elephant with the 8 bore how he got that ammo of the plane but never heard back from him. I can't remember who it was and I could not find his post. I think it was called 8 bore elephant.
Those 8 bore cartridges had a lot of black powder in them.

I found the post. It is called 8 Bore Safari and the guy is John Hipwell.

577 BPE - 650 at 1700, is NOT suitable for elephant hunting. The bullets are too soft and the SD is low, as well as the vel.

Biebs, as i understand it, BP is only an issue for carrying bulk powder, rather than loaded shells. i could be wrong

Jeff

I think you are right. It's when BP is in bulk that it is a problem. They don't seem to have a problem over here travelling with it.

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Have a look at this current thread.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...8121043/m/3901013451

Isn't this where the 5744 smokeless for black loads would come in?? I have a Ruger -1 converted to 450 3 1/4" but due to weight I like the BPE type loads and use 5744 quit alot

I have taken BP cartridges on a plane to Canada. They did not ask and I did not tell them, what kind of powder they were loaded with, and it is not an issue I wanted to bring up; once you get the TSA people going in the wrong direction, you are screwed. Here is what the TSA reg states: "Black powder and percussion caps used with black-powder type firearms are not permitted in carry-on or checked baggage." Do not depend on a minimum wage TSA screener to have a clue what that means. So if you say the words, "black powder" they will have to follow the letter of their regulations and be good bureaucrats and say "NO". I am not advising anyone what to do.
BTW, I dropped a caribou with one shot with a Sharps 45-70.

Well I solved the problem and just bought a 470NE.

As Black Powder is an explosive not a propellant I believe it is against all the regulations to fly with cartridges when loaded with Black Powder. I organised it a head of time so that my PH provided Black Powder for me in camp and I simply loaded the shells in camp. This worked out very well for me.

dpcd, Hell I took canned powder and caps to Canada years ago to hunt Mt Lion not knowing it was illegal and no one ask anything. The biggest questions on returning to the states was about the cat and the fact I bought meat back.