Should I be concerned? I am going to Africa with my family for 3 weeks, my wife, son and daughter. I am the only licensed hunter per US Regulations. If I take 3 boxes of 375HH (60 rounds) and 3 boxes of 300WSM(60 rounds). I am already 4 lbs. over the 11 lb. ammunition weight limit.

The limit is 5kg. (11 lbs.).

You don't say what you will hunt, but you won't need 120 rounds of ammunition unless you are a terrible shot.

Leave one box at home.

George

quote:

Originally posted by BearCountry953:
Should I be concerned? I am going to Africa with my family for 3 weeks, my wife, son and daughter. I am the only licensed hunter per US Regulations. If I take 3 boxes of 375HH (60 rounds) and 3 boxes of 300WSM(60 rounds). I am already 4 lbs. over the 11 lb. ammunition weight limit.

5 Kgs is the absolute limit per passenger and passengers may not under any circumstances combine ammo allowances into one package for safety reasons.

There may be a way for another member of your party to take a separate 5 kgs allowance but my advice would be not to try to exceed that limit.

2 boxes of each caliber will make legal wgt. limit and fit in a plastic lockable box carried in your checked baggage. This should be more than enough ammo for any African hunt for one hunter IMO and experience. I think we all tend to want to haul more ammo over there than we actually need, just hunter nature. Where are you going to hunt? Africa is a big pc of land. It would be best to be at or close to Airline ammo wgt limit to avoid being the unlucky one who was selected to have his ammo weighed! Good Luck on your trip.

like george said - you don't need anywhere near 120 rds. i believe that my average ammo expenditure has been less that 20 rds/trip

I took 120 rds. 3 weeks ago...like you wanted to make "sure"I had enough....60 375 h&h and 60 30-06....shot 10 of each, left one box of 375's with ph and brought the rest home....next time 1 gun and no more than 40 rds for it....just sayin'!!!!!

BearCountry953,

I have to agree with the others. Last year I hunted 35 days in 2 countries, 4 areas and killed 20 animals. I shot a total of 36 rounds including sighting in 4 times. Two boxes of 375 plus 2 boxes of 300's is plenty even if your family will do some shooting. OR do a 4457 for one of the rifles in your wife's name and you each can carry 5KGs but it's not necessary.

Have a great safari!

Mark

Thanks all... I have been over before but always with other hunters..so never had the limitconcern.
My son, daughter and I will all be shooting, 17 days...plains game..buffalo, crocodile..etc
I agree have never shot that much in the past but have never been there that long.
2 countries etc..I will cut back on 375 and take as much as I can for them to shoot the 300.

I do not know about KLM, but many times when the wife and I flew together, We had 2 rifles in one guncase, carried under my name and we both had 11 lbs of ammo.

I do not think you have to have a gun, to transport 11 lbs of ammo, for each person, at least each adult person.

BC:
In my personal experience it will be up to the idiot at the ticket counter to confiscate anything over 11 pounds OR confiscate the entire amount.

If you are a tiny bit over 11 pounds the same idiot may allow you to weigh just the ammo without weighing the container/boxes or not.

This is one area I would not mess with. Keep it all under 11 pounds, including the boxes and/or ammo case.

If you get angry with them, your fate is sealed. I learned the above going down under a year ago. (I didn't get angry, with the weight issue was just about to the ounce).

Good luck.
Cal
PS. Where abouts in Mass. are your from. I moved to AK from the People's Republic 30 years ago from the western part of the state.

Here's a formula that works for most safaris:

5 rounds for zero
5 rounds per animal

By this measure, 120 rounds for 2 rifles covers zeroing both rifles and taking 22 animals. That's a lot of trophies for a 17 day safari, more than I have ever taken on 20/21 day safaris. 2-3 rounds per animal is much closer to reality.

Things do go wrong, scopes and sights go off, animals move, etc. On my best day I took 5 trophy animals in Mozambique, but then I also went 7 days without firing a shot in the Selous.

I'm off tomorrow for bull Ele and Damara Dik Dik and some things in between, with 20 rounds for my DR and 20 for my bolt rifle and that will be more than enough.

Cal

Agree.

I have only ever had trouble when an over officious handler saw my bag was unlocked
and I got called over the PA.

(It was the manager who whispered to me as we walked to where the bag was that he was over officious and just go along with what he wanted).

Handler asked to look inside, I complied unlocking the metal box. I also had lead bullets by themselves with the ammo and his comment was it weighed more than 5kg so had to explain the ammo by itself was less than 5kg.

So it is wise to make sure you are under the IATA limit of 5kg, just to save any argument.

You can't have too much ammo.

(But you can pack it incorrectly. )

Never leave ammuniiton in Africa. That might be illegal. My ammunition usually gets shot up at the range; I'm a real stickler for checking zeroes.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Never leave ammuniiton in Africa. That might be illegal. My ammunition usually gets shot up at the range; I'm a real stickler for checking zeroes.

VERY good advice.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
I do not know about KLM, but many times when the wife and I flew together, We had 2 rifles in one guncase, carried under my name and we both had 11 lbs of ammo.

I do not think you have to have a gun, to transport 11 lbs of ammo, for each person, at least each adult person.

-----------------------------------------
+1

To add to this, I have flown about 15 times with ammunition and no firearm and will be doing so again in two months. I also have never had my ammo weighed, but it doesn't mean that they won't in the future.
Sam

I always spread my ammo and different calibers between a couple people/bags. If a bag gets lost at least you have some for both rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by BearCountry953:
Should I be concerned? I am going to Africa with my family for 3 weeks, my wife, son and daughter. I am the only licensed hunter per US Regulations. If I take 3 boxes of 375HH (60 rounds) and 3 boxes of 300WSM(60 rounds). I am already 4 lbs. over the 11 lb. ammunition weight limit.

Just be sure to remember to get KLM advance approval of your shipping rifle and ammo. You don't say if you are going via Amsterdam. If so, you need advance approval to carry firearms/ammo from the Dutch authorities as well.

Regards