I have not travelled by air with rifles. I have read many, many accounts on this forum of the loss of equipment to pilferage.

Would it be prudent to consider removing the bolt from the rifle and packing it in the seperate bag with the ammunition? If the rifle disappeared, at least it would be unusable.

And in the same thought, what about removing the scope and packing it separately, or putting it in the carry-on?

I don't know the answer to these questions, but am interested in thoughts from experienced travelers.

Thanks in advance.

Many airlines will not allow you to travel with any firearms parts (including riflescopes) in your carry-ons.

I see no point in separating the bolt from the rifle. If the rifle went missing and you had the bolt in the other piece of luggage, or vice-versa, it still would not do you any good. One is useless without the other.

Ammunition, though, must be kept separate from the rifle case (unless SAA changed their ruling again). If you get separated from the luggage containing your ammo you might still be able to get ammo at your hunting destination (providing it is not a wildcat or some non-popular cartridge).

Namibiahunter

Gents!
According to Airline policies here in north europe, the bolt MUST be separated from the rest of the gun and both pieces put in lockable cases.
This just shows that different airlines have different rules and You have to find out what the particular airlines You are using deems as appropriate.
Cut from SAS Special baggage

quote:

Guns and Firearms
Note: Firearms sent as checked baggage shall be suitably packed, free from ammunition and when possible, the bolt shall be separated from the weapon.
Ammunition (cartridges for weapons) for sporting purposes. Small arms ammunitions for personal use must be securely packed in fiber, wood or metal boxes or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. Quantities must not exceed 5 kg (11 lb) gross weight per person for that person’s own use.

Sincerely
Daniel

Unless required to do so by the airline you are using do not seperate the gun from the bolt.

When I traveled to Joberg in 05 I separated my gun and bolt, bolt in my checked baggage. Airline strike had my check baggage held up for seven days while my gun made it thru to Zim.

Ever tried hunting with a bolt-less 375???? Been there, done that. Don't do it.
troy

I definitively take the bolt out of the gun, but for a different reason.

The bolt is a "pressure point" and when you close the case the bolt knob butts up against the side. Consequently, if/when the case is dropped by the luggage apes, the bolt handle can act as a striking point and can damage your stock.

In order to negate the possibility of losing your bolt, I put it in an old sock and use a "zip" tie attched to the trigger guard. jorge

I wrap mine in buble wrap and use a simular method to jorge best if they are seperate but together.

As others have said, do not store the bolt in a separate bag. Whether you leave it in the gun, or "loose" in the rifle case, keep it with the rifle. You are doubling (at least) your chances for problems if you separate them. Firearms cases are the least likely to suffer any tampering. Don't sweat this detail.

Bill

I did the same as Jorge all the way from Iowa to Mozambique and back this year. Worked great.

Remove the bolt in case some idiot inspects your rifle case and is convinced you have commited a crime by not removing it.This happened to me once and my name ended up in the RCMP system.I was sending the rifle to the gunsmith and chose express mail(air mail) and the case was opened and inspected.I told the guy that there is no law that I am aware of that says I must remove the bolt and he got really angry.This guy wanted to here nothing but "yes sir you are right and I apologize" " You know I can give you a criminal record" were his exact words.

Well "this happened to me"! Two years ago I had a brainwave and decided that in order to make my rifles less attractive to thieves I would pack the bolts with my luggage. The rifles arrived in Namibia just fine; however, my bag, with the bolts, arrived 5 days later. I was a nervous wreck imagining trying to have replacement bolts made for a pre64 mod 70 and a sporterized 1903a3 springfield. NEVER AGAIN for this duck!

I always remove the bolt, wrap it in bubble wrap and put it in a small (Crown Royal) cloth bag and then tie the bag to the trigger guard of the rifle it belongs to.

I've had Air Canada tell me to put the bolts back in my rifles, and SAA on the return trip tell me to take them out. Either way they were still in the same case.

A few years back a friend traveling from Montreal to Calgary had to remove the bolt and put it in a seperate bag. It never happeneed before or after. I guess it just depends on who you get when you check in.

My cloth/canvas travel case that I put inside the Storm or Tuffpak lockable hardcase -- has a side pocket -- I simply remove the bolt and place it in this pocket for safe keeping.

Last trip through the Denver airport was complimented by the TSA guy watching the x-ray machine as to this procedure. That said as "Tradewinds" noted -- all depends on whom you get to inspect your bags -- and that is scary!
G

quote:

Originally posted by Woodmnctry:
My cloth/canvas travel case that I put inside the Storm or Tuffpak lockable hardcase -- has a side pocket -- I simply remove the bolt and place it in this pocket for safe keeping.

Same here. It has made the customs inspection on the return trip a bit more relaxed as well.

In July I had a gentleman at Harare airport tell me that I couldnt take my spare scope on the plane in my carry on bag. He insisted that it was part of a firearm and had to be put into my checked bag. - No point arguing ! Luckily it got through in one piece.

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
I definitively take the bolt out of the gun, but for a different reason.

The bolt is a "pressure point" and when you close the case the bolt knob butts up against the side. Consequently, if/when the case is dropped by the luggage apes, the bolt handle can act as a striking point and can damage your stock.

In order to negate the possibility of losing your bolt, I put it in an old sock and use a "zip" tie attched to the trigger guard. jorge

Yeah, me, too, but I use a couple layers of bubble wrap taped closed. That way the bolt won't slide around under the usual 20G impacts imparted by the baggage apes and damage your metal or wood.

SD Shooter
I took the advice to remove my bolts. My two rifles were in heavy soft cases that had side pockets. I put the bolts in the side pockets. Both rifle cases were fastened together then placed in a large hard case(like a hard golf travel bag)Then clothes were packed around the soft cases. When I unpacked my guns back home I found one with a broken stock. There was no damage to the hard case. In trying to determine what went wrong I noticed that the end of the bolt was exactly in the position of the break in the stock. I think the case was dropped and the bolt acted like a lever against the stock. I even dropped the case while I was rolling it to my car. This was the 5th hunt I had been on using this setup but the first time I had removed the bolts. I think the bolt removal is best for the flat cases where something place on the case could cause a pressure point against your rifle by pressing on the bolt.

How do you remove the bolt from a double rifle? Or an automatic? Or a lever-action? The removal or non-removal of the bolt should not be a consideration from the standpoint of the shipper. Simply because a bolt-action rifle's bolt can easily be removed is not a reason that removal should be required.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
How do you remove the bolt from a double rifle? Or an automatic? Or a lever-action? The removal or non-removal of the bolt should not be a consideration from the standpoint of the shipper. Simply because a bolt-action rifle's bolt can easily be removed is not a reason that removal should be required.

reason, common sense, etc. have nothing to do with travelling with a gun. follow their rules or leave it at home- or worse yet, have it confiscated.

No. Repeat, No. Just heard of just such a mis adventure. Rifle arrived, guy forgot to pack the bolt in his luggage.

As Huglu mentioned above, some air companies require the bolt to be removed, and packed in a separate checked in bag.
The SAS and Air France have this policy to mentioned two I have used resently.
They state that a VITAL part shall be removed from the firearm, making it a NO FIRE device.

I will be travelling with a Ruger No1 from Norway to England i March.
It will be interesting to se which VITAL part I have to remove from the No1, most probably the forend stock

quote:

Originally posted by SD Shooter:
Would it be prudent to consider removing the bolt from the rifle and packing it in the seperate bag with the ammunition? If the rifle disappeared, at least it would be unusable.

The poster seems more inclined to punish the thief for stealing his rifle.

It is law in Australia that rifles are to be stored and transported separate to Ammunition and bolt.

quote:

Originally posted by CRUSHER:
I wrap mine in buble wrap and use a simular method to jorge best if they are seperate but together.

Yeah, me too.

I too, do as jorge does. I take them out, pack each of them separately in bubble wrap and then put each one of the bolts separately inside an old sock.(One old pair of socks takes care of two bolts) I then pack the bolts in a fanny pack inside my Tuff Pak between my two rifles packed in their soft cases. You will find that some African countries also require that the bolt be removed from the rifle (i.e South Africa)

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
It is law in Australia that rifles are to be stored and transported separate to Ammunition and bolt.

Actually no it's not. It's a guideline put forward by the Police, but it's not law. Ammunition must be stored & transported seperately, but bolts don't have to be.

If one bag gets lost in transit, which half of your rifle would you prefer to be without?

Our first trip to Zim, only one of three bags came with us (the rest caught up later).

Bolt comes out, wrapped in bubble wrap, stashed in outside pocket of soft gun case, insert into Tuff Pak, end of issue. It's always worked for me both inspection wise and lack of damage to anything. Plus both items either arrive or they don't??

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
Bolt comes out, wrapped in bubble wrap, stashed in outside pocket of soft gun case, insert into Tuff Pak, end of issue. It's always worked for me both inspection wise and lack of damage to anything. Plus both items either arrive or they don't??

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Ditto Larry and others. The TSA guys don't know how to check, especially when the passenger is not allowed to be present.

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
Remove the bolt in case some idiot inspects your rifle case and is convinced you have commited a crime by not removing it.This happened to me once and my name ended up in the RCMP system.I was sending the rifle to the gunsmith and chose express mail(air mail) and the case was opened and inspected.I told the guy that there is no law that I am aware of that says I must remove the bolt and he got really angry.This guy wanted to here nothing but "yes sir you are right and I apologize" " You know I can give you a criminal record" were his exact words.

Those are exactly the kind of POS cops that we should be giving criminal records to themselves all across America and Canada.. and they should start losing their badges forever. I despise cops like that and the world is getting more and more of them these days. I do mean MORE.

I take the bolt out and stash it in my Tuffpak, usually inside one of my spare pair of boots, padded with a pair of socks. For some reason the TSA guys really like not having the bolt in the rifle, I have been complimented several times for doing this. Every little thing helps.

quote:

Originally posted by Head Trauma:
I take the bolt out and stash it in my Tuffpak, usually inside one of my spare pair of boots, padded with a pair of socks. For some reason the TSA guys really like not having the bolt in the rifle, I have been complimented several times for doing this. Every little thing helps.

I started removing my bolt and putting it in the side pocket of my soft case in my tuff pack a few years ago. Since I have started doing this TSA has never searched my case after an Xray.

I'm convincrd rifles that get "off" during travel, do so, Im convinced by again, uneven pressure being applied to the SCOPE by the bolt acting as a lever. Without the bolt its all even.

I agree that it's best practice - for at least a couple of good reasons - to remove the bolt but to pack it in the same case as the rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
I agree that it's best practice - for at least a couple of good reasons - to remove the bolt but to pack it in the same case as the rifle.

It was great having my Westley Richards for twelve days at camp. But no bolt or ammo was a trifle disappointing to say the least.
Getting everything back in the end was a relief though.

Stonecreek:
"How do you remove the bolt from a double rifle? Or an automatic? Or a lever-action? The removal or non-removal of the bolt should not be a consideration from the standpoint of the shipper. Simply because a bolt-action rifle's bolt can easily be removed is not a reason that removal should be required."

EXACTLY!!! Other well thought out policies!!

A suggestion: I had the airport here ship straight thru to Harare. They never opened the rifle case anywhere, as it was checked baggage. No opportunity for anyone to open and inspect.

Rich
Buffalo Killer

Do as jorge suggested; IE remove bolt wrap in bubble wrap and store in the gun case.......no hassles from airport officials and no chance of losing it in another piece of checked baggage....

As IdahoSharpshooter suggests, always check the gun all the way through, unless you are required to overnight somewhere. As far as other types of firearms go, you don't need to worry about the requirement of "removing the bolt" if there is no bolt to remove(i.e. semi-autos, pumps, lever actions, etc.) and they will recognize that one without further discussion. Since most rifles are bolt action that is most likely why they have this silly rule. Just comply with it unless you want to argue your way to a problem. I have had them demand the bolts be removed here in the U.S. at times, and at other times, the bolt in the gun is fine. I just remove them when I pack the rifles so there is no issue. If you stop over in South Africa, for example, they will require you to show that the bolt has been removed if you have to check your rifles through to another destination, at least in South Africa. When the South African authorities have checked my rifles they have usually checked the bolt's serial number with the rifle's.