Lorenzo, what is the process for obtaining a temporary import permit for Uruguay and Argentina? And - How difficult is it for a citizen to purchase and legally own a large bore rifle (.375 and up) in these countries?

Brazil is proving to be damn near impossible to do either. You would not believe the politics necessary to receive a temporary permit. Forget about purchasing a medium or large bore rifle in this country. Every street punk has a gun, but it is impossible to legally own one...

ZD,

As I learned to my great dismay, Uruguay does not permit the importation of centerfire rifles with bores larger than 6.5mm by foreigners.

George

George - You would not believe the crap here. It amazes me to no end. We never hear about the problems of gun ownership in South America. The guys who shoot here value every shot. Every time they pull the trigger it is a treat.

The good news is, they have huge water buff in this country because no one can kill them!

Senor Zero.... I hunted the rain forest (or was it jungle) of Bolivia a couple of times about twenty years ago .. It appeared to me that just about every man in the jungle had a 16 gauge single shot shotgun .. made in Brazil ... And if a hochi, or a monkey, or (sorry tree huggers) parrot showed up .. it was whacked and eaten for supper ... And interestingly to me ... they shot shells that were not 2 3/4 " .. I know this 'cause I brought a box for a fellow and he had to force them in to shoot ...and they were hard to extract .. I wouldn't recommend this type of weapon for serious water buffalo hunting, however ...

Zero,
I'm working for obtaining temporary permits for big bore rifles, it's not difficlut to purchase a rifle here but there aren't many big bores here. most .308 calibers, you only need a collectors licence for buying one.

Actually importing big bores is forbidden also for the gunshops, so the ones that are already here are expensive. I've been offered two 375 H&H, one a ruger and the other one a CZ, around $2,000 each one!!

In Argentina you don't have any problem as they have a tradition in big game hunting, here everything is new and anything bigger than 6,5 mm is considered war weapon

LG

Lorenzo,



I've been doing some searching on the web trying to find information about Uruguay's firearm laws concerning importation, especially of rifles, by a visiting hunter. So far I haven't had much success.



The only thing I have found so far is:



"After the '9-11' Terrorist Attack in NYC and Washington, D.C., the government of Uruguay instituted a maximum caliber limit at .243 that can be imported into their country."< !--color-->

This is from http://www.adventuresinhunting.com/hunt_SAUruguay.htm



Of course, that's just information posted by an outfitter on their web site and, as such, it's not an official source of information.



Do you know of a web site that may have more information? Maybe a government web site? I did find the Ministerio de Turismo [Ministry of Tourism] web site but it's in Spanish (with no alternate English section) and unfortunately I don't speak Spanish. http://www.turismo.gub.uy/



Also, if I may offer a sugestion, you might want to put a summary of the applicable regulations / laws of Uruguay concerning this on your web site. I think it would be useful information for anyone considering one of your big game hunts.



Thanks,

-Bob F.

Lorenzo - The situation in Brazil is similar to Uruguay but a little more challenging. I spoke with the President of SCI here and there is really not much they can do to resolve the import problem. However, as you know, there is always another plan. As usual, it�s the �who you know� loophole.

The ONLY positive aspect of all this is - very few folks are shooting the water buff in this country. The population is large and growing. With no predation and lots of prime habitat, it is a target rich environment; monsters abound. I should have more information on this next week...

Bob,
The maximun caliber is 6,5 mm, doesn't matter what that outfitters says. Tomorrow I will have a meeting with the Colonel that controls all these things and I will try to open a discussion channel for solutions for big game hunters.

The only way you are able to have a centerbore bigger than a 6,5 is with a collector license, which is not so easy to obtain in these days (I've one). Because of these, most people have 243 and 25-06 rifles.

Zero,
I completely agree with you, the asian buff population is growing in some parts of brazil, I saw a video with big herds roaming in a jungle habitat, I think it was in the Matto (bush) Grosso (big).

Send me an e-mail, we must do some plan to help that farmers

LG

Zero Drift: long ago I�ve read many tales about the very dangerous water buffaloes which inhabit the Marajo Island in Brazil. That used to be a most difficult hunt where native canoes were employed in shallow waters. Regarding Argentine regulations, in order to buy a firearm here you must register at the R.E.N.A.R. (National Firearms Register). You must have a perfect police record, justify a work and give them a surgeon�s certificate that you have fair health and a sane brain.
All nonsense of course, and no machine guns allowed nor semiautomatic rifles unless a special sporting permit is obtained (not very difficult).
Feel free to contact me for more details