I have been rooked into a multi-couple, family vacation which includes flying from Oklahoma to Vancouver, then boarding a cruise ship for a 7 day inlet passage voyage, which will end in Seward on June 10th (for which I am not dissappointed). We will then break up the family thing into smaller groups (at my profound insistence after our Mexico trip last year). I intend to spend 3 days on the Kenia penninsula and fish the ocean and the Kalispring river(sp ?), then do some rafting at Cooper's landing and an overnight in Anchorage. Then off to Kodiak for 3 days, staying at a B & B for day excursions and photography and exploration till the 17th. Then a day in Anchorage before our late departure to Oklahoma on the 18th.

My issue is Canada, nor the cruise line will allow a side arm. So, I am thinking of shipping a sidearm to an FFL in Seward, so when I disembark from the cruise ship, I can get the rental car and pickup my revolver and have some protection for the rest of the trip.

Tell me who I should use for the transfer in Seward, cost, state regs I should be aware of regarding carrying a sidearm and any suggestions that could help in my planning in this aspect.

I assume I can't ship ammo with the revolver, so is there available ammo in Seward. I am planning to ship a Freedom Arms Premium, M83, 454 Cassull with cross draw holster.

I will appreciate your advice.

Bringing the gun for fun, hunting, or protection or a combination?

If you aren't going off pavement, you really don't need one. A good can of Counter Assault bear spray (or UDAP) costs about 35-45 bucks at most places. Unfortunately, after buying it, you won't be able to bring it home on the airlines. If you are on a tour, most guides carry bear spray.

If no one else chimes in before I figure it out, there should be an FFL in Seward whom will take care of the transfer for you. I'm thinking of the fishing store right in the center of town, they sell guns and ammo. When I find the number, I'll post it. If a store carries gun ammo, most carry bear loads either in 44 mag, 45 Colt or 454.

Alaska doesn't have concealed carry laws, and tons of people carry spray, guns or both when they are off the pavement hiking around.

If you are shipping it to yourself, it is my understanding you dont even need an FFL..... since you arent "transfering " it to anyone......

Just send it in your name , to wherever you are going first....

Hello Joe:

I did the same thing in fall of 2010--we took a cruise from Vancouver and ended up in Whittier (Anchorage), after which we rented a car and spent a week on the Kenai. I found a dealer who was willing to accept a package in my name and not open it--simply hold it for me to claim. Kind of a wink-and-nod understanding that avoided any concerns about an official transfer. I suppose any business could do this if they were willing to accept a package and not open it.

If you do it, send it by UPS, NOT USPS. Second day UPS ain't cheap, but I did ship two cylinders-worth of ammo with it. We flew back to the States directly so I took it with me in checked luggage after ditching the ammo.

BTW, cruise ships don't even like pocket knives--had a little fight with them about that one. Enjoy your trip and bring back a bunch of fish!

Dave Manson

Leave your revolver at home and enjoy your vacation.

Leave your gun at home. Enjoy your vacation. Contrary to popular opinion of those in the Lower-48, there aren't bears behind every tree, bush, shrub, etc.
If you shot a bear for supposed "self defense", ya better have the claw marks & teeth marks to prove it. Fish & Feathers is very "touchy" about such activity and most likely, you'd have a very tough problem convincing them of the need to kill a bear in self defense.
Enjoy your vacation & don't worry about it. The main "danger" around Cooper Landing during the time frame you describe is all the idiots that are packing heat for just this reason. I've been there during the salmon runs & was more concerned with the idiots with guns than the bears. I don't go there any more partly because of the idiots.
Bear in Fairbanks (& I don't have 4 furry feet)

Originally posted by Alasken

quote:

Leave your revolver at home and enjoy your vacation.

W.T.F.
Alasken I'm sure your comment was intended to save Mighty Joe the hassel of shipping his handgun BUT it also comes accross like a liberal anti gunner telling him to leave his gun at home.

Joe I think you can fed x or UPS your gun from yourself to yourself at your hotel in Seward. Actully I'm not sure you can even use an FFL because that might requier a 4473 and you will have an out of state ID.
The problem with shipping to yourself is so often the counter staff at the shipper will be trained not to accept a gun unless it is going to an FFL, Shipping to yourself even though it is legal is a technicality most counter staff won't know about so good luck.
BTW my understanding is that it's not legal to ship a hand gun through mail so stay with UPS or fedx.
This stuff gets confusing and I have double checked my sources on this but you should check yourself also. Call your local ATF and see what they say. Sometimes you get someone helpfull there.
It's a hassel but if your like me I hate the thought of going somewhere un armed.
Have fun when you get up here.

Yes Bear your right everyone on the Kenai is an idiot and can't be trusted with there guns,
I can't belive the state even allows them a drivers license to get down there from Anchorage since they are so irreponsible.

The Seward HWY is known as the most dangerous streach of road in the state but no one has addressed the issue of all the carnage from stray bullets flying across the Kenai river.

Just wondering do you and Alasken have Sarah Brady's phone number in your contact list of your phones?

The advice to ship the gun to yourself at your AK destination is legal, to the best of my knowledge.
Maybe you should plan to stay at a B+B in Seward or where ever in the area. I've had good luck shipping equipment in advance to several B+B's in the area on previous trips. While I haven't shipped firearms, the B+B didn't know what was in the package, just accepted delivery and kept it until I arrived. I would include a box of ammo with the firearm. Finding 454 Casull is not gauranteed in Seward, and you might have a fancy club until you can get to Anchorage.
I have stayed in the Wolf Trail B+B last year in Seward, and would recommend it. Nice people who went out of their way to be helpful. Their B+B is really just an apartment over their detached garage, which was great for my family.
Bill

Thanks for the advice guys. I really didn't take Bear's comments any other way than his simple and honest opinion. No offence taken.

Actually after we get our arrangements taken care of in Seward, we will be headed across the Kenai and down the coast to Clam Gultch. We have a B & B there. Will be fishing the ocean out of Homer and river fishing will be out of Kenai (7 hour float trip on the Kasilof River).

I wear a pistol everyday, so going without almost feels like I am naked. But, if a sidearm isn't necessary, it sure would save a bunch of hassle and expense, plus the peace of mind that it might get lost or stolen may make a spray a better idea.

Anybody know of a shop in Seward called Seward Gun Works on Old Exit Glacier Road?

Thanks again.

Joe,

Just find a contact in Seward that will pick up your gun. Mail it through the post office to yourself C/O the contact in Seward. Perfectly legal and cheap. I've done it several times and recommend it to clients. Simple is always better.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Akshooter:
Yes Bear your right everyone on the Kenai is an idiot and can't be trusted with there guns,
I can't belive the state even allows them a drivers license to get down there from Anchorage since they are so irreponsible.

The Seward HWY is known as the most dangerous streach of road in the state but no one has addressed the issue of all the carnage from stray bullets flying across the Kenai river.

Just wondering do you and Alasken have Sarah Brady's phone number in your contact list of your phones?

Gimme a break!!! You ever been to the Russian River during the Red run? The place is flooded with people, many of whom are packin'. One of those idiots touches one off, there's a damn good chance of somebody getting hit. What a STUPID statement.
B.I.F.

AKshooter,
I've never seen you make such a ridiculous statement. My brief reply to the OP was just saying there's no need to have a handgun where he's going. Sarah Brady my ass. You know me dude. We've fleshed bears together. Maybe put 2 and 2 together before going off.
Mighty Joe,
Really don't worry about the hassle of shipping the gun and enjoy your time here.

Mighty Joe

First Hi to you and "A".

I would worry about loosing your FA to theft durring shipping. I would recommend you buy a S&W Mountain Gun in 44 Mag. Loaded with Federal 300gr. Cast Core it will protect you from man or bear.

And if lost, it can be more easily replaced.

I agree it is worth the trouble to have a handgun with you in AK.

You and I, and "A" have hunted together, and WE have all ways had our hand guns.

[PS, his wife "A" is a pretty good shot, {well actually VERY GOOD} and killed several Grouse with her handgun, when we hunted black bear in Idaho. And they are great to eat].

I hope y'all have a great trip.

Hope to see y'all at DSC next year too...

Leave your FA 83 454 Casull in OK.

Mailing handguns to yourself or FFL holders through the US Postal Service is ILLEGAL.

Small pocketbook size bear spray containers are ILLEGAL to carry concealed in AK.

Pack a small air horn with you for bear protection-
The air horn doesn't care which way the wind is blowing!!!!

Alasken - your right I said what I neded to say on my first post and I should not have tied you to my reply to bear in Faibanks comments.

Mark - Dans40XC is right you can't ship a handgun U.S.P.S. , UPS or FED X is ok though as I understand it.

Bear in Fairbanks - The impression I got from your comments was that Mighty Joe should not carry his handgun because if he truly needed it he would have a hard time justifying it to F&W protection and / or there are too many "Idiots" already carring guns on the Kenai.

Yes I spoke a little harshley but we all have too many liberal Sarah Brady types trying legislate our right to decide for ourselves when we need to have our gun. I don't think we need to do it to ourselves.

Actully Bear on second thought I see the need to apologise, I should have pointed out the impression your post gave me before makeing such a harsh statement. I'll assume you did not imply that most Alaskans are not responsible with there guns.

On the subject of people who shouldn't have guns, does anyone else remember the story 6-7 years back about the 4 "dudes" from Anchroage fishing on the Russian in the wee hours?

Bear charges the first guy who is standing in the river. He can't remember if he has a round chambered in his 12 gauge, so he THROWS IT IN THE RIVER and dives in the current. His buddy then empties his 9mm into it and kill the sow.

The next day a girl hooks the shotgun and reels it in. Her father, in order to check if it is loaded, takes the safety off and pulls the trigger!!!! Yep, it was loaded. He was lucky he didn't hit anyone or burst the barrel due to an obstruction.

The troppers then returned that day with the first 4 guys and explained they had to skin the bear. They had one pocket knife between them. I'll see if I can find the link to the new story.

I don't fish the Russian anymore either!!!

Bob

Here it is:

Hairy encounter cures trio of fishing bug!
Anchorage Daily News ^ | Published: August 21, 2002 | By Craig Medred

Posted on 08/21/2002 6:21 PM Pacific by FireTrack

Matt Pennington and Galen Brenner, along with Galen's brother Kalen, learned how to skin a bear the hard way afer Galen and Kalen killed a sow that charged Pennington and the brothers early Saturday morning.

Kenai River -- When a brown bear poked its head over the bluff behind the state's most popular fishing hole just after midnight Friday, 20-year-old Matt Pennington was surprised.

When it came full-bore for Pennington, the surprise turned to shock.

"The speed," he said this week, "that's the part that gets me."

Nervous about bears, Pennington had carried a shotgun on a sling across his back as he and fishing buddies Garen and Kalen Brenner hiked down along the Russian River to near the Kenai ferry crossing earlier that evening.

The shotgun was still there as Pennington stood knee-deep in the water about 100 feet upstream from the ferry landing on the river's south bank. When the salmon run peaks, hundreds of anglers line up shoulder-to-shoulder along this stretch of river.

On this night, though, there was only Pennington, his longtime friends the Brenners and three others.

"I was casting," Pennington said, "and I just happened to turn to the left. I saw (the bear) right there, coming up over the hill. It came right at me at a full run. I yelled, 'Bear, bear, and he's charging.' "

Pennington threw down his fishing rod and began wrestling the pistol-gripped Mossberg, pump-action 12-gauge off his back. He was unsure whether he'd been able to chamber a shell when he realized the bear was almost on him.

With the grizzly at three feet away, Pennington knew he had to do something. But what? He was deadly afraid of pulling the trigger on the shotgun only to hear the thunk of a firing pin falling on an empty chamber.

So he threw the gun in the bear's face and dove for the deep water of the fast-flowing river.

"I tried to stay underwater as long as I could," Pennington said. "It got real deep."

As Pennington submerged, the Brenners were drawing their guns.

Kalen had heard, "Bear, bear," before seeing a blur as Pennington disappeared into the river with the dark shape of the bear close behind.

"It was fast," 21-year-old Garen said. "We didn't hear any footsteps or anything."

"By the time I saw (Pennington) hit the water," Garen said, "I just started shooting.

"Usually I keep the gun in my chest waders, not loaded."

On this night, though, he had decided to fasten the holster to a strap holding up his waders, and the gun was where he needed it.

"We've fished there for years," Garen said. "We've seen bears. They've just never been a problem. They don't usually come over the hill and charge you."

Still, the men knew there was danger. When people in the Grayling Parking Lot at the Russian River Campground asked why they carried firearms, Kalen told them it seemed better to play it safe.

"Me and my brother, we're always looking out for something that's not normal," he said.

This was far from normal.

"(The bear) was five feet away when (Garen) got that first shot off," Kalen said. "That's how fast it was coming."

That Garen hit the fast-moving bear with his handgun was fortunate, he admits. That one of the 9 mm, full-metal-jacket bullets -- woefully inadequate for stopping a charging brown bear -- happened to slam into the socket of the bear's front shoulder might almost be considered a miracle.

That bullet blew up the shoulder. The bear went down, rolled over and spun.

Garen kept shooting, now joined by Kalen. They estimated they fired at least seven shots.

"I pointed my gun at its head and shot three or more times," Garen said. "And we're yelling, 'Matt! Matt! Where are you,' because we didn't know where he was."

"I thought he was drowning," Kalen said.

Pennington wasn't drowning. He was just coming up from his Kenai dive in chest-high neoprene waders, hoping the bear was gone.

It wasn't, or so Pennington thought.

"I saw the second bear, and I thought it was the first one," he said. "I thought it was coming down the river after me."

"I heard him yell, 'Shoot, shoot,' " Kalen said.

Only then did the Brenners realize there even was a second bear.

"It was so dark you could barely see," Garen said. "We saw the bear because it was blacker than the dark, and because it moved."

The second bear ran as Pennington screamed.

"We honestly thought it was a baby we had killed," Garen said.

Larry Lewis, an Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife technician, later estimated the weight of the dead bear at 400 to 450 pounds. The Brenners admitted they don't know much about the size of bears, having only seen them at a distance.

"Neither of us have ever hunted or anything," Garen said.

Now, they found themselves with one dead bear they thought was a cub and another growling bear they thought was the sow roaming the area.

Kalen fired several warning shots. The grizzly went back up the bluff, but wouldn't go away.

"It sat there and looked at us," Kalen said. "It was a very angry bear."

Wildlife biologist Bill Shuster with the Chugach National Forest said the other bear was a yearling cub about ready to go off on its own. He estimated its weight at 150 to 200 pounds. Biologists tranquilized that animal and relocated it on Saturday. They now believe there may be a sibling in the area, although the Brenners and Pennington saw only two bears.

Biologists also wonder whether the sow could be the bear that attacked tourist Justin Dunagan of Arizona and his mother, Kathy, along the Resurrection Pass Trail only 11 hours earlier.

The straight-line distance between the two attack sites is only about four miles. Lewis noted it's a coincidence to have two grizzly bear attacks so close together in such a short time.

The Resurrection Pass Trail bear grabbed Justin Dunagan by the arm. He managed to drive it off by kicking at it. The animal then went after his mother. It didn't leave until Justin Dunagan attacked it again with his camera tripod.

The dead bear, Lewis said, has teeth that are 71/4 inches apart, while the tooth marks on Dunagan's arm span 81/2 inches. But biologists aren't sure how much skin distorts when someone is bitten by a bear.

Teeth 71/4 inches apart could compress muscle before puncturing skin, leading to bite marks that appear wider, Lewis said.

Both he and Shuster also note that the size of bears -- adults and cubs -- is hard to judge, which might account for the Dunagans reporting a sow with a small cub while the Brenners and Pennington thought they had a big dead cub and a huge, angry sow threatening them in the darkness early Saturday.

The group started screaming for help. The three other anglers on the bank came to their aid with a flashlight.

"Hats off to them," Kalen said. "They came over to help right away."

"They heard us yelling for help," Garen said. "They didn't even second guess running over there."

He is uncertain of the names of the men, but believes they were G.I.s from Fort Richardson.

"We asked them if they were ready to go (back) up with us," Garen said, "and they didn't hesitate. I know we never walked back to camp as fast as we did that night."

They left a catch of three sockeye salmon on the bank of the Kenai near the bear carcass. They hiked the boardwalk trail along the Russian back to the Grayling Parking Lot, nervously stopping every five or 10 feet to shine the flashlight around.

"I didn't have any adrenaline rush. I didn't have any scared feelings until about five minutes after I shot the bear," Garen said. From then on, he was in a near panic.

"I just wanted to get out of there," he said.

His brother and fishing buddy weren't doing much better.

Pennington, who said he never noticed the cold of the glacial Kenai, started shaking when the group got back to their car and couldn't stop despite getting into clean, dry clothes.

Then they went to report the shooting, which didn't turn out to be easy. The gatekeeper at the Russian River Campground told them he couldn't do anything, and sent them up the road to a Copper Landing business. They had trouble getting a phone to call Alaska State Troopers. Troopers took a report and told them they'd have to be back at the river in the morning to meet a state wildlife official.

"None of us had slept since Thursday," Garen said. "We all worked Friday, and then we did our suicide run down there. We were just exhausted."

Still, they drove back to Anchorage, told the Brenners' mother, Eileen, what had happened, changed clothes, and turned around to drive back to the Russian. Near the Hope Cutoff, a wheel came off their Bronco and the drive came to a skidding halt, but they managed to get that vehicle towed back to Girdwood and find another in order to make it to the river to meet Lewis.

Then they got the big surprise.

"They asked us, 'Do you have your knives?' " Kalen said.

State law requires that anyone who shoots a bear in defense of life and property must skin the animal and deliver the hide, head and paws to the nearest Fish and Game office. The hides are usually tanned and sold at auction.

The Brenners and Pennington had dull knives and no idea of how to skin a bear. It took them hours to get the hide off.

"We had no idea of what we were doing," Garen said. "Knowing what we know now, I don't ever want to go bear hunting."

Then they spent hours searching the river for Pennington's shotgun, but never found it.

The gun didn't show up until Saturday night when a 14-year-old girl fishing with her father snagged it. She pulled it to shore. The father, who knew nothing about guns, picked it up, pointed the barrel in the air and pulled the trigger.

The shotgun went off with a boom. The sound was heard at the ferry landing across the river, leading to fears of another bear shooting. Once it was discovered that was not the case, the ferry staff explained how the gun came to be in the river.

It was returned to Pennington, along with the information that he had, indeed, chambered a shell before the bear got to him and might have been able to shoot instead of throwing and diving.

But then, all added, there's a lot of things they might have done differently.

"We all agreed we're not going to be doing any suicide runs or night fishing anymore," Garen said.

"We escaped with our lives. If we do any more fishing, it's going to be in-town fishing."

Their mother is suggesting angling in downtown Anchorage.

"Ship Creek is fine," Eileen Brenner said.

With a little trepidation I'll allow my falling in with the leave the piece at home crowd.

On the rare occasion I travel that way I don't bother to carry a firearm. As I don't go out fishing in the middle of the night, I don't run into predators of any variety. Bears commonly move around in the late evening/ early morning hours so if you wouldn't want to say those young fellows in the article posted were asking for it they certainly were increasing their odds of an encounter. I believe very long, fun filled, care free vacation days can be had without busting the salmon stream willow brush at 2:00am.

Sure, locally I'm armed to the teeth but the truth is its just because I've got the darn things and its not inconvienient to have them along.

quote:

Originally posted by Akshooter:
Alasken - your right I said what I neded to say on my first post and I should not have tied you to my reply to bear in Faibanks comments.

Mark - Dans40XC is right you can't ship a handgun U.S.P.S. , UPS or FED X is ok though as I understand it.

Bear in Fairbanks - The impression I got from your comments was that Mighty Joe should not carry his handgun because if he truly needed it he would have a hard time justifying it to F&W protection and / or there are too many "Idiots" already carring guns on the Kenai.

Yes I spoke a little harshley but we all have too many liberal Sarah Brady types trying legislate our right to decide for ourselves when we need to have our gun. I don't think we need to do it to ourselves.

Actully Bear on second thought I see the need to apologise, I should have pointed out the impression your post gave me before makeing such a harsh statement. I'll assume you did not imply that most Alaskans are not responsible with there guns.

AK:
Me too. Guess I went off the deep end a bit when I shoulda backed away from the keyboard.
Didn't mean to imply anything thing like most Alaskans should stay away from firearms. In adition, my impressions of most of the guys on the outdoor forums is that they don't fit the "stay away from firearms" mold either.
It was just that when there are many people in an area where the salmon rivers are so accesable, and you have quite a few people who are unfamiliar with being around large bears, I see the possibility of someone being hurt thru ignorance of the cheechako.
In addition, the O.P. indicated that his time spent on the rivers was rather short. About a day or so? Therefore, I don't see the need for going thru all of the hassles of shipping a handgun to AK. if his time in the bush is so limited. I think it'smore hassle than it's worth.
As to my "idiots with guns" comment. I think you'd have to agree that there are idiots that should not be allowed around firearms. Don't know about the area where you live but oftentimes, when I go to our local range (which at this time of year is about once a week), I see too much unsafe gun handling. In fact, I simply won't go there on a weekend day because of the possibility of those fools being there.
Agsin, I shouldn't have "gone off the deep end" & apologize back. Have a good one.
Bear in Fairbanks

I shipped my handgun to an FFL dealer in Alaska last summer. I called the ATFE and inquired about how to do this. They told me to send in my name c/0 the FFL dealer in Alaska. The FFL dealer that I contacted was very familiar with doing this, evidently it's done on a regular basis. The FFL dealers around Anchorage wanted to charge me $75.00-$100.00 for this service. Chimo's Gun Shop in Wasilla did it for $30.00. I would suggest that you look up some phone #'s of FFL dealers on the internet and give one of them a call,. I don't think that you will find it difficult to accomplish. I found more ammunition available in appropriate calibers and bullet weights in Alaska than in the lower 48, although sort of pricey, but I think it would have been legal to ship it in the same box, just not by U.S. Postoffice. PS> I really didn't need my handgun but was glad I had it.

Here's the link to the ATF website page that answers FAQs regarding shipping.

Always better to go to the source than go to gray matter memory.

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/fa...ipping-firearms-usps

quote:

Here's the link to the ATF website page that answers FAQs regarding shipping.

Always better to go to the source than go to gray matter memory.

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/fa...ipping-firearms-usps

Dave

Most helpful. Thank you. Clearly states I can ship to myself, in care of another (ie: a B & B).

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Mighty Joe

First Hi to you and "A".

I would worry about loosing your FA to theft durring shipping. I would recommend you buy a S&W Mountain Gun in 44 Mag. Loaded with Federal 300gr. Cast Core it will protect you from man or bear.

And if lost, it can be more easily replaced.

I agree it is worth the trouble to have a handgun with you in AK.

You and I, and "A" have hunted together, and WE have all ways had our hand guns.

[PS, his wife "A" is a pretty good shot, {well actually VERY GOOD} and killed several Grouse with her handgun, when we hunted black bear in Idaho. And they are great to eat].

I hope y'all have a great trip.

Hope to see y'all at DSC next year too...

Tony, Thank you for the kind words. I already had a S&W Mountain Gun (which has killed deer), and it with two speed loaders, some Thermosel's with refills and knives and leatherman went out to the B & B with me as the adressee. UPS was $ 94. The B & B has no problem accepting a package and holding it for me. Canada and the cruise line oppose any firearms, knives, scissors, or flammables, so I packed it all up sent it ahead.

I will feel much better having something with me. I have carried a firearm for 16 years and have never once felt motivated to pull it out, but having it makes me feel safe.

Thanks to all for the input. We will be leaving in the morning and when I get back I hope to post a monsterous photo selection. (I am hunting this trip with a camera, DAMN!).

Have a Great Trip.

First let me say I hope ya'll have a great trip.
Once you have been to Alaska you never really go all the way home. I am a FFL just not in the area you are going so I cannot help you. I usually charge $25 for such deliveries.
You cannot ship your ammo though with the handgun up here because you cannot send ammo on air freight legally. You can bring 14 lbs in your check luggage, just not air freight.
Dont ask why just the federal govt regs. Ammo has to go ground.
Good luck and have a safe trip!
Some do but if it is caught not very nice!