What is required (from the Argentinean side) for a U.S. citizen to import a hunting rifle and cartridges for a couple of weeks?

Thanks,
George

Easy. Contact the Argentine consul in NY. They will send you the requisite forms and the requirements. When you arrive in Argentina you will then go through customs and to the police office where they will review the paperwork, your firearms, and issue your permits. At last look it was $40.00 to the consulate and $75.00 per gun in Argentina.

Thanks, Bill. Do you know whether there are any prohibitions with regards to bore size?

George

Regarding to bore sizes, none, you can bring from .17 to 700 nitro express rifles cal, only full automatic weapons, supressors or Military .50 BGM cal. rifles are restricted to import.
Note: About hunting: you cant use for Hunt semiautomatics rifles like Remington 7400 or Ruger Mini 14 (Hunting law) or night vision devices like laser, termal, infrared, light intensificators atached to the gun.Fell free to ask, every you need, Regards Guillermo.

Thanks to Guillermo for that. If you ever have any firearms questions for Argentina, he is the man. He is also the Argentine expert on good scotch!!!

Thanks, Guillermo. Do the Argentinean authorities require the headstamp on the cartridges to match the engraving on the rifle?

George

Let me check the explosives and gun laws, because if I consult to one of those bureacrats will be a waste of time, they never know nothing, they ignore the law related to his own work, unbeliable, but is a fact. For another side I will ask to some hunters that came to our country to hunt Asian Water bufalo to know their real experience about this in the RENAR (National Arms Register) office at the airports. In touch, Regards Guillermo.

Thanks again, Guillermo!

George

GeorgeS; Take a look to our Act on Weapons and Explosives at:
http://www.renar.gov.ar/english/acts/leyes/pdf/Act-20492.pdf


Specific: Page 41, Part IX, Article Nº77 and Pag. 42 , Article; Nº78 al 85.

"introduction of weapons and ammunitions by individual into the country"

On wednesday I will be in the Airport prior to fly to FL, and I can ask in person to the Airport RENAR office about your request, too ask to JefferyDenmark in this forum, he comes to my country with a 500 Jeffery Heym bolt action rifle (But the some cartridges say 500 Schuler (The real cartridge German designation or 12,5x70 mm Schuler) May be he can help you, other wise send me a PM being more especific.
Regards; Guillermo.

Basically, the law states that any ammo imported should match the caliber of the correspondant weapon allowed to be imported by the same person & in the same trip, since there is a concept of personal usage behind the allowance... thus we are speaking of any weapon and its ammo or any weapon without its ammo ... but not ammo alone (unless you are registered as a trader).

Of course there were, are and will be some exceptions to this rule , but being a common citizen (and I mean not having diplomatic status or not having a friend in the government)you will never know previously how much would this "exception" cost you or if it might cost you anything - or even more, if it will ever occur at all ... besides there have been some scandals lately concerning our local customs, so customs officers are watching their attitude following the procedures "by the book"

If you ask me, attending the political winds we are breathing nowadays here , I would say that any atempt of importing ammo not matching the caliber of the imported weapon would surely finished with that ammo being confiscated, being the worst of it all the papers you will have to fill in order to explain the "confusion" and the time you will waste in doing so.

As Guillermo said, if you are a little more specific about your willings, perhaps an alternative way migth be found with some more margin of success (and I remark the conditional of the term "might")...

PM me if you consider I might be of any help

On the same line of thoughts, any logical & rational doubt (as the example given by Guillermo concerning the weapon used by JefferyDenamrk or as a friend I have who tried - succesfully - to import .416 RM ammo made out of .375 H&H cases, is something of uncertain resolution that I would ty to avoid its mere existance, since the chances of going through local customs without any problem are pretty much the same as the ones you have of having to leave that "doubtfull" ammo behind... and no matter what, you will loose time, the most precious asset we have when travelling abroad for a short time and for a certain purpose (hunting) as I suppose you have in mind to do .

George S., the required form can be downloaded for free off the web:
http://www.renar.gov.ar/turista/form_a.pdf

Fill it out, then make several copies,as the police in the airport will require at least 3.

Specifically, I'd like to know how wildcats are dealt with.

For example, I load for my .470 Capstick (marked simply '.470') using .375H&H brass, and basic belted brass (no cartridge designation). Would this combination be allowed to be imported?

George

Surely, But better if you come with your gun papers from USA, an official autorized gunsmith certified, explaning and detaling that those ammo are wilcat cartriges and are the correspondent to that gun! At your service, Regards Guillermo.

PS; Do you have a 450 NE 3 1/4 double?,in that case bring it with you and three extra hornady factory boxes and I will make you Hunt a Water Bufallo for free Regards; Guille.

Guillermo,

for a free water buffalo hunt, I'll BUY a .450 NE 3 1/4" double!

George

GeorgeS; I cant afford a double. Why ? : in USA an used Merkel will cost me about u$9000 + Export documentation U$ 400 + ammo U$500 x 3 boxes ? + U$600 fly tickets and when it arrives at my country 60% (Custom taxes) more over the guns & ammo price, this is about U$17000 for a basic 470 N.E Merkel at home door (Whit this money I much preffer to take my first cape bufalo instead having an Express and only hunt Water bufalos), This explain why Im triying to make myself my double based in a shotgun like E. Brown`s suggests in his book (My cost about U$3000)
But my worst trouble will be the ammo, because there are not in my country.There are no DGR rimmed cases, American powders or bullets, just belted/unbelted common cartridges.Any time Guillermo.

quote:

Originally posted by Guillermo Amestoy:
Surely, But better if you come with your gun papers from USA, an official autorized gunsmith certified, explaning and detaling that those ammo are wilcat cartriges and are the correspondent to that gun! At your service, Regards Guillermo.

(....)

Ditto, try not to leave any margin for any doubt... the better everything is explained, less problems would arise...

GeorgeS. I will be going down in late April for a month or more. You should plan to meet me there.....asados, hunts, and wonderful people....and I will cook the tenderloins on a parilla.....

Late April is no good for me, Bill, that's when my Easter is.

We're thinking end of June, so it will be nice and cool down there. Just the right weather for churrascos con chimichurri and a good cigar or two afterwards.

George

If you need to make some brass for a rifle, there's a wealth of info in the big bore forum -- if you really get stuck, I believe it's fairly easy to turn on a lathe. (Not familiar w. actually turning brass, but it's certainly doesn't appear to be a very complicated shape.)

Aglifter,

I'm the moderator of the 'Big Bores' forum.

My question had to do with importation requirements, not the brass itself.

George

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
Late April is no good for me, Bill, that's when my Easter is. George

I'll be sure to leave you something to shoot at......and don't forget the excellent Malbec.

Do not be discouraged. Argentina remains a mcuh favored destination.....I am at the SCI Convention in Reno right now. I have spoken to four very experienced Argentine outfitters and this is not accuate. You can still bring your firearms with to Argentina, complete all the forms upon arrival, and import your firearms.

All have told me that they never advise their clients to do the paper work in the U.S. before leaving. One told me that they had clients hunting in Argentina right now who had no difficulty bringing their firearms with and clearing tham at the airport.

I am going to ask the man with SCI responsible in this area to post a clarification on the SCI news letter site.

You're the man, Bill. While you're there, would you ask the outfitters how stringent the inspectors are when it comes to matching ammunition headstamps to the cartridge designation on the rifle?

George