A cautionary tale - Traveling with ammunition in luggage

[Challer]

Yes follow the rules. Yes Turks and Caicos judge is a moron.

 

[bakerb]

I was coming home from Petropavlovsk and getting on a plane there, when I was pulled out of line by a 6'3" recruiting poster Russian military guy. I must have looked scared, because he tried to smile (the only Russian official I ever saw smile), and kept saying "S'okay. S'okay." I kept thinking "It may not be ok."

Turns out they saw some extra Lithium batteries in my carry-on, big enough to look like bullets. Since I was obviously a hunter, they pulled me out to see if they were bullets. When they saw they weren't, it was S'okay.

But I was nervous when he pulled me out of line. My nerves were worse as most officials I saw in Russia were not able to speak English, and the language barrier made me nervous.

 

[JimP]

If you are worried about security finding a spent shell in your carry on just follow a couple of rules.

Keep all your ammo in it's box, in my case 99% of mine is in a plastic carrier designed for the reloader. This makes it easy. Take one out and shoot it, then put it back into the carrier. You can do this once a night if out hunting. If you are missing one empty, go looking for it if you are sure that you picked up the case.

Go through your carry on with a fine tooth comb before loading it for a airline trip. Use your hands and fingers, grip it along the seams and use your fingers in the crevices.

It isn't hard except for some people.

On a side note, I was flying to Minnesota one year for work. My plane didn't leave until way late in the day so I had a lot of time to kill. I got up took my shower and got ready. I then decided to load up a few shotgun shells for a upcoming bird hunt. I dumped some of the powder out of one case onto my pants, I just brushed it off and didn't worry about it. That is until I was going through security when their sniffer picked up the nitrate residue on my pants. They dang near stripped searched me before allowing me to board that plane.

 

[TXdawg]

How’s this for a head scratcher- my father-in-law purchased a set of 6 steak knives on a trip 6mos ago and placed them in the bottom compartment of his carry-on duffle. He took it thru Atlanta security once, Tallahassee security 2x, and DFW security once before being caught at DFW on his second trip. He rarely uses the bottom compartment, so completely forgot they were there. How the hell does that happen multiple times??

 

[SETH RINGER]

TSA TOOK MY CIGAR PUNCH BECAUSE IT "LOOKED" LIKE AMMO.

 

[Rez Exelon]

How’s this for a head scratcher- my father-in-law purchased a set of 6 steak knives on a trip 6mos ago and placed them in the bottom compartment of his carry-on duffle. He took it thru Atlanta security once, Tallahassee security 2x, and DFW security once before being caught at DFW on his second trip. He rarely uses the bottom compartment, so completely forgot they were there. How the hell does that happen multiple times??

Something like 2008 I was flying around as a tech on a trip and went to my local airport. Checked in through security, no issue. Got to ATL, went out for a smoke, came back through security. Two weeks later I was standing in Charlottesville airport at 0500 to take the butt crack of dawn flight home when Johnny Law pulled me to the side "Is that your bag".

It was my bag. Go figure. He did the comical pull on gloves thing and then proceeds to poke through my bag all overly sensitive like until he pulls out a phillips head screw driver. "What is this??" To which I responded an annoyed "a screwwww driver." He tells me I can't have it, that it's dangerous. I replied that was hilarious since it went through two airports already.

So dude takes it over to a ruler. Holds it up. Says "SEE HERE! IT'S 9 INCHES LONG! You can't have one longer than 8". I really really had to fight my annoyance since I wanted to say "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I could only shank someone with an 8 inch screwdriver rather than a 9 inch one." I responded for him to throw it away, I don't give a (choice words) and I'd have a new one as soon as I got back home.

Soooooo silly.

 

[Datchew]

Appreciate the OP making us aware of this. I certainly wasn't aware.

IMHO the only reasons that TSA exists are:
1. To give the illusion of security to the American public. Can't have people realizing how fragile that infrastructure is.
2. Had to do SOMETHING after 9/11
3. (and this is a big one) TSA meets the minimum requirements of the ICAO treaty which grants overflight rights to participating member countries. In other words, if you're not a member your birds can't fly over members airspace.

TSA is a racket right in front of our faces.
They force you to go through the impossibly stupid and painful process and then sell you a pass program to allow you to avoid it.... as long as you pay the subscription.

 

[Pilgrim]

Important: if you find yourself in a foreign country having accidentally smuggled in illegal "stuff", it is probably best to quietly dispose of it without getting the authorities involved. I know a guy who found his pistol in his bag after arriving in Canada, it was missed by whatever screening was in effect leaving the United States. He tried to do the right thing by admitting his mistake to the police and ended up in jail and paying fines. Had he removed the serial number and thrown it in the river nobody would be the wiser.

 

[Hogpatrol]

OR Tambo, I'm headed to Blomfontein to hunt a week then back to go to Moz for tigerfish. I had a pair of ring pliers and a box of big spinners with treble hooks. Security said no go on the pliers and let the lures go. Another time at Tambo, they confiscated my 4" long TSA lock substitute zip ties.

 

[JimP]

I think that most of the time when they confiscate items is is something that they can use.

However there used to be a Ebay store where you could purchase a box of multi tools that TSA had confiscated. I'm not sure if it is still there or not.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I think that most of the time when they confiscate items is is something that they can use.

However there used to be a Ebay store where you could purchase a box of multi tools that TSA had confiscated. I'm not sure if it is still there or not.

Yep, I bought a dozen for the tracker/skinners at one of my RSA venues.

 

[BeeMaa]

Pelican cases are what we use for airline travel and not just for the rifles. It’s easier to make sure they are empty from the beginning.

Now if I can just remember to empty my pockets before packing my pants.

Stay frosty.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Mistakes happen and I'm hopeful that the guy in Turks Caicos is released with some form of fine. The judge should look at intent in these types of cases. Clearly the person had no weapon with him and this was just left in his carry on.

HH

 

[CEO]

I was thinking how easily this could be me. I use the same luggage for hunting trips as I do for regular travel. I just happened to look in a pocket on my suitcase before going through security on a flight years ago and found three 7mag bullets from a blackbuck hunt I did a few months prior. I looked around, palmed them as best as I could, and dumped them in a trash can.

This was a few months before 9/11 so not sure what would have happened back then.

 

[Rez Exelon]

Pelican cases are what we use for airline travel and not just for the rifles. It’s easier to make sure they are empty from the beginning.

Now if I can just remember to empty my pockets before packing my pants.

Stay frosty.

One time I caught a sale on the pelican carry-on sized piece on Amazon as used/$40. It seemed odd so I checked out the company and apparently they were a medical device place that used them for equipment storage.

I bought something like 20 of them and flipped them at 150 each on ebay and then kept a few to myself when the original company ran out. I think at the time they were going for $200 each new/retail. I kind of wish I'd kept one more, but I suppose I got to wipe the tears from my eyes with 20s at the end of it.

 

[cash_tx]

The way I look at it, buying separate sets of bags is cheap insurance against this kind of thing happening. Granted, it gets a bit more complicated with an international hunting trip, but so many of the stories arise from domestic hunting or range trips.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

I never use my carryon backpack when hunting. I take a smaller pack for the truck or blind.
Last year April 2023 on my return at OR Tambo. I went thru security no issues. Behind me where two older gentlemen I had been visiting with. When they went thru bam! Pulled aside quickly. There were two live 375 HH is ones bag and some spent brass in the others. They were fixing take them down stairs to police station. Except 5 Benjamin's later the police at the X-ray decided they could just dump it in a bucket and go on to there plane.

 

[Saul]

I once wore a field coat to Chicago one winter. Passed security, etc, and it was only when I got to Chicago that I realized a .308 was in the cartridge loop in the pocket. No one caught it.

And yet you were the least dangerous person in Chicago.

 

[Sourdough]

Hard to figure. Going through the airport in Eugene OR awhile ago with a brother, had a P-38 can opener in his wallet from fishing/ camping, TSA caught that. That is a small scrap of metal!

I carry a P-38 all the time every time on my key ring-and will continue to do so. Not once has TSA or any country had anything to say about it.

Here is my hilarious WTF story. Early 2000's I'm flying to British Columbia for some Grayling fly fishing. Carrying two boxes of hand tied flys in my carry on, the largest hook size was 14. No problem going there but on the way back clearing US Customs in Vancouver British Columbia the customs officer, and whatever else he thought he was, said "you'll need to check those". We landed late and I only had 10 minutes to catch my flight so no way I was or could go back and check in my deadly size 14 flies that I was certain to hijack the plane with.

Of course I assumed, being a good government employee that he was, that he just wanted to steal my property from me. I gave them up.

 

[Safari Dave]

Use Travel Express or Gracy and they will steer you away from these issues.

Unless you are flying anything except directly from the USA to JNB with a USA carrier.


If saving $200 is worth losing everything, just stay at home and shoot feral pigs...