Ammo weight question

[jimbo1972]

So I’m leaving for South Africa on my first Safari in a little over 2 weeks. My ammo is slightly under 11 lbs but in lightest locking box it comes at a little under 13lbs. Flying Delta don’t think it’s going to be an issue as they say weight of ammo but I have to fly from Joberg to Port Elizabeth on Air Link and the ammo goes separately from my checked bag. They have a 5kg weight limit including box. Do they weigh it or am I overly concerned? Don’t want to cut back on any ammunition. Thanks in advance

 

[JimP]

You may have a problem and the again you may not.

In two trips the only time that my ammo was weighed was on my last trip home flying Qatar Airlines out of Joberg.

The regulation say that the ammo needs to be under the 5kg, some gate agents figure that is case and ammo, but it should be just the ammo

 

[Andrew62]

While the total weight of ammo itself is under 11 pounds, like @JimP says, it's sometimes more about the gate agent. If it were me I would consider taking less ammo to reduce the anxiety of 'not knowing' what you may run into. Out of curiosity, what ammo and how much of each are you looking to take?

 

[jimbo1972]

While the total weight of ammo itself is under 11 pounds, like @JimP says, it's sometimes more about the gate agent. If it were me I would consider taking less ammo to reduce the anxiety of 'not knowing' what you may run into. Out of curiosity, what ammo and how much of each are you looking to take?

80 rounds of 300 win mag and 60 rounds of 7mm rem mag

 

[wesheltonj]

That's very close. It supposed to the the ammo only. But as stated above some agents don't know the rule and will weigh the case and ammo in which case you are screwed. Best to cut back a little.

 

[jimbo1972]

That's very close. It supposed to the the ammo only. But as stated above some agent don't know the rule and will weigh the case and ammo in which case you are screwed. Best to cut back a little.

Worse case one box will get left in Joberg

 

[BeeMaa]

I’ve gone to having the ammo + case + locks weight under 12 lbs (5 kilos).

Unless you are doing a high volume cull hunt, you are not likely to use more than 20 cartridges total for a two week trip.

We took 10 animals and only used 12-15 rounds.

 

[Andrew62]

Worse case one box will get left in Joberg

There you go, that’s a good attitude to have. Enjoy your hunt!!

 

[JimP]

Those two rifles are so close in performance have you thought about leaving one home?

Are you traveling with someone who is taking the same caliber of rifle that can take a box with them for you?

One other thing, when in the Airlink office or counter tell them that you just have 1 case. A member here happened to mention that he had 2 rifles on our way home 2 years ago when we were paying their fee and got charged double.

If you do take all that ammo just play dumb and don't mention anything about the weight.

 

[375Fox]

Worse case one box will get left in Joberg

How would you plan on doing that? Leaving ammo in Africa isn’t as simple as leaving ammo in US. I’d reduce your amount of ammo. I’ve never shot over 40 rounds on any hunt I can remember. I usually take 60-80 rounds with me.

 

[375Fox]

I’ve gone to having the ammo + case + locks weight under 12 lbs (5 kilos).

Unless you are doing a high volume cull hunt, you are not likely to use more than 20 cartridges total for a two week trip.

We took 10 animals and only used 12-15 rounds.

Not sure if this was a typo, but 5 kgs is 11 lbs not 12. 12 you can run into issues.

 

[mdwest]

the good news is both 7 RM and 300 WM are plentiful and easy to purchase in RSA.. If you do end up having to ditch some ammo and find yourself in desperate need to replace it.. those calibers wont be hard to find..

you might not be able to get the exact same load that youre zero'd for.. but you'll certainly be able to get something that will work..

 

[shootist~]

You need a good ammo box since it will travel as seperate luggage on local flights. 40 plus 40 is still more than you will ever need.

It's almost irresistible to want excess redundancy (and not just ammo) on your first safari.

 

[jimbo1972]

There you go, that’s a good attitude to have. Enjoy your hunt!!

That was a joke

 

[khesser]

My recent experience on a trip to RSA a month ago flying to J Berg on Delta they did not care about the ammo or what it weighed. Your agent experience on check in may vary. My ammo and case together exceeded 5kg but the boxed ammo on its own was under 5kg. Flying on Airlink from J Berg to Upington they weighed the case and looked at the ammo but did not say anything about it being over 5kg. Flying Airlink from Kimberly to J Berg they did say I exceeded weight but when I removed the ammo and weighed it separately they were good with that. Flying on Delta out of J Berg they did not care that the ammo box exceeded the 5kg. Your experience may be different but I would not be concerned if my lockable case and ammo together exceeded 5kg.

 

[BeeMaa]

Not sure if this was a typo, but 5 kgs is 11 lbs not 12. 12 you can run into issues.

Typo. I meant 11 lbs but fat fingered it because I’m on my phone. I’ve seen different agencies list it as 11 lbs or 5 kilos. Essentially the same.

With ammo, locks and case we are always less than 10 lbs just to make sure. We pack it in a Pelican 1200 and have never had an issue with the authorities or having enough ammo for verifying zero & hunting.

Keep in mind that different countries and airlines may want your ammo to be separated from your checked baggage. This means a sturdy case that is able to stand up to baggage handling abuse.

 

[Altitude sickness]

In my opinion, do not rely on an employee’s interpretation of the rules. Unless carrying .500 size ammo you should be able to get under 11 pounds for a PG hunt including the case to be 100% hassle free.

Or carry each airlines written policy with you. And even then it’s additional stress during travel.

You could be the guy standing at the counter arguing vs the guy relaxing and enjoying your vacation.

 

[jimbo1972]

You need a good ammo box since it will travel as seperate luggage on local flights. 40 plus 40 is still more than you will ever need.

It's almost irresistible to want excess redundancy (and not just ammo) on your first safari.

Or I could be a really bad shot!

 

[uplander01]

To me that just seems like a lot of ammo. I would keep under the weight limit including the case

 

[WyoBull]

How many animals are you planning to shoot that you need 11 lbs of ammo? For my plains game hunt a number of years ago, we shot 13 animals and fired 15 rounds. Those extra 2 rounds were fired in the range when we got into camp. I took 40 rounds, 2 boxes, and could easily have just taken one box. But, I can see why taking two boxes would be desired. I don’t recall what those two boxes weighed but probably well under 5 lbs.
Last year when we went for Buffalo, Qatar made me take the ammunition out of the locked cased and they weighed it separately from the case and then weighed it all together.
I again took 40 rounds of 375 H&H and I think my case and the ammo weighed maybe about 7 lbs if I remember correctly. I shot a total of 6 rounds. 2 on my Buffalo, 2 on my Crocodile and 2 on the range when we arrived in camp. Again, could have easily taken one box of ammo.
So, if you are overweight on your ammo, simply take some out. If you shoot well, you don’t need as much as you might think.