Flying with firearms and ammunition

[DelRock83]

Where are you going hunting? The inconvenience is minimal. You tell airline agent at counter you have ammo and a firearm to declare. They send you to TSA to send through separate scanner then send you on your way. You get a pre approved rifle permit in South Africa and it’s a 5 minute check. 11 lbs with a hard case is generally 60-80 rounds of 300-375 ammo. Getting the firearm permit in Namibia or Zimbabwe is a 20 minute process at most on arrival. If you are taking your own rifle it would be foolish (and possibly cause a lot of questions to get asked) not to take ammo. The inconvenience is the same.

Ok it's all new to me I just be wanting to get an understanding of the process

 

[HankBuck]

Once you leave the US TSA and FAA policies no longer apply. There are countries and airlines that require rifle and ammo packed separately. Packing your rifle and ammo separately is safest bet. Putting ammo in firearm case I think is asking for trouble eventually.

@375Fox - YES, outside the US firearms/ammo policy and enforcement differ — still a “mess” and can vary based on the individual you have to deal with. Carry printed copies of the Policy - in 6 different languages - and hope the person Can Read. The Ammo “weight” is subject to a whatever person you are dealing with - some will include Ammo “packaging-Box etc..” in the weight allowed, others will not, and some may not care either way.
There is nothing about traveling by Air With Firearms (anywhere) that is “relaxing”…too many variables and why I Drive whenever possible, but there’s No bridge or tunnel into Africa from the U.S…..YET

 

[Philip Glass]

Hello everyone I was recently watching videos and reading articles pertaining to flying with firearms and I still have one more question maybe you guys can help me with considering you all surely have more expertise in this area...the maximum ammo that can be carried is 11 lbs, is that TOTAL for each person, or can 11 lbs of ammo be checked INSIDE your gun case and 11 lbs of ammo locked in a case in your original checked bag....any info would be helpful and appreciated

 

[YancyW]

Hello everyone I was recently watching videos and reading articles pertaining to flying with firearms and I still have one more question maybe you guys can help me with considering you all surely have more expertise in this area...the maximum ammo that can be carried is 11 lbs, is that TOTAL for each person, or can 11 lbs of ammo be checked INSIDE your gun case and 11 lbs of ammo locked in a case in your original checked bag....any info would be helpful and appreciated

Flying domestically is different than fly to and around in Africa. I have 100s of domestic flights with firearms, I can't think of a single time I didn't have ammo in the same case as the firearms. Flying in and around Africa is a different story.

 

[Wahoo]

Hello everyone I was recently watching videos and reading articles pertaining to flying with firearms and I still have one more question maybe you guys can help me with considering you all surely have more expertise in this area...the maximum ammo that can be carried is 11 lbs, is that TOTAL for each person, or can 11 lbs of ammo be checked INSIDE your gun case and 11 lbs of ammo locked in a case in your original checked bag....any info would be helpful and appreciated

Hi. I’ll relate my recent experience and maybe it’s helpful. I just returned from 18 days in Zimbabwe. Disclaimer- I only used Emirates. No connections through other carriers and was straight through to Dubai then Harare.

Firearms-
I took a Heym 88b with .470 and .375 HH barrels as well as a Dakota 76 in .375 HH. Packed firearms in a 3 gun americase case with a few cleaning supplies and two knives. Locked with standard Brinks padlocks.

Ammunition-
40 handloaded rounds (federal brass) of .470 NE in two factory federal boxes for .470 NE and 50 rounds of .375 HH handloads in a MTM R50 magnum rifle blue plastic box. These were packed with padding into a Pelican 1400 case (purchased on Amazon) and locked with 2 brinks TSA locks. The pelican case was then packed into my checked suitcase per Emirates policy.

Process-
Outbound-Obtain 4457 from US CBP a month prior to flight. Then submitted a Firearms Declaration Form online through Emirates website approximately 4 weeks prior to flying. I had to upload verifying documents such as pdf of passport, Illinois FOID card, form 4457, and invitation letter. They approved it approximately 3-5 days later. As stated in their approval email I printed off the approval and a provided additional form to take to gate for check in. I then arrived at Chicago Ohare departure gate 5 hours before my flight and was first in line when check in begin 4 hours before flight. I stated I am traveling with firearms and ammunition. The gate agent said no problem please wait here. A supervisor and a TSA agent arrived. I provided my 4457, my Emirates approval, and their form for agent to fill out. I was asked how much ammunition I had and what it weighed ( 90 rounds and just under 5 kg). I was then asked how many firearms I was traveling with ( 2 rifles with one extra set of barrels). The agents said great. Thank you. I was not asked to take the ammunition case out of the suitcase it was packed in not open my rifle case. I then was directed to the large/oversized luggage scanner at the end of the ticketing area. They ran the items through and I left for security/gate with my carryon. I collected all with no issue in Harare and proceeded to Zim customs. Overall it was fine however my passport number had a typo in my invitation letter from my ph that caused a brief conversation but all ended well. I was given the temporary import declaration form - DO NOT LOSE THIS- you need it when taking your guns home.

Return-
I arrived at Harare airport 4 hours prior to my flight time. My ph did have an escort/meet greet contact at airport for me. She escorted me to the “office” ie tiny room with no windows and 7 people crammed into it staring at me. We went through my guns and remaining ammo/spent brass and confirmed all matched to my Zim customs import form. I was asked some random questions and then allowed to repack all firearms and ammo and lock cases. I then reported to Emirates check in counter where a new/unknowledgeable/mildly unreasonable ticket agent attempted to tell me the ammunition was overweight as she was counting weight of pelican case with remaining ammo/spent brass. I patiently and politely asked if I could explain the airline policy to her. She produced a supervisor who asked me to take the ammunition out of pelican and weigh it ( in the mtm case and federal boxes). This was well under 5kg problem solved. All luggage checked in and headed to plane while I headed to gate ( and cocktails in lounge to drown my sorrow over leaving Zimbabwe).

 

[gordon kings langley]

Hi
1, I recommend you confirm with the airline you are travelling with.

 

[Smull1010]

So coincidentally over weekend, I purchased a Pelican Vault V200 equipment case that I plan to transport my ammo in from Texas to Mozambique for a hunt later in 2025.

As you can see in the pics below, I loaded up 80 rounds of 150 grain 7mm-08 and it weighed less than 10 lbs. Exactly 9.78 pounds in total.

I’m thinking that I’ll only take 40-50 rounds total on this hunt, so the 11 pound maximum (regardless if the authorities include the weight of the case or not) should not be a problem.

I just unboxed this case, but the quality looks good.

 

[VertigoBE]

One of my favorite repeat discussions.

The plane taking you to Africa is an INTERNATIONAL flight.
So, IATA guidelines matter. Not the local flight rules. Plenty of staff will be confused.

"amount of ammunition up to 5 kg."
For the individuals in the industry capable of reading help them out by bringing a printed copy along with you.
The policy guideline does not include the packaging in the weight.


The policy reference:

"Ammunition (cartridges for weapons), securely packaged (in Div. 1.4S, UN 0012 or
UN 0014 only), in quantities not exceeding 5 kg gross weight per person for that person's own use. Allowances for more than one person must not be combined into one or more packages. "

Securely packaged, it does not have to be in the original boxes. It can be in your checked (obviously) luggage.

Enjoy

I might be in this case in two weeks, 30 rounds of .500NE + I wanted to take 40 rounds of .375H&H, together is 4.23kg.

My pelican case with two steel locks is 1.44kg

So according to your (and mine) understanding, this should be fine. But I’m not sure I want to get into a discussion with a counter Karen…

My SAPS pre-approved does mention 40 rounds already.

Unsure on what to do…

Flying with Qatar. Brussels to Joburg

 

[Longwalker]

The weight maximums are in Kgs, not pounds. It only confuses the issue to convert Kilograms to pounds, and introduces a source of error. The inspectors won't care.

 

[HankBuck]

The weight maximums are in Kgs, not pounds. It only confuses the issue to convert Kilograms to pounds, and introduces a source of error. The inspectors won't care.

@Longwalker - could you explain how “converting” Kilo’s to pounds “confuses” the issue? I’m not a mathematician but if the conversion is done accurately (a very simple calculation) it helps some of us Americans that don’t use the metric system? We don’t weigh things in British “stones” either and for us a “pound” is seen on our bathroom scale Not our monetary currency…. Since many African Hunter’s are coming from the United States - conversion from Kilograms to pounds is very helpful to make sure we are within any “weight restrictions”. I think a greater source of confusion with Hunters and TSA agents a like is whether or not the allowed weight for Ammo includes “packaging” or Not? AND if you can pack your ammo inside your gun cases? I know what is the written policy is for both but the interpretation and enforcement varies frequently. Carrying a “written copy” of these policies has been helpful for me on several occasions.

 

[JimP]

I agree, that in today's world of instant information and caculations there is no reason to even be remotely confused.

5 Kg is actually slightly less than the recommended US 11 lbs.

5 kg = 11.0231 lbs. but if you want to take the exact amount of ammo allowed you may run into problems with the airline scales. I have found a number of them to be off.

 

[Longwalker]

HankBuck, my opinion is of course of little importance, but is formed from many years experience managing a manufacturing facility. We ran into many, many problems with employees who should not have been confused by simple metric conversions, but were. When we decided to eliminate all imperial measurements from our manufacturing processes, the errors mostly went away. Even then we had a couple employees who insisted on using pounds and ounces instead of kgs because it was simple to switch the display on digital scales. They said they were confused by metric measurements and they would make fewer errors by using familiar units, not metric. But a few errors kept cropping up, and were only eliminated when the old measurements were thoroughly and completely banned.

Of course, that's a different situation than an individual navigating the baggage regs of an airline. Your measurements of choice are your business. But ALL airlines in the world except the USA list their restrictions in Metric units, not Imperial. All airline employees except the USA are trained in, and use metric. All their scales and measurement units are metric. Explaining a discrepancy by saying your luggage is under an imperial unit maximum of pounds or inches is not comprehensible to people who have not used Imperial measurements. It's just friendly advice, hope it helps someone!

 

[HankBuck]

HankBuck, my opinion is of course of little importance, but is formed from many years experience managing a manufacturing facility. We ran into many, many problems with employees who should not have been confused by simple metric conversions, but were. When we decided to eliminate all imperial measurements from our manufacturing processes, the errors mostly went away. Even then we had a couple employees who insisted on using pounds and ounces instead of kgs because it was simple to switch the display on digital scales. They said they were confused by metric measurements and they would make fewer errors by using familiar units, not metric. But a few errors kept cropping up, and were only eliminated when the old measurements were thoroughly and completely banned.

Of course, that's a different situation than an individual navigating the baggage regs of an airline. Your measurements of choice are your business. But ALL airlines in the world except the USA list their restrictions in Metric units, not Imperial. All airline employees except the USA are trained in, and use metric. All their scales and measurement units are metric. Explaining a discrepancy by saying your luggage is under an imperial unit maximum of pounds or inches is not comprehensible to people who have not used Imperial measurements. It's just friendly advice, hope it helps someone!

@Longwalker your opinion is well thought out and based on experience and multiple examples of “error” converting kilograms into pounds etc.. Yes, the USA is the only major Country Not using the metric system - aren’t we “special”? Here is my main thought - 2 kilograms = 11.02 pounds or converted the other way — 11 pounds = 4.99 kilograms….therefore the “conversion” is almost exact….down to less then a 1/10th of an ounce and the margin of variance within any “scale” used to weigh these items will vary much more then that conversion .02 difference. Also, there will not need to be any “other” conversions made - this is the only WEIGHT issue that would come into question that could affect your hunt, overweight luggage is less of a concern - pay extra and you shouldn’t be cutting weight that close anyway —- always leave yourself a slight margin for error or differences in scales used etc..
Anyway — now that we’ve beaten this horse to death a dozen times….what else can we discuss? Thank you for your thoughtful points and they are well taken.