Has anyone actually lost ammo?

[bakerb]

African hunters frequently mention ease of replacement of ammo when debating calibers. Your almost think it’s a really common thing to happen. But is it?

Who has actually received their rifle but had lost ammo on a hunt?

I’ll start. I actually have. 2018 snow sheep hunt in Russia. La Guardia screwed me. Rifle made it. Luggage with ammo did not. 10 rounds of 300 RUM cost me $300 US in Petropavlovsk. We made the deal in an alley way . . .

Anyone else ?

 

[grand veneur]

I am hunting worldwide since 1983 but have never lost anything. The rifle or/and the ammunition arrived belated in several times and this only delayed the hunt slightly but never made it impossible. Luckily, because in those days in the Soviet Union or later Russia and other states of Central Asia, I would never have been able to buy ammunition.

 

[Puddle]

24 years ago, I and the gunsmith went round and round about whether the project should be a .338-06, or a .30-06. In the end, we agreed that if the ammo didn't arrive with the rifle, I'd be totally screwed with a .338-06. However, with a .30-06 there's always a Plan B.

Since then, I've never once had lost ammo regardless of where I've landed.

 

[375Fox]

My rifle arrived for my Cameroon hunt but bag and ammo did not. My bag arrived in country on day 4 but ammo was withheld at customs. I received my bag on day 9 in camp. I was glad I was using a 375 H&H and there was a few rounds ammo in camp.

 

[Dan458]

On my buffalo trip last year the airline lost my checked bag with my ammo but the rifle arrived. Fortunately I got a WhatsApp off to my PH before arriving and he spent the day tracking down some 458 Lott ammo. Also a good reminder to have your essentials like binos and hunting boots in your carry on.

 

[Rusty Iron]

During our trip to Tanzania in 2023, KLM left my baggage (and ammo) behind in Amsterdam. It arrived two days later but was seized by Tanzanian customs because the original import permit wasn’t with the ammo, as it was in camp with my rifle. I ended up shooting most of my game with scavenged ammo in camp. It was fortunate it was a 375 H&H.

 

[Ryan]

Four trips to southern Africa and everything showed up there fine be it luggage, bow cases, and rifle cases. Last trip my rifle case was delayed coming back by a day. It got to LA fine, but Delta oofed up getting it on my plane to Alaska. Also plenty of trips to and from the lower 48 from Alaska, only one delayed rifle, this past January. Again by a day and the airlines hauled it a couple hours out of Ft Lauderdale to where I was. As I recall there was all kinds of mayhem with bags then so I did relatively well.

 

[Red Leg]

My last hunt in Mozambique left me deposited in Beira with rifle, carry-on, and no checked bag with ammunition. They bag was eventually found in Johannesburg and reached me a week into a two-week hunt. Fortunately, my PH and friend located exactly nine .375 rounds. Had I used something more exotic, I would have been borrowing a rifle. It worked out, though the round count was a narrowly cut thing.

Thread 'MOZAMBIQUE: Return To Mozambique With Mashambanzou Safaris'

Oct 17, 2017

In 2014, my son and I had a wonderful hunt for buffalo and plains game with Grant Taylor's Mashambanzou Safaris in the Zambezi Delta. In 2015, I signed a contract for a two-week return engagement for October of this year. I have just returned, and the hunt exceeded my every expectation.

I arrived this time better prepared to dig a buffalo out of the Delta. Or at least I thought I had. My first experience in 2014 was notable for a chest-deep wade-about as we struggled for several kilometers across spongy marsh and through deep papyrus sloughs. Courtney makes a wonderful boot for most...

• Red Leg
• Replies: 43
• Forum: Hunting reports Africa

• 

 

[Safari Dave]

I have never lost ammo.


But, I have gone on a fishing trip (to Texas), for a week, and NEVER got my luggage.

It was waiting for me at the Atlanta airport, when I returned home.

IMO, it is much better to have a a backup plan, if your rifles, ammo or even clothes don't make the trip.



It definitely does happen.

 

[Safari Dave]

The more exotic the destination, the less likely you will be replace ammunition.

My last hunt was in Mozambique. After I arrived, my PH told me that there was NO place to buy ammunition. Luckily, all my ammo made it.

I had a .416 Rigby and .470 NE.

My PH would have had to hand me his .458 Lott to make any shot, if the ammo didn't make the trip.

 

[Certus]

I have never lost ammo.


But, I have gone on a fishing trip (to Texas), for a week, and NEVER got my luggage.

It was waiting for me at the Atlanta airport, when I returned home.

IMO, it is much better to have a a backup plan, if your rifles, ammo or even clothes don't make the trip.



It definitely does happen.

I reckon if you wanna hunt with something exotic that’s almost impossible to find ammo for your back up plan may just need to be the hire rifle option if the outfitter provides it. Depends how bad you wanna do it with a certain gun in particular to take the risk.

 

[KJE81]

I choosed the .375 H&H for my custom bolt action rifle (still a work in progress thought) mainly because of the risk of loosing the ammunition on the trip. Also of course due to its allround capability but the .375 Ruger would have been a much cheaper build, but not as safe with concern to ammo availability and of course not as classical.

 

[375Fox]

The more exotic the destination, the less likely you will be replace ammunition.

My last hunt was in Mozambique. After I arrived, my PH told me that there was NO place to buy ammunition. Luckily, all my ammo made it.

I had a .416 Rigby and .470 NE.

My PH would have had to hand me his .458 Lott to make any shot, if the ammo didn't make the trip.

At the same time though the more exotic the destination the more hunters are using standard DG calibers 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, 458 win/Lott, 470 NE, so it’s a better chance there is some ammo in camp from a previous hunter or another PH at the company is using that caliber. Hunters are taking a much wider range of calibers to places like South Africa and Namibia than they are to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

 

[Mark R]

On my first trip to Africa in 2009 my ammo never made the trip home from Vic Falls. Lucky it was on the way home and not on the way over to hunt. My rifle on the same trip made it home….. several weeks after my return.

 

[clockwork_7mm_gator]

24 years ago, I and the gunsmith went round and round about whether the project should be a .338-06, or a .30-06. In the end, we agreed that if the ammo didn't arrive with the rifle, I'd be totally screwed with a .338-06. However, with a .30-06 there's always a Plan B.

Since then, I've never once had lost ammo regardless of where I've landed.

Are there nations in Africa that still ban 06 as a previous military round? I hear this in passing frequently but have never dug into whether these laws have faded away.

 

[WAB]

My ammo missed the connection in JoBurg on a hunt in Zambia. We came up with a box of .375 H&H in Lusaka and carried on. My ammo found me about half way through the hunt.

 

[HankBuck]

African hunters frequently mention ease of replacement of ammo when debating calibers. Your almost think it’s a really common thing to happen. But is it?

Who has actually received their rifle but had lost ammo on a hunt?

I’ll start. I actually have. 2018 snow sheep hunt in Russia. La Guardia screwed me. Rifle made it. Luggage with ammo did not. 10 rounds of 300 RUM cost me $300 US in Petropavlovsk. We made the deal in an alley way . . .

Anyone else ?

@bakerb - No, I’ve never lost any Ammo on a hunting trip….but it only has to happen ONCE to ruin a Hunt and that’s why I take measures to mitigate the problem in advance: I use “commonly available calibers” that can be purchased in almost any store selling ammo in the US or Canada (308, .30-06, .243, .375 H&H). In the US I will sometimes mail the Outfitter a box or two of ammo in advance “plus” travel with another 2 boxes of ammo per rifle. For Africa, discussed in advance “if” PH would have a back up rifle/ammo available should I need one and for Africa my Son and I still took “classic common calibers” (.30-06, 308. .470NE). I know you can’t prevent everything that could go wrong but I think an effort should be made to be prepared for a few “What if” scenarios. As an example, on a Bear hunt in Canada one of the Hunters in Camp had a .300 RUM and only one box of Ammo. When he went to check zero - wasn’t even on the paper at 50 yrds. Took 19 shots to get “close” to bulls eye. I asked him why he didn’t bring another box of ammo and he said “I’ve never taken more then 2-3 shots on any hunting trip”….No one in Camp and No store anywhere nearby had .300 RUM ammo…so he borrowed the Guides Marlin .30-30 (a junker) and missed his only opportunity that week.

 

[CBH Australia]

@bakerb - No, I’ve never lost any Ammo on a hunting trip….but it only has to happen ONCE to ruin a Hunt and that’s why I take measures to mitigate the problem in advance: I use “commonly available calibers” that can be purchased in almost any store selling ammo in the US or Canada (308, .30-06, .243, .375 H&H).

Walmart variety cartridges. Found in every Mon and Pop store or Backwoods service station.

Gone are the days of an Aussie Servo selling ammo.
Some store in small towns used to keep a small range .

No, I haven’t done flights with ammo as I used a hire rifle

 

[dchum]

Are there nations in Africa that still ban 06 as a previous military round? I hear this in passing frequently but have never dug into whether these laws have faded away.

06 was never included in this.


308 was the nato round and used in many conflicts.
All of that is over. Let’a move on

 

[Andrew62]

On 2 of my safaris my gun arrived but my luggage did not, then on another trip both my gun and checked luggage did not arrive. I do not think this happens often, but for me, given the past, I stick to taking my .308 and or .375H&H.