How many shots?

[One Day...]

Having twice arrived at a hunting destination without my checked bag but with a rifle, I am never separating the bolt - ever. That is essentially like packing the barrels and action for one of my double rifles separately. I am not doing that either. In my experience, ammo is much easier to find than a bolt. Just saying. I also doubt the typical numskull making off with a rifle in a baggage area is doing a careful inspection of it to see what might be missing.

Hahahah, love the idea of packing the barrels separately. Yeah, I can see your point LOL
You are luckier than me, or maybe the Gods think that I am a minimalist, because the one time the duffel bag was missing, so was the gun case... and the one time the gun case showed up one flight later but still without the duffel, it might as well not have shown...

Griffin & Howe .340 Wby with Brno 602 action damaged during handling

• One Day...
• Jul 17, 2018
• 6

I like the way you wrote it, made me laugh. Like: "duuhh, he's right!"
Just made the change to my checklist...
Thanks for the 2x4 across the forehead. Was apparently needed LOL. Funny how we become prisoners of our paradigms and just stop thinking...

 

[Red Leg]

Last October in Moz I arrived with no checked bag, but with my R8. I was given clothing and 9 rounds of hand loaded A-Frames . I used up two firing a couple of one-shot “groups”. The remaining were used on a buffalo (2), a Lichtenstein Hardebeest (1), reedbuck (1), and sable (2). Thank goodness my bag (and ammo) arrived the next day before I had to resort to a bayonet.

And You know some of these sorry bastards deliberately stomp gun cases.

 

[buffybr]

@One Day... I agree with most of what you posted.
Prior to the trip to Mozambique that I mentioned, the only ammo limitation that I could find on the internet was 11 kilos.

My luggage had been checked through from Denver to Maputo, Mozambique.

The delay I had arriving in Moz was from the Customs agents doing the paperwork for them to hold my 3rd box of 20 cartridges and put it in their safe.

Then the delay I had leaving Moz was from the Customs agents reading their own paperwork for holding my box of cartridges and then going into the next room and getting the box from their safe. They then gave me my box of cartridges and allowed me to leave the Customs area into the open airport.

That was all fine and I put my 3 cartridge boxes into my locked box in my checked baggage. As my checked bag went through the x-ray prior to being loaded on my plane for home, the airport police officer at the scanner saw my 3 boxes of cartridges and stopped my bag.

I showed him the papers that Customs gave me when they returned my 3rd box of cartridges, but the police officer couldn't understand it. So two police officers and I went back to Customs, found the Customs officers that I had dealt with, who then explained everything to the police, and I was finally allowed to fly home, with all of my ammo.

On previous trips just to South African I have used the meet and greet service of Afton House with excellent results.

On all of my African hunting trips, including separate flights from Johannesburg to Kimberly and return, I have had my ammo in a locked box inside my checked luggage.

Also, like Red Leg posted, I would never put my rifle bolt in any luggage other than my locked rifle case.

 

[rnovi]

Well, things happen. That's the problem, really. Could be a scope goes bad...or you need to do a full resighting in the field. Or even just a confidence builder.

On my last safari, I brought I think 60 rounds of 7mm Rem Mag. I came home with 40 rounds.

Three sighters...a springer I missed twice...a damn black wildebeest that cost me 8 rounds (what a miserable 24 hours that was)...and then it was Zebra, Wart, Blue Wild, Red Hart, Eland (two). And one, one round left in the bar of my outfitter. Dave at Leopards Valley can tell you that story.

Sometimes shit happens. Like that Black. Bastard kept running...and running...and running...never let us get a solid shot within 300 yards and I wasn't going to let him go (I winged him...barely grazed him on the first shot and then it was a two day foot chase).

 

[Hogpatrol]

OT, I had one trip to Moz to fish only and there was still an attempted shakedown at the airport by customs on departure.
Must be standard operating procedure.

 

[IvW]

Well, things happen. That's the problem, really. Could be a scope goes bad...or you need to do a full resighting in the field. Or even just a confidence builder.

On my last safari, I brought I think 60 rounds of 7mm Rem Mag. I came home with 40 rounds.

Three sighters...a springer I missed twice...a damn black wildebeest that cost me 8 rounds (what a miserable 24 hours that was)...and then it was Zebra, Wart, Blue Wild, Red Hart, Eland (two). And one, one round left in the bar of my outfitter. Dave at Leopards Valley can tell you that story.

Sometimes shit happens. Like that Black. Bastard kept running...and running...and running...never let us get a solid shot within 300 yards and I wasn't going to let him go (I winged him...barely grazed him on the first shot and then it was a two day foot chase).

Yip. What is it that we always say about first shot placement..... I know Shi.... happens....

 

[Kalahari]

Always take more rounds with you , because u never now what is going to happen on a hunting trip

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Late to the game but here is my two cents...I would take 2 per plains game you plan on shooting plus 10 more. You never know how a hunt will go and in addition to your planned animals targets of opportunity always show up. As for Dangerous game take 20 bullets and that should get you through. Real world stuff...ok this past July I took the family to Limcroma and shot 11 animals including a cape with 21 bullets. I then went on to hunt in the Kalahari for Rhino and springbok. Rhino took 7 shots all but 1 of them was lethal. Springbok first 3 with 1 shot last one took 6 shots as I was shooting long distance in big wind and missed 4 times straight.

 

[Newboomer]

to be fair, let's say you have just sighted in your rifle(s) and the safari is about to begin.
from this point, until you leave for home, how many shots per animal do you fire?
shots fired divided by no of animals.
don't tell me one, because i will not believe it.
not saying it can't be done, but it would be rare indeed.
i think 2 would be excellent and 3 not too bad.
bruce.

On my first safari I took 40 rds, of 7 mag, Barnes TSX 160g. Used 3 to sight in and took 9 head with 14 shots for a total of 17 rds. My gemsbok took 3 ( 1 wound a little low at 325 yds, 1 miss at 350 yds, 1 finishing). My blue wildebeest took 2 ( 1 wound at 180 yds a little off center, 1 finishing). My springbok took 3 ( 2 misses due to wind gusts, 1 killshot at 268 yds. Not very good but I hadn't hunted in decades. Lots of practice, but it's a whole different ballgame out in the bush with live critters.

Second hunt: I took 30 rds. of 375HH. 10 350 g Barnes TSX, 20 Barnes TSX 235 g. Collected 7 head with 13 rds. 5 rds to sight in, 2 for buffalo (1 kill, 1 insurance). 1 for hartebeast, 1 for sable, 1 each for 4 springbok. Ranges from 50 to 300 yds.

 

[JimP]

On my trip I took over 60 rounds of my custom loaded ammo, .340 Weatherby ammo is hard to find anywhere.

I brought home 8 animals and 45 loaded rounds and that included 3 to check the scopes zero before the hunt started.

If you are prepared for the hunt you will always bring home ammo, but it is nice to have extra just in case. You can shoot up 20 rounds real quick if your scope gets knocked out of alignment or if you need to replace it for some reason.

 

[Philip Glass]

It can depend a lot on where you are hunting but I start with the airline imposed weight limit and if there is any (each country is different) round limit and then decide from here what is practical and needed. So if you are shooting a .308 it’s one thing weight wise and if you have a .470NE it’s a whole different ballgame. Plan on taking as much as you can from a starting point then see how that compares with your bag weight and staying under the 50lb max. This is where I’ll possibly reduce my ammo that I am taking.
Guys this post is not about how you shot 8 animals all in the head running with one shot, it’s about practical packing for Safari! Sure we’ve all had the great hunts (at least I hope so) but many of us have also had an issue and had to re-zero our guns and these scenarios can eat up your ammo. Great discussion.
Regards,
Philip

 

[BRICKBURN]

..........
how you shot 8 animals all in the head running with one shot,......

Isn't that how you do it? I try it left handed just to spice it up.

 

[Longwalker]

On my one and only plains game hunt I also experienced the usual one and sometimes two shots per animal killed. And then there was the eland. It took me 7 shots to kill that unfortunate critter, 5 of which were solid hits. You never know!

 

[Philip Glass]

On my one and only plains game hunt I also experienced the usual one and sometimes two shots per animal killed. And then there was the eland. It took me 7 shots to kill that unfortunate critter, 5 of which were solid hits. You never know!

Very good example of an animal being a lead sponge. It happens!
Philip

 

[Hearties]

Pack a few extra - you can always bring them home...

 

[Tn_Huntaholic]

Just reading and learning here, but why bother bringing ammo home? If my PH or anybody else for that matter has a need for my extra ammo after the hunt is over they are more than welcome to it! From what Ive read here today, it seems a box of ammo over there can cost up to 300 bucks, so if I tip my PH, tracker, skinner, etc... with a couple boxes of ammo that seems WAY more valuable than 10 bucks a day cash. In the grand scheme of things ammo is CHEAP here, why bother bringing it back?

 

[JimP]

Ammo should not be considered a tip but a gift if you leave it there.

Also if you are shooting a common type of ammo or some that your PH or outfitter has a rifle for then I can understand it. But if you are shooting a obscure or custom ammo you are better just bringing it back home.

 

[Tn_Huntaholic]

Ammo should not be considered a tip but a gift if you leave it there.

Also if you are shooting a common type of ammo or some that your PH or outfitter has a rifle for then I can understand it. But if you are shooting a obscure or custom ammo you are better just bringing it back home.

Yeah, I get that. It wasn't like I meant it would be the only gratuity left with them. If however, say I take a 375 H&H shooting factory ammo, its not coming home with me. On the other hand, if I also took say my 300 ultra shooting 96 gr RL25 loaded SPECIFICALLY for my rifle, I don't see anybody over there having a use for it. Common sense comes into play here lol.

 

[Neil Molendyk]

Take the max allowable on your airline, they will allow you to take the unused home with you. On my last trip I had a scope issue on one of the rifles (man made problem, not the scopes fault) and it took 10 rounds to resolve. Because it was a 375 H&H , more cartridges would have been available locally but I had worked up handloads for the rifle and wanted to use them specifically. I brought 40 with me and was glad I did. One, one two and one shots on four plains game.

 

[Ridgewalker]

My last hunt with 375 H&H 250 Barnes TTSX:
Sight check 2
Croc 3; 1 neck (which was enough, but), 1 front shoulder, 1 rear legs
Eland 1
Black wildebeest 1
Sable 1
Warthog 1
Caracal 2 (shot under the first one trying not to destroy it)
Jackal 3-4, but no jackal...my nemesis! They are why I carry spare ammo!
Took 60 rounds and backup scope sighted in with QR mounts.
Bolt is out of rifle, but in the Pelican case with the rifle as well as the spare scope.
I shoot at least 10-20 rounds off sticks with the MRC 375 H&H each range trip. I have owned it 2 years now and must have over 1000 rounds through it including load testing. Slick barrel easily cleaned.