What in the holy hell are you guys bringing 11lbs of ammo for? Unless you are shooting 75 animals. You don't need that much ammo. Even if you are shooting 10 animals which is I'd say above average. And you shoot 3 rounds per animal which I would also say is above average. That's 30 rounds. Add 2-10 for sighting in after landing. If 40 rounds is not enough for a standard 5-8 animal safari..... You may need some better glasses.
And if you are gonna say "just in case". Honestly at that point the PH should stop you from hunting if you shooting multiple animals 5-6x.
Just a few reasons for carrying 11 pounds of ammo:
How many rounds does it take to make up 11 pounds: 30-06?, 300?, 375?, 458?, 470?, 500?, etc. Not as much as some people think: light loads mean more cartridges/ heavy loads means less cartridges.
Although 11 pounds of ammunition is maximum: this doesn't always mean 11 pounds of ammunition!: Depending on who is weighing your separate ammo lock box, often this is total weight plus contents!: Depends on the airline! and SAPS officer you encounter!:
The 11 pound ammunition limit doesn't always mean ammunition only. Often more than not includes: lock box + locks + cartridge box + ammo + other packaging material (ie. foam, etc.) = 11 pounds total. 1 cartridge over weight could easily cost 1 box of ammo to be confiscated to make an ammo box at or under the 11 pounds max weight.
Since my next safaris include hunting; larger plains and dangerous game animals in Zimbabwe (10 hunting days for 3 package animals and a list for opportunity animals: a 2nd buff, hippo, croc, leopard, warthog, badger, other animals) where minimum caliber is 375, then onto South Africa (10 hunting days 3 package animals and a list of opportunity animals) for large and the smaller plains game using 375, 30-06 and 44 mag revolver. Multiple various calibers weapons, multiple types of ammunition, thereby maximum allowable ammunition by weight.
Upon arrival you should check your scope to see that it is still on. Allowing 10 rounds max.
Rifle in soft case, bouncing around in the back seat of your PH's bakki traveling on some extremely rough "farm" roads, falling off the seat, being dropped, awkwardly carrying your rifle with scope rubbing against your body, etc. can also create cause to resight your scope; (twice on 1 hunt, used 12 rounds total to resight scope).
Many times for various reasons there are those:
"damn missed!" excuses;
poor bullet excuses: should have used a: better/tougher/expanding/"solid"/ heavier/ etc. bullet;
Regardless of the "reason" for having to use 2, 3, or 4 shots to kill 1, 2, 3, animals.
Client's original package included 4 animals and 7-10 hunting days. All 4 package animals taken in 4, 5, 6, days leaving extra day(s) to hunt more animals. Or maybe the client alters their original "vacation" plans that included sightseeing days, exchanged some of the sightseeing days for more hunting days.
Then a whole new reason to bring maximum amount of ammo and to coordinate with the PH and/or outfitter to have additional ammo available for local purchase: packaged multiple specie, multiple animals, cull hunts.
The 11 pound limit is an arbitrary weight some nimrod came up with to disquish bonafide hunters from suspected paramilitary types (a.k.a. mercenaries) illegally entering/operating, transferring though, using their respective legal/ligitament company/corporation, country for "other purposes".
I do agree that: 1 client, carrying 1 firearm, on a 7 hunting day trip, for Only 3, 4 or 5 animals with zero enthusiasm for hunting additional animals of opportunity, and spend their extra time hanging around the lodge or spending time sightseeing doesn't necessarily need to pack more than 30- 40 cartridges.
