Lockable ammo container

[VertigoBE]

Hi, I did not mean to ignore you...

As another stated, a local trophy shop. Actually, it is advertised as a laser engraving shop. They make a lot of neat personalized stuff.

The laser left an awful lot of fiberglass fuzz around every engraved letter. I scraped it off with a bit of work using a razor blade glass scraper. Then I used white Testor's model paint to fill in the letters.
I did the same thing to my Pelican rifle case.

If you can't find a laser engraver locally, send me a PM and I will send you the contract info for my local Michigan shop. They charged me less than a hundred dollar bill for two cases. One could purchase a case for delivery to any laser shop. Once engraved, the ship could ship it to the client.

Engraving one's name, address and phone number on the case is actually not such a bad idea. However, just in case my phone number would ever change, I might rather do a heavy duty sticker or something, for the phone number part.

 

[Hogpatrol]

If your handwriting is half decent, an engraving tool followed up with a paint stick is another method.
If your case is black, a hit with some fluorescent red or green paint that adheres to plastic helps.

 

[BeeMaa]

If your handwriting is half decent, an engraving tool followed up with a paint stick is another method.
If your case is black, a hit with some fluorescent red or green paint that adheres to plastic helps.

+1 on the less permanent option.

I have our last name hand written with a Sharpie on our Pelican cases because I like something easier to remove than engraving in the event I want to sell it later. Black cases have names written in silver Sharpie and it can be taken off with a little Simple Green & elbow grease.

Adding the phone number is a good idea. Might be doing that next time.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

However, just in case my phone number would ever change, I might rather do a heavy duty sticker or something, for the phone number part.

I though about that...
I did not include my Passport number since they do change.
My address may change in the distant future.
I've had the same cell number for 20 years in two different US states. It is NOT changing.

If my address or phone number changes, the worst is that I may no longer use a $100 with engraving ammo box, or a $300 total rifle case. I am far from being a rich man so I watch my pennies. Let's do a back of the C-rat box (change to "Napkin" for those who never ate C rations) accounting;

My last trip to Africa included a wonderful 4-day cull hunt at Stuart William's Tally Ho Safaris, Alldays SA. That was followed by an elephant hunt in northwest Zimbabwe. With tips and airfare for my wife and I, the total was over $15,000. Add to that Global Rescue, medical shots, malaria pills, and COVID tests to and from each country, and I don't want to think of the total costs. Heck, the medical tests, shots, and evac insurance cost more than the $400 total for the engraved cases.

To me, the laser engraved cases are cheap, reusable insurance. And if my address or phone number changes, a laser can XXXXXXXXXXXX it out and re-engrave the new information. Problem solved.

 

[VertigoBE]

I though about that...
I did not include my Passport number since they do change.
My address may change in the distant future.
I've had the same cell number for 20 years in two different US states. It is NOT changing.

If my address or phone number changes, the worst is that I may no longer use a $100 with engraving ammo box, or a $300 total rifle case. I am far from being a rich man so I watch my pennies. Let's do a back of the C-rat box (change to "Napkin" for those who never ate C rations) accounting;

My last trip to Africa included a wonderful 4-day cull hunt at Stuart William's Tally Ho Safaris, Alldays SA. That was followed by an elephant hunt in northwest Zimbabwe. With tips and airfare for my wife and I, the total was over $15,000. Add to that Global Rescue, medical shots, malaria pills, and COVID tests to and from each country, and I don't want to think of the total costs. Heck, the medical tests, shots, and evac insurance cost more than the $400 total for the engraved cases.

To me, the laser engraved cases are cheap, reusable insurance. And if my address or phone number changes, a laser can XXXXXXXXXXXX it out and re-engrave the new information. Problem solved.

That makes a lot of sense. Perhaps you are right engraving anyway.

Would you put your address on it ? Or is that too visible?

 

[Philip Glass]

I would think, at most, pull out enough individual cartridges to get under the limit if some nimrod actually weighed it and squawked. Good luck on your hunt also.
This has been an interesting thread. @Philip Glass, thanks for the detailed info. It helps with the planning for certain.

You are certainly welcome!

 

[Philip Glass]

I have used a Pelican 1150. It usually rides in the checked suitcase, but for some reason the South Africans make me check it on the way home. I'm glad I bought the Pelican rather than the MTM I originally purchased.

Pelican is superior for sure. Hmmm, I don’t think I have an 1150. What ammo will it hold And how much? 1200 holds 5 boxes of .300Win easily.
May have to add to the collection even though I don’t need it!

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Would you put your address on it ? Or is that too visible?

Yes, I had my legal name, address, and Cell/What's App number engraved on the Pelican ammo and gun cases.

What inspired me to go hog wild on the ammo box is because, and I think it was during a phone call, an elephant hunter told me about in Johannesburg Trumbo airport their ammo did not come out of the airplane baggage compartment. Finally, one of Henry's Rifle Permits employees, a petite female, climbed up the baggage conveyer into the compartment. After 5 or so minutes she appeared with ammo case in hand. She found it stuck in a very hard to see nook or cranny. Hmmm, was someone trying to profit later with expensive (in SA) ammunition?

Lessons from the squad bay include, "No one will hear you scream" (not applicable here but always good to remember), and "Let's keep the honest people honest", or in other words, make it harder to steal so that only a criminal will take the risk to steal it!

 

[rookhawk]

@Hogpatrol a loose round, or an empty piece of brass, quantity 1?

 

[rookhawk]

Regarding engraving your ammo boxes, the Pelican 1450 has a very large blank plate on the front. It slides out and you can order a plate from Pelican with your custom info that slides in.

 

[Hogpatrol]

@Hogpatrol a loose round, or an empty piece of brass, quantity 1?

Yes, to clarify, it was an fired empty round.

 

[shootist~]

Ditto on the black or silver sharpies for gun case and ammo box.
First initial & last name
City, state & zip USA
CELL: number

Plus HD plastic luggage tags, even on ammo box & backpack.

 

[Tanks]

Emirates ORD to DXB to LUS to HRE and return, occasionally Zim Air HRE to BUL

Emirates ORD to DXB to JHB, then via SAA Airlink to VIC/BUL

Everyone on here seems to think I’m a worry-wart and a stickler. As evidence for the “F around and find out” last March they detained my ten year old for 4 hours at the Dubai police station because he had a spent 7x64 cartridge in his Bino harness in his carry-on from a prior hunt. Not a live round, one empty piece of brass.

Sorry about the hassle with your son. However, that has nothing to do with airline regulations in regards to ammo boxes and suitcases. No need to spread "fake news" because you wish to be extra careful.

Best method, check with one's travel agent and go from there.

 

[rookhawk]

Sorry about the hassle with your son. However, that has nothing to do with airline regulations in regards to ammo boxes and suitcases. No need to spread "fake news" because you wish to be extra careful.

Best method, check with one's travel agent and go from there.

The relevance is the notion that airlines, permit offices, and TSA (or foreign equivelants) can be reasonable or pracitcal.

Past performance testamonials of “it’ll all be fine” or “that’s not the way it works in X airport“ is evidence only of one thing, that it worked that time in that place.

The fact that the same airports, or the same agency, at a different place, or the same place on a different day, getting a different result is the evidence I share that you should always err on the side of caution. This is why I travel with 5lbs of papers every trip, 6 copies of everything. This is why I organize my ammo and weapons the way I do, because that is the strictest interpretation that can be applied by various entities.

In another example, I had 100 bullets in checked baggage. That was a two hour debate with Chicago TSA because they could not understand the difference between bullets and ammunition. It took 5 supervisor escalations for the issue to be resolved on that day at that place.

 

[Hunt anything]

I had a buddy detained in Johannesburg for having a spent 7mm rem mag case in his carry on. He spent about 2 hours in detention. He was 77 at the time with Parkinson’s and they couldn’t understand why he was shaking, they thought he was hiding something else.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I had a buddy detained in Johannesburg for having a spent 7mm rem mag case in his carry on. He spent about 2 hours in detention. He was 77 at the time with Parkinson’s and they couldn’t understand why he was shaking, they thought he was hiding something else.

A twenty dollar bill in his passport would have taken care of that. If you're not a street smart saavy person and also think Africa is like the United States, you'll wind up not catching the elevator, five pounds of paper or not.

Edit: Watching the goings on at SAPS rifle check in is like being at the boat ramp on the weekends.

 

[Hunt anything]

Thing is he should’ve known better it was his 5th trip and my 2nd. Moral of the story I guess would be : anything to do with guns should be in checked baggage and locked if required!

 

[YancyW]

A twenty dollar bill in his passport would have taken care of that. If you're not a street smart saavy person and also think Africa is like the United States, you'll wind up not catching the elevator, five pounds of paper or not.

Edit: Watching the goings on at SAPS rifle check in is like being at the boat ramp on the weekends.

I'm glad someone finally said it. Only took 5 pages!!

I always take 20-30 packs of Marlboros with every trip, I don't smoke.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I'm glad someone finally said it. Only took 5 pages!!

If one has been to Africa multiple times, anywhere, and hasn't been a party to a flim flam of some sort, they're not doing it right.

Saint Ambrose pegged it back in the fourth century.

 

[Hank2211]

Did you have to check it as a separate item ALL the way home to Canada or just in Africa?

I had this issue on a recent trip to South Africa. The details are in my most recent hunt report, but in a nutshell, my ammo was in my checked luggage from YYC to YUL to DOH to JNB, on two airlines (Air Canada and Qatar) without any issue.

My last flight on that trip was a domestic flight JNB to KIM. As those of you who have done this know, you need to pick up your luggage in JNB, get through the police check, and then re-check everything in the domestic terminal. It was at that point that the agent refused to check my bag with the ammo in it, stating that it had to be in a separate locked container. I tried just about everything I could to point out that this was the continuation of the same ticket and so IATA rules stated that Qatar's baggage rules applied to the entire itinerary, but of course, she refused to budge, as did her supervisor. Fortunately, the rifle security people saw sense and the issue was resolved without the knowledge of the ticket agent.

This points up what both @rookhawk and @Philip Glass have been saying, if somewhat differently - there are rules, and they usually apply. But when you're talking about Africa (or, candidly, North America these days), the rules aren't always applied or interpreted the same way. For example, the rules say the ammo can't weigh more than 11 lbs, but you can run into someone (as I have, in Canada) who says that the ammo and the case can't be more than 11 lbs. All you can do is meet the rules as they are most commonly read and applied, and if a problem arises, deal with it at the time.

So to answer your question, if you have no domestic flights in Africa, you can keep the ammo in your checked luggage all the way. If you have a domestic flight in Africa, you may want to check the ammo as a separate bag all the way, or only for the last segment.

I will say this about Africa vs. North America - I have always been able to solve problems in Africa - one way or another (if you get my drift) - but some of those options aren't available in North America. So I'll take Africa.