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starmac
10-11-2013, 04:23 PM
Does all ammo have to be in one box when flying, or can it be distributed throughout the suitcases in the small ammo boxes? Anyone know??

Firebricker
10-11-2013, 04:36 PM
Probably best to check with the airline your using since they change stuff so often. Last time a friend flew with ammo he said they wanted it in the original container but that was about four years ago but it was all in same bag. FB

Gar
10-11-2013, 06:11 PM
Flew two weeks ago on Southwest, checked my .308 rifle in a gun case with 4, 20 round factory boxes of ammo no problem.
Southwest has a 11 pound limit on ammo.
Like Firebricker said, check with the airlines, some may have different requirements.

shooter93
10-11-2013, 06:18 PM
When I went to Zimbabwe a few years back I was told about weight limits etc. I took the ammo is "sacks"....plastic boxes weight more than you think and I knew how much for each rifle might be needed. It all had to be in the same bag...not a carry on but with checked luggage... and not with the guns. I had no troubles at all either in the US or Africa. I flew on several airlines both going and coming back and no problems, questions etc. One thing I found interesting....Africa has a much better system for traveling with guns. Much safer and efficent than ours.

grumman581
10-11-2013, 06:21 PM
Not only does it depend upon the airline and the written FAA rules, but it also depends upon the airport you are flying out of (and the culture of the people who live there). A few years ago, I had a problem at SEA (Seattle, WA) with Delta and ended up having to surrender my ammo. I lodged a complain with the TSA and with Delta. Eventually the TSA admitted their mistake and said that they would give additional training to their agents to help prevent that in the future and Delta sent me a $100 voucher for a future flight. I never took advantage of the Delta voucher though since their prices were always significantly higher than other airlines for the destinations that I was traveling to. All I really wanted was for them to replace the Federal Hydra-Shok .45ACP ammo that they made me surrender.

376Steyr
10-11-2013, 06:39 PM
I do know the ammo needs to be in a container of some kind. Hunting buddy of mine had his shotgun shells come out of their battered cardboard boxes and were rattling around in the bottom of his luggage. He got a nasty form letter placed in his bag, informing him of terrible fines and penalties that he could have suffered.

shooter93
10-11-2013, 06:54 PM
Yes...I forgot to add that...had to be in checked baggage and not with the gun and in a "lockable" container. I used a cheap cash box with the tray taken out.

starmac
10-11-2013, 07:39 PM
She called delta, all they require is that the rounds be in boxes, and you can carry 50 pounds worth. The gun has to be in a lockable case, but not the ammo.

sharpsguy
10-11-2013, 08:00 PM
You cannot carry 50 pounds of ammunition. Your BAG has a 50 pound maximum. You are limited to 11 pounds or 5 kilos of ammunition. It must be in boxes designed for ammunition, and must be in a locked checked bag. It cannot go in your carry on. The 11 pound limit is due to an international covenant and is the standard adhered to by all airlines world wide.

starmac
10-11-2013, 08:12 PM
You cannot carry 50 pounds of ammunition. Your BAG has a 50 pound maximum. You are limited to 11 pounds or 5 kilos of ammunition. It must be in boxes designed for ammunition, and must be in a locked checked bag. It cannot go in your carry on. The 11 pound limit is due to an international covenant and is the standard adhered to by all airlines world wide.

Well my friend just about a month ago flew out of here with 49 pounds of 357 and 44 ammo, because it was hard to get in texas. It was all reloaded ammo and in the plastic ammo boxes that sportsmans sells. I don't know what international law says, but this was what Delta told him, and I helped him weigh it and drove him to the airport. Your bag can and sometimes is over 50 pounds, you just have to pay extra bucks if it is, he put his in separate bags, to beat the 50 pound bag limit though.

Could the 11 pound and lockable box be a law on international flights??

725
10-11-2013, 09:01 PM
I spent a tremendous amount of time loading and sealing my buddy's .375 ammo for an African trip and he played heck with it at JFK. It was sealed in five round and ten round lots in a food sealing plastic sleeves. Then locked in a container in his luggage. They gave him major problem, and ended up confiscating all the ammo that wasn't in a factory cardboard box. The stuff in a few factory boxes was also reloads of the same lot but in the all important paper box and not the clean, dust free, moisture free, packable plastic sleeves. His troubles just got worse as he was forced to miss flights, get rerouted through London, Paris and eventually Jo-berg. Missed completely the charter from Jo-berg to a planned hunt and miss out on much of his hunting. In Paris there were threats to confiscate his rifle. There is more to this horror story. I'll just leave it to say I don't think any of those places will be getting anymore of my tourist money.

starmac
10-11-2013, 09:06 PM
I guess a lot depends on the airport, and maybe where you are going. Here is we are flying anywhere instate we can just carry it in our pockets.

grumman581
10-12-2013, 04:28 AM
I guess a lot depends on the airport, and maybe where you are going. Here is we are flying anywhere instate we can just carry it in our pockets.

Well, for most of the flights that I do, I carry my ammo and firearm on my person regardless of which state I'm flying to. Very seldom do I ever have to put it in my luggage.

Mk42gunner
10-12-2013, 05:02 AM
Your best bet is going to be finding both the FAA and airlines rules and regulations on line and printing you own copy of them to take to the airport. I will bet there is a significant difference between the two.

It has been so long since I flew commercial with guns and ammo that I am not even going to hazard a guess.

Robert

btroj
10-12-2013, 07:15 AM
I would call the airline.

General rule is it must be in a box of some sort, not loose. Max allowed is 5 Kilograms which is basically 11 pounds. Not placed in case with gun, just placed in checked bags.

TXGunNut
10-12-2013, 02:06 PM
Last time I flew I did the research on FAA and airline sites. To be safe I'd use "original" boxes and keep it under 11 lbs. The firearm can be in the same bag but it must be secured in an approved lock box, mine secures with a cable to the frame of the suitcase. The outside of the case had to be locked with a TSA approved lock. It must also be declared at the check-in counter. I told one clerk that I had an unloaded firearm and she said loudly "loaded firearm?" and started laughing. I gave her a very stern glare, repeated that I had an "unloaded firearm" loudly enough that at least two TSA agents and her supervisor heard me clearly. I think she was either incredibly dense or trying to bait me a bit. I also printed off and carried both FAA and airline rules because I suspected there may be significant gaps in their training. Each time they took the bag to another room for a safety check, I was allowed to watch from the doorway. They seemed a bit less curious when my bag had dirty socks and underwear in it. ;-)

JeffinNZ
10-12-2013, 05:40 PM
I'll have to check the IATA regs at work but from memory you are allowed 2kg of ammo in baggage.

starmac
10-12-2013, 05:51 PM
She can bring 11 pounds, she weighed it at the post office and had to remove 1 50 round box of 22wmr to get under the limit. So it turned out about right.

grumman581
10-12-2013, 11:38 PM
I remember reading awhile back about punt guns. One of the interesting things that I read was that even after they were no longer allowed to be used on waterfowl, the shells were used by powder manufacturers to ship powder samples across the country to firearm industry writers and such because they could avoid the HAZMAT shipping charges. If there was an 11 lb limit and you were wanting to maximize the number of rounds that you could carry in those 11 lbs, I suspect that you could carry a large quantity of resized and primed brass plus a couple of the "loaded" 2-gauge shotgun shells (that were full of powder, but did not have an active primer nor any shot in them). The actual lead bullets would not even need to be declared in your ammo weight and if you put them in some of the SCUBA soft weight pouches, they would just the same as the shot that we often carry in them. When I fly commercial for dive trips, I often put my dive weights in my carry-on luggage since the weight doesn't count against me.

Of course, you would have to have one of the hand reloading tools like Lee makes and a die to go along with it, but those items would not count against your ammo weight allowance.

starmac
10-13-2013, 01:26 AM
Funny that you mentioned that. I read a thread today on another forum. The guy was out of powder and flew into anchorage with some spent 7 mag shells with the bullet just seated with his thumb. He bought some powder and filled the casings and reseated them to get some powder back home. lol

grumman581
10-13-2013, 04:24 AM
Funny that you mentioned that. I read a thread today on another forum. The guy was out of powder and flew into anchorage with some spent 7 mag shells with the bullet just seated with his thumb. He bought some powder and filled the casings and reseated them to get some powder back home. lol

A 7mm mag round does not hold *that* much powder. He must have had quite a few of them or wasn't taking that much powder back with him.

For the most part these days, I only fly commercial when the weather is too bad for me to fly my own plane or I consider it too far to drive (i.e. more than a 1-day drive). I wish they would approve a particular packing method for powder and primers so that we did not have to just take previously loaded ammo. If they allow loaded shotgun shells, then you would think that they would allow just powder in plastic medicine bottle or maybe just in 1" PVC pipe with plastic caps on the ends.

BruceB
10-13-2013, 06:04 AM
A long time ago, probably in the '70s, we were traveling home to the Northwest Territories after a holiday. Our flight originated in Edmonton Alberta, and the terminal there was undergoing radical expansion and modification. I had about eight pounds of assorted smokeless powder in one of our suitcases.

As we waited for our flight, suddenly the building shook and there was a tremendous roar as the workers fired a blast in the new foundation area of the terminal.

My first reaction was to wonder if I'd left any identification in that suitcase...