Traveling with ammo

Has your ammo ever not shown up?

  • My ammo has always shown up

    Votes: 32 88.9%

  • My ammo has been lost once

    Votes: 3 8.3%

  • My ammo has been lost twice

    Votes: 1 2.8%

  • My ammo has been lost multiple times

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    36
Bandera

Bandera

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I see the reply pop up from time to time, only take this caliber in the event your ammo gets lost.
Typically if your ammo doesn’t show up it means your suitcase / duffel bag or gun case didn’t make it.
So let us hear about your experiences while traveling.
 
Once, on a safari in Zambia, my duffel bag missed the plane from Doha to Harare. My ammo was in the bag inside a locked container. Fortunately, I planned to overnight in Harare. Between Gracy and Qatar Airways, they got my bag to me the next day before my charter flight was scheduled to leave.

Most discouraging was the fact that my Scotch was also in my duffle. @Jeff505 and I had to make do with Glenfiddich in the hotel bar at $100 per double!
 
Checking in on Air France. But through Delta in Minneapolis. The new generation of employees there having no clue... checked one bag that ammo in it as rifles.

That caused confusion in South Africa. Fortunately my wife, @Just Gina had placed Apple trackers in all our bags and cases. So we were able to somewhat pinpoint where it was.

Luckily we had also employed the Famous Mr X. AND paid for VIP services. Mr X sent the VIP guy running to fetch our bag and we were soon on our way.
 
There’s a bit more to it than ammo being lost once or twice or not at all. It matters how many trips to really get an idea. I’ve had my ammo not arrive 1/13 safaris and was down to my final 2 bullets on a different safari. My ammo that didn’t arrive I had to pick up and claim before departing Cameroon. It arrived 4 days late after I already took regional flights to hunting area. It happens, but something else to consider outside South Africa and Namibia nearly all rental rifles are supplied ammunition leftover by clients so it can help the next client too. Not just in the event your ammo doesn’t arrive.
 
Doug3006 said:
Once, on a safari in Zambia, my duffel bag missed the plane from Doha to Harare. My ammo was in the bag inside a locked container. Fortunately, I planned to overnight in Harare. Between Gracy and Qatar Airways, they got my bag to me the next day before my charter flight was scheduled to leave.

Most discouraging was the fact that my Scotch was also in my duffle. @Jeff505 and I had to make do with Glenfiddich in the hotel bar at $100 per double!
Click to expand...
$100 per double of glenfiddich is the most terrible thing I’ve heard in a long time.
 
Doug3006 said:
Once, on a safari in Zambia, my duffel bag missed the plane from Doha to Harare. My ammo was in the bag inside a locked container. Fortunately, I planned to overnight in Harare. Between Gracy and Qatar Airways, they got my bag to me the next day before my charter flight was scheduled to leave.

Most discouraging was the fact that my Scotch was also in my duffle. @Jeff505 and I had to make do with Glenfiddich in the hotel bar at $100 per double!
Click to expand...
The scotch not showing up, that would be rough.
 
Thank goodness my ammo never got lost. I sweated it once, returning from a hunt in Spain, because the authorities required me to check the ammo separately from my luggage and my rifle. I did arrive safely in the states.
 
As I recall, once long ago my ammo did not catch up with me until i was homeward bound. A kind Spanish gentleman gave me a few 416 Rigby rounds in Bangue which turned out to be more than I needed. Another time at the LAX airport an unkind Air France employee would not let me take my firearms because Air France had inadvertently left them off one leg of my eight leg trip. I borrowed a 375 on arrival and had a great hunt. Have never permanently lost a firearm or ammo in 65 years of air travel. I might add very frequent air travel
 
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On both my trips to South Africa I really didn't worry too much about either my rifle or my ammo, I figured why should I worry about something that is out of my control.

I had decided that if one or both didn’t show up that I would just use the outfitters rifle and ammo.

I'm a believer in not worrying about something that is out of my control, and it makes long trips like the flights to South Africa and other places a lot more enjoyable.
 
They "forgot" my bow and arrows once. Three weeks later they caught up to me after the PH made a bunch of phone calls and I explained that my target of choice would change over night if the bow case did show up the next morning for the hunt. It arrived.
If i had needed it at the beginning of the trip I would have been screwed.
 
IOUs
Happy Myles said:
As I recall, once long ago my ammo did not catch up with me until i was homeward bound. A kind Spanish gentleman gave me a few 416 Rigby rounds in Bangue which turned out to be more than I needed. Another time at the LAX airport an unkind Air France employee would not let me take my firearms because Air France had inadvertently left them off one leg of my eight leg trip. I borrowed a 375 on arrival and had a great hunt. Have never permanently lost a firearm or ammo in 65 years of air travel. I might add very frequent air travel
Click to expand...
Bangui not Bangue. Sorry
 
Just to add to this, my ammo and guns have always made it.
I do make sure that if possible my guns and ammo are checked all the through.
My buddy showed up late in Argentina, American Airlines did check his luggage all the way through. At his stop in Chile he had to recheck his shotgun. The police were not happy about the fact that he had a firearm in the airport. He has not happy with all the guns pointing at him.
 
Due to the fact I’m on a 23 hour layover in Addis Abada, because I missed my connecting flight to Victoria Falls, I have plenty of time to chime in! lol On two of my previous trips to Africa, my ammo did not arrive for a number of days. Because I was using a 375 H&H, there was ammo in camp for me to use. This is why I always recommend using a caliber that PH’s will have ammo for on Safari.
 
My last trip to SA, my duffle/ammo made it, but my rifle stayed behind in Atlanta. First time I've lost either. Good news is my rifle made it in late the next day, but lost a day and a half of hunting due to having to transit back to J'burg to retrieve my rifle.
 
I’ve personally never had it not arrive going to Africa, however my hunting partner on my first trip had his rifle left in Doha and got it a few days later.

1) Domestically I’ve had it arrive a day late in Boisie.
2) Get stuck in DFW and have to collect it on the return.
3) Had it arrive at a different airport, in a different state, with a different airline and neither airline wanted to claim responsibility. After 2 days of arguing with both airlines saying they couldn’t deliver or check it to my intended destination because it was a firearms and I’d need to come get it, I 3-way called the ATF with the airline who somehow incorrectly got my firearm to report it stolen and let them know it had an AirTag on it. I had my firearms that evening personally delivered.
4) Had a bow mistaken for a firearm and be refused to be delivered
5) had it flown into Denver instead of Colorado Springs (during Hurricane Harvey)

I travel frequently on airlines and having a firearm with me is a very common occurrence
 
Safari 2021, my rifle case and all my none hunting sisters luggage was left in Addis, lucky we stayed at African Sky and the best "I can do anything" man Gilbert had all at our room doors well before outfitter pick us up 3 days later. Another reason for an extra few days before a hunt makes total sense.

On return home flight from Namibia my gun case was lost by Delta. Did not arrive in Atlanta as did many other hunters gun cases. Plane overweight was reason given, they were taken off?? I caught connectors home to BC Canada. After dozens of calls and 4 months passing their PR person actually told me " They are done with trying to find my gun case, if you want to try and find yourself". Then a $2500 check showed up in mail. Imagine when I called SAP's, spoke to an amazing man who told me my luggage went day after my flight on Delta Cargo to Atlanta, then gave me the US phone number. One call to Delta Cargo in Atlanta and another amazing man was looking at my now 5 month lost case. Delta forwarded to importer in Vic and I picked up. Then cashed check as Delta told me too.

Fingers crossed all luggage stays with me on future trips.

MB
 
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