Suppressors in Africa

1Birddog!

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I feel like I’m beating a dead horse, but the conflicting information concerning bringing suppressors to Africa is unsettling. Yes, some guys and their buddies go every year and experience zero problems and think this is all a big joke. While others cannot get an ATF 5320.2 or their CBP 4357 forms approved for suppressors.
Does anyone reading this have “the juice” to contact the administration and address this grey area? We, as American citizens, deserve to have a clear policy that we can legally take our legal suppressors on legal trips to Africa and legally bring them back. This is ridiculous that only “some” ATF 5320.2 are signed by ATF and others, for no rational reason, are disapproved. That only “some” 4357 forms are approved for suppressors by CBP and others, for no rational, are not.
 
I feel your frustration. But I suspect there are bigger federal issue fish to fry.

I was considering taking mine.
Even talked to local DHS officer at the SAT airport. He said " you can put the suppressors on a separate 4357 or all on the same as the rifle. It doesn't matter." Incredible

The risk is very high if travel goes pear shaped and you get rerouted to LHR or JFK... Bad juju.
 
I wouldn't risk it...


My son would...
 
i used them in africa on the ph,s rifles, but i have good electric hearing muffs and didn,t see a need for them for me.

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I picked one up in RSA and left it with my outfitter. My buddy bought it for me and had it ready when I got there.

It wasn’t very expensive. It was a nice Swedish brand. I wish I could buy one like it in the states.

It’s easier to do this than jump through all the hoops.
 
If I were going to do it, I would have the outfitter buy one and have it for me when I got there as well. However, I also don't really want to deal with POI shifting on my rifle and adjusting zero when I get there if I don't have to. Ideally it would be less of an ordeal to worry about taking our own suppressors. But for now, I'll err on the side of caution and just leave it at home.
 
Buying/borrowing/renting one when there probably makes the most sense.
 
Be VERY careful flying to Africa with suppressors guys. Some African govts. will take a dim view of them. My advice would be steer clear of them or ask your outfitter as to the legality of their use in your destination country. I think South Africa is okay with them. North of the border, not so much.
 
Why does the OP, or anyone else, feel it is so important to have a suppressor in Africa when the apparent risk is so high?
I have never owned one so maybe I am missing something?
 
@1Birddog! I can’t help with your import/export requirements but after reading many posts it seems that they are commonplace in South Africa and the outfitters like you to use them.

A few people have asked the outfitter to buy one for them as the they sell at reasonable prices and there are no restrictions.

In Australia we cannot get a permit for hunting purposes or private use. But, the flip side is that those who can get a permit must pay a premium to buy the suppressor.

If they are only $200 in Africa I think I would look at buying in country and avoid the red tape.
 
Why does the OP, or anyone else, feel it is so important to have a suppressor in Africa when the apparent risk is so high?
I have never owned one so maybe I am missing something?
I own quite a few of them. They have their up sides and their downsides. The downsides are added weight and length, cost, and the government red tape. That said, the red tape isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be. The first time takes a little longer, but once the FFL has your information on file it isn't too bad. Filling out the paperwork at my usual FFL takes less time than buying a gun at Cabela's now.

Length and weight can be mitigated with a shorter, lighter rifle and suppressors come in various sizes, weights, and materials. They're also removable if needed, unless you buy an intergal. As far as cost, yes, they cost money. In the US, this is somewhat a side effect of regulation. Due to the NFA, suppressors are considered lifetime purchases and are designed and built accordingly. In countries where they're unregulated, they can be considered somewhat disposable and built more lightly since it's easier to just buy a new one if it wears out.

Now for the upsides: With my largest suppressor, my 16.5" .308 bolt action sounds about like an unsuppressed .22 and is about the same length and weight as a typical unsuppressed sporter. I give up some velocity, but I was willing to make that trade for my use. Recoil is reduced, though not as much as with a brake. Not a big deal on the .308, but nice on the bigger rifles. On a suppressed .22, the hammer fall and the bullet hitting the target are both louder than the report, which is grin-inducing.

For my use, I have three suppressors in various sizes that all mount on the same type of taper mount, so I can swap them between all of my .30 caliber and under bolt-action rifles as desired. The entire setup was designed with versatility in mind. If this sounds like a total rabbit hole, you're right, it is, and they're not for everyone. If they are for you, you'll want to suppress everything all the time, hence the draw of having one in Africa, which finally brings us back to the topic at hand.

I'll be traveling to SA this year. I was originally planning to take a rifle, but have since decided to rent. I kicked around the idea of taking one of my suppressors along with the rifle, but there are just too many risks and inconveniences. They're illegal in some states, and unfortunately some of the major airport hubs such as O'Hare, Newark, etc. are in those states. Not sure about the various European and Middle East hubs, so that's just more research. In the end, we booked ATL-JNB on Delta which would have been fine, but what if something comes up and we had to change flights? Now I'm potentially sitting there with a very illegal chunk of metal in my luggage in a place where it's very likely to be found. In the end I had decided that, if I took a rifle, I'd have had the outfitter pick up an appropriate suppressor prior to my arrival and left it as a gift for him. The few hundred dollars that they cost in SA made that a more appealing option than the risk of taking my own. FWIW, all the rental rifles that my outfitter has are suppressed.
 
I own quite a few of them. They have their up sides and their downsides. The downsides are added weight and length, cost, and the government red tape. That said, the red tape isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be. The first time takes a little longer, but once the FFL has your information on file it isn't too bad. Filling out the paperwork at my usual FFL takes less time than buying a gun at Cabela's now.

Length and weight can be mitigated with a shorter, lighter rifle and suppressors come in various sizes, weights, and materials. They're also removable if needed, unless you buy an intergal. As far as cost, yes, they cost money. In the US, this is somewhat a side effect of regulation. Due to the NFA, suppressors are considered lifetime purchases and are designed and built accordingly. In countries where they're unregulated, they can be considered somewhat disposable and built more lightly since it's easier to just buy a new one if it wears out.

Now for the upsides: With my largest suppressor, my 16.5" .308 bolt action sounds about like an unsuppressed .22 and is about the same length and weight as a typical unsuppressed sporter. I give up some velocity, but I was willing to make that trade for my use. Recoil is reduced, though not as much as with a brake. Not a big deal on the .308, but nice on the bigger rifles. On a suppressed .22, the hammer fall and the bullet hitting the target are both louder than the report, which is grin-inducing.

For my use, I have three suppressors in various sizes that all mount on the same type of taper mount, so I can swap them between all of my .30 caliber and under bolt-action rifles as desired. The entire setup was designed with versatility in mind. If this sounds like a total rabbit hole, you're right, it is, and they're not for everyone. If they are for you, you'll want to suppress everything all the time, hence the draw of having one in Africa, which finally brings us back to the topic at hand.

I'll be traveling to SA this year. I was originally planning to take a rifle, but have since decided to rent. I kicked around the idea of taking one of my suppressors along with the rifle, but there are just too many risks and inconveniences. They're illegal in some states, and unfortunately some of the major airport hubs such as O'Hare, Newark, etc. are in those states. Not sure about the various European and Middle East hubs, so that's just more research. In the end, we booked ATL-JNB on Delta which would have been fine, but what if something comes up and we had to change flights? Now I'm potentially sitting there with a very illegal chunk of metal in my luggage in a place where it's very likely to be found. In the end I had decided that, if I took a rifle, I'd have had the outfitter pick up an appropriate suppressor prior to my arrival and left it as a gift for him. The few hundred dollars that they cost in SA made that a more appealing option than the risk of taking my own. FWIW, all the rental rifles that my outfitter has are suppressed.

Great information, thank you for answering my question.
 

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