Sniper’s Hide Cup Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

[akula702002]

Hi folks. I'm attending the train-up and the match, and traveling from the east coast (NJ). Do people have any tips on air travel with firearms and ammo? Specifically, if I need to bring more than 11lbs of ammo (which I believe is the limit), how have others accomplished this? Any reccommended TSA approved locks, etc.? Any advice is appreciated, don't want get jammed at the airport.

 

[Lindy]

Re: Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

Ship the ammo.

See this thread, especially the comment by GonHunting on airline travel.

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1027191#Post1027191

 

[akula702002]

Re: Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

Lindy,

As always thanks for really fast and helpful advice. I'll remember to search before I ask next time.

 

[Rob01]

Re: Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

Definitely ship the ammo. I always do that when going to mmatches because for one it's easier and second I usually have more than 11lbs also.

Flying with a rifle is easy but just give yourself a little more time before your flight for the TSA to give a personal check in the case. Especially coming from NJ LOL I fly from the northeast also and it's not too bad but nicer coming from TX. You'll see when you fly back from Corpus.

I really wish I was coming down with you and shooting the match but it's not in the cards for me this time.

 

[akula702002]

Re: Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

Rob wish you could make it. Always good shooting with you. Do you ship to yourself at the hotel or to RO?

 

[Rob01]

Re: Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

Down to RO. I wouldn't trust a hotel with my ammo but Lisa takes good care of it.

 

[Chiller]

Re: Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

Ship is to Lisa, she is a god send to us who have gone to RO. The rifle...you get the fun of dealing with TSA and people seeing your "sniper rifle".........

 

[akula702002]

Re: Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Chiller</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The rifle...you get the fun of dealing with TSA and people seeing your "sniper rifle".........

</div></div>

That's hilarious... I can just imagine the fun I'll have in Newark with a long gun sporting a yard of scope.

 

[scaxeman]

Re: Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

As I have to fly with my rifle a <span style="font-style: italic">lot</span>, I got a dedicated "airline" case for my competition rifles. It is a Kalispel, heavy duty aluminum creature. It is not as useful for day to day match use as it grips the rifle TIGHT, but for keeping the baggage cretins from destroying my precision gear, it works well. When packing your rifle, simply assume that the baggage goons will chuck it out of the aircraft's hold without using the conveyor belt. They did this on a trip a few years ago to Boston. I could tell they had done it because there was still blacktop embedded in the aluminum side of the case, and even with all of the padding, I could tell the caliber of the rifles in the case by the "stamp" of the muzzles in the side of the case. The moral of the story: if you think you are <span style="font-style: italic">really</span> over packing your rifle... you're probably just fine.

As to ammo, 5kg (11 lbs) is around 175 to 195 rounds of .308 depending on the bullet weight. The airlines are not too smart of course, so their version of the weight also includes all of your protective packaging

Fortunately for my last couple of trips to Europe, I have had non-shooting spouses, etc. along that have become "shooters" as far as the airlines are concerned... an instant additional 5- 10kg of ammo allowance

As has been mentioned before though, shipping ammo, at least stateside is the easiest option if at all possible. Shipping overseas is a different kettle of fish. Not impossible, but you'd better know somebody in the industry.

My .02

Darrell

 

[scaxeman]

Re: Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: akula702002</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Chiller</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The rifle...you get the fun of dealing with TSA and people seeing your "sniper rifle".........

</div></div>

That's hilarious... I can just imagine the fun I'll have in Newark with a long gun sporting a yard of scope. </div></div>

Yeah, watching some of the TSA... individuals... with the firearms can be a hoot. The last time we flew back into the US (last month) with the rifles, the Customs types had a ball with all of the Team rifles. All they really needed to do was verify that the serial numbers were the same as on our Form 4457's to ensure that the rifles we were bringing in were the same as the ones we left with, in practice, they ripped all of them out of their protective "cocoons" within the cases and waved them all over the general vicinity (generally playing Rambo). They had the bolts removed for transport of course, but resisting the urge to duck as they swept hundreds of people with the muzzles took some doing.

Darrell

 

[akula702002]

Re: Air Travel with Firearms and Ammo

Thanks for all the tips! Sent my ammo to Lisa (what a saint!) via Fed-Ex, brought my rifle from the Peoples Republic of NJ, TSA had hoot, but didn't give me any crap. If you ship ammo, make sure to label it with the correct ORM-D label, and if you use Fed-Ex (at least here in NJ), you must schedule a pick-up, i.e., you can't go and drop it off.