You and Your Ammo: Same Place, Same Time

By Bill Miller

www.huntingclub.com

When you travel out-of-state or out-of-country especially by air one of the most nagging worries is whether you and your ammunition will end up at the same place and at the same time. Here are some tips to help you "relax and enjoy the flight" as they say.

1) Don't fly with ammo if you don't have to.

Trying to figure out the up-to-the-second regulations of the Transportation Security Administration and the individual airlines is a headache. Seems like they change day to day and from person to person you have to deal with. If there's a way to either buy ammo at your destination or have it shipped there well ahead of time, you might be better off. However, make some calls before hand to ensure the availability of the precise load you want to use. Perhaps you want to order it from a cataloger and have it direct shipped to someone reliable at the location you'll be hunting. If you go this route, make the order at least a month before your hunt!

2) If you fly with ammo, go over-prepared.

Learn and plan to meet all the standard requirements and then some. For example, one basic requirement for ammo as checked baggage is that it be enclosed in its original packaging. I always go one better. I enclose the ammo in the original box in an additional hard plastic box that sits right on top of my duffle bag for easy inspection. Another fairly standard limitation is that you can't fly with more than 11 pounds of ammo. When the airline agent asks how much ammo I have, I answer with the precise weight that read on the scale at home. When the people you deal with see that you know as much or more about it than they do, it makes the process go much more smoothly.

3) Be flexible.

I always pack my ammo in my locking, non-gun case piece of checked baggage because that's what most airline and TSA personnel seem to want. However, I have occasionally been asked to repack it in the locking gun case. Okay, why fight about it and increase the headache and stress for everyone. When asked, I just move it.

4) Create contingency plans.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, your ammo is not going to show up when and where you need it. Even if you ordered or checked ahead, things will sometimes go wrong. Everything will be fine if you have Plan B ready to go. It's one of the reasons when I travel, especially to far flung hunting destinations, I try to take at least one firearm that's of a common caliber or gauge. There are few high arctic, backwoods or subtropical general stores that don't have a box or two of .30-06 or 12 gauge ammo sitting on the shelf. It may not be your preferred brand or load, but at least it will get you out hunting!