Flying question

[hitman13]

When flying and taking ammo does the ammo have to be in a locked container as well of is a small ammo can fine? also the mags CAN be in the locked case with the weapon (unloaded) right? thanks

[thedonger]

Yes.

Gun and mags can be in the same case. NO AMMO in the same case and the guns.

Ammo must also be in a locked HARD case.

[gosparx]

I flew a lot on SWA and flew with a lot of different firearms. All they seemed to care about with regards to the ammo was that it was 'secure' in whatever container you had it in. By secure I mean 'safe', not necessarily 'locked'. (although I am guessing that would be different if the bag you were checking was nothing but an ammo case.) I have a little aluminum gun case (and by little I mean about 7"x5"X2") that had plastic bullet racks in the bottom (it would hold 120 S&W500 rounds). I don't think it mattered one way or another to them if it was a metal or a plastic case, I just used it because I had it and it was the right size and it was strong enough to hold up to the 11lbs of ammo that was usually in it.

When I checked it, it was unlocked and sitting in the middle of my regular suitcase that I checked, which was also unlocked. All the gun cases though had locks, although I was asked to leave them unlocked and that TSA, upon their final inspection would lock the locks... which they always did and I never had any trouble with the guns or the ammo. And as was mentioned above, no guns AND ammo in the same case.

The one thing that they do have a reg about is how much ammo you can carry. It's 5 kilos/11lbs. They don't seem to care how many guns you have as long as they are all in lockable hard cases.

Also, if you are checking any firearms, let them know that you have firearms that you need to declare, then wait for them ask you to open the case and show them the weapons. You will then need to show that each weapon and each magazine is unloaded. This is particulaly fun when it's a 12ga pump shotgun that you need to show is unloaded... which you do by racking it back... a real head turning sound in the middle of a busy airport!!!

But, these are really questions best asked of the specific airline that you will be traveling on since there are some variances.

But in general, checking your firearms and ammo is usually mush easier and far less stressful then checking yourself through the regular passenger security area... that is a true pain in the butt.

[Stormfeather]

I flew a lot on SWA and flew with a lot of different firearms. All they seemed to care about with regards to the ammo was that it was 'secure' in whatever container you had it in. By secure I mean 'safe', not necessarily 'locked'. (although I am guessing that would be different if the bag you were checking was nothing but an ammo case.) I have a little aluminum gun case (and by little I mean about 7"x5"X2") that had plastic bullet racks in the bottom (it would hold 120 S&W500 rounds). I don't think it mattered one way or another to them if it was a metal or a plastic case, I just used it because I had it and it was the right size and it was strong enough to hold up to the 11lbs of ammo that was usually in it.

When I checked it, it was unlocked and sitting in the middle of my regular suitcase that I checked, which was also unlocked. All the gun cases though had locks, although I was asked to leave them unlocked and that TSA, upon their final inspection would lock the locks... which they always did and I never had any trouble with the guns or the ammo. And as was mentioned above, no guns AND ammo in the same case.

The one thing that they do have a reg about is how much ammo you can carry. It's 5 kilos/11lbs. They don't seem to care how many guns you have as long as they are all in lockable hard cases.

Also, if you are checking any firearms, let them know that you have firearms that you need to declare, then wait for them ask you to open the case and show them the weapons. You will then need to show that each weapon and each magazine is unloaded. This is particulaly fun when it's a 12ga pump shotgun that you need to show is unloaded... which you do by racking it back... a real head turning sound in the middle of a busy airport!!!

But, these are really questions best asked of the specific airline that you will be traveling on since there are some variances.

But in general, checking your firearms and ammo is usually mush easier and far less stressful then checking yourself through the regular passenger security area... that is a true pain in the butt.

Oh yea! this is why I carry a gun no matter where I fly! Gets me thru all the bs check-in so much faster!

[mooster]

NO AMMO in the same case and the guns.
Ammo must also be in a locked HARD case.

The locked ammo and gun+ammo restrictions may be a specific airline rule. I have not run across these before.

I fly United and AA and their restrictions for ammunition are weight and packaging (original or fiber/wood/metal box). They have no written restrictions for locking up the ammo nor any written restrictions about ammunition+guns in the same case. The TSA website explictly states that ammo and guns in the same hard case are OK as long as the other transport rules are met.

My last trip to Mesa, I stocked up on ammo at Bass Pro and Cabelas. It was only a 1-night trip but I brought a huge duffle since I knew I was going shopping. AA didn't bat an eye about the ammo. They did question the Red Ryder I bought for the kids, but it was because they were concerned about breakage due to the soft luggage. In the end, the box was slightly bent, but the BB gun turned out fine.

[randy]

call the airlines you want to travel on and ask them what they want.

[Fjold]

Each airline has a policy for ammunition. Go to the airline's website and look up their policies, it will spell it out for you.