[suemarkp]

We seem to cover how to properly secure and check guns for flying, but I haven't seen ammo covered much. It seems most of the airline rules want "cardboard, fiber, or wood" containers for ammo. Where do you find that?

If you buy ammo new, it will most likely come in a plastic box. Some of the cheaper ones are in cardboard, but those rarely have cartridge separators. I'd like to take handloads, and I plan to put them in a plastic box typical of what handloaders use (a plastic box with lid and individual squares to separately hold each cartridge). This seems ideal to me, but don't know if it meets the expected rules. These boxes would go inside a separate locked container.

What issues has anyone had flying with ammo? What have you successfully used as a flyable ammo container?

[NavyLCDR]

Hmmm. I've NEVER bought factory ammo that came in plastic boxes. I would get a box Winchester white box and just use the box and styrofoam it came in to pack your own ammo. I will be flying out of SEATAC Monday and that's exactly what I am doing.

[kingpin008]

I was thinking the same thing - all the ammo I've ever bought was in cardboard boxes. I've never seen any commercial brands offered in anything else.

[Gary Slider]

Your Plastic Boxes will meet the standards. They are made to carry ammo. Be aware that most airlines have a limit on the ammount of ammo you can carry in your checked baggage. Some have a weight restriction of 10 to 11 pounds and others have restrictions of 200 to 250 rounds total. For rifles and shotguns it seems like they go with quanity of ammo and it is not a lot. Check with your airline for ammo restrictions. When I fly I carry just 50 rounds. That is all I need for self defense and if going to a shoot I buy the ammo there or have it shipped there. Most major firearm shoots and ranges will accept it for you becasue they know of the airline restrictions on the amount of ammo you can transport in your checked baggage. You just ship it to yourself in care of the shooting facility you are going to. Let the shooting facility know what you are doing if you ship it.

Also be aware that some airlines have restrictions on the number of firearms you can check in your baggage. Some say 4 and others say 5 handguns. Some don't have a number listed on their websites. Some liimit you to 2 long guns. Again Check with your airline.

[Shadow 7D]

Actually, I believe that the restriction is the number of guns that may be transported in a single container, now that they charge for checked baggage I believe that the only limit is how much you want to pay for additional rifle / gun cases.

[NMGonzo]

I was thinking the same thing - all the ammo I've ever bought was in cardboard boxes. I've never seen any commercial brands offered in anything else.

rimfire

[HIcarry]

We seem to cover how to properly secure and check guns for flying, but I haven't seen ammo covered much. It seems most of the airline rules want "cardboard, fiber, or wood" containers for ammo.

TSA's regulations say:

You must securely pack any ammunition in fiber (such as cardboard), wood or metal boxes or other packaging that is specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.

I recently had this "discussion" with the agent at Delta/Northwest. After multiple legs over the last several months with my checked firearm and ammo, this particular agent took exception to my commercially made, hard plastic ammo box. I ended up having to have him "dispose" of the ammo or not fly home. Interestingly enough, after all the claims of how my ammo box didn't meet "requirements of Delta" and he threw away (or kept...) my ammo, he managed to leave a single cartridge in the box.

In any event, when I got home I called Delta/Northwest and had another little discussion with them...they agreed the agent was incorrect and said they'd send me funds to cover the purchase of new ammo...got the check in the mail a couple of days ago.

Most of the time traveling eith a checked firearm goes relatively smoothly, but occasionally you get some knucklehead who either doesn't know anything or has a authority complex. On another earlier trip an agent told me I couldn't keep the ammo in the same locked container the firearm was in. I told her she was incorrect and as she started to argue with me I whipped out the TSA regulations (http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm) where it says "You may carry the ammunition in the same hard-sided case as the firearm, as long as you pack it as described above" and she quickly went back to doing something she actually knew something about...

Take home message: If you choose to fly with firearms and/or ammo, you should be very familiar with both TSA's regualtions and the airline(s) you plan on using. And, you should have printed copies of those regulations on you and readily available when you check in.