tsa approved ammo storage boxes?

[alaskan9974]

Afternoon all, I am curious to see what you guys use to store ammunition when flying. I am traveling from the East coast back home to Alaska this summer and want to take back some of the ammo I find. Up here it is 45 and up for a green box of Remington 30-06 and since I am paying for 3 tickets on the way with back with Alaska Airlines I figure I should be able to cram at least 70lbs of ammunition altogether in the bags. Some of the ammo I am looking at is surplus and doesn't come in the boxes so I need a good storage box that the airlines will allow. Since I am flying out of Boston I'll be sending my rifles through the mail instead of flying with them.

 

[Sawblade]

You're better off mailing that much ammo as well. The weight limit on ammo is 11 pounds, and they have to be packaged in such a way that the primers are protected. I've made it through so far with rounds on stripper clips loose in a plastic box, magpul pmags with the dust covers on, berry's plastic boxes, and original packaging on new rounds.

 

[kingpin008]

Yeah, I'd call ahead and make sure that what you're planning on doing is allowed under their policies. As Sawblade said, most airlines only allow about 11 lbs. of ammo per person on their planes.

 

[zstephens13]

I just flew with 500 rounds from Idaho to Alaska and just put them in my normal luggage. I had little slips in every piece of luggage that said it was searched. All worked out well.

 

[Drail]

Unless I am mistaken the airline sets the rules on firearm and ammunition carriage based on what their insurance carriers will allow, not the TSA. Check with your airline. They all have different limits on how much ammunition you may transport in the baggage hold and how it is to be contained.

 

[Carne Frio]

Coming into Alaska, the limit is 11 pounds, in factory ammunition boxes.
Alaska Airlines allows 50 pounds for flights within the state. Those limits
are per person. I bring back 11 pounds each time I return from visiting
relatives out of state.

 

[NavyLCDR]

If you decide to ship it insead of carrying it, you can only ship it via UPS ground. It's illegal to mail, and FEDEX requires hazmat shipping certification. All UPS requires is the package to be marked ORM-D Small Arms Cartridges.

 

[Carne Frio]

I haven't found an ammo dealer yet that will ship UPS ground to Alaska. Can you hook me up ?

 

[alaskan9974]

In response to the question about UPS shipping to Alaska, I spoke with Mike at double tap ammo and he was willing to ship, all the other dealers stated UPS does not ship ground to Alaska, which isn't true but I doubt its worth the hassle for them.

I must have missed the 11lbs limit, I read over the ammunition page quickly and figured the 50lbs applied to everywhere AK air flies, I had thought the 11lbs limit was just for international travel.

Back to the original question, what do you guys use to carry ammuntion? I figured on picking up the trays that the reloaders use and stick it in a dry box.

 

[kingpin008]

I've never personally flown with guns or ammo, but I know plenty of folks who have. In no particular order, they've used:

The original packaging the ammo came in
Plastic MTM ammo boxes
Loaded magazines
Custom wooden boxes
Sturdy cardboard boxes

So really, there are a lot of options. Like some of the earlier commenters mentioned, as long as the rounds are well packed and the primers are protected, everything should be fine.

 

[19&41]

I used a .30 cal. ammo can, adapted to use a padlock on the hasp.

 

[xquercus]

I've traveled with handgun ammunition several times and use recycled retail packaging -- the plastic tray and cardboard box that ammo comes in at the store. It's free, works well, and neither the airline representatives or the TSA have had problems with this approach. There is no need to put ammunition in any sort of lock box as must be done for handguns.

If you want to look at other options, the TSA points to 49 CFR Part 175 as far as what type of packaging is allowed:

"Small-arms ammunition for personal
use carried by a crewmember or
passenger in his baggage (excluding
carry-on baggage) if securely packed in
fiber, wood or metal boxes, or other
packagings specifically designed to
carry small amounts of ammunition."

As far as the amount of ammunition you can transport, that is up to the airline. Each airline I've flown with has stated 11 pounds -- including Alaska Air from Seattle to Boston. I see you live in Alaska and if you haven't flow Alaska Air outside of Alaska, you may not be aware that they effectively have two different sets of rules regarding luggage and they are very different. One set applies to flights between airports within Alaska. The other set applies to flights in and out of Alaska as well as flights which take place entirely out of Alaska. In general, the airline's rules for travel within Alaska are much less restrictive. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the airline's ammunition weight limit within Alaska was very different than flights into and out of Alaska.

 

[alaskan9974]

After that trip I will try my best not to fly out of Boston with firearms, and will never with a handgun. Its just not worth it imo. I will take a commuter plane from Boston to Portland instead of dealing with tsa this summer. I almost missed my flight because they took so long to accept the ammo in my suitcase.

 

[wally]

FEDEX requires hazmat shipping certification.

Not true unless this is a new policy within the last few months.

I dislike the quality of service from FedEx at my location and try to get everything shipped UPS, but I've received ORM-D labeled packages of ammo via FedEx without the $20 Hazmat fee you need for primers or smokeless powder.

 

[jonn5335]

When I went to hawaii I was limited to 10 lbs and all ammunition had to be packed in the factory boxes but it was all locked in my gun case with my guns

 

[NavyLCDR]

FEDEX requires hazmat shipping certification.

Not true unless this is a new policy within the last few months.

Allow me to enlighten you:
http://www.fedex.com/us/freight/rulestariff/prohibited_articles.html

B. Firearms
6. Carrier will transport small-arms ammunition when packed and labeled in compliance with local, state and federal law, and the Hazardous Materials section of this Service Guide. Ammunition is an explosive and must be shipped separately as hazardous materials. You agree not to ship loaded firearms or firearms with ammunition in the same package.

It's been that way for years.

 

[pioneer461]

I simply use the ammo manufacturer's box the ammo came in. When I fly, it is usually Alaska Airlines, or Southwest. I have never had an occasion where someone weighed the ammo.