Preparing for Africa.

With my next African Hunt just around the corner it is time to get everything in order in preparation for my departure. Here is a quick rundown of the process for taking your personal firearm on a South African hunt.  I needed a South African Permit so I employed the services of "Henry" at  Rifle permits  this guy is brilliant and has everything under control, he has sent me all the correct paperwork and instructions on how to complete it. With his service you are emailed a preaproval and are met at the airport on arrival, you are then guided through the process with the South African Police and he will even organize transferring you to your hotel. His prices are very reasonable and can be paid on arrival.
I have also completed my Australian Restricted goods export forms allowing me to export my firearm. This form is available online from the Borderforce website and most of the information you will need can be found here, travelling-with-firearms
I have also requested to take a quantity of ammunition with me and received approval from Qantas to transport dangerous goods, this was amazingly simple and involved no more than an email. I received a reply and written approval within 5 minutes all the information you need is right here Qantas-Firearms-and-or-Ammunition-Procedures.

My Lockable rifle case.

Mine has wheels on one end for easy transport.

If you choose to do the same as me and take your own firearm you will also need a lockable rifle case and a lockable ammunition box, remember to also follow all the guidelines of each individual airline you are travelling on as they do differ slightly.  Something else to be aware of is that although some airlines will allow you to check you rifle as sporting goods at no extra charge your total baggage weight limit remains the same. Another thing is to make sure there are no references on the outside of your rifle case to indicate what is or may be in it, that means remove all hunting or firearm related stickers.

Lockable ammunition box, you may also want to store other items in this for added security.

Your ammunition must be packed in your checked in luggage in a locked container separate to your firearm, preferably in the manufacturers packaging.

Once you have the correct paperwork filled out the process is actually rather simple and painless but as with most things it is a matter of getting the correct information to start with. One last thing is that I will need to present my firearm at the customs and border protection office with the Restricted Goods Export permit for verification of serial number on the day of departure. I have allowed quite a few hours between flights to ensure there is time to deal with any unexpected problems.

So with all of that out of the way, and me counting down the days I can now head out and spend some time on the range shooting from various positions over sticks to ensure my hunt is a success.