GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Air Gun Gate => Topic started by: JungleShooter on February 14, 2019, 06:27:23 AM
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Airline Travel with Pellets + Slugs: Watch out!
Where I live (Peru) pellets are expensive, and choices are very limited. So, I like buying them where they are cheaper and give me all the options.
I just found a seller in Germany where I get a 500-tin of JSB 15.89gr for $11. The seller's shipping inside Europe (EU) is very reasonable.
So, I planned to stock up on pellets on a recent trip to Germany.
Since pellets are heavy, I rather not use up my precious 23kg (=50lbs) per checked luggage — and instead, put those heavy suckers in my hand luggage.
An acquired distrust of anything airlines and airport security however told me: "Test this first before they take away thousands of your pellets!"
So, I put some pellets as guinea pigs in my hand luggage on the flight to Germany. (Mind you, in Peru they eat guinea pigs, in restaurants they are priced like a T-bone steak....)
Changing planes in Madrid, Spain, and — ˇBUSTED! >:(
Oh, the security personnel was mad. I know, the situation was really dangerous — I could literally have blown up the whole Madrid airport with a handfull of tiny rounded lead pieces.... 😱
Thankfully, airport security prevented this disaster by confiscating my airrifle pellets.
Well, now I need to convince my family members why they should leave behind all those wonderful things they bought in Germany — in order for me to fill their checked baggage with my airgun pellets...!
Wish me luck! 'cause I'll need it! ;)
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I don't doubt that it will get worse, either. So many shooters now have larger caliber air rifles, I wonder what airlines would think if they saw .45 & .50 caliber pellets in our luggage !
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I fly very regularly (strictly domestic in the US) and have been given grief by people seated next to me for books and magazines about guns and airguns as well as hunting. Even had one flight from Atlanta to LAX stuck next to a woman who harassed me so much about my book choice I asked to be seated elsewhere (Delta obliged). The book?
The Traditional Bowyer's Bible Volume 4
I can't even imagine trying to travel with cylindrical diabolo-shaped inert lead- especially across international borders! The horror!~~~
I will add that lately, most of the people who sit next to me are very intrigued about "pricey BB guns" in a positive manner.
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Oh the humanity! ::)
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I fly very regularly (strictly domestic in the US) and have been given grief by people seated next to me for books and magazines about guns and airguns as well as hunting. Even had one flight from Atlanta to LAX stuck next to a woman who harassed me so much about my book choice I asked to be seated elsewhere (Delta obliged). The book?
The Traditional Bowyer's Bible Volume 4
I can't even imagine trying to travel with cylindrical diabolo-shaped inert lead- especially across international borders! The horror!~~~
I will add that lately, most of the people who sit next to me are very intrigued about "pricey BB guns" in a positive manner.
Id probably harass you too but in a good way.
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I do not understand, why try to fly with them?
If you can buy them why not just package them up and ship them to your self at your home?
Just
sayn
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Shipping is probably a good answer but at the same time why even give it a second thought? If I had a bag of 1/4” ball bearings, I wouldn’t worry about them being scrutinized, let alone confiscated because neither one represents a danger to anyone.
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One thing to consider with shipping, is that some foreign postal services are quite pitiful. You may or may not receive the item.
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It might just be the security guy wanted your pellets. I have flown in and out of Charles de Gaulle in Paris a few times. I have always traveled with a locking carabiner on my backpack. (Handy for locking the backpack to ones seat so noone can do a quick snatch and run on you while on the train.) My last flight out this young securty agent says I cant get on the plane with it (as he slips it over his hand like a brass knuckle.) I explane to the young guy that I had flown in and out of this airport with that carabiner on that backpack many times and noone has brought it up. I then asked him if he really thought that carabiner was going to do anymore damage then bare fists or elbows. I think he just wanted the carabiner for some reason.
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Just tell them it’s shot for fishing maybe tie I few to a piece of monofilament don’t deny that there pellets if asked just sat you use it for sinkers when fishing. I’ve actually used them for split shot in an emergency.
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Just to clarify my OP:
I live and shoot in Peru, South America.
There, pellet choices are few. And expensive.
That's why I bring them from the US, or Germany... ;D
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Indeed.
Airline rules are funny.
My sister who was treated in a homeopathic facility in Mexico for cancer years ago suffered the same fate.
My 5 tins of JSB pellets and UTG scope made it to the Philippines though--the stuff were in her luggage.
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This thread reminds me of leaving Cozumel once and they confiscated all batteries. It was obvious that they just wanted to keep those goods for free on the island.
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Reminds me of Peace Corps. Any parcel coming through the central post office would be opened for inspection, and when you finally managed to get there to retrieve it things would be missing. Seemed like more stuff went missing right before Christmas. If you were lucky enough to live next to a border crossing, you could have the sender address the parcel in care of the local customs inspector. An "import tax" of a few beers would work wonders.