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Alaska?

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Who did you check with in AK? I havent been there in a long time but a friend there told me that this company might be able to help you out.
Sentry Hardware
(907)-452-4774

Or

Nor' West Company
P. O. Box 16237
Two Rivers, AK 99716
(907) 488-3327
Talk to Swanny at nor west he can help you out,
 
I am departing for Alaska on Friday. In spite of my best efforts to get blackpowder there, it didn't work out. I thought it was simple. My commercial flight lands in Fairbanks and I stay overnight. I intended to pick up BP. The float plane pilot, bush plane pilot, ship captain and small vessel captain didn't care if I had it. Well, there's none to be found in Fairbanks. I was hoping to use a flintlock and it would be easier not to have to get caps too. I would use a percussion rifle if substitute power were all available and caps could be had too. Anyway, I am taking my take-down longbow. Anyone ever get BP to Fairbanks? I will be going back....
Contact Swanny at nor west company. He has powder. There is no problem getting powder in Alaska, it is just not going to be sold in big stores. If I had more notice I would give you some but I live north of anchorage and am currently working in Homer. For Fairbanks Swanny is the guy to see. Call him. He can meet you with powder. Tell him George Thompson sent you, he’s a good guy. I believe the last price quoted was $35 lb.
 
You can't fly with a can or horn of blackpowder, correct?

You CAN fly with ammunition in checked luggage,. I would pour my BP into cartridge cases, plug the ends with wax, and take them as "ammunition". I'm reading that the maximum "ammunition" that can be carried (per passenger) is 11#.

edit: spent shotshell cases would work too, either use a nitro card over the powder, or fold crimp the cases shut, but I would still use an over shot card if fold crimping. A "box" of 12ga should hold enough. ;)

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition
Where there is a will, there is a way!
 
I dont think it would play out well if you were to get caught if you knowingly take bp and make dummy loads out of it simply to fly with black powder. As I stated it is forbidden to fly with an explosive on a commercial aircraft. Civil penalties for USDOT hazardous materials violations can be as high as $84,425 - $196,992 depending on the circumstances. If warranted, criminal charges could apply and of coarse that could result in jail time.

Hazardous materials violations on aircraft are taken very seriously. A airplane simple cant pull over like a truck, plus if it is a passenger plane you have the additional liability for the lives on the aircraft.

This issue has been asked and answered by the USDOT. See the attached.

I do hazardous materials consulting and I retired from the USDOT in 2019 just short of 33 years as a Hazardous Materials Program Manager/Special Agent.

Fleener
 

Attachments

  • talley.pdf
    107.2 KB · Views: 42
I'd rather be bowhunting in Alaska myself....

But why didn't you just get your outfitters address and order a pound and have it sent through the mail to him? All you had to do was pay the hazmat fee. Just like how most of us get ours.

I've never lived in a state where I could go to a store and find Swiss, goex or any of the like, so I'm not surprised you can't find it in Alaska. Hell, I hear it's hard to find milk there for less than $5.00/gal.
 
I'd rather be bowhunting in Alaska myself....

But why didn't you just get your outfitters address and order a pound and have it sent through the mail to him? All you had to do was pay the hazmat fee. Just like how most of us get ours.

I've never lived in a state where I could go to a store and find Swiss, goex or any of the like, so I'm not surprised you can't find it in Alaska. Hell, I hear it's hard to find milk there for less than $5.00/gal.
You can't Mail BP even with a HazMat fee. UPS is out also because they ship by air to AK. It has to be shipped ground, hence the problem getting BP shipped to AK.
 
I get my BP through the mail. I order it from a distributor. It's perfectly legal and correct. Costs me about $35.00 for the hazmat fee, on top of the cost of the powder. That's the only way I've ever got it. Maybe it comes by ground though. I've never paid attention to it. Box shows up at my door with a warning label indicating the contents of the box.
 
It appears that black powder loaded cartridges can be purchased and shipped. May be expensive ($5 per shot) but it is a way to get it there.
https://www.buffaloarms.com/50-90-50-2-1-2-sharps-black-amobp5090515.html

That powder is likely going to be compressed to some degree so it will not just dump out of the cartridge.

Having it shipped to the outfitter direct from an on-line source well in advance would simplify it. Have five pounds shipped and sell four to the outfitter. That way he can have it available for you and other future ml hunters.
 
Contact Swanny at nor west company. He has powder. There is no problem getting powder in Alaska, it is just not going to be sold in big stores. If I had more notice I would give you some but I live north of anchorage and am currently working in Homer. For Fairbanks Swanny is the guy to see. Call him. He can meet you with powder. Tell him George Thompson sent you, he’s a good guy. I believe the last price quoted was $35 lb.
5 lbs shipped from Buffalo Arma to Ma cost $170 with shipping and hazmat. Sounds like a fair price in Alaska!
 
I am departing for Alaska on Friday. In spite of my best efforts to get blackpowder there, it didn't work out. I thought it was simple. My commercial flight lands in Fairbanks and I stay overnight. I intended to pick up BP. The float plane pilot, bush plane pilot, ship captain and small vessel captain didn't care if I had it. Well, there's none to be found in Fairbanks. I was hoping to use a flintlock and it would be easier not to have to get caps too. I would use a percussion rifle if substitute power were all available and caps could be had too. Anyway, I am taking my take-down longbow. Anyone ever get BP to Fairbanks? I will be going back....
Nextr time plan to fly to Anchorage and get a can of Goex at Great Northern Guns on Easr Tudor. Only place I know of in south central to get BP. If you are passing through Homer I can give you enough for a hunt.
 
I get my BP through the mail. I order it from a distributor. It's perfectly legal and correct. Costs me about $35.00 for the hazmat fee, on top of the cost of the powder. That's the only way I've ever got it. Maybe it comes by ground though. I've never paid attention to it. Box shows up at my door with a warning label indicating the contents of the box.

Actually, mine might come through ups or FedEx. I'll have to pay more attention to my box next time. But I could see problems with shipment to Alaska if air won't do it. Never really thought about that.
 
Thanks for the replies. It seems I am too late this trip. I can bring 29 pounds total. The suggestion was that my rifle go ahead of me to camp, either by shipping prior to arrival or a day or two ahead of my on a trip where the commuters are under weight. I’m going back so I will try to get it figured out for next trip. The moose, caribou, bear and sheep don’t want me to put a ball or arrow through them, but either one will kill them when I do.


I just got back from buffalo hunting albeit in another part of Australia and had a hell of a time trying to arrange BP. guide ended up sorting out some Pyrodex P and had to make a load during the hunt. Worked so can't complain.
 
I can understand strict prohibitions regarding explosives on aircraft for anything other than special circumstances but I don't understand an issue with loaded ammunition. Say someone innocently transports their 1992 in 44-40 and ammunition loaded with black powder. How is it dangerous?
Granted a shotgun hull filled with BP and simply stuffed with tissue paper to close it is different!
As I said. A declare it and inspection prior to flight system could be employed.
 
Great Northern Guns in Anchorage is out of business. The new Goex distributor is:

Freedoms Armory in Wasilla
https://www.freedomsarmory.com/
The reason it's hard to impossible to get black powder in Alaska is because it cannot be transported on any kind of commercial aircraft. Which means it has to come by road or sea. Road doesn't work commercially because of that little country Canada that is in the way. So it is shipped by truck/rail to Washington where it is put on a barge to Anchorage.

There are no restrictions about transporting blackpowder on a private plane. Canada does have a quantity restriction so if a private plane with blackpowder has to land in Canada it has to be within their laws. If driving from the US to Alaska one can bring blackpowder but again have to adhere to Canada's laws.
 
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