I was looking into the Import Permit and it said this.
"A certified copy of a license, permit, authorization or any other documentary proof confirming the lawful possession of the firearm".
The rifles I would take have been in my family for a very long time except a Winchester 300WM that I traded for,for cash and another gun.
And that was 15 years ago.
I don't have any paperwork for any of those rifles,so...
What do I do? I don't need a permit to own anything in Texas when it comes to long guns.
How do I do this?

Custom Form 4457.
You can get it online, fill it out, then take it and the rifle to the closest CBP office where they will authorize it.
African countries recognize this form as a gun permit.

I would also recommend using a service in South Africa to get your permit there in advance. I used Rifle Permits.com.

The South Africans and other African countries recognize the US Customs form 4457 for such purposes. You'll have to take your gun(s) to the closest US Customs office to get the form. Do not put more than one gun on each form. Otherwise you might confuse some African official. Keep things as simple as possible.

+1 on Riflepermits. Made it very easy. They even met me at the City Lodge Hotel the next morning and escorted me to check in for my connecting flight. Money well spent, IMO.

I agree with the previous comments one of the permit / meet and greet services are well worth the money.

Hi Bart,

As others have said, get the Customs form and your good to go. Do yourself a huge favor, and partake in what is essentially legal bribery, and hire a meet & greet/gun permit service. You'll breeze right through the airport. We did ours through Gracey Travel. Their guy Bruce was amazing. That was going on 10 years ago so you'll have to get the skinny on who's got their act together now. Also highly recommend booking flights through one of the hunting/gun oriented travel agencies. There was a foulup with our gun transit permits with Lufthansa in Amsterdam, and Gracey rebooked our flights through Paris via Air France on very short notice. Trip went off trouble free. To my surprise, the French were great at the airport with regard to our rifles. No hassles whatsoever.

Jeff

Fugg Africa, when you coming to Tennessee?

I can offer fried catfish, fishing, Gator rides to the bar, shooting, Indian Mounds, Civil War History, endless humor, Milk, and a Korean masseuse with enough forewarning.

I'm thinking that I'll head your way this summer. Brady's been working like
a dog and recently changed jobs so he doesn't have any time off but I'll
come up there alone.
Do you dig in those Indian mounds? And Milk? I don't do milk. That stuff is for calves.

I’m down...

Here's an idea: Forget about South Africa and hunt Namibia.

RS

I know, that's why I typed MILK. I assumed I typed cock, following the post after yours.

The authorities in RSA are not hunter friendly. They run away thousands of potential hunters each year with their stupid SAPS form 520 and changing regulations on the 4457 form. The employees who check your firearms in and out at the airport are sulky and ask for bribes. International hunter numbers to RSA have decreased 55% in the last 10 years and have increased by more than that in Namibia, which welcomes hunters.

Go to Namibia. If you fly through JNB, don't overnight, have your firearms and ammunition checked straight through to Windhoek.

What are the price differences between SA and Namibia? I'm just doing plains game and I want to shoot as many baboons as I can see.

They seem about the same to me but airfare will be a bit more.

I really appreciate all of the replies. Y'all have answered my questions
perfectly so,thanks abunch. Any other input about places to hunt will also be appreciated.
My son and I have been looking forward to this and I hope I get it right.
Money isn't the reason I pick a place,the experience is the most important thing to me.
Thanks again Gang.

We offer safaris both in South Africa, and Namibia. I have to say that the Baboons in our area in Namibia are certainly not as skittish as in South Africa. They don't react to bait as well as in South Africa, but give you a bit more chance.


Please feel free to contact me either via PM or email at: [email protected] and I will be happy to present you with more info on either one of our areas.

Take Care,
Marius Goosen

Marius,I looked at your website briefly and will have a more detailed look later.
I want a 10 day plains game hunt for my son and I, probably taking 14 animals
between the both of us. We drink but not heavily. I want to shoot as many baboons
as I see. But,I'd like to shoot a big male,alpha if possible. My son Brady just wants to hunt.
He's a great shot and has killed deer and hogs here on our Texas ranch since he was eight.
Africa has been my dream since I started hunting with my Pop when I was a teenager.
I've killed enough deer to fill a couple of big semi truck trailers,so I'm not new to hunting.
I really appreciate your attention on this subject. Thanks abunch...
Bart

Thank you sir. I look forward to hearing from you.

I'm not a "regular" here, but have hunted in southern Africa several times now (5 trips ranging from 2-4 weeks; Duiker to Elephant); and FWIW I'd take KMG and Marius into careful consideration if you are looking for an outfitter.

Honest and hardworking immediately come to mind.

Spent a week hunting with him in 2016, and hope to plan another soon.

Wow, Bruce is still working,,he saved our bacon our first trip...I gave him a good tip!!

I would suggest that, a tip, to all that touch your equipment. I made up packets of three, three dollar bills, gave them to the folks that carried, moved or recorded anything. Really helped IMHO. even tho signs every where advise not.

UPDATE: US CUSTOMS CBP FORM 4457
Created: Monday, 03 April 2017 10:00 | Hits: 2923
Clarifications regarding the US Customs form 4457 were submitted to the Central Firearms Register and Commander of the South African Police Firearm Import Office at OR Tambo after many hours of negotiations and deliberation with the organisations in the USA.

4457Mr. John Fraser from the National Rifle Association helped tirelessly with the negotiations and answered questions.
The Outcome
No matter what information is submitted to the authorities about the non-expiry of a US Customs Form 4457 it is compulsory to submit a US Customs form stamped by US Customs with the relevant year [i.e. 2017]
This form is used to prove ownership of the firearm and should be completed correctly with all the relevant information on it: Firearm Type / Make / Model/ calibre / Serial number
You need to make sure you have the updated form that has the correct date [e.g. 2017] stamped on it.
It is our understanding that applications that are already submitted for a pre-issued permit will be honoured but all new applications must have the correct date on the US Customs form 4457.
We apologise for the inconvenience but to experience a trouble-free start to your safari this needs to be done.

We will keep you updated on any further changes.

If you have a problem obtaining an original copy of the form, you may download the updated CBP Form 4457 here [also available from our Downloads page].

When any person travels outside of the United States and they would like to take with them ANY item that is not made in the United States, they will have to make out a form 4457 BEFORE they leave the US.
This form will tell the customs agent when they return, that they took that item out and the duty was already paid on the item. If you do not have this form you would have to pay duty on it again.
This covers their cameras, radios, clothing, jackets, computers etc. anything made outside of the United States.
This form is called "CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION FOR PERSONAL EFFECTS TAKEN ABROAD.
Print out this form and fill it out so that when you go to the customs agent, you can fill out their form faster. Get model number and any serial number. If you have repair work done outside of the US, you have to declare the cost of the repair.
Leave the number "opening" blank. That is where the agent.
List each item with its model number, serial number. If you list a camera, list all the different lenses that you have. If you miss one you will have to pay duty on it.
If the item does not have a number the agent may have to place one on it.
Take the items to a customs office and fill out this same form. The back of their form will have some instruction on it. Fill out their form and they will check the items listed on your form with the items there, and if all is OK they will stamp and sign the form.
Keep this form and show it to the next customs agent the next time that you come back into the US. If you pick some new items up in the US, fill out a new form. You can have an unlimited number of forms.
A number of people will make out these forms even if they are not going out of the US so they have them in case they have to go at the last moment for some reason. Keep them at home. They are good forever.

Thank you Dan. I appreciate the kind words sir. I really hope that you can make it to Toronto. Would be great to catch up.

Member JGRaider here has had multiple great trips with Kowas Safaris in Namibia.

https://kowasadventure.com/

And I HIGHLY recommend Namibia as well.

Heck, I get nervous just going near Oakland....

Bart... buddy, "I just want to shoot as many baboons as I can..."? I hope you and you son have the best possible father/son hunt of a lifetime.... I know very little about African hunting....so please forgive my ignorance.... but baboons?

It is nice to see you posting more often again.

John

Like squirrels.
Only bigger.

I recall my then 20 year old blasting away at them on a ridge side maybe 300 yards out. He was using our 358 Win M70 and missed all but one after many shots thrown. He was dead on with the hunting critters but the monkeys wound him up.

It's just paperwork. You ARE going to a foreign country who doesn't have the same laws as the US. Hire a permit service with meet and greet. We were not bothered from the time we got off the plane until we were at our hotel (City Lodge). No bribes requested. I used Hunters Support. Anne runs a great service. She has been doing it for over 20 years.

I'm new on the site but if you're still open to ideas visit with Ryan Wilson, he has hunted Africa 20+ times and offers a service to help folks get set up. His favorite outfitter is Milkycreek Safaris, he can introduce you to them if you want. You can reach Martin Booysen at Milkycreek Safaris on the web or get with Ryan at [email protected].

Wife n I made two trips to Namibia and very much enjoyed people and game ..Lot of Namibia's game is wild and free roaming but there is plenty of it ! Taking guns in is very easy and trouble free as long as you take the customs form that is free from a customs agent