Law reg. slugs and buckshot ammo for shotguns

[mundaire]

Ali,

Be aware that selling ammunition to another license holder requires you to intimate the authorities in advance and other such formalities.

Ball/ slugs are still legal in India. However, LG, SG, SSG and other buckshot rounds are now prohibited.

HTH

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[penpusher]

Danish,

That's incorrect.Please be sure about your facts before advising other members.

A licensee can sell ammunition to another licensee,but the process is the same as in selling a firearm.The process I have detailed earlier in another post.

penpusher

[Risala]

If Ball and Slugs are legal,then why arent LG,SG etc etc.Any thoughts.
Is it cause IOFB dont make them any more.
While imports would work well for those Cal's,for which ammo is not available in India.
for the more regular Cals like .32,380,12 Bore etc,would it be worth while to pay the extra cost in India.
Especially when the imports are so painful,given the costs of delivery by Arms Dealer to Apt etc,duty in India on FOB then wouldnt it work out to the same as buying inported ammunition in India.
Sanjay

[shahid]

Well although I am not dead certain, the theory is something like this.

LG / SG and other grades of buck shot over 4.2 mm are lethal as they spread too much. The authorities think it can hit people working in the fields and can be very lethal if fired in a crowd.

The balls and slugs meanwhile are an effective way for crop protection or whatever, and will kill fatally and quickly if fired upon vermin in the field.

When NP bore rifles are allowed, then there is little than can be done to illegalise balls. They are in the same category. Mind you this can lead to a major debate about firing a ball responsibly, ball vs. sabot slug ..., .... A book can be authored on this.

But more or less it is.

The government of India fears that criminals of India who are rapidly increasing with geometric and hyperbolic progression, and a profession which is a major source of economic means in India, so much so that half of our Lok Sabha MPs too face criminal charges, fears that LG and buck shots in the hands of these Indian nobles and role models would cause more deaths and injuries because 6 or 7 of them fired at a crowd or in a crowded market place or public meetings where usually crimes are committed or scores are settled can be a bit of nuicence. It may kill or injure 3 to 4 people easily, whereas a ball in the hand of these criminals will hit only those for which it was intented.

The government of India meanwhile, irrespective of party, creed or cadre has decided it will make little efforts to hamper the progress of this mushrooming industry.

[mundaire]

Especially when the imports are so painful,given the costs of delivery by Arms Dealer to Apt etc,duty in India on FOB then wouldnt it work out to the same as buying inported ammunition in India.
Sanjay

Sanjay,

You can import 50 rounds of ammo duty-free, when returning from overseas. But the ammo should be for the gun(s) entered on your own license - that is you cannot bring back ammo for someone else. I have been informed that the limit of 50 rounds in simply the duty-free limit and you may actually bring back as much ammo as your license allows, so long as the airline lets you carry it - as per IATA rules airlines will usually allow you to carry a max of 2 kgs of ammo.

I need to check further on this - but in essence this means that if you have a limit of say 250/500 on your license (250 at a time/ subject to a maximum of 500 in 1 year) - then you should be able to bring back 250 rounds with you, BUT -

1) These 250 rounds are should be within 2 kilos of weight
2) You get 50 rounds duty-free and need to pay duty on the balance 200
3) The ammo you bring in should not lead you to exceed your yearly quota. So if you have already purchased 300 rounds of ammo on that license in that same year, you would only be able to bring back 200 rounds of ammo, etc.

Will ask around and confirm this later.

Keep in mind that Indian made ammo is substantially more expensive than (much better) quality ammo retailed by manufacturers in the USA.

Lastly, Indian ammo has limited choice - for example, you do not have hollow points made here and for the imported ammo available here, you have to make do with whatever the dealer has with him - you cannot pick and choose, because there is no variety to choose from! So even if IOFB is making ammo for the calibre in question/ the dealer has some type of imported ammo with him, it may still make sense to bring back some nice stuff with you...

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[penpusher]

Abhijeet,

Earlier it was that the duty free limit was 50 cartridges.Thereby implying that more could be brought in but after paying duty on the cartridges beyond 50.However now the no. of cartridges that can be brought in has been fixed at a max of 50.Another violation of the Arms Act and Rules as they prescribe no limit, rather leaving it to the discretion of the concerned authorities.The only thing that they say is that the no. of cartridges should be reasonable.

penpusher

[Risala]

The limit is 50,I dont think the customs will allow more than that,irrespective of whatever is stated in the Arms Act/Rules.

http://www.cbec.gov.in/cae/travellers.htm

Sanjay

[mundaire]

Sanjay/ penpusher,

The link above simply states that the duty-free allowance shall not be applicable to "Cartridges of fire arms exceeding 50". That in itself seems to indicate that upto 50 is duty-free and above that number one would have to pay duty.

However, I will check with someone in customs ASAP to verify what the exact status is.

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[mundaire]

Shucks, just scrolled down that page to find this -

"Import of Cartridges in excess of 50 is also prohibited."



You guys were right after all... Thanks for correcting me.

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[cyrixoutside]

hi,

the story i have heard is that during the time hunting was legal in india some "jain maharaj" filed an application in court to ban hunting and after this application was turned downed, he then got LG and SG banned coz he claimed that too many animals were being injured and maimed by LG/SG. Slugs were allowed.

I dont know how true this story is. pehaps some one else can "enlighten" us.



rajat

[penpusher]

The ban on the import and posession of any multiple projectile cartridge with any projectile of a size equal to or greater than 5mm was imposed on the 23rd of June ,1980.Why and how,I do not know.

penpusher

[art_collector]

Hi Rajat,

Ur information looks to be wrong......a Jain Maharaj....nain yaar jains don't kill animals anyway.The Jain Munis do not wear shoes/chappals so that they do not kill even an ant.
The LG & SG were banned in 1980 s when terrorism was affecting the State of Punjab . Can't really say whether my information is also correct or not... I cud be wrong ... so we might still need to go through more posts...to reach to the correct answer.

AC

[Risala]

The ban on the import and posession of any multiple projectile cartridge with any projectile of a size equal to or greater than 5mm was imposed on the 23rd of June ,1980.Why and how,I do not know.

penpusher

Isnt the Shaktiman Ball a multiple projectile cartridge.???

Best
Sanjay

[penpusher]

Isnt the Shaktiman Ball a multiple projectile cartridge.???

No

penpusher

[mehulkamdar]

No human being has ever been killed by shot of size 6 or smaller and hence the law even in the US requires 6 or smaller shot to be used at shoots where more than one hunter shoots at a time.



Cheers!