legal limit.

[rabbit]

Just wondered if any one could help, just picked my gun up from a service and was told it is been set to fire from 10.2 ftp to 11.2 ftp.

Is the legal limit still 12 ftp?

[B725]

yes.

[moorvale55]

It is, but it can vary depending on the pellet you use.

[rabbit]

Ok, but surely then its the pellet thats fac not the gun

[B725]

Different pellets will give different readings so you could end up shooting over the 12ft limit then you are in the fac,it is the gun and pellet combination you need to be aware of.

[rabbit]

Hmm, i want my gun at 12ftp with accu pell, not a magnum pellet , good old british law.

Thanks guys.

[B725]

As long as it is within the 12ftp with accupell all is good it is when you use say a 21g or other that it becomes a problem,I had some 21g Logun pellets to try when I spoke to the guys at Logun they told me not to use them as it would take it over the 12ftp so I just carried on with the accupell.

[lineshooter]

Yes,but what ever you shoot will be just as dead at 10.5 as it would be at 12 fpe, don't forget the more pellets you shoot after a tune,the power will go up a little.

[robbiep]

Hmm, i want my gun at 12ftp with accu pell, not a magnum pellet , good old british law.

Thanks guys.

 

You do NOT want your gun shooting at 12ft/lbs. You want it shooting UNDER 12. Because pellets may vary fractionally, and if your gun usually shoots at 12, and a different batch of pellets takes it to 12.000001, then you are breaking the law.

[chrisjpainter]

Remember though that if the police were to test the gun, it's a case of whether the gun has the capacity to shoot 12ft/lb or over. So, if the gun will shoot over 12ft/lb with a heavy, that counts as having the capacity to and you could be in trouble. The police test with a range of pellets, not just the one you claim to shoot with. This is why manufacturers won't send a gun out that shoots 11.9 with a medium weight pellet.

 

You need to make sure the gun won't shoot 12 with any pellet.

[kiteandy]

i have high powerd FAC , those heavy pellets are shocking at accuracy i allways use accupells , no point on power if you can,t a barn door !

[Redm0002]

Having just bought a Hatsan AT44 10 in.22 I read and heard that different pellets behaved differently depending on weight gms/grains and profile; domed, pointed, hollow point etc. Zeroing the gun/scope wasn't too difficult but then there was the question of what power the gun was operating at? With the legal implications in mind I bought a chronograph and put 6 different types of pellets in groups of 3 through the chrono. The ft/lb variation went with the weight of pellet (grains) but there was variation in the stated grains for each pellet. For some the seller had given a value and there was also a table I found via a forum link on the web. You have to enter a gm or grain weight into the chrono in order to measure the ft/lb, so if you have two values, which do you use? Both? Or should we all be purchasing scales to find our own values? There is nothing in the Chrono's instructions about calibrating the unit itself, so maybe there is some wriggle room there if it is reading 'High'.

Five of the pellet types were 'Legal' according to the chrono using both values if known. However one type of pellet, the Bisley Magnum at 21.14/21.29 grains gave results of 12.36 ft/lb and 12.24 ft/lb respectively = FAC!

There is no adjustment that can be made on the rifle's power output other than as the psi reduces with use and there is the option of not using the Bisley Magnums. However as an early contributor stated if it is the gun's potential to operate at >12 ft/lb that is the problem then I would have thought that controlled police testing would identify this. Worrying.

[timmytree]

Having just bought a Hatsan AT44 10 in.22 I read and heard that different pellets behaved differently depending on weight gms/grains and profile; domed, pointed, hollow point etc. Zeroing the gun/scope wasn't too difficult but then there was the question of what power the gun was operating at? With the legal implications in mind I bought a chronograph and put 6 different types of pellets in groups of 3 through the chrono. The ft/lb variation went with the weight of pellet (grains) but there was variation in the stated grains for each pellet. For some the seller had given a value and there was also a table I found via a forum link on the web. You have to enter a gm or grain weight into the chrono in order to measure the ft/lb, so if you have two values, which do you use? Both? Or should we all be purchasing scales to find our own values? There is nothing in the Chrono's instructions about calibrating the unit itself, so maybe there is some wriggle room there if it is reading 'High'.

Five of the pellet types were 'Legal' according to the chrono using both values if known. However one type of pellet, the Bisley Magnum at 21.14/21.29 grains gave results of 12.36 ft/lb and 12.24 ft/lb respectively = FAC!

There is no adjustment that can be made on the rifle's power output other than as the psi reduces with use and there is the option of not using the Bisley Magnums. However as an early contributor stated if it is the gun's potential to operate at >12 ft/lb that is the problem then I would have thought that controlled police testing would identify this. Worrying.

You are correct, the wording in law is "capable" and that means that if your rifle was removed for testing it can be checked with any pellet available on the market. The people who do the tests know exactly which pellets to use to get the highest possible power and secure a conviction. Anyone who says their gun is legal with brand X but goes over with bismags so they won't use bismags is being a bit daft and obviously doesn't understand the law or the implications of breaking it.

[walshie]

But has anyone ever had, or ever heard of anyone who has had their airguns checked? I'm not condoning going over the limit as that's stupid, but I reckon the cops have better stuff to do than sit their with loads of different pellets checking to see if they make a gun go over 12ft/lb..

Edited May 9, 2015 by walshie

[storm in a teacup]

Yeah I have seen a few air rifles checked, usually the result of them being an idiot with it.

[timmytree]

But has anyone ever had, or ever heard of anyone who has had their airguns checked? I'm not condoning going over the limit as that's stupid, but I reckon the cops have better stuff to do than sit their with loads of different pellets checking to see if they make a gun go over 12ft/lb..

Not personally, you would have to be doing something daft or illegal to get noticed in the first place. One person who does know about the law and of a number of cases is Raygun on the AAOC.

The chances of getting a tug are small but I wouldn't push my luck by getting too close to the limit, it's not worth the risk.

[linny]

it's not worth the risk at all one spot check is all it takes

[darren 67]

Wouldn't risk my sgc for being over limit on my air rifle.

[evo]

and lets not forget its 5yrs jail also,,funny thing is ,,, if I put a heavier pellet in my electronic airwolf the power reduces,, the lighter the pellet the more power, so its not always a heavier pellet that produces the higher power,,, think wisely before having a rifle close to 12ftlb, is your liberty really worth an extra 1/2 ftlb

[pat g]

Bare in mind also that if your rifle has a particularly short barrel and it was to go over the limit you would then be in possession of a section 5 firearm and not a section 1. Being in possession of a section 5 is a much more serious offence than that of a section 1. This stems from the 1997 firearms amendment act and the pistol ban and basically relates to the fact of barrel length and concealment. Not everyone is aware of this very important legal small print!!! There are a number of rifles readily available in sub 12 ft lb that could fall foul of this legal wranggle So please be aware Best advice? Get yourself a good and reliable Chrono

ATB,

Pat

[timmytree]

Bare in mind also that if your rifle has a particularly short barrel and it was to go over the limit you would then be in possession of a section 5 firearm and not a section 1. Being in possession of a section 5 is a much more serious offence than that of a section 1. This stems from the 1997 firearms amendment act and the pistol ban and basically relates to the fact of barrel length and concealment. Not everyone is aware of this very important legal small print!!! There are a number of rifles readily available in sub 12 ft lb that could fall foul of this legal wranggle So please be aware Best advice? Get yourself a good and reliable Chrono

ATB,

Pat

Good point Pat, the Prosport is one of those rifles. No point in measuring the shroud either, it's purely the barrel length.

[Dekers]

You are correct, the wording in law is "capable" and that means that if your rifle was removed for testing it can be checked with any pellet available on the market. The people who do the tests know exactly which pellets to use to get the highest possible power and secure a conviction. Anyone who says their gun is legal with brand X but goes over with bismags so they won't use bismags is being a bit daft and obviously doesn't understand the law or the implications of breaking it.

 

 

But has anyone ever had, or ever heard of anyone who has had their airguns checked? I'm not condoning going over the limit as that's stupid, but I reckon the cops have better stuff to do than sit their with loads of different pellets checking to see if they make a gun go over 12ft/lb..

 

I would agree with both above, but just the same, be happier if I was confident it stays under 12ft lb whatever.

 

 

PS. its a funny old world, I have 12ft lb and FAC air, and a lot of other FAC and SGC, it would be a daft/sad day if my 12ft lb crept over somehow and I got my collar felt!

[Muddy Funker]

But has anyone ever had, or ever heard of anyone who has had their airguns checked? I'm not condoning going over the limit as that's stupid, but I reckon the cops have better stuff to do than sit their with loads of different pellets checking to see if they make a gun go over 12ft/lb..

 

Exactly the point that needs to be made, I have never in nearly a decade of being a cop heard of a random air rifle power check?

 

That's not to say don't follow the rules.

[compo90]

 

Exactly the point that needs to be made, I have never in nearly a decade of being a cop heard of a random air rifle power check?

 

That's not to say don't follow the rules.

I was in the "job" for 15 years and never knew of a legal and lawful air rifle user/owner ever being in any kind of trouble of having an airgun checked for power.

 

Lots of miscreants miss using air guns, but never knew of one being tested for power even in those cases.

 

That said try and keep lawful as different areas (forces) do things differently.

[timmytree]

 

Exactly the point that needs to be made, I have never in nearly a decade of being a cop heard of a random air rifle power check?

 

That's not to say don't follow the rules.

A simple google search found a case in Combe Martin of a chef who was given community service for an overpower air rifle. Police had called at his house after reports of a "domestic" and noticed the rifle in the hallway. The officer looked at the rifle and due to the cocking effort was suspicious of the power so retained it for testing. It was 15 ftlbs so the chef was very lucky to only get community service.

The case I was actually searching for involved an airgunner who had all his guns taken for testing. One of the rifles was in pieces, it was reassembled by the lab and tested overpower.

Yes, you would have to do something daft to be collared but it needn't be a gun related offence.

One other fallacy is that heavy pellets like bismags are the most efficient in PCPs, don't depend on that! In many barrels it's mid weight, soft compound pellets like AA Field.