SilverBore

Staffordshire, same as yours nickb, and it took over 16 weeks(3 1/2 Months) from application to interview than another couple of weeks after that, so about 18 weeks in total. My mate in Derbyshire had his within a couple of weeks and was shooting before me - which pee'd me off to no end!

Apologies for asking what may seem like a stupid question, but I'd rather ask than try it and regret it! I have a Bettinsoli Diamond X 30" M/C with a 3" chamber (first gun), the specs say it can take cartridges that are 2 3/4" (70mm) & 3" (75mm) but I have some 21g Hull Comp X that are only 2 1/2" (65mm). Are these ok for the Bettinsoli? Is the general rule of thumb, it's ok to use cartridges that are less than or equal to the chamber length but not greater? Will there be any difference to how the smaller cartridges work in a larger chamber? Or should you always match chamber length and cartridge exactly? Ta

Ok, so a hangfire is a slow burning fuse that will eventually fire given a minute or two, if not then check the primer for strike mark, if no strike mark then it could be an issue with the gun, if there is a strike mark then it could be a missfire - pull out the cart - i've heard of people suggesting bury the thing in the ground with the business end pointing down - what would happen if the cart 'fired' while out of the chamber and being placed in the ground - would it take a finger/hand off!!! Unlikely as it is of course!

I've read all above comments - so what is the ideal and safest way to deal with this situation if the cartidge doesn't go bang? Perhaps a step-by-step procedure for newbs like myself would be handy. Ta all.

Cheers NickB, will give those a go and see what they've got. Sorry about being the messenger of the bad news! Here's hoping your SGC doesn't take as long as mine did.

... took 17 weeks until FEO visit and another week after that. I live in Burton-Upon-Trent, Staffs so if anyone else has submitted their application in Staffordshire i'm guessing your's will be of a similar duration. Now, onto more important matters, buying my first gun. I understand based on my budget of around £600 + sundries that i'm either looking at a new Lanber, Bettinsoli etc or a secondhand Browning or Miroku etc. Now, i'd rather not lose alot of money from a new gun but then again i've not seen any Browning or Miroku of good quality for that price. Am I looking in the right places? I don't mind getting the car and travelling 30-40 miles to go get a quality gun so my question is not what I should buy, as I think i've worked that out for myself. But rather where are the best places to shop for guns? I've tried the local area, e.g. Doverridge @ Derby, Nevilles @ Alfreton & a place just down the road in Tamworth. Does anyone know of any good places for quality guns around here? Many thanks. Silverbore.

Staffordshire SGC application sent on 17th April, after 6 weeks of not hearing anything (no letter, nothing!) I phoned them to see what was going off, was told could be another 3-4 weeks. Still not heard a damn thing. Absolute pants. I guess if there was a problem they'd have at least told me by now surely??? Not that I anticipate anything.