Vince Green

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Its best to take the plant out first. Otherwise a good idea. You can put a bit of black gaffer tape over the bottom of the lamp lens as well. that might be easier. As long as it doesn't get too hot. When we used to lamp pigeons roosting in barns we used to put tape all round the edges of the lamp so the light only shone out of the middle like a pencil beam. Otherwise it would light up the whole barn.

The MOD routinely sells off its old stock of ammo once it has reached a certain age, usually about 5 years old. In times of peace it won't all get used up just with training because they have to hold a much larger amount in case of war. So there was always plenty of surplus 5.56 RG around. At the moment that won't be happening because of the present conflict. The NRA has bought 7.62 direct from Radway Green each year since the 1950s to use in all its competions (Green Spot). The NRA is the only non military organisation allowed to do this. However, there has been a lot of criticism in recent years because it wasn't really up to match shooting standard so this year they switched to RUAG as the supplier of ammunition. The NRA used to buy surplus 7.62 from the MOD as well and sell it as their "budget " ammunition for practice but that has dried up although they still have some left at the moment for 50p a round. They have said when that is gone there will be no more. It will be interesting to see what happens then, my guess is they will sell PP as that is what they are selling in .303 and other calibres.They are asking for all the old 7.62 RUAG cases back and say they intend to get it commercially reloaded in the UK. For 5.56/ .223 they are selling the German blue label, or at least they were last summer. Its far from target standard but .223 is only used in F Class and most of the competitors reload for that using much heavier bullets in 1 in 8" (or less) twist barrels. PP sell a .223 Match FMJ version using a 75grn bullet which is well thought of but its no good in 1 in 12" barrels. Its £51.60 a hundred from Kranks. PP also sell a 55grn FMJ round that was £39.60 a hundred fom Kranks but you can bet that will go up when the next delivery comes in.

I wouldn't shoot them anyway because I like them but would we be allowed to shoot the green parrots that seem to be growing in numbers round here? Years ago there used to be huge flocks of starlings but they seem to be in decine now. The way things are going the parrots will take over from them in a few years time. We used to shoot the starlings at dusk as they flew into the woods to roost. The air would be black with them and it was a game to see how many you could bring down with both barrels. We would then cut the wings off and sell them to a company called Venniards who would give you money for them.

If you really know the history of the rifle secondhand is good. Many deer rifles have had virtually no use and come out once or twice a year for a few shots. Some have virtually never been fired, such is the nature of the sport that rich people buy expensive rifles and then never use them. Just in it for the pose. When I worked for Holland and Holland years ago we used to see them all the time, I remember a double rifle that was sold with a 100 rounds of ammunition and seventy years later it was returned with 98 rounds when the owner died. Been all round the world but never used. I would say the dearer the rifle the less its been used. However, you have to make a judgement on that because .243s shoot their barrels out quite quckly and one thats been out on the ranges week in week out can be totally knackered and traded in after five years. If in doubt the new cost is not much more than secondhand if buying from a dealer. Peace of mind for a few quid extra is probably worth it. However if you watch the private ads and you are prepared to wait thats another story. Don't expect a bargain from a dealer though.

Going over has two implications. one is whether it will fit in the mag which is self expainatory. The other is whether the bullet is touching the rifling. In an ideal world you want it very close but not actually touching the rifling. This increases the "start" pressure before the bullet starts to move. The trick with a felt tip marker pen is a good one. Don't let the bullet actually touch. Match rifle shooters use it but in a very controlled way and it can raise pressure quite a lot so its best to avoid it.

Eleys are different primers, or at least they always used to be. you had to buy Eley primers and just changed the bit in the middle not the whole cup. you left the cup in the cartridge. Needed a different decapper, shell holder and seating tool

That shouldn't be a problem but frankly when it comes to referees every FEO seems to have a different view. There is a lack of consistancy.

The first question that came into my mind when I read your question was why would you want to. Nothing sweeter than an old hammergun.

They were a popular cheap gun sold in US and Canada where the gun laws didn't restrict you in the same way as they do here. Really a boys first gun or what they called a camping gun. I bet some kid really loved that gun to bits when he opened the parcel on Christmas morning.

Why not just ask them to hang on to them for you until you get your certificate. Saves any problems that way. I always believe that the best course of action is to stay out of grey areas, it probably wont make any difference but at least you know then that you are in the right. Life is like a vindaloo curry, what you do today may well burn your **** tomorrow.

This sounds like something that might be done when you join the masons. Maybe you have a foxes lodge active in your area.

Remember the story a while back about a man who found a sawn off shotgun that had been thrown over his back fence and took it into a police station. He was arrested, charged with illegal possession and went to court where he was found guilty and received a custodial sentence. Don't take it to the police, talk to your FEO and let them come and collect it. Also be aware there is no mechanism for giving it back to you. All firearms that are handed in have to be destroyed. The only way you might sidestep this is if the FEO issues you with a temporary permit to take it to a dealer. This only normally happens after a bereavement. Different police, different attitude.

There aren't that many injured foxes in towns. A few young ones get run over but you virtually never see a dead adult on the road. They get street wise very quickly. Its hard to catch an adult urban fox in a trap for the same reason, traps catch young foxes predominantly. They die from mange at a comparatively early age by fox standards but there are no natural enemies.

Try it and see, you are starting to get to a weight where a faster twist might be an advantage but these things are not written in stone.

Coming back to the original question. what you were told about .243 ammunition not being available in FMJ is true but FMJ bullets in 6mm (.243) are plentiful for reloading because it is used for benchrest shooting so if you want to reload you will be fine. The question of using expanding ammunition for target shooting is a gray area. They certainly won't allow you it for dedicated target shooting BUT you still need to shoot your rifle on a range to sight it in and to gain proficiency with your rifle so that should be allowed. You need to practice to reach the required standard to take your certification if you want to shoot deer for example. It depends on how much range shooting you plan to do. It depends a lot on what you local police view is on the subject of how much practice is reasonable. The .243 is an easy cartridge to load and a loading press is a lot cheaper than a second rifle. However, you don't really want to do too much target shooting with a .243 because you will fairly quickly wear the barrel out. You can put five years worth of cartridges (compared to deer shooting)through a rifle in a long day on the range if you get carried away.

That is perfectly good enough for any field application you may want to use it for. The trouble with shooting targets is that you can get a bit obsessive and lose sight of what you are really trying to achieve. Thats why target shooting can become so addictive for some people.

Thats the excuse but its not the true reason. Importers like Kranks only buy intermittantly, several container loads at a time because of the difficulty shipping it and to try and get the best prices so if the .223s have run out but they still have stock of the .243s , .270s, .303s etc you will just have to wait until everything goes low enough before they place another order. It seems to me that they only place about two orders a year. Once one big supplier runs out the others tend to follow because the gunshops switch to other sources and clean them out as well. Last summer at the height of the gallery rifle season there was a big shortage of .357 Mag ammo. The only problem with .223 as far as I know is that lots of people have started buying the PPartizan ammunition this year because its good and its cheap so stocks have run out. The supplier of 5.56 ammo to the British Army, Radway Green does not sell ammo to the public and from what I hear they are not even running at full capacity at the moment. They were on overtime before Christmas but that has been cut back now. The British Army do not buy ammo from the likes of Privi Partizan, Sellier and Bellot, Norma, Lapua etc so they are totally unaffected by the War so next time your dealer gives you that excuse tell him he is talking complete rubbish. As for the other excuse, the hoarding of ammunition in America, yes there have been shortages but mostly pistol ammo but how much can the average person afford to buy? Its only because they expect a tax to be placed on it so its not as though they are going to draw out their life saving and buy tons of the stuff. The real truth is that everyone in the gun trade is being very cautious about money and ammunition is not a very good investment, its slow moving and doesn't give a great return. So stocks are low. Ammo Zone is still selling the German "blue label" .223 at £38 per 100 as far as I know

Its silly really because if you were going to go off the rails you could do virtually as much damage with a 3 shot as you would with a 5 shot. You would have to reload a bit more often thats all. Yet the thinking seems to be that the world is a much safer place and we can all sleep more soundly knowing that you only have three shots in your gun instead of five. Its like the ammunition limits on FACs, if you were a terrorist or some kind of lurking psycopath you would simply ignore it and who is to know? But the rest of us have to put up with only buying small quantities at a time which is a real PIA at times when you have to drive miles and can only buy it face to face.

I don't think so any more. There always used to be but I believe that was changed recently. Its hard to find a referee under the old criteria. Most Doctors won't do it and if you have an accountant or similar some police forces got all technical about the term "knows you personally" because they said he was a business contact and wouldn't know about your drinking habits or whether you were prone to depression. Its not unknown for the police to phone these people up and ask them questions like have you ever been to his house and have you met his wife etc The result was that a lot of genuine people couldn't got their SGCs renewed and there were complaints. I have just renewed my FAC, within a week of posting it off I got a phone call to arrange a visit for the following week. They came on the Thursday morning and my new certificate was on the mat the following Wednesday. Very good. Thats in the Met (Colindale Area 6).

There were quite a few of these around when I was a lad. They and the Webley bolt actions were a traditional boy's first gun. Didn't need a licence in those days and could hang it on the wall over your bed. At a guess, until a better date comes along I would say 1950s Not a bad little gun

Most do, they are a business and have a living to make. The shipping costs are high as well. Post Office won't take firearms any more, probably a good thing considering how much stuff goes missing. Couriers vary but are getting more reluctant or want to charge extra for high security service. UPS is the only one I know that definitely will and they are dear.

The chances are that game fairs and country fairs will attract the travelling community and that is always going to be a problem waiting to happen. We sometimes use a local car boot sale to shift overstocks from our business and its like a free for all. You have to keep your eyes peeled all the time.

I always think that all things being equal its better to support your local dealer unless his prices are way over the top. Usually they are dearer but then he has overheads to pay. If they don't get the support they close down (as many have) and then everybody is worse off. Our club chairman drove miles to buy ammo for the club from a bloke who sells it from home because it was a bit cheaper. Then when he has a problem with one of his rifles he expects to be able to go into the local shop to get it sorted. You can't have it both ways.

A lot of these armed response type coppers have a real attitude problem. You only have to see the way they swagger around at Bisley. My mate, (copper and shooter) can't stand them and says a lot of rank and file police officers share that view. I think you just got a bad one and put it down to experience.