What you do in this situation?

[malkiserow]

I was on a new permission (1st outing) and shooting rabbits off a perfectly positioned gate for where many rabbits come out into a nice hollow.

 

I looked down as something caught my eye. .22lr live rounds from someone else in the gravel. I was told another chap shoots on that farm.

 

Some rounds were struck, clearly did not go off, so ejected onto the ground and left, some rounds were not struck. This was at both ends of the gate so not just 1 incident. And yes, I am 100% confident they were not mine - and a different make.

 

I picked them all up and loaded them into my magazine and let them off into a safe soft earth bank. They all fired!

 

So the question..... What would you do?

 

Inform the farmer?

Inform the other shooter (If I ever see him)?

Let the farmer know that I've made the rounds safe?

Say nothing and carry on? (but if this happens again and the farmer finds them, he might think I dropped them!!)

Any alternative ideas?

Edited June 25, 2011 by malkiserow

[ST3V3]

difficult 1 tell the farmer will he just think your telling tales or made it up to get the land to yourself.

dont tell him and he's not found them before he tinks its you.

if you do manage to bump into the other shooter maybe ask him ?

[Bowen20]

tell the other shooter that its not really safe practise and could land you both in trouble with the farmer if he finds them again. just coller the other shooter and tell him any ejected rounds hes had some of them are live and to check in future as you have found some and i would have probebly saved the rounds and gave them back to him and said here look there what ive found are they yours. but before i would give them back to him id ask him what rounds do you shoot just out of intrest? oh right like these ones i found ? look! clear them up in future. And if it happened again after this id then let the farmer know that if owt pops up about it just a heads up its not me its the other guy and ive already told him to pick them up and keep an eye out for it again but he hasnt so fk him land is hard enough to come by for rimfire and center fire without getting kicked off of it because of somebody elses slack attitude.

Edited June 25, 2011 by Bowen20

[vampire]

You are in a no win situation there mate,best you could do is drop it into a casual conversation with the farmer that you found some live ammo that someone must have dropped,then he knows and the other guy has not been blamed for anything other than dropping/losing ammo

[Frenchieboy]

If it were me I would wait in the hope that I would casually bump into the other shooter and have a quite chat. It is possible that he has dropped from his pocket or shooting bag without realising it. You done want to be seen as an antagonist. Who knows, if you do bump into the other shooter it could be the beginning of a useful friendship!

[Grandalf]

Do nothing - there is no advantage for you in it.

If it is the other chap who is allowed to shoot there it will rub him up the wrong way.

If its someone else who shouldn't be there you don't know who.

Just file the info away.

Probably turn out to be the farmer himself, or his son, or his uncle, or someone else who the farmer has not mentioned to you.

Odd lot farmers - but they do own the land.

[stokie]

I share a permission with a lad who likes telling tales to the farmer . He also texts and rings when he knows I've been to the farm . To be honest the farmer doesn't give a stuff as long as his pests are controlled

I would drop it into conversation if you do meet him . There may be a rational explanation like it happened in the middle of the night and was going to return in daylight . Who knows .

[malkiserow]

BTW,

 

The farm is family owned and run, none of them has FAC.

 

The bullets must be the other shooter there, This gate is about 40foot from the farmhouse so probably not a poacher etc.

[wymberley]

If it were me I would wait in the hope that I would casually bump into the other shooter and have a quite chat. It is possible that he has dropped from his pocket or shooting bag without realising it. You done want to be seen as an antagonist. Who knows, if you do bump into the other shooter it could be the beginning of a useful friendship!

Both ends of the gate? May have dropped them while climbing over. If this fails, only then is it time for a Bowen 20.

[dadioles]

Simple....

You should have picked up the live rounds and handed them to the landowner and expressed your concern that someone has behaved carelessly.

If you don't do anything then you risk be blamed unfairly.

If it puts you in bad light with the other shooter then tough. The other shooter should have his license pulled, he is clearly irresponsible and unfit to have a firearms license. To drop and lose one round in long grass happens, but you suggest there were several, that is not acceptable.

[Kes]

I'm with Dadioles on this one.

Just show the farmer, confirm they are NOT your rounds and dont mention the other guy - you just found them - could be anyone.

He will make his own mind up but realise you are safe.

Good luck

[ian_in_the_midlands]

I do not know if I would have told the farmer or not, but I know I would not of put rounds found in a field into the chamber of my rifle.

[chrispti]

I would ask the other shooter if they were his, see what he says first. He may well thank you as he could have dropped them.

 

I wouldnt be giving live rounds to anyone (including the farmer) who doesn't have an FAC with the correct cal on it

[geordieh]

Simple....

You should have picked up the live rounds and handed them to the landowner and expressed your concern that someone has behaved carelessly.

If you don't do anything then you risk be blamed unfairly.

If it puts you in bad light with the other shooter then tough. The other shooter should have his license pulled, he is clearly irresponsible and unfit to have a firearms license. To drop and lose one round in long grass happens, but you suggest there were several, that is not acceptable.

Hi All

Another holier than thou attitude, what planet are you from, the Planet Daily Mail. Shock Horror man drops super high velocity dum dum bullets capable of killing someone at over a mile and a half only 600 yds from school full of primary school children.Bring back the death penalty.For gods sake it is only a few 22rimfire not nuclear warheads

If i find any i chuck em away and get on with my life

Geordie

[bakerboy]

Ask the farmer for the other shooters contact point, so that you can make contact and introduce yourself.

Then contact the other person and politely let him know what you have found, who knows it may be someone else and you could then both be forewarned of an intruder.

No need to make a big issue of it, after all it could have been an accident, albeit careless, no one learns if no one is told.

 

Terry

[dadioles]

Hi All

Another holier than thou attitude, what planet are you from, the Planet Daily Mail. Shock Horror man drops super high velocity dum dum bullets capable of killing someone at over a mile and a half only 600 yds from school full of primary school children.Bring back the death penalty.For gods sake it is only a few 22rimfire not nuclear warheads

If i find any i chuck em away and get on with my life

Geordie

 

Hmmm... another presumed firearms licence holder (geordieh) with an attitude that puts into question his suitability to hold a licence... I wait in eager anticipation for the flames!!!

 

Chrispti is right to say that it would have been wrong to give the rounds to the farmer in the knowledge that the farmer did not have a licence. Show them to the farmer and then agree to dispose of them.

 

It is not your job to play policeman and track down the other shooter (who is not a mate and you do not know him from Adam - if you knew him that would be different). The farmer is the landowner, he is responsible for who has authorised access to his land and what they do on it. You inform him, he takes whatever action he sees fit.

[sitsinhedges]

Hi All

Another holier than thou attitude, what planet are you from, the Planet Daily Mail. Shock Horror man drops super high velocity dum dum bullets capable of killing someone at over a mile and a half only 600 yds from school full of primary school children.Bring back the death penalty.For gods sake it is only a few 22rimfire not nuclear warheads

If i find any i chuck em away and get on with my life

Geordie

 

I agree, it's making a mountain out of a molehill.

 

Not much use without a gun to put them in either.

[dadioles]

I agree, it's making a mountain out of a molehill.

 

Not much use without a gun to put them in either.

 

As a kid aged about 9 (true story) I found two clips of live (303) rounds that had been left (hidden) in a ceiling void by the local "Dad's Army". Not knowing any better I used a pair of pliers to pull the heads off a couple, poured out the powder (it was like chopped up pencil leads) and lit the powder with a match, singed my hair, a bit smelly and took some explaining later. Still inquisitive I then put the bullet casing in a vice and hit the end with a hammer and nail. I was in the garden shed and the noise of the cap going off made my ears whistle and scared the eebyjeebies out of me. It was sheer luck that I had not been stupid enough (a very close thing!!!) to hit hammer and nail against an intact round.

 

That is the sort of thing kids do.

 

Find a live .22 bullet and see if it fits your toy cap gun - the chances are you might get it to go off.

I know.... let's see what happens if we hold it over the flame of a lighter....

I saw a film once where someone put a bullet in a fire - that could be fun.....

 

GET REAL - BULLETS ARE DANGEROUS - IF YOU CANNOT CONFORM TO THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS OF YOUR LICENCE YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ONE OR BE ALLOWED ANYWHERE NEAR GUNS AND AMMUNITION

 

Now I shall wait for more flames, pretty thick skinned though.

[Kes]

Again (this is becoming worrying) I fully agree with Dadioles - perhaps its not always about 'getting on with life' but pausing a second to think of the safety of others or simply the concern they may have over finding a live round. We choose to forget we are a part of a wider community at our peril.

[Dougy]

I think the culprit should be taken into the middle of a field and publicly stoned to death for doing such a dispicable thing.

 

Or shall we first see if they had been left there by accident, maybe fell out of a pocket whilst taking a shot in the prone possition, We dont know any of us, some may think they know everything

 

Assumptions are the mother of all what

 

 

Pick them up, make it safe and discard them safely when you get home..

[geordieh]

deleted

Edited June 26, 2011 by geordieh

[geordieh]

As a kid aged about 9 (true story) I found two clips of live (303) rounds that had been left (hidden) in a ceiling void by the local "Dad's Army". Not knowing any better I used a pair of pliers to pull the heads off a couple, poured out the powder (it was like chopped up pencil leads) and lit the powder with a match, singed my hair, a bit smelly and took some explaining later. Still inquisitive I then put the bullet casing in a vice and hit the end with a hammer and nail. I was in the garden shed and the noise of the cap going off made my ears whistle and scared the eebyjeebies out of me. It was sheer luck that I had not been stupid enough (a very close thing!!!) to hit hammer and nail against an intact round.

 

That is the sort of thing kids do.

 

Find a live .22 bullet and see if it fits your toy cap gun - the chances are you might get it to go off.

I know.... let's see what happens if we hold it over the flame of a lighter....

I saw a film once where someone put a bullet in a fire - that could be fun.....

 

GET REAL - BULLETS ARE DANGEROUS - IF YOU CANNOT CONFORM TO THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS OF YOUR LICENCE YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ONE OR BE ALLOWED ANYWHERE NEAR GUNS AND AMMUNITION

 

Now I shall wait for more flames, pretty thick skinned though.

Hi dadioles

Do you actually have an FAC yourself or does all your knowledge on firearms come from the Lone Ranger or Hoppalong cassidy "I saw a film once where someone put a bullet in a fire" by bullet i take it you mean a live round, the bullet is the pointy bit at the front that comes out of the barrel when you pull the trigger.Anyway if you put a live round on a fire you get a little pop and that is about it,not really fun at all unless you have The Lone Ranger's magic bullets and these fire off into the distance without ever having been anywhere near the chamber of a gun

Geordie

[njc110381]

Besides all the handbag waving, I'll get back to the original post.

 

I would ask the farmer for the contact details of the other guy. If he asks why tell him you've found something shooting related that you'd like to give back to him and if he's still not happy about giving out the info then give him your number and request that he passes it on to the other guy so he can contact you.

 

I'd have a friendly word with him, just stating that you found the rounds and didn't want either yourself or him getting in trouble for it. Lets face it you could maybe lose a FAC over that sort of thing? If they are his rounds then great. If not it's time to let the farmer know what you've found and that they are neither yours or the other guy's.

 

Do not give anything live to the farmer!

[dadioles]

Hi dadioles

Do you actually have an FAC yourself or does all your knowledge on firearms come from the Lone Ranger or Hoppalong cassidy "I saw a film once where someone put a bullet in a fire" by bullet i take it you mean a live round, the bullet is the pointy bit at the front that comes out of the barrel when you pull the trigger.Anyway if you put a live round on a fire you get a little pop and that is about it,not really fun at all unless you have The Lone Ranger's magic bullets and these fire off into the distance without ever having been anywhere near the chamber of a gun

Geordie

 

Rising to the bait....

 

The bit about "I saw a film once...." was in reference to something that may go on in a child's mind - you misinterpreted, I expressed badly. I must admit that I have never tried setting fire to a bullet, hitting one with a hammer and nail as a child who should have known better was lesson enough although it was a rather larger round than .22. I also found an unfired bullet / small shell about 6 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, that could have been fun / fatal but had the sense to hand that one in (age 11).

 

I am surprised to hear (presumably from your own first hand experience) that a bullet in a fire only goes off with a little pop but given the "equal and opposite reaction" principle I would have though that either the casing or bullet head could still fly out with enough force to blind someone if it hit them in the eye.

 

Yes, I do have a firearms licence, only rimfire .22lr and .17hmr, plus sub 12ftlb air rifle (Rapid), nothing bigger. I shoot several times a week, have been shooting for about 50 years, grandfather was proofmaster at Enfield Small Arms factory and taught King George V to shoot, uncle (MBE) shot for RAF and after retirement from RAF was Rangemaster at Bisley, his main discipline was .22 pistol, he left me his medals and trophies - a great man - he taught me to shoot from age about 6 (yes I am 57 now) so long history of shooting, rather in the blood, I care about shooting and consider myself to be a reasonable and responsible person. I have lost the odd bullet in long grass.

 

Back to the original post, it was suggested that several bullets had been found and that some of them showed signs of being struck but not detonated. That is not the result of a one-off accidental loss of a bullet but negligent disposal, a "who cares, so what" attitude which fails to appreciate either the illegality of the action or the possible consequences if they should fall into the hands of an inquisitive child, maybe the farmers child? It is a problem for the farmer to deal with, not you.

 

Anyway, what is wrong with the Lone Ranger? I thought his mate Tonto was pretty cool, watched most of the series!! Maybe it was a bad influence on me. He was an expert marksman but I could not afford his silver bullets - "not to be wasted or thrown away".

 

Happy days Kemo Sabe....

[Glenshooter]

Ask the farmer for the other shooters contact point, so that you can make contact and introduce yourself.

Then contact the other person and politely let him know what you have found, who knows it may be someone else and you could then both be forewarned of an intruder.

No need to make a big issue of it, after all it could have been an accident, albeit careless, no one learns if no one is told.

 

Terry

 

Text book answer, IMHO.

 

Can't myself see the need to make a big issue out of this and as someone has already said, they're not nukes. But it is worth having a polite word with the other shooter.