Frenchieboy Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 (edited) I've just sent my FAC off to have another rifle added (I am being gived a new .22 plus a spare gun cabinet to store it in, in return for some web design work I am doing - Lucky me!) I have also attached a letter asking that several of the conditions on my certificate be altered/ammended. I have asked for a condition to be added "for the dispatch of fox in cage traps using my 17HMR" (which they agreed to ages ago but didn't add it to my written conditions) so that shouldn't be a problem - It's purely a case of it's better to have it in writing to save any problems at a later date! I also asked for the condition stating that I had to be in the company of a "Named Mentor" while shooting deer with my .243 be changed to "While in the company of an experienced stalker" to make it less restrictive and allow me to gain more experience in different areas, which they have also already agreed to so that will not be a problem either, it just needs adding/ammending to my written conditions. I have also asked that they "consider" changing my "Closed-Novice" condition for my .243 now be changed to "Open" - They were going to change my certificate to a full open last Christmas but they only opened up the 17HMR as I was changing from a .222 to a .243 at that time. I have explained this to them and said that I believe that I have gained enough experience to assess land myself as it is proving to be too restrictive being on "Closed - Novice" conditions for my .243 when getting called out to deal with fox problems at short notice and that I was loosing potential new shooting permissions due to this condition. To back this up I have also added a letter from an experienced "Open Certificate" holder that I regularly shoot with (He was my "Named Mentor" for fox with my .222) where he states that I am very experienced and safe being able to ***** safe and unsafe shots on land and have no problems on positive target identification in daylight and on the lamp, and as such he can see no reason why I should remain on "Closed/Novice" conditions any longer. With regards to experience gained I have been using centrefires for over 2 years now on about a dozen different "permissions" and have used something like 100 shots with a .22-250, some 200 shots with a .222 and now about 220 shots with my .243 (They obviously have records of my ammunition usage) - At least 50% of these shots have been used in the field rather than on a range shooting paper targets. After a chat with one of the girls in the firearms office they tell me that they are having to deal with a heavy work load at the moment with renewals but she is going to try to "push it through" so that I can have my certificate back within a fortnight, but that the decision on opening up the certificate is not hers to make. I will let you know how things have gone when I get my certificate back in a couple of weeks! (Maybe I should add that I am with Lancashire Firearms Office) Edited September 8, 2011 by Frenchieboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 I asked or "my conditions to be removed" i.e not using "open" ... sounds better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhunter Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Oh well take up target shooting every sunday, shoot with r.o 's everywere and a great backstop in one direction and they will give you one like a sweetie. 100 shots in the field is way more experiance than 10,000 on a range as regards assesing the risk of each individual shot. over a five year period thats approx one fox or deer a week with a centrefire. I wonder what they would state you needed in the way of round count- you could just book a full day at the range and plink your way through it I made the exact same argument again! I said that I could go down the range and shoot paper all day to get the shot count up but it wouldn't be 'experience' in the field. The reply came back like a flash 'you couldn't, you don't have range shooting on your ticket!' I gave up at this point GH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 (edited) I asked or "my conditions to be removed" i.e not using "open" ... sounds better You could be right there but I felt that it was better to be more explaintary and definitive in my request so that there could be no "misunderstandings" on what I was asking for as I was asking for several conditions to be amended/added! Edited September 8, 2011 by Frenchieboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Hi Jamie. I applied for an open just after three years and got it. I then applied for 17REM and that is on a closed restriction for three years. In a nutshell then I was advised that Leic's policy is min 3 use years for any class of firearm apart from special circumstances. I have also asked for an 'open' ticket in leicestershire, and they will 'consider' it after 3 years, I'm moving to Notts soon, so it'll be interesting to see what they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 I made the exact same argument again! I said that I could go down the range and shoot paper all day to get the shot count up but it wouldn't be 'experience' in the field. The reply came back like a flash 'you couldn't, you don't have range shooting on your ticket!' I gave up at this point GH Serious you dont have a Zeroing and HO approved ranges condition? :o Go down the farm and do a bit of testing then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhunter Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Serious you dont have a Zeroing and HO approved ranges condition? :o Go down the farm and do a bit of testing then Well, yes, I've got zeroing but I wouldn't bother going to a range for that as I'm likely to get 1/2 dozen shots at the most from what I've heard! Or am I wrong? I've already done quite a bit of 'testing' down the farm. Think I need to do some more GH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Well, yes, I've got zeroing but I wouldn't bother going to a range for that as I'm likely to get 1/2 dozen shots at the most from what I've heard! Or am I wrong? I've already done quite a bit of 'testing' down the farm. Think I need to do some more GH I don't know depends were you go. If you joined at Diggle you can shoot a heck of a lot midweek or after the comps, provided your a full member and there are sufficent to do RO present. Many local clubs and ranges your good for 20-30 on a sunday morning. I am shooting the hornet a lot more here than the .243 in practice sesions as its so much quieter, tend to get interested parties calling buy when i use the bigger gun. Rimfire well lets just say i have built a 50 yds range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 I fire loads of "zeroing" shots with my rifle. I mean one group isn't really enough to be 100% sure of your zero, and who's to say that half way through you wouldn't want to maybe zero at 200 yards instead of 100? I get through 50 or more rounds sometimes before I'm happy that my zero is just right for my needs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted September 9, 2011 Report Share Posted September 9, 2011 (edited) Maybe I am just very lucky but I have permission at a quarry less than a 5 minute drive from my house where I can shoot as many rounds as I like without any restrictions and no public access. There is a disused section that I can shoot out to about 150 yards with perfect backstops at any time of the day and another section which is still in use during the day but I am allowed to use outside of working hours and on Sundays where I can shoot out to over 300 yards if I want. I am also very fortunate in the fact that I have a very good working relationship with the landowner and have an agreement that I can have 2 or 3 club members (As long as they are fully insured) with me for zeroing and "plinking" sessions with any calibre of rifles once a month! If any of them want to build up their "ammunition usage" or test home loads they just come to see me whenever we are "having a session"! The added bonus of using this quarry is that if it starts riddling down with rain we are never more than a couple of yards from our motors and a flask of hot drink! If any members in my area are really stuck for somewhere safe to zero up or need any help setting their rifles up give me a call and I will help out - The only restriction is that you MUST have shooting insurance cover and give me at least 1 days notice! Edit: If you are on closed conditions the land is passed for rifles up to .270 calibre! Edited September 9, 2011 by Frenchieboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleaner4hire Posted September 9, 2011 Report Share Posted September 9, 2011 top offer Frenchieboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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