FAC Application?

[flytie]

OK, the date for my DSC1 draws near (not too near ) and I start thinking of calibres to put on my FAC! What do you think are/is the ideal rifle/s to have for 400 acres of vermin, fallow, roe, munty and perhaps the odd trip away for a boar?

 

Can.......open.........worms.....everywhere...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggg

ggggggghhhhh

 

Ft

[dunganick]

is this a first time application?

 

if it is then you are unlikely (dosent mean you wont) to get anything larger than .243 unless you are after Reds.

 

I should go for .243 if i were you, lots of rifles chambered in it, good range of projectiles, can easily achive deer legal velocities, reloading components easy to get, factory ammo equally easy to source.

 

Will also be cleared for fox as a seperate condition in most counties

[young airgunner]

what do you need to get a fac,

[flytie]

is this a first time application?

 

if it is then you are unlikely (dosent mean you wont) to get anything larger than .243 unless you are after Reds.

 

I should go for .243 if i were you, lots of rifles chambered in it, good range of projectiles, can easily achive deer legal velocities, reloading components easy to get, factory ammo equally easy to source.

 

Will also be cleared for fox as a seperate condition in most counties

Yes it's my first application, the land is approved for FAC. But you have not answered all the questions.

 

Ft

[dunganick]

ah fair enough

 

rifles in an ideal world (the way im trying to do it)

 

.22lr for bunnies

 

.223 for bunnies and fox

 

6.5x55 for fox and deer

 

however i would doubt you would get a 6.5 on first application

 

so you may be better going for

 

.22lr for bunnies

 

.243 for fox and deer

 

 

i'm not a great fan of the 17 HMR as when handloading a .223 there is not an awful lot of difference in the price per shot. However the .223 has alot more effective range than the HMR

 

However if you wont be handloading the HMR might be one to consider

 

in my mind everyone needs a .22lr, it is subsonic which is very useful, the .22lr is a tool and cannot be replaced by the HMR in my opinion. I'm sorry but a silenced HMR cannot be as quiet as a .22lr. (but im biast i dont own a HMR, but then i did choose the .223 over an HMR )

[il cacciatore]

I would choose:

 

.22 lr for vermin.

 

.223 for vermin and roe control (but since your in England then .243).

 

.308 for deer stalking.

 

Plus moderators.

 

---

 

For young airgunner.

 

You need permission from the person with the shooting rights to control vermin on their land. Then you may apply for a FAC stating what calibers you want and what you will be using them to shoot (with expanding ammo). The land must be deemed suitable by the police authority to use the chosen calibers on it. It is not a requirment by law to have a DSC1 so they cannot refuse you a certificate on that basis if they want you to have it or not. It is advisable however to get advice and be shown how to use a rifle.

 

Or you can join a target shooting club.

 

You will need a safe with seperate lockable bit for storing ammunition and you cant have a serious criminal history either. Dont know what the minimum age is.

 

Its abit more complicated than that but thats the jist of it.

[flytie]

ah fair enough

6.5x55 for fox and deer

however i would doubt you would get a 6.5 on first application

dunganick, I was advised by the BASC deer man, Mr McCormick, to apply for a .308 for deer! Which I thought a tad strange, living as I do in deepest worcestershire, not the highlands!

 

Ft

[il cacciatore]

If your land is suitable, go for the .308. You know you want to.

[Dunkield]

You can get a 6.5 on first app - I did

 

It depends more on what you are going to shoot than anything else.

 

I would apply for:

 

.22lr/.i7 hmr depending on your preference

 

.222/.223/22-250, again depending on what you fancy - for foxes

 

.243/6.5 for them thar deers, 243 is ok for roe, munty etc but for fallow/reds i would opt for the 6.5 (it is duel purpose as well so you can have it for foxes too)

[flytie]

If your land is suitable, go for the .308. You know you want to.

I do, I do I can, in my mind anyway, justify them all. Cos you need something big for pigs, and then what if I wanted to go africa! Mmmmmm do you go for .375 the .416 .... or the .600 nitro express?

 

BASC say .308, DMQ say .270 the stalkers round here say .243. But BASC say pigs need a minimum of .270 but thats too big for vermin so you need more rifles. How many though and what calibre???? Brain...overheating...must...lie ...down..........................

 

Ft

 

You can get a 6.5 on first app - I did

 

i would opt for the 6.5 (it is duel purpose as well so you can have it for foxes too)

Stuart, do you find the ammo easy to obtain?

 

Ft

[Dunkield]

Stuart, do you find the ammo easy to obtain?

 

Ft

 

Yes, very easy

 

Federal 140 grain SP's get them anywhere beteen £16-£20 for 20 though...

 

Bromsgrove is yer man up your way

 

And you can use 6.5's for pigs, I am doing just that later in the year, although my mate is going to knock up some 160's for us just to be on the safe side

[flytie]

 

Stuart, do you find the ammo easy to obtain?

 

Ft

 

Yes, very easy

 

Federal 140 grain SP's get them anywhere beteen £16-£20 for 20 though...

 

Bromsgrove is yer man up your way

 

And you can use 6.5's for pigs, I am doing just that later in the year, although my mate is going to knock up some 160's for us just to be on the safe side

You are as ever Stuart a top man! I thought BASC said .270 or larger for pig? Or is it like the deer round, really about the energy in the bullet ?

After I read your post I googled the 6.5 round and found the link below which bears out your choice well!!

http://www.recguns.com/Sources/VIE.html

 

Thanks Ft

[Dunkield]

You are as ever Stuart a top man! I thought BASC said .270 or larger for pig? Or is it like the deer round, really about the energy in the bullet ?

After I read your post I googled the 6.5 round and found the link below which bears out your choice well!!

http://www.recguns.com/Sources/VIE.html

 

Thanks Ft

 

 

I can confirm that a well placed shot with a 140 into into a red hind drops them where they stand.

 

As for hogs, I have no idea yet, you will need to speak to NTTF or Hubertus as they have all experience in that area.

[Browning]

Flytie,

 

A pal of mine has looked into some wild boar shooting for us next year, and he's had varying responses from

different agents regarding minimum calibre. Six stated .270, two stated 6.5, two stated .308.

 

They all had estate rifles that could be borrowed, so unless you're going to do a lot of boar shooting

it may be worthwhile just getting "tooled up" for the quarry that you are going to shoot regularly.

[flytie]

Flytie,

A pal of mine has looked into some wild boar shooting for us next year, and he's had varying responses from

different agents regarding minimum calibre. Six stated .270, two stated 6.5, two stated .308.

 

They all had estate rifles that could be borrowed, so unless you're going to do a lot of boar shooting

it may be worthwhile just getting "tooled up" for the quarry that you are going to shoot regularly.

Browning, I can see what you mean! I think I need to apply for a range of rifles not just one. I can always see the point of using a bigger calibre, just to be safe, but as WDM Bell used the 7mm for elephants I think I can safely scale down a bit. I know a chap that goes to africa shooting plains game and he uses a .30 06. But when he comes home he will shoot fallow and red's with a .243, odd really! I am tempted by all sorts of rifles and can see the point of them all! But I have to rationalise to a small, medium and large I think. I think. I think. I think.............. I need help!

 

Ft

 

About pigs, just read the defra site and got this info;

 

What legal restrictions are there on how wild boar can be controlled?

There are no specific legal restrictions governing how wild boar can be controlled. Live-catch cage traps are sometimes used to capture wild boar for research or control purposes. However, the general protection against cruelty afforded by The Protection of Animals Acts 1911-1927 and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 apply. In addition, wild boar are potentially dangerous and difficult to deal with at close quarters so live-trapping is only likely to be appropriate where experienced and trained personnel are involved

 

Police Firearms Licensing Branches require that wild boar are specifically listed on an individual's firearms certificate (FAC) before they may use a rifle to shoot wild boar. They do not consider the term "other vermin", which often appears on FACs to permit the culling of species such as foxes, to include wild boar. The most suitable type of firearm for shooting wild boar is a centre-fire rifle comparable with those permitted for deer culling under the Deer Act 1991. However, the minimum calibre permitted for deer is widely considered to be inadequate to ensure a clean kill for wild boar. Police guidance suggests a minimum calibre of .270 Winchester, or its metric equivalent (see Home Office; Firearms Law: Guidance to the Police, 2002) and a FAC will normally only be endorsed for shooting of wild boar if the rifle held is of .270 calibre or larger. Wild boar will normally only be added to a FAC if the holder has authority to shoot on land within an area known to have wild boar present.

 

I knew it, I need more rifles!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ft

[Dunkield]

Yes, and so the jouney begins...

 

The average rifle ownership per FAC in the Thames Valley is over 3 per person - I think that tells a tale on it's own...