FAC authorised amounts

[rjimmer]

This has been discussed on other forums with various outcomes, not least the variation in people's understanding of what they are allowed to keep.

One simple question: If you reload and shoot both in the field and on ranges, how many loaded rounds and expanding bullets does your FAC allow you to keep?

[walshie]

Loaded rounds and expanding bullets all count towards your total in my area. Target bullets only count once they are made into live rounds.

[kent]

It has to be done on an individual basis. A competitive serious 22 prone shooter etc

Will travel abroad to test ammo and buy in large quantities ( fair do it's important and they might have 5000 on thier allowance. Most 22 lr vermin shooters will have say 600 or so ( it does most fine) it's less than an hour to the RFD and at a push I will use a few of most things

[rjimmer]

Loaded rounds and expanding bullets all count towards your total in my area. Target bullets only count once they are made into live rounds.

I am aware of that, but it doesn't answer my question.

[walshie]

I am aware of that, but it doesn't answer my question.

 

Oh I see. 600 rf, and 300 each for my c/fs.

[rjimmer]

It has to be done on an individual basis. A competitive serious 22 prone shooter etc

Will travel abroad to test ammo and buy in large quantities ( fair do it's important and they might have 5000 on thier allowance. Most 22 lr vermin shooters will have say 600 or so ( it does most fine) it's less than an hour to the RFD and at a push I will use a few of most things

Another non-answer.

[rjimmer]

 

Oh I see. 600 rf, and 300 each for my c/fs.

Seems low for c/fs.

[remmy1100]

you can keep what your individual fac allows i for instance have a allowance to hold 300 rounds ,so if i had 200 expanding heads( /ie non target) i could only have 100 say factory rounds or reloaded rounds.

[rjimmer]

you can keep what your individual fac allows i for instance have a allowance to hold 300 rounds ,so if i had 200 expanding heads( /ie non target) i could only have 100 say factory rounds or reloaded rounds.

300, that's the sort of answer I was after. Seems low, considering the various weights and types of bullets that might be used in working up loads.

[fortune]

 

One simple question:

If you reload and shoot both in the field and on ranges, how many loaded rounds and expanding bullets does your FAC allow you to keep?

Range use = fmj = no limit on tips only loaded rounds count. Field = expanding = every tip and every loaded round count as a round in the total. I haven't got my ticket with me so I dont know my totals but it is an amount. We went all through this recently and every dept makes it up as they go along. ref Post #7 300 c/f is a lot per cal and is a big amount £'s to shoot of on any short period that you couldn't go to an rfd or other source and re equip. I've got a lot more but I've never got anywhere near maxed out.

[fortune]

300, that's the sort of answer I was after. Seems low, considering the various weights and types of bullets that might be used in working up loads.

You've got a good point there. I hadn't considered the different types of tips available.

[rjimmer]

If you practise on the range with expanding bullets that you would use in the field, FMJ doesn't come into it.

[fortune]

A lot of depts wont issue exp >>IF >> you only go on ranges >> AND >> SOME ranges wont allow EXP to be used on range. I dont know any logical explanation for this. When testing field loads you will get through a fair amount. I've never had any problem with allocation amounts. ~Who counts anyway? You shot them all off and need more.

[rjimmer]

A lot of depts wont issue exp >>IF >> you only go on ranges >> AND >> SOME ranges wont allow EXP to be used on range. I dont know any logical explanation for this. When testing field loads you will get through a fair amount. I've never had any problem with allocation amounts. ~Who counts anyway? You shot them all off and need more.

Never been checked on ranges.

I think a lot of people will/must buy as many as they like and just hide them away.

[kent]

Another non-answer.

 

Why do you want to know what everyone has its not the same - depends on your ask and your reason you want that amount

 

Std is 600 per rf and 2-300 per cf but a lot depends on a lot

 

Have known persons in my own area been refused what I have and also allowed substantially more

 

Point is ask for what you want / need

 

Let's face it " need and security conditions" are the factors

[rjimmer]

Why do you want to know what everyone has its not the same - depends on your ask and your reason you want that amount

 

Std is 600 per rf and 2-300 per cf but a lot depends on a lot

 

Have known persons in my own area been refused what I have and also allowed substantially more

 

Point is ask for what you want / need

 

Let's face it " need and security conditions" are the factors

I don't know anyone reloading rimfire.

[robbiep]

My allowance is 300 of 223, 300 of 308.

 

As you say, it might seem low, but it isn't really. When I was doing load development for 223 I bought a box of 53gr in V-max, and loaded 5 sets of 5 powder weights for testing. From that, I had a load that was basically perfect, the only limiting factor being me.

The problems come when people try 'chasing the dragon'. That elusive creature of perfect accuracy. The best way of being more accurate is through practice, putting rounds down the range

[rjimmer]

My allowance is 300 of 223, 300 of 308.

 

As you say, it might seem low, but it isn't really. When I was doing load development for 223 I bought a box of 53gr in V-max, and loaded 5 sets of 5 powder weights for testing. From that, I had a load that was basically perfect, the only limiting factor being me.

The problems come when people try 'chasing the dragon'. That elusive creature of perfect accuracy. The best way of being more accurate is through practice, putting rounds down the range

I suspect most people would think you were very lucky to get away with one packet of bullets to arrive at your perfect round.

It's not ALL to do with accuracy though. Different weights for different quary, especially in .308, might come into it.

[Scrumbag]

250 each C/F (.223, 257 Roberts, 7x64 and 9.3x62) and 1,000 .22lr

[rjimmer]

250 each C/F (.223, 257 Roberts, 7x64 and 9.3x62) and 1,000 .22lr

Including c/f expanding bullets?

[Savhmr]

The amount you are granted will depend on how well you put a case for an allocation "need" so there is no such thing as a standard allocation.

 

My own allowance is between myself and my FEO as I don't think it wise to advertise to whomever may be watching in what one might or might not have in the home. Needless to say it covers my needs, and as above, as the allocation is per calibre, and there is no limit on the number of target/non S5 bullets, you are at liberty to buy as many as you like providing that the ones you make up into rounds, allocated together with the total number of S5 expanding bullets (a tip is something you find on a snooker cue!) does not exceed your total allocation.

 

Even counting load development of up to say 3 or 4 different bullet types for each calibre (and most people I know rarely use more than 4 as like me, they like to keep the powder stored and used to a max of one or two different powder types), then 300 loaded at any one time with say another 2 to 300 expanding bullets seems more than plenty for all eventualities. As we all know, availability seems to be the key driver for wanting to buy more than say 300 expanding at a time as you don't know when you'll get the ones you want again. For that reason alone, I'd like to up my allocation by a few hundred as it negates the constant headache and wastage of load development. It's a good discussion to have with your FEO

[kent]

I don't know anyone reloading rimfire.

How did you reference that to what I said?

[robbiep]

I suspect most people would think you were very lucky to get away with one packet of bullets to arrive at your perfect round.

It's not ALL to do with accuracy though. Different weights for different quary, especially in .308, might come into it.

For 223, with H4895 and the 53gr V-max, I started at 24.0 grains, then going up in 0.5 increments.

Steyr Mannlicher SL with 1:9 twist rate

 

24.0 3" group with 5 rounds.

24.5 3" group

25.0 absolutely fantastic. 5 rounds within 1.2"

25.5 back to 3" group

26.0 3" group

 

Went back home, loaded another 20 rounds at 25.0 grains. Two weeks later back on the range, and it was still as good as I'm likely to see.

If I'm on MOD ranges, it's exactly the same load, but a Hornady Match 52 grain bullet. Which seems to have exactly the same zero.

Do I know the actual velocity ? No.

Do I care ? No.

I know my holdovers/unders out to 200 metres from practice, and that it knocks down foxes every single time as long as I do my bit.

 

Why chase it any further ?

 

For .308 on deer, I use a Hornady Interlock 165 grain bullet, being pushed by 44.0 grains of H4895. That took about 30 rounds to find the sweet spot, and then another 20 rounds of confirmation.

For MOD ranges, that changes to a 168 grain Match bullet, with no appreciable change in zero.

I use Federal Champion primers.

 

So I need to buy 2 types of primers, 1 type of powder, and 4 types of bullets, to do all of my shooting out to 300 metres, which is as far as I can shoot on MOD Sealand, and further than any shot I'm going to take on a deer or foxes.

 

As I say, people seem to go about it the wrong way. The best way of getting better is rounds down the range. Not chasing some mythical perfect load.

Maybe that load measured to 0.02 grains matters to the really world class shooters out to insane distances. But even to them reading wind and conditions means a lot. To 99% or more of us, time on the trigger matters more than anything else.

 

Shooting is like any other sport - golf, for example. You get better the more you do, the more you practice. So golfers spend time on the driving range. I spend time putting holes in paper, because it means I'm more comfortable with the rifle when it's a fox, or a deer, or (for the 22LR or my air rifle) rabbits, corvids, rats, etc.

[rjimmer]

How did you reference that to what I said?

My question was about reloading, and your first reply was about amounts for .22 lr.

[Dougy]

I have not long upped my 22cf count from 500 to 700 as I have 2 x 22.250 both different twists. No problem with my feo.

My 30 I have 300 as that is sufficient for my needs.

17 cf I have 300 also.

For both my rf 17hmr and 22 LR I have 1100 for each.

My 6.5 I have 300 but I had a stock of

1000 Amax that doesn't count as they are classified as match until they are loaded. They would be considered as my total count if they were loaded rounds though.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Dougy