FAC / caliber / open closed

[Updog007]

Hello Guys,

Not Pigeon related, but hope you can help me

bit of a triple whack question at the same time, so help would be appreciated

 

I would like to apply for a FAC (current SC holder), for the following purposes:

Target shooting .22 (at club) + Pest control with moderator

Deer Stalking rifle .243/.308 with moderator

1. Can you apply for multiple calibers at the same time for different usages when doing the FAC application?

2. For a target shooting I would apply for a .22 rifle (Also I want to use this for pest control, rabbits etc)

For Deer stalking, what would you recommend as the best all round caliber? I am thinking about possibly the .243 Win or the .308 Winchester ?

3. What is the best way to get an “open” FAC on the first go?

Target shooting with the .22, I guess it’s easier to justify, since you have your home club but also could be required to travel to other competition venues?

Deer stalking, is it good enough to state that you have a DSC1 certificate and that you want to travel to various estates and pay for guided stalk days? Or do you actually need to prove you are part of a syndicate/have multiple permissions?

Any other suggestions? Thanks for the help

[martinj]

Just a thought, if you are doing serious .22 target shooting your target rifle is unlikely to be much good for pest control because of the weight and lack of a scope/sound moderator etc.

I had a .22 target rifle and a .22sporting rifle with sound moderator and scope, I was not granted an open certificate for the sporting rifle until renewal time after I had owned it for 5 years, until then I was restricted to "suitable" land where the landowner had given me written permission.

The use for the target rifle was described along the lines of - for use in my nominated club and on other MOD approved ranges. This allowed me to travel to other approved ranges for competitions or whatever.

I was advised to apply for the Firearms cert for my target rifle then apply for additional rifles, I'm not sure what the law says about this, talk to your firearms officer, he should know.

.243 OK for Fallow and Roe, .308 legal but can cause too much damage.

[Updog007]

Thanks for the reply MartinJ. The club comments are very helpful!

Any thoughts on whether the below would be good justification for an open licence?

"is it good enough to state that you have a DSC1 certificate and that you want to travel to various estates and pay for guided stalk days"

[davewh100]

8 minutes ago, Updog007 said:

Thanks for the reply MartinJ. The club comments are very helpful!

Any thoughts on whether the below would be good justification for an open licence?

"is it good enough to state that you have a DSC1 certificate and that you want to travel to various estates and pay for guided stalk days"

 wouldn't give me an open license first time around this is a long time ago maybe different now, take it you have land with permission

[Updog007]

Thanks Dave

[old'un]

First off, do you have any land/farms to use a rimfire on?

[Pushandpull]

You are unlikely to get an open certificate to start with. When you travel to estates offering paid stalks, their land will have been  approved for the usual calibres so it will not be necessary. I suggest doing a couple of outings with a pro + his estate rifle as soon as you can. Much of what you read in books or get on a DSC course will make a lot more sense then. As said, you will need a farm or similar with approval for your .22 rather than pay by the day shooting.

You will definitely need firm bookings or written permission on suitable land to establish your initial good reason for both your .22 RF and your centrefire, rather than just the intention. DSC1 shows you are serious but is not necessary for a grant of certificate.

There may be issues with .243 with non-lead bullets in the future. This is a big topic so I will leave it there. Personally if I were starting again it would be .308 or .30-06 but this is an even bigger topic and folk argue for months on specialist forums. Don't go for an unusual round which sounds nice unless you are ready to scour the country for ammunition - perhaps something for later on if you decide to hand load. Excellent cartridges such as .25-06 or 7mm RM can be hard to shop for, especially at the moment.

A bit wordy but I hope all this is helpful.

[Pushandpull]

See my PM for further thoughts. Regards P/P.

[Updog007]

Thanks Pushnpull!

[THEINVISIBLESCARECROW]

I had land to do vermin, that was my "nominated" application / renewal land so I would also have authority to have expandinding ammo. I also joined a range several months before. I use my rifles for vermin & the range for practice / ammo testing / setting a scope. On my ticket (now open) it said vermin on police approved land only. Range use on any range. After several renewals & open it says virtually nothing. My application was for vermin mainly. A few years ago after a house move & job change I didn't visit the club much & I had a letter from the police saying that my range visits were low & they were going to remove my range use authority from my fac. I wrote back, due to tempory change of circumstance my visits were low, club secretary knew of my circumstances & visits would increase once retired, I checked & I had done more than the minimum 6 visits per year. It pays to be very clear of intended reasons to posses on application & maintain that use through the years.

[Updog007]

Thank you for all the replies