FAC Application Process

[silver_fox]

This may be old hat to many of the regular forum members, but I thought that the following may be informative to newer members like myself.

I had been thinking about getting an FAC for quite a long time, so one day I dropped into the local police station and picked up an application form (get 2 copies in case you mess up the first one like I did).

 

I then approached 2 farmers who I had got to know casually over the last year or so and was suprised when they actually agreed to let me shoot on their land; one has 150 acres and will let me shoot rabbits and foxes, the other has 25 acres and loves little fluffy bunnies but hates foxes - no problem with that.

 

Next I went to an old friend who agreed to countersign my application form and photos, I was trying to get the second referee when an old friend of ours who is a teacher rang up asking to stay the weekend so she was duly enrolled into the process. The form says that the recipient shouldn't see what comments the referees are writing about them so I gave them an envelope to seal up with the referee form. I applied for a .17hmr, .22 LR & a .223, and then sent the whole lot to my county firearms office on the 10th September '07.

 

About a week later I received a letter from my local FEO introducing himself and attaching a landowners permission form which I photocopied and took to the two farmers to sign, accompanied by a bottle of Scotlands finest malt as a thank you present.

 

After a week of trying to contact my FEO I eventually got hold of him (he had been on leave) and we set a date for the home visit two days later. There was a brief panic whilst I tried to locate a rifle safe (most shotgun safes aren't deep enough for a scoped rifle, I even took my air rifle to a local farm store to see if it would fit in one of their safes) luckily the Sportsman Gun Centre came up trumps and I spent the night before my visit drilling holes and bolting my new rifle safe to the wall.

 

The next day the FEO arrived, the kettle was on, and the first thing he said was that there was no problem with getting .223 for foxes but they wouldn't grant both the .17 and the .22 so I decided on the .22 mainly because of the noise and also because of the cost of ammo - £11.00 PER 50 .17 : £5.00 PER 50 .22 After a long friendly chat he checked the security and looked over the permission forms which I had attached to enlarged photocopies of an OS map. As luck would have it the previous week we had bought 3 acres of land at auction which will make a perfect zeroing range, so it was great to sign my own permission form as the landowner. On leaving he said that it would be about two weeks till I got my ticket.

 

One week later I called my local RFD and put a deposit on a .223 CZ Varmint laminated stock (sale or return, just in case). The next week when my ticket was due I called Firearms HQ and was told that it would be another two weeks - ******!!!

 

This morning I went to have a look at the .223 I had ordered - (beautiful gun) and they also had a .22 in stock which I put a deposit on. When I got home the postie had been and there was my FAC with everything on it I had asked for!!!!! Wahey.

 

Quick u-turn, back to the gun shop and returned home with the .22 LR and the .223. Took the .22 LR down to the field this evening and had a great time zeroing it in - very accurate & very quiet. In fact the farmer next door was watching me hitting the targets at 60 yds and asked what sort of air rifle it was, it was so quiet with the mod fitted to it.

 

I know this may **** a few people off who have been waiting for months and months, (my whole application took just less than six weeks) but it is worth it in the end.

 

By the way, the scopes I bought were a BSA sweet 22 3-9x40 and a Bushnell Banner 3-9x50 - not the best scopes in the world I know but I'm on a limited budget and there's always Christmas coming soon (reloading kit too I hope having seen the price of .223 ammo!)

 

Hope this encourages anyone else thinking about taking the FAC plunge - remember; it is your right to hold a firearms cert.

[markbivvy]

remember; it is your right to hold a firearms cert.

 

i think that is shotgun cert, firearms is a privilege.

well done by the way.

[njc110381]

I know this may **** a few people off who have been waiting for months and months, (my whole application took just less than six weeks) but it is worth it in the end.

 

Hope this encourages anyone else thinking about taking the FAC plunge - remember; it is your right to hold a firearms cert.

 

 

I was waiting 8 months before I got a phone call saying they'd lost my application and I had to start again. I'm just in the middle of getting the new forms signed again! I'm glad others are having more luck than I am. It actually pleases me to see that the firearms depts in general are better than mine. I'll be sending a copy of this in with my next application, just to show them that they're **** and the other forces are doing better. I expect them to match your forces time next time round

[choke it]

i've just put in for a pistol for humane dispatch fingers crossed

[silver_fox]

Got the .22 zeroed perfectly at 60 yds yesterday so took it out this evening in search of some rabbits. I arrived in our field and started walking towards where I knew there were some rabbits, I had a 5 round mag loaded but the bolt was not cocked, when I almost fell over a large buck rabbit with a severe case of mixy. Cocked the gun and shot it from about 2yds - not really sporting but at least I put it out of its misery instantly. 10 yards further on and the same thing happened again, much to the interest of our horse who was standing next to me when I fired (says a lot about the effectiveness of the sako moderator when you can fire a yard away from him and he didn't even flinch).

Eventually I got a 50 yd shot at one (rabbit not horse!) which hit him in the head - very quick clean kill.

So one day on from buying the guns I am really pleased with my choice of a CZ Style .22 LR 16" with sako mod and hopefully the scope rings will arrive for the .223 soon so I can get the scope mounted and get it zeroed in.