FAC APPLICATION

[1888andybhoy 7]

Hi lads,

I am currently trying to decide what Caliber of rifle to apply for on my FAC. I am 18 years old and live in Scotland. I will be using the rifle for vermin control (Fox Rabbit etc) and would also ba taking the odd Roe Deer. I know in scotland the bullet must weigh no less than 50 grains and be expanding ammunition for Roe Deer but what Smallish Caliber would cover me ? Was thinking .22cf or .22-250 But dont think i would be accepted for .22-250. I have a current shotgun certificate also. Would i be able to keep the rifle in my shotgun cabinet and keep the bolt and bullets in a seperate locked cabinet ?

 

Any advice appreciated.

 

Many thanks

Andrew.

[halamrose 24]

This sort of questions has been asked a couple of times in the last week or so - look back for the full discussion.

 

Basically using a deer gun on bunnies will blow them to pieces and uneconomical and you may not use a bunny gun on deer.

 

Bunny guns are usually 22lr (cheep, under 100 Yds, typically 75, can be silent) or 17HMR (pricey ammo, longer range) both usable but not ideal for short range fox.

 

For a center fire (CF is generic term covering a range) 22 I know less but suggest you consider 223, hornet gives less than 100ftlb but I think the others are all viable.

 

For all guns put expanding ammo on the application and moderators for each.

 

Enjoy

 

Halam

[halamrose 24]

Forgot to say, same cabinet for both guns, cheep safe from argos should do it for the ammo.

 

Think about hand loading your own ammo for the center fire, better accuracy at lower cost - but a couple of hundred quid to get set up.

 

Ammo costs per shot could be

22LR 5p

15HMR 20-30p

Center fire £1 to £2

 

H

[1888andybhoy 7]

Hi mate thanks for that.

What sort of grain bullets can you get for the .22lr can you get 50 grain and upwards ? And would this gun take foxes and at what ranges ?

 

Cheers

Andrew

[halamrose 24]

22lr standard bullet is 40grains there are some heavier ones but 22LR is about 100ftlb not the 1000+ you need for deer. Opinions differ about it't useful fox range but someone said 40meters recently.

 

You could also look at 22WMR as an alternative to the HMR, 22LR bullet on longer cartridge. Basically your deer rifle is the one for longer range foxes, or should I say your fox rifle is the one for small deer. This is all beyond my experience so I better shut up now but the same set of questions keep on coming up on here...

 

H

[matt_hooks 188]

First point, 22-250 is one of the .22cf rounds.

 

Secondly, Halam is right. You'll more than likely want at least two guns. A .22LR for bunnies (or a .17HMR if you can afford the pricey ammunition and don't mind the sonic crack) and a centrefire for Roe and foxes.

 

I would recommend, as a minimum going for a .243 centrefire rather than one of the .22 calibres. This is on the grounds that you will almost certainly want to shoot some of the bigger deer species at some point. The .243 is legal for any of the British deer species, and is an extremely capable round. Loaded with a light round (55 grain) it will reach out past 300 yards, with a flatter trajectory than any of the .22 centrefire rounds. Loaded with a heavier bullet, say 105 gr, it will readily take full grown red stags at 150 yards plus.

 

You could ask for more, say .270 or .308, as these are seen as "safer" on the biggest reds, it all depends on what your local constabulary will allow.