The True Cost Of Fac Air Rifles.

[WhiteRabbit 112]

Hi all,

 

I managed to venture to SWSS with being back on the Wirral from Telford. Alright weather, so no rain or wind and I enjoyed some plinking on the air rifle range and managed to re-zero my .22 and .25 in to 30yards.

On my way back, I stopped off at the shop for a nose around and got talking to the staff about applying for my FAC and Shotgun certificates/license and asked about a few rifles in stock and shotguns (under and overs & semi auto) whilst I explained about having the FAC for "insurance" reasons, incase I'm stopped and my rifle somehow shoots over 12ftlb- I'm in no hot water.

He told me that it's worthless owning an FAC air rifle seeing as they can cost 3X a .22 rifle can do as little damage/range BUT due to the market for them being minimal- if I was to take one in to sell, they wouldn't even ask me to take it out of the case.(his words!)

 

So I've been thinking, what is the true cost of having a FAC air rifle? Are they really worth the value or modification to turn your sub 12' into one?

On the one hand, I could justify it as in relation to owning a center/rimfire rifle and the cost of ammunition to pellets and all that but how much would you have to own that rifle for, for it to pay itself off?

 

White

[Tex 8]

It's an interesting question as I see rim/centrefires can be much cheaper than a PCP however I guess your not allowed to sit in your back garden and bang away with one of those (I imagine not but may be wrong)

Perhaps it's a bigger question than just price, environment etc.

I'll await the answers with interest

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

Just get a .17 Hmr, surely?

 

Over here, All air rifles need a Firearms License. Might as well apply for a .223. Still costs the same and is governed the same. But , then, we have no limits of Air Rifles here. Put out what ever they're tuned to. No one's asking.

 

My mate's a case in point though. He likes shooting little stuff. Could have got either. Settled for a .17. Extremely happy with it too.

 

Oh. And He works in a gun shop. So, I guess he had the right advice on tap?

[Dirt1427 2]

I'm also looking into fac air mainly to give me the option of a little bit more range on my quarry?.. I'm not interested in a .17 hmr but to sell on a fac airgun you would lose more as there would be less people interested in spending over the odds for air when they could just have a hmr or .22 for less money. You've just got to take the lose in money on the chin or make sure the airgun is going to be worth keeping when it becomes fac

[WhiteRabbit 112]

Where are you from Outlaw Pete?

Where you're from gives you the option as long as you can have a license and makes better sense depending on what you're quarry is and where you hunt.

I'm not saying because he works in a shop, hew knows everything about rifles but from his point of view as the sales side of things, he was basically guiding me away from FAC air rifles towards a rim/centrefire rifle as once I'm finished with the rifle, what it's worth.

I mean you're looking at least £300 for a decent sub 12 FPE air rifle to start with before you FAC modify it.....£450> for a rifle and 750> for a shotgun.... I can see sense in what he says. I'm yet to move anywhere from my air rifles but having a nose around and asking questions helps guide me in the future.

 

Dirt,

Precisely, making your rifle is worth keeping with before you modify it but I guess, once it's modified- is there no way to return it to a sub 12 FPE?

 

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WITH A FAC AIR RIFLE AND A RIFLE TO GIVE AN OPINION?

 

White

[James Cooksey 29]

if your going down the fac air route 2nd hand looks the way to go.

[WhiteRabbit 112]

if your going down the fac air route 2nd hand looks the way to go.

To be honest with you matey, if I get my FAC and shotgun license through, I 'may' look into modding my current .22 and get it tuned, so it fires beautifully but it's not for sure yet and trying to budget for it all.

 

Can't say I've seen many FAC air rifles go on here....

 

White

[Dirt1427 2]

The problems is I think that if you mod your current sub 12ft it then has to be logged with its serial number on the gun as a fac air gun.now that rifles serial number will be known as fac even if it back down to sub 12ft now I might be Wrong but surely it would have to be taken off being fac?

 

Plus putting some rifles up to fac power isn't just a case of turning it up is it? Some my need up rated parts?

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

Where are you from Outlaw Pete?

Where you're from gives you the option as long as you can have a license and makes better sense depending on what you're quarry is and where you hunt.

 

 

Sorry, mate. Answered into this one on catching ye spur. Not even sure how I've found it again.

 

I'm in the Land Of Eternal Rain. I've had experience of the ways of other lands though. But, I won't labour this thread with all that.

 

Just consider ye laws. What quarry is legally available. Which of those ye fancy. What's the best ~ legal ~ tool for the job.

 

 

Then put in for a .17 Hmr. Rabbits will think you're the new drug. You'll blow their minds, day and night

[WhiteRabbit 112]

The problems is I think that if you mod your current sub 12ft it then has to be logged with its serial number on the gun as a fac air gun.now that rifles serial number will be known as fac even if it back down to sub 12ft now I might be Wrong but surely it would have to be taken off being fac?

 

Plus putting some rifles up to fac power isn't just a case of turning it up is it? Some my need up rated parts?

Totally, I guess I've not looked that far in to it but what I do with my current air rifle is just an idea still way up in the clouds.... Who knows what happens once and if I get my FAC and shotgun

 

I'm no expert on tunings or mods but I've seen on B.A.R on some rifles you can purchase parts to turn them upto 15FPE. How easy that is to do is another thing but the option is there at least.

[WhiteRabbit 112]

 

 

Where are you from Outlaw Pete?

Where you're from gives you the option as long as you can have a license and makes better sense depending on what you're quarry is and where you hunt.

 

Sorry, mate. Answered into this one on catching ye spur. Not even sure how I've found it again.

 

I'm in the Land Of Eternal Rain. I've had experience of the ways of other lands though. But, I won't labour this thread with all that.

 

Just consider ye laws. What quarry is legally available. Which of those ye fancy. What's the best ~ legal ~ tool for the job.

 

 

Then put in for a .17 Hmr. Rabbits will think you're the new drug. You'll blow their minds, day and night

Haha Eternal Rain, I'm guessing you're local to the UK then? I didn't mean to be rude asking, only enquiring as to what you said about your licences.

No plans to stalk you haha

 

I don't plan to do anything more than I do at the moment, I'm still happy with my squirrels, rabbits, pigeons to lay the table and then the other vermin to pay my dues to Mr & Mrs Farmer and Lord & Lady Landowner

Unless something larger and tastier comes along, I'm not interested but the moral still applies of knowing the tools it takes to do a job properly, would a .17 HMR not be overkill?

 

But comparing a rifle to a FAC AR (both. Any specs you wish to compare) are we looking a whole lot of difference in quarry? Range? Price?

That's what I'd like to calculate

 

White

[Tron 173]

Hey white, A fac air rifle .22 shooting at 24 foot pounds is shooting at roughly the same velocity as a sub 12 fpe .177.asuming you use a 14.3 g pellet. that gives a good performance for rabbits/wood pigeons etc. another thing is the extra power makes it more likely to kill your quarry more cleanly compared to a sub 12 fpe gun. obviously if you only do head shots then it wont make much difference what gun you are using. remember though once a gun is registered as FAC then it cant be taken back to sub 12 fpe. even though it could be detuned back. If you look around on Guntrader for a good second hand rifle you can get some types of precharged air weapons exceedind 30fpe which would be even better for extending the range you want to shoot at.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Tron

[paulus 26]

there fine for places where a rim fire is no use around building.horses etc., its not worth tuning up a sub 12 ft rifle as it will just loose value, the second hand route is the way to go all day long. i purchase one a few years ago just for a specific piece of ground, rapid 12, 20cal, 12.27 and 42 ft lb selector Simmons white-tail classic scope, mod plus divers bottle, second hand 350 quid and sold it a few years later for the same, as i say in certain situations where a rim-fire is not an option there the tool for the job, forget all this shooting further out nonsense stick to sensible ranges, if you want to shoot stuff at over 100 yrds then go for the hmr

[WhiteRabbit 112]

But would you say there's more of a demand for FAC AR as to a hmr, even if there are practically more uses with the air rifle?

 

He did say something like "the ratio of shotgun owners to rifle owners is 50:1, and the same again for rifle owners to FAC air rifles"

I'm by no means taking his words for that, pulling those figure from his head but the fact he's stating that more people go for shotguns, generally and then rifles over before an FAC rated Air Rifle, would that be a way to demonstrate the market as well as what people prefer to use?

 

If the FACS are all better purchased second hand, then surely something isn't really going right?

 

I'm a fan of Teds HoldOver and he's always using FAC rifles (pretty sure 33FPE bullpups) and I can see the use for them.

 

White

[Tex 8]

I watched a video on you tube last night, a guy was ratting at a dockyard, there were foxes on the docks too and he was having to return with a FAC air rifle to take care of them as not allowed to use anything other than air weapons on the docks due to hazardous materials so they certainly have there place.

 

I watch Ted too, i think the US market would not be interested in sub 12ftp, as gun law over there is massively different state to state and unless you have a criminal record you can buy pretty much anything and generally property and shooting areas are larger therefore the distances he is shooting at are greater. Air rifles are a relatively small market and in the US bigger is better.

 

I have an old mate in Arizona and he has an M4 and if I lived there so would I