Air Rifles Going Over Power

[charlie caller 3,654]

Hi Charlie.

 

It has actually happened before to someone I know, who bought an HW80 from a guy on another forum. The two of them met in a service area car park and exchanged the rifle for £250 quid cash and off they went on a handshake.

 

Only trouble was, the deal was seen by a member of the public who saw the rifle being taken out of the gunbag and shown to my friend, who examined it then handed a wad of notes over and put the rifle back in the bag and popped into the car boot. Their car number plates were taken down and the police were called.

 

The next thing was the police firearms team arriving at the house and having my friend face the wall of his living room, hands behind his head in front of his terrified family while they recovered the HW80. It had been detuned after being on the seller's FAC and my friend had no genuine idea that this had happened in the rifle's history.

 

He was charged with illegal possession of an unlawfully modified licenced firearm. Even de-tuning it is an act of modification and without the police made aware, it is still classed as an unlawful mod!

 

Once an air rifle is registered on an FAC it stays on-register as a firearm forever. Even if de-tuned to under legal limit.

 

In the light of circumstances my friend was, luckily, let off with a formal police caution. But not before he's spent a few very stressful hours in a police station cell and interview under caution. And he lost the rifle and a good couple of hundred quid. The other guy was charged with relevant offences but no refund for the rifle has so far come forward.

 

Moral of story.

Don't do deals for untested and unqualified air rifles in person, in public car parks with people you've never met before.

He was not, "let off with a formal police caution" mate, he now has a criminal record for a firearms offence, as a caution is classed as a conviction, a lesson for us all there as you point out Simon.

[clabedoo 59]

I agree some cops leave a lot to be desired, so do some antis and so do some shooters - as I said before people are people and I always try and educate where possible. Whether it be cops who work for me, people who phone in to complain or people I meet while shooting.

Its a mad mad mad mad mad mad mad mad world (I think that's the right amount of mads).

The person having a pop for someone shooting bunnies one week could well be on a protest to stop fracking on another shooters perm the next.

Nothing is cut and dried.

There are vested interests, big business, a sense of right and wrong and general ignorance all to be taken into the mix.

There were more than a few cops on that march in London too. ACPO now has an officer who has experience of countryside matters in charge of firearms, so I hope that one does not rear its head again.

I agree its good to have BASC should we need them.

Banning and regulation is the easy answer to any given problem - don't mean its the right one.

I don't have all the answers - don't suppose anyone does.

We have to work with what we have in the atmosphere the law and society create.

Everything is relative and each of us have our opinions about what is and is not acceptable. As you allude to ignorance in anything is not constructive.

 

Just as an aside I don't count the Met - their idiocy is lapped up by the press and the rest of us get tarred with their brush so to speak - you only have be to be able to write your name to get in after all. I have worked with them on may occasions and I always think afterwards, with a few exceptions, oh my god if that's the type of force and quality of officer that the public/press take as representative of the rest of us we are stuffed. Don't get me started.

[Dr B 186]

Agreed

 

I recently (discussed elsewhere on here) purchasing 15 bales (yes, 15 bales) of tight / coarse barley straw to build a backstop towards the bottom of my garden. Two reasons. One, I wanted a visual statement for my neighbours (many of whom I'd already chatted with and were fine) that there is no chance of any pellet leaving my boundary, and (ii) its a whisper quiet backstop. I have had problems in the past with an idiot neighbour where the pellet catcher I was using was loud, he thought it was the gun going off. Although everytime the pellet catcher goes 'thwaaack' that should be a comforting sound, as its doing its job, he thought it was the gun firing and it was unearving him. OK, fair enough. Time for a pragmatic approach. I explained the situation re the law, but said to him I'll take his concerns on board and use a quieter pellet catcher and strengthen my backstop. Of course, he still wanted to argue, but i just walked away and now he can visually see I've held up my part of the bargin.

 

£60 later, bales in place and some new spinner targets in front of them - not heard from him since.

 

I'm pretty sure if the police ever were called, they would agree that I've taken more than reasonable steps to ensure I'm within the law.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Dr B

[Dr B 186]

In the spirit of this discussion I thought I'd make a list of things I've done to help (with neighbours) for when zeroing or plinking in the garden. Its not fool proof and i know many of you may think this is overly submissive. But I want a quiet life and I want to enjoy my guns.

 

1. Chat to your immediate neighbours first. Tell them its your hobby and not to be alarmed. Tell them its a legal air rifle (our guns look more impressive)

2. Explicitly say to them, that you will not shoot in the garden if their children are running around and playing.

3. Remind them of the steps you have taken to ensure pellet control and no richochets.

4. Tell them you will try to shoot either earlier or later in the day and avoid shooting on school holidays (when kids are around) - unless absolutely necessary

5. Ask about any concerns, invite them round to see for themselves or even 'have a go'.

6. Join BASC or similar.

7. Tell them to let you know if the gun is 'too loud' or any concerns that may emerge.

8. Join a gun club, so that the level of garden shooting is not excessive and you have somewhere else to go.

9. Dont shoot in groups / gangs of people in your garden, it just arouses suspicion.

10. Be approachable about your hobby, but dont take any crap from aggressive 'anti's'.

11. Never drink alchohol while shooting in the garden - its not a good look....

 

My immediate neighbours are fine with me shooting. In fact, one wants me to teach his young lad how to shoot. We've arranged for this young fellow to come round one afternoon and have a short plink. Small price to pay to get people on your side. The pragmatic approach. The BASC bumph will also be pushed his way. I know you could say to yourself, "I dont need to do all this as its legal to shoot in my garden" and indeed you'd be right. But do you want the police at your door, or do you want to enjoy your sport, at your home, with your family without fear or worry?....

[charlie caller 3,654]

The fact is through the fault of the media mainly, we live in a gun phobic society, so to the general public, irrespective of the fact its a 12 ftlbs pop gun or a 3000ftlbs .30-06 stalking rifle, a gun is a gun, and to a lot of people you are an evil gun toting maniac acting on the fringes of society, and not to be trusted, so anything to make life easier for yourself, without surrendering to them and ending your law abiding activities is a good step in my book.

[Stingrey 0]

take it back to the shop . the heaviear the pellet the more ft/lb so test different pellets

 

Not necessarily!

[VWman 232]

 

take it back to the shop . the heaviear the pellet the more ft/lb so test different pellets

 

Not necessarily!

 

What makes and types are most likely to produce the highest readings.

I was thinking that a light pellet would leave the gun faster but the chrono would be set at the pellet weight so it should even out.

I was told of a case where a gun was tested 20 times and were all in the limit so they just kept going and managed to get one at 12.1.

I was also told that the owner of the gun was of interest to the testers and the gun was taken away. I don't know if he got it back.

The Police have to deal with a lot of things that are not very nice but it sends shock waves when you hear about a gun going over, well to me any way because I am new and don't want any bother.

I think I will try to get one that just can't go over what ever pellet is put in it or would that just make it not worth using.

Why can't pellets be made so they will not take a gun over ?

 

[Stingrey 0]

 

 

take it back to the shop . the heaviear the pellet the more ft/lb so test different pellets

 

Not necessarily!

 

What makes and types are most likely to produce the highest readings.

I was thinking that a light pellet would leave the gun faster but the chrono would be set at the pellet weight so it should even out.

I was told of a case where a gun was tested 20 times and were all in the limit so they just kept going and managed to get one at 12.1.

I was also told that the owner of the gun was of interest to the testers and the gun was taken away. I don't know if he got it back.

The Police have to deal with a lot of things that are not very nice but it sends shock waves when you hear about a gun going over, well to me any way because I am new and don't want any bother.

I think I will try to get one that just can't go over what ever pellet is put in it or would that just make it not worth using.

Why can't pellets be made so they will not take a gun over ?

 

 

I'm afraid I don't have the experience to answer all your questions as I am also new to the sport.

However if you look here:

 

http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/322394-fps-v-pellet-weight-legal/

 

@ post no.13 you can see some results from testing that i have done.

[VWman 232]

My new hw77 was mid 10s on H&N sport field target trophy 14.66 gr and a week later and some 70 pellets later it was tested today with Bisley magnums not sure of gr weight as they were not mine and it was the same mid 10s, I said what would be likely to take it over and the gunsmith said RWSHobby are what the Police would be checking with so he put some through and it jumped up to 11.5 so I was pleased it was no higher. The hobby was 11.9 gr.