How Many Rounds Do You Use In A Year?

[David Aiken 253]

How many rounds do you use in a year?

 

This may or may not be the case for all FLO`s, but mine did say the amount of ammunition used will go (as well as experience and field craft of course) towards an open ticket being granted. Is what I hear true and some people who own a Rifle hardly shoot? I mean, I received my .22lr ticket the first week in May and have used 400 rounds. My HW100 I guess 2 tins of 500 pellets? As for my shotgun 100-150 per week, some time more if I visit a few Clay Grounds. I know the .22lr is new, but with shooting holidays and range days I expect to average 200-300 per month at least, that is only 10 shot per day on average! I guess if I`m lucky an open ticket could be granted in a year?

[walshie 2,804]

400 22lr rounds in a couple of weeks? Have you shot 400 rabbits with it?

[David Aiken 253]

Ha Ha! I wish! The scope which came with the Rifle was used for a week (zeroed in) Followed by a new scope also zeroes in so a few extra rounds were used. Just under 40 Rabbits so far. I know I am lucky in that I can (and have time) shoot on my permission daily. Now all zeroed in and the suns out I will shoot early morning until late evening 2 maybe 3 times a week. I have one friend who gets through 150 to 200 shotgun cartridges on a weekend almost every weekend plus vermin and Pheasant shooting. Another friend who's had his licence 2 years and when I asked if he wonted to come and pick up some cartridges as I was collecting 600 .22lr rounds, he replied "I still have plenty left" That is of the original 250 slab he brought when he first got his licence 2 years ago, yet he tells people he's a "shooter" Which was making me wonder, how many round people shoot?

[ianm 2,594]

As usual another flo making it up as he goes along. What about if you reload? how is he going to cope with that?

 

It isn't about how many rounds you have used but whether you are a risk or not to public safety. Nothing to do with fieldcraft or any other bollocks, What's he going to do watch you creep up on a rabbit? Think public safety first, middle and last whilst looking for an open ticket, also arse covering exercises for those issuing it.

[Alsone 789]

Some of the biggest idiots I've ever met have been the ones with on paper the most experience. Pure time or number of rounds shot counts, for nothing. The fact you've not injured anyone can come down to luck not good practice.

 

Safety comes from knowledge and safe procedure. eg how many people know or bother to cycle the bolt 3 times after removing a magazine and then visually check the chamber? I'm guessing practically no-one except those who've had military range training.

 

By far the best way in my opinion for an FEO to assess someone for an open ticket would be simply to say they want to see the shoot and walk round a permission with them and ask them to discuss aspects of safe shooting. Those who are truly safe would not only be able to describe basic aspects such as saying you need a safe backstop, but give examples, talk terrain, identify potential dangers and describe how those dangers could be handled eg by shooting from a different direction etc. It wouldn't be hard to establish pretty quickly without any prompting between someone who can simply say you need a safe backstop from someone who can actively identify features and dangers on their shoot and describe how those can be alleviated.

[Skull Hooker 185]

I know a fella who bought a 308 in 2008 for stalking. So far he's been stalking twice and shot one deer. When he was first granted the licence he was allowed 100 purchase and 150 to be possessed. He bought 100 and still has half of them left. His renewal came up and he asked for an increase in the number of rounds he could have and an open ticket. They upped it to 300 and gave him an open ticket..no questions! He then bought a 204 last year and gave him a limit of 300 as well for shooting foxes. So far, hes never shot a fox, and has rounds left fro the original 100 I reloaded for him. I know my FEO wouldn't tolerate that, but his, from another force clearly don't give a frig. This bloke I know isn't what id call a shooter, hes a polisher. Loves to see them gleaming in the cabinet and talking about them. All the gear, no idea!! There is no parity between police service areas. Its a national joke.

[jacknife 2,005]

I use about 500 .22lr 300 Hmr 500 .223 500 .303 400 .308

 

The whole open ticket thing is bollox what difference does it make the FLO clearing land

[David Aiken 253]

Some of the biggest idiots I've ever met have been the ones with on paper the most experience. Pure time or number of rounds shot counts, for nothing. The fact you've not injured anyone can come down to luck not good practice.

 

Safety comes from knowledge and safe procedure. eg how many people know or bother to cycle the bolt 3 times after removing a magazine and then visually check the chamber? I'm guessing practically no-one except those who've had military range training.

 

 

 

 

Yes to cycling the bolt on my .22lr and double checking the HW100 after a magazine is emptied. It come as second nature to me as dose opening my shotguns as I take them out of the safe or gun slip, (even though I checked them when they were put away). When I hand a gun to someone, even my Webley Tempest although they have just seen my visual check I expect there own inspection to take place. I maybe a "newbe" to my FLO but have been a regular shooter for 40 years catching Rabbits with ferrets and shooting with shotguns and rifles with my Grandfather and uncle. (my uncle was 27 years in the British Army, maybe that’s where I get the bolt cycling from, he was very safety conscious) Still, just to help the open ticket along I have a range day booked at Bisley in August which cant hurt :-)

Edited May 20, 2015 by David Aiken

[Yokel Matt 918]

What do you expect when you have a bunch of non-shooting civil servant box tickers making decisions and policies. Too much box ticking / arse covering, not enough common sense. Ammo usage counts for very little.

[charlie caller 3,654]

Some of the biggest idiots I've ever met have been the ones with on paper the most experience. Pure time or number of rounds shot counts, for nothing. The fact you've not injured anyone can come down to luck not good practice.

 

Safety comes from knowledge and safe procedure. eg how many people know or bother to cycle the bolt 3 times after removing a magazine and then visually check the chamber? I'm guessing practically no-one except those who've had military range training.

 

By far the best way in my opinion for an FEO to assess someone for an open ticket would be simply to say they want to see the shoot and walk round a permission with them and ask them to discuss aspects of safe shooting. Those who are truly safe would not only be able to describe basic aspects such as saying you need a safe backstop, but give examples, talk terrain, identify potential dangers and describe how those dangers could be handled eg by shooting from a different direction etc. It wouldn't be hard to establish pretty quickly without any prompting between someone who can simply say you need a safe backstop from someone who can actively identify features and dangers on their shoot and describe how those can be alleviated.

That is fine in principal Alsone, and you do have a point, however that all assumes the feo has the faintest idea about safe shooting, backstops etc, I have heard some strange things from, and about feo's over the years, so I would not expect too much in the way of shooting knowledge from some of them.

[walshie 2,804]

Someone quite well known once referred to FEO's as "Risk-averse process monkeys."

[abarrett 461]

My Feo told me the amount of bullets you SAY you have shot

Has absolutely no bearing on the fac nothing but common sense stops you buying thousands of rounds

And sticking them under the loft lagging

If the amount of rounds fired carried any weight fac holders would be required to keep and produce the brass

I asked this question because I have a 17 hmr and a 223 that I haven't shot for over a year

And thought I was going to have to justify the reason for them

This was for a renewal on an open ticket

Renewed no problem and not interested in shots fired only amo stored

[Tremo 138]

My Feo told me the amount of bullets you SAY you have shot

Has absolutely no bearing on the fac nothing but common sense stops you buying thousands of rounds

And sticking them under the loft lagging

If the amount of rounds fired carried any weight fac holders would be required to keep and produce the brass

I asked this question because I have a 17 hmr and a 223 that I haven't shot for over a year

And thought I was going to have to justify the reason for them

This was for a renewal on an open ticket

Renewed no problem and not interested in shots fired only amo stored

 

My FEO stated categorically ............ rounds fired has no bearing on the issue of an open ticket. He deems that the time spent learning the craft is the route.

 

Personally I feel that every measure has its flaws. Even the one used in my authority. Theoretically a chap can get his ticket granted and not fire a shot for a year or two. He might then ask for his ticket to be opened up and hey presto there you go, a complete newbie with no field experience is now allowed to shoot almost anywhere that he can get permission.

[Alsone 789]

 

That is fine in principal Alsone, and you do have a point, however that all assumes the feo has the faintest idea about safe shooting, backstops etc, I have heard some strange things from, and about feo's over the years, so I would not expect too much in the way of shooting knowledge from some of them.

 

 

Well there's little you can do if the biggest idiot out there is your FEO.

 

At the end of the day, this is where all FEO's should have to be trained (maybe they should all be forced to take the BASC Basic Safety Course before being allowed to make grants?).

 

 

 

I asked this question because I have a 17 hmr and a 223 that I haven't shot for over a year

And thought I was going to have to justify the reason for them

 

 

 

You need to be careful with some forces though, as some forces will revoke your licence if you haven't shot it / shot it enough on the grounds of you not being able to show good reason.

 

Personally, I also think the whole "Good Reason" thing is another bulls*t area of licensing. You have good reason if you shoot X rounds per year, not if you actually need a gun for example as a guest.

 

Why should you have to hold a permission on a specific piece of land or show you purchase stalking days or are a member of a named club to show good reason? What about the person who goes on friends shoots through invitation? Don't they also have good reason?

 

Personally I can't see why another FAC holder who has a permission over a piece of land with permission to bring a guest (perhaps a reason for written not verbal permissions to be compulsory), cannot be allowed to provide a declaration slip that simply says "I know X person of X address and I regularly extend them authority to come shooting in my presence, on / over my permission where I have permission to bring a guest".

 

Yes technically you're already covered to borrow a gun (although there's still some difficulty with the exact wording of the exemption). However, there's still the issue of you sharing a gun (unless the friend has multiple weapons of an appropriate calibre) as opposed to you being able to come onto the permission with your friend with your gun and shoot one gun each.

 

Allowing evidence of Guest Permissions to my mind should be allowed to show "Good Reason" and takes away the difficulties of:

 

1. An urban person finding a permission in the 1st place, which an be difficult given that land is limited near to built up areas and most FAC holders have multiple permissions simply because of 2.:

 

2. The dangers of having only 1 permission and losing your licence because you lose the 1 permission

Edited May 22, 2015 by Alsone

[David Aiken 253]

As usual another flo making it up as he goes along. What about if you reload? how is he going to cope with that?

 

It isn't about how many rounds you have used but whether you are a risk or not to public safety. Nothing to do with fieldcraft or any other bollocks, What's he going to do watch you creep up on a rabbit? Think public safety first, middle and last whilst looking for an open ticket, also arse covering exercises for those issuing it.

 

I knew I had read this somewhere!

BASC: FIREARM CERTIFICATE “OPEN” CONDITIONS

 

What do the police require to make a condition less restrictive?

 

In practical terms the police can only really assess whether an ‘open’ condition may be granted by

looking at ammunition usage and the time you have possessed the firearm (not from when the authority

was given to purchase it) and whether the holder has come to the attention of the police i.e. through

accidents or misuse of their firearms.