Buying Expanding Head

I have expanding ammunition on my FAC but have never bothered to reload other than for long range target.

My question is am I limited to the number of expanding projectiles I can buy by the quantity of expanding ammunition I am authorized to possess.



Ferryman

Thankyou for the input everyone.

The number of deer and foxes I shoot in a year is under 100 so I only have authority to possess 100 X .308 & 100 X .223 expanding. I would have liked to do some load development but as most heads are packed in boxes of 100 I am not sure it would be worth the agrivation of waiting for a variation to increase the number of rounds authorised to possess




Let me be honest, perhaps even brusque.


You’ve assessed your “essential equipment” needs on the number of quarry you shoot. Perhaps you’ve swallowed the guidance and the official line from an FEO. These are bright people who weigh up the candidate, and their direction of travel. These are platitudes I know, but they apply in their decision process and to what they say.

Look beyond all this to your shooting ambitions. If these are limited and you want something basic that will work then take the easy option of factory ammunition. .223 and .308 are now the default 'vanilla calibres'. You'll find something in 'expanding' to suit off-the-shelf from your RFD.

Don’t get further into reloading as it sounds like it isn’t for you. What's difficult about asking for a free Variation?
Making your own ammunition requires expending cash and effort. This isn't for everyone. If it's a struggle then you're not interested or committed to the craft. It's hard to realise that not everyone is blighted with the search for improvement.:-|
 
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Thank you for the input everyone.

The number of deer and foxes I shoot in a year is under 100 so I only have authority to possess 100 X .308 & 100 X .223 expanding. I would have liked to do some load development but as most heads are packed in boxes of 100 I am not sure it would be worth the agrivation of waiting for a variation to increase the number of rounds authorised to possess

What's the aggravation of waiting?
It won't cost you anything to increase your ammunition allowance and you normally don't even have to send your certificate in if the force that you are under are reasonable. Simply apply and inform them in your covering letter that you will hold on to your existing certificate until the replacement certificate is issued and you will exchange certificates then.
 
Normally if you reload there are two limits, a higher limit for the number of bullets that you can possess and then a lower number of assembled cartridges. So you should speak to your FLO to get you certificate amended.

This sounds completely wrong. But hey, times change. On my previous & current FAC it's as follows:

There is an amount of ammunition you can hold (Higher amount) and an amount of ammunition (lower) to purchase/acquire.
Your stock of expanding bullets and loaded ammunition can not exceed the amount you're authorised to hold.

With regard to expanding bullets, they are part of the count whether just bullets or loaded ammunition. Both unloaded expanding bullets and loaded ammunition are regarded as the same.
 
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Just had a look at my FAC, that took 8 months to renew, and there is no longer a condition that specifies the amount of ammunition that can be bought at any one time. Until I read this thread, I had not realised that the total authorised to possess was the total of bullets(expanding) 'and' loaded rounds, but that's what it says on the certificate. As it happens, I am just on the right side. As bullets are sold in packs of 100, it would be unreasonable not to be allowed several boxes of different type and weight of bullets so that load development could be carried out. I doubt many homeloaders have a total of bullets that is less than the number authorised to be possessed by their FAC. I used to have 1200 for both .223. and .308, but it's now 700, thinking I had enough cases to last some time. I think a lot of homeloaders should be asking for the 'authorised to possess' amount to be increased. Perhaps it would not be unreasonable to ask for 1000 for each calibre. Plod won't like it, I suspect. I don't think I have ever had my ammunition counted during a visit.
 
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I think a lot of homeloaders should be asking for the 'authorised to possess' amount to be increased. Perhaps it would not be unreasonable to ask for 1000 for each calibre. Plod won't like it, I suspect. I don't think I have ever had my ammunition counted during a visit.

Come on.

That would give every FAC holder the option of having 1K rounds of assembled 'expanding' ammunition. This is OTT and way beyond the HO Guidance. It's not going to happen.

After almost 20 years it's high time this aggregated holding of ammunition and 'expanding missiles' was done away with. The BASC advice is broadly right because it reflects what's on most certificates, but they should have been pressing for clarity here.

Every firearms licensing department now has the facility within the national FLMS computer system to give a separate allocation for EACH. It was possible in the previous FIS computer system too, so has been designed into NFLMS for adoption by all FLD's.

My own force has been doing this since the Firearms Amendment Act 1997. My 1999 FAC has a count for ammunition (200) and expanding missiles (300) for each calibre. We can't think of any other way of doing this now.

Just a few other forces have cottoned on. After all this time how difficult can it be for the rest?
 
If that's how they do it up there....
around here an fac looking like yours would only allow purchase of FMJ. To purchase expanding it needs to be written in as such.
Oh, no. I never had anything like that. It is less complicated and easier to do it as Lancashire do it. We do have the expanding ammunition as a condition, so if it does not appear as a condition people cannot buy them. I have this condition so I am ok.
 
If that's how they do it up there....
around here an fac looking like yours would only allow purchase of FMJ. To purchase expanding it needs to be written in as such.

As long as the 'expanding' Condition is on the face of the FAC the Part II ammo allocation allows expanding (in X quantities) .

It nice to see that Suffolk follows Cambridgeshire in having 'X' rounds of ammo PLUS 'X' number of expanding missiles.

Without the Condition you can only have FMJ, of course.
 
Come on.

That would give every FAC holder the option of having 1K rounds of assembled 'expanding' ammunition. This is OTT and way beyond the HO Guidance. It's not going to happen.
IT ALREADY HAS HAPPENED!

Up until this renewal, I have been allowed to possess 1200 .308 and 1200 .223 because I wanted to buy 1000 at a time from the same batch. I explained that I would probably only buy that amount once. On this renewal, I asked for 700(possessed), not realising that it was the total of rounds and missiles. A homeloader could very easily have 8 different weights and types of missiles while working up the best loads for each calibre.
 
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Oh, no. I never had anything like that. It is less complicated and easier to do it as Lancashire do it. We do have the expanding ammunition as a condition, so if it does not appear as a condition people cannot buy them. I have this condition so I am ok.

Does it say somewhere on your certificate that bullets may be expanding, or is the shot you posted the only reference to expanding missiles?
 
I have a condition for expanding bullets. I will post a screenshot when I get to my PC.
Sounds OK. I have the expanding ammunition condition for some calibres but not for the target-only calibre. The 'EXP' is not added to the target-only calibre in the 'authorised to possess' list.
 
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