As had been mentioned above... this has been done to death....
Previous announcement from BASC
BASC clears up ammunition confusion.
20 October 2011
Confusion over whether Hornady A-Max US manufactured match target shooting rounds can continue to be used for target shooting has been cleared up with help from the UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).
BASC has had confirmation from ACPO and the Home Office that in their opinion the Hornady A-Max rounds are not classed as expanding ammunition and can continue to be used for target shooting
There was confusion over whether the ammunition was prohibited from use for target shooting because it might be classed as expanding ammunition, so BASC provided evidence that the design of the round was for target shooting rather than as an expanding bullet.
BASC’s senior firearms officer Mike Eveleigh said: “It was important to establish the design intention as that is what matters for the law. Discussions have been complex but are testament to how the shooting community can work with the police and government to find common ground."
A-Max are
arguably not designed as expanding ammunition and therefore, under current UK law, their use on deer is questionable, legally.
No, there have been no prosecutions for their use or test cases that classify them 100% as non-expanding. Yes, there has been loads of confusion and conflicting advice.
However... if you have a deer condition on your FAC then you will also have an expanding ammunition condition. Therefore why not buy V-Max and be confident you are 100% within the law rather than putting yourself in the grey area?
Personally I would not advise anyone to assume A-Max are deer legal and as V-Max are available then why take the risk? If you want to go ahead and be the test case and you are well versed in law and have deep pockets and a specialist legal team then that is your concern but, as a co-owner of this site, I think it would be wrong to recommend others to do the same and,
speaking for the site, I would not advise you to use ammunition marketed as target use (whether it looks the same under a microscope etc etc) for use on deer where the law calls for expanding ammunition.