I have just put in for a variation for two small bore rifles and in my covering letter also asked for my existing centre fire rifles to be open, I had my visit last week and the FO said that there used to be Home Office guidelines that suggested that 3 years of rifle ownership was the minimum to demonstrate competence and entitle the shooter to an open licence, therefore renewal usually led to an open licence. Now the guidance is rather more vague and you have to convince them that you are competent, he admitted that this made it more difficult for the police as they had no clear guidance to follow, reading between the lines I feel that this could make them err on the side of caution and therefore more reluctant to open a licence. We discussed my experience and he agreed to the additional rifles and an open licence for all rifles. I have held my firearms licence for less than two years so the lack of guidance can work in our favour.
I am happy to email you the letter that I sent in but I do not think the content is important, more the argument you put forward during the visit. pm me your telephone number I will gladly discuss my application with you.
Regards,
Martin