Dropped rifle cartridges - what do you do?

[Tim.243]

How can the police prove who the round belongs to ?

All the farms I shoot is just me (don't need to be in a syndicate ) so a .270 HL with ppu case 150 sgk head or .243 win brass and 95gn sst HL would be mine.
Besides if you made a mistake and they were called then they would soon be knocking on doors!

 

[maximus otter]

Dropped rifle cartridges - what do you do?​

a) Make reasonable efforts to find it, then, if unsuccessful;

b) STFU

maximus otter

 

[doric_prince]

Forget about it. Life is too short to be worrying about the unlikely consequences.

 

[Jh1986]

Found a live 50 cal in a wood. Shooting mentor that day was also an RFD. He took charge of it.- Research of the headstamp showed it was Canadian and locally it was known the wood being where there was (in 1944) a tented camp for Canadian soldiers.

Ashdown forest area is also known for this. Canadian armoured division troops spent plenty of time training and camped in the woods so there's even the occasional old armoured vehicle, rusted away in the woods.

I think this post is certainly telling of who has switched over to copper

 

[Nickb]

All the farms I shoot is just me (don't need to be in a syndicate ) so a .270 HL with ppu case 150 sgk head or .243 win brass and 95gn sst HL would be mine.
Besides if you made a mistake and they were called then they would soon be knocking on doors!

Still doesn't prove it's yours ...what about if a poacher dropped it ?

 

[User00056]

An innocent finder would be blameless (unless they decided to keep it)

I once dropped a .308 round literally at my feet in a field margin. Despite five minutes solid searching it remained lost. Any random passerby being a) anywhere near that particular location, and b) accidentally finding it should immediately rush out and buy a lottery ticket.

 

[MilesW]

No. An innocent finder would be blameless (unless they decided to keep it). Finding would be viewed a reasonable excuse for their possession to allow them to hand it in without penalty.

You are making an assumption. Perhaps a reasonable one, but not a given. The law is very clear and makes no mention of reasonable excuse. The decision to charge or the penalty applied is at the discretion of the police or court officer.
Watching the UK judiciary at work over the last decade or so, I wouldn't be betting on a sensible outcome.

 

[HonestJohn]

Had rounds returned to me by local Metal detector, didn't know I had lost.
About 5 years ago lost magazine with rounds in it info local farmer, about 2 years later farmer returned magazine it was found attached to cows hoof.

What was the name of the cow?

 

[Long drag]

What was the name of the cow?

.223

 

[Oracle]

A Firearm Certificate is granted subject to the Prescribed conditions listed on the front page. What the individual decides to do or not do is totally up to them, however what I constantly read on SD is that FAC holders are the most law abiding and trustworthy individuals…viz

the holder of the certificate must, inform the chief officer of police by
whom it was granted as soon as reasonably practicable, but within 7 days
of the theft, loss or destruction in Great Britain of the certificate and/or the
theft or loss, deactivation or destruction of any firearms to which this
certificate relates and/or the theft or loss of ammunition to which this
certificate relates;

 

[User00056]

and/or the theft or loss of ammunition to which this
certificate relates;

There's a big difference between leaving a box of rounds on a park bench and accidentally dropping a single round in the middle of nowhere though. Theft of ammunition is a different matter entirely, and should always be reported.

 

[Free range rob]

This is what I have in the motor when I’m out shooting, rounds, mags and even car keys have been found with it

Pro-Pointers | Metal Detector Pinpointer and Accessories

Check out our Pro-Pointers at Garrett Metal Detectors! These metal detecting accessories ensure your precise locating and recovery of all kinds of targets.

garrett.com

I’ve got one of those and often wondered if I should keep it in truck for emergencies

 

[MilesW]

There's a big difference between leaving a box of rounds on a park bench and accidentally dropping a single round in the middle of nowhere though. Theft of ammunition is a different matter entirely, and should always be reported.

Thread drift, but couldn't resist.
Leave a box of rounds on a park bench and you are in big trouble. Leave an entire file of top-secret documents at a bus stop and you get to become the UK Ambassador to NATO.

 

[Free range rob]

You are making an assumption. Perhaps a reasonable one, but not a given. The law is very clear and makes no mention of reasonable excuse. The decision to charge or the penalty applied is at the discretion of the police or court officer.
Watching the UK judiciary at work over the last decade or so, I wouldn't be betting on a sensible outcome.

No, the decision to charge is taken by the crown prosecution service based on evidence supplied by the police force in question, hence some charges get dropped.
The COS review the case and decide if it is
A, in the public interest to charge
B, has a likelihood of a successful comvictuon

Amongst other criteria.
I would say no police officer would be daft enough to charge a known innocent civilian for finding something in the first place, and the COS would not meet their own criteria in pressing that charge if it did occur, firstly it’s not in the public interest to charge innocent people, and secondly in a court of law it is highly unlikely to gain a conviction (assuming the person in question was totally innocent and this could be clearly demonstrated on the day.

The general upshot is, it’s so unlikely to happen you would have more chance flying to the moon in a wheelie bin…………

If however your the unluckiest person in the world and it did happen, these days of social
Media, it would be all over the news and certain parties would be quick to take the story up to tar the shooting community for
Loosing it in the first place.

 

[enfieldspares]

A Firearm Certificate is granted subject to the Prescribed conditions listed on the front page.

Thank you.

 

[cooksey]

I think people need to use common sense.
Drop a bullet out on the hill it's extremely unlikely to become an issue.
Drop one next to a public footpath or a area with high levels of public access it might become an issue.
I doubt unless you were caught doing alot of other stuff wrong the police would do much about finding a single bullet that might be yours.

 

[Free range rob]

One of my grounds I shoot hold kid camps, kids go for a few days or week at a time to do outdoor stuff.
My very first introduction the manager said ‘your not going to leave bullets around are you’

Obviously I said no,

‘Good, the last guy left a box of bullets and some kids picked them up, we caught them hammering them open with rocks round the fire pit’ !!!!!

 

[njc110381]

I find the best solution to problems like that is to not post about them on the internet.

Call your FEO and explain what's happened. You've taken reasonable steps to find it and you can't, it's gone. Legally you're expected to inform them.

 

[red fell]

Phone the local dog branch and ask them if they want a training exercise

 

[Yorkie]

Metal detector. A "friend" of mine has had it happen to them. Clearing the rifle from the high seat and, why does it always happen in ultra slow motion, watched the round tumble end over end into the gorse and heath below! Could I, I mean my "friend" find it? Returned the next day with said detector and found it...along with assorted brass abandoned by previous occupants.

Once used a detector to find a Tikka bolt stop that annoyingly decided to depart the action due to a sheared retaining pin.......Oh..and a small screw from a scope ring.

I'm surprised the US aren't trying to get me to negotiate a mining contract for rare earth metals with the amount of stuff I leave behind!

Hi.
Was it one of the pre T3 Tikkas? My 690 did the same thing on Pickering range. Bolt came straight back and out of the rifle when i went to chamber another cartridge.

Shooting Lodge at Skipton - anyone remember them? - got it fixed.