FAC air guns Scotland

[Shabz]

Hi All,

I live in Scotland and have an FAC with a slot for an air rifle. I want to acquire and air rifle from my friend over the border in England. It’s free and is under 12ft/lb so is not on any licence at the moment.

Can I just go pick it up and write it onto my FAC? Presumably then, I could put a new spring in it and it not be worried about how powerful it is?

I would just get an air rifle certificate but I’d have to have pay for that and I don’t want to!

Thanks in advance.

 

[oldhamstocks]

Morning, you can, but it will 'become' an FAC air rifle. I would shell out for an AWL, and keep that slot for an above 12ft/lb air rifle or a variation in the future.

 

[chriswjx]

+1 to what oldhamstocks said.

Especially as you already have an FAC, an AWC should be a fiver?

 

[Shabz]

The AWL is full price if I don’t do it at the time of renewal. If I put it on my FAC it won’t cost me anything.

It’s a weirauch hw97 which is actually what I wanted the slot for in the first place. I can probably get 18ft/lb out of it with a spring change etc. that was what I always wanted. The only downside it seems is the fact that my boy can’t use it. I’ll get the AWL for a fiver when it comes time for renewal and buy him his own.

The bit I wasn’t sure about was making it an FAC by writing it in myself. I thought I might have to get an RFD to do it or something. It’s cool if I can just write it in and inform firearms licensing.

 

[Rake Aboot]

Hi All,

I live in Scotland and have an FAC with a slot for an air rifle. I want to acquire and air rifle from my friend over the border in England. It’s free and is under 12ft/lb so is not on any licence at the moment.

Can I just go pick it up and write it onto my FAC? Presumably then, I could put a new spring in it and it not be worried about how powerful it is?

I would just get an air rifle certificate but I’d have to have pay for that and I don’t want to!

Thanks in advance.

It’s not a registered firearm so I don’t think you can put it on an FAC ( may be wrong).

But for the sake of a few quid just get an awc.

If you are able to put it on your FAC , what type of rifle is it ? Easily tuned ? You say spring , I’d never own another spring FAC air rifle .

 

[Shabz]

It’s not a registered firearm so I don’t think you can put it on an FAC ( may be wrong).

But for the sake of a few quid just get an awc.

If you are able to put it on your FAC , what type of rifle is it ? Easily tuned ? You say spring , I’d never own another spring FAC air rifle .

i don’t really mind if it stays below 12 ft/lb but it would be nice to know that I can change a spring without worrying about it becoming illegal. I did that with an hw97k 30 years ago and took it to a shop to get them to test it and it was 18ft/lb! Had to cut the spring right down to get it back to legal. I always wondered what it’d be like though!

There’s a free airgun, it’s what I wanted and I have the slot. My only problem is that it’s not already and FAC version.

 

[chriswjx]

The AWL is full price if I don’t do it at the time of renewal. If I put it on my FAC it won’t cost me anything.

Appreciate that it might be what you're after etc.

My understanding of this is from having actually been through it myself 3 years ago when I applied for an AWC whilst holding an SGC. The new AWC was issued as ending the same date as my SGC. Was not done as part of the renewal or grant of the SGC/FAC.





This is the exact wording from Police Scotland (HERE). No need to apply at renewal, and if your FLD has said otherwise, I would politely be pointing them to their own website and getting in writing that they have changed their policy from this (and be petty and the forwarding it onto anyone and everyone there to let them know they need to change their website).

 

[Shabz]

Appreciate that it might be what you're after etc.

My understanding of this is from having actually been through it myself 3 years ago when I applied for an AWC whilst holding an SGC. The new AWC was issued as ending the same date as my SGC. Was not done as part of the renewal or grant of the SGC/FAC.



View attachment 454911

This is the exact wording from Police Scotland (HERE). No need to apply at renewal, and if your FLD has said otherwise, I would politely be pointing them to their own website and getting in writing that they have changed their policy from this (and be petty and the forwarding it onto anyone and everyone there to let them know they need to change their website).

I literally just read this myself. I’ll apply for the AWL and send them a fiver. See what they say.

 

[vpk999]

I seriously doubt that you could just add an air rifle to your FAC. I would think you would need a variation and that would cost more than the £5 that you would have to pay for the AWC. Also if you get the AWC, you can basically have as many sub 12ftlb airguns on it as you like, as they are not listed. Another point to note is that you will need written permission for somewhere to shoot the airgun. If you say it's only for target shooting at your local club, that's what it will state on the AWC. It's a pain in the butt, but we just have to accept it.

 

[oldhamstocks]

Slightly incidental but the only spring air rifle I would personally put on ticket would be an HW80 which shoots rather nicely at 18-22 ft/lbs in line with its design brief. The HW97K is an absolute joy sub 12 ft/lbs, fit a TBT kit yourself and you’ll have a cracker.

 

[Rake Aboot]

I seriously doubt that you could just add an air rifle to your FAC. I would think you would need a variation and that would cost more than the £5 that you would have to pay for the AWC. Also if you get the AWC, you can basically have as many sub 12ftlb airguns on it as you like, as they are not listed. Another point to note is that you will need written permission for somewhere to shoot the airgun. If you say it's only for target shooting at your local club, that's what it will state on the AWC. It's a pain in the butt, but we just have to accept it.

He already has a free slot for FAC air

 

[CWY308]

I added an AWC for a fiver, but they still fully processed it like a new application and came out to check me over

 

[countrryboy]

How does it work when u wont have a serial number on ur airgun?

The whoke airgun ticket is acomplete joke.
1 gunshop about 6 miles into scotland.
An english owner can come up legally buy the gun and then they literally drive down to Gretna to hand the gun over on the border.
Just bonkers

 

[Heym SR20]

Hi All,

I live in Scotland and have an FAC with a slot for an air rifle. I want to acquire and air rifle from my friend over the border in England. It’s free and is under 12ft/lb so is not on any licence at the moment.

Can I just go pick it up and write it onto my FAC? Presumably then, I could put a new spring in it and it not be worried about how powerful it is?

I would just get an air rifle certificate but I’d have to have pay for that and I don’t want to!

Thanks in advance.

I would go to England. Pick up the air rifle. Drive to English RFD. Get him to upgrade to FAC air rifle. He transfers it to your FAC.

 

[Danny Boy]

Be ready for at least a 16 week waiting time for an AWC in Scotland. I applied beginning of november and still not a sign of it. And all the while I already have a SGC and FAC. It's beyond bonkers!

 

[Shabz]

Be ready for at least a 16 week waiting time for an AWC in Scotland. I applied beginning of november and still not a sign of it. And all the while I already have a SGC and FAC. It's beyond bonkers!

They seem to have a set amount of time to do things and won’t do anything quicker than that. I changed my address last year at the same time put in for a variation. They wouldn’t process the variation because my change of address would be done too soon. Weird casework management.

 

[Shabz]

I would go to England. Pick up the air rifle. Drive to English RFD. Get him to upgrade to FAC air rifle. He transfers it to your FAC.

What will an English RFD do to upgrade it to an FAC air rifle though? Surely he’ll just write it onto my ticket like I could?

 

[chriswjx]

How does it work when u wont have a serial number on ur airgun?

The whoke airgun ticket is acomplete joke.
1 gunshop about 6 miles into scotland.
An english owner can come up legally buy the gun and then they literally drive down to Gretna to hand the gun over on the border.
Just bonkers

No they can't... Legally, they are expected to apply for a visitor's AWC prior to purchasing.

 

[Heym SR20]

I suppose you could just write it directly onto your ticket. There is no reason why you can’t have an air rifle that does 11.9 ft lbs instead of 12.1 ft lbs on an FAC.

Does it though have a unique identifier serial number or marking?

You also have to state from whom you acquired the firearm and their authority to possess it and transfer it to you.

An RFD, suitably equipped and knowledgeable about air rifles will be able to properly convert the air rifle into a smooth shooting powerful air rifle. I understand that the tuning of an air rifle is much more than simply putting in a more powerful spring.

Chances are you could spent a lot of money on buying lots of bits and fitting them yourself, or spend a bit more getting some one who know what they are doing to upgrade it.

I would suggest a little of that money would be getting an Airweapon Certificate issued by Police Scotland and bring the gun up here and carry on shooting it as it is. Probably be a lot cheaper.

Then use the slot on your FAC and buy a good high powered air rifle that was built originally as a high powered air rifle.

If you really don’t want to go through the hassle of Scottish Airweapon Certification you could always move to Englandshire and have to deal with a local constabulary which insists on land clearance and minutiae of counting pellets etc etc (or whatever FEOS seem to dictate down there). From what I read on SD and in other media, and the experience from those who have English FACs we in Scotland are lucky in having a pretty pragmatic approach to an FAC.

Possessing an air rifle in Scotland without an Airweapon Certificate, a visitors certificate or it being on an FAC is a breach of the firearms act and you will be guilty of possessing a firearm without appropriate licencing. Doesn’t matter whether it is a low powered air rifle, or a centrefire rifle or shotgun or a hand gun - in the eyes of the law they are all the same when it comes to illegal possession.

Scotland has, and always has had, a different legal system and legislation to England. The differences are subtle, but they are there. Drink drive limit is 50 mg as opposed to 80 mg in England. You can loose your license just by having a pint on your way home.

 

[countrryboy]

No they can't... Legally, they are expected to apply for a visitor's AWC prior to purchasing.

Well thats wot their doing.
The boy in shop wad laughing about it.

No one in right mind is going to look at an airgun, shake on a deal, go away and apply for sn AWC come back to dhop 16 weeks later to pick it up.