FAC Help

[willowbank]

Thanks for the input guys, I'll give the police a call next week and attempt to up my current shotgun application to a coterminous one with the reason of guided stalks and see what they say. Failing that I'll see if one of the land owners on my upcoming stalks is willing to allow me to put their land down before looking at syndicates etc.

It would be better to email, not call… most forces only accept calls at certain times… they are then extremely busy so an email is the way forward, it must be answered, you then have a “paper” trail that cannot be refuted. Also email your stalking receipts for the same reason.

Good luck… here in Kent we are blessed with a very efficient firearms department at Maidstone.

Willowbank

 

[Scarpa]

If the force suggests only using estate rifles you can counter with the argument that you have not had good accuracy using them and that you wish to buy a rifle suited to your individual needs, e.g. an adjustable cheek piece.

 

[palmer_mike]

Home office guidance
Chapter 13: Good reason to possess a firearm:
See 13.32 and that should cover what’s needed

 

[Scotty99]

I'm right by Kingsbury MOD range which has a few clubs, I've noticed there doesn't seem to be all that many syndicates around my area unfortunately.

If you are near Kingsbury look up Staffordshire Phoenix Rifle club, they are a great a great bunch of guys and they used to shoot at Kingsbury and Whittington Barracks. I think they might have their own ranges now. I used to be a member with them until I moved to Herefordshire.

 

[Scotty99]

Careful with this, as your rifles could be conditioned for range use only and not stalking

True buts it’s a process. Joining a rifle club will get you good reason and calibres conditioned for target. A probationary period at a rifle club will teach safe gun handling. Booked stalks or land will then lead to having calibres conditioned for deer. At some point get DSC1. Getting more land will lead to the FAC being opened up. There are no shortcuts, it’s a lengthy process.

 

[MauserG98]

Hi Mike M7,

Your land issue is easily solved, as long as you don't mind paying about a grand a year. ShootingSH run a nationally based syndicate with permissions to shoot deer and other quarries all over the
country. I don't know your experience level for Deer Stalking is, but they will provide you written permission for land and from memory provide some level of training.
The website will also put you in touch with numerous Deer Stalking providers and Estates.

It could be worth a look if your stuck.

 

[Andyquadra]

Hi Mike M7,

Your land issue is easily solved, as long as you don't mind paying about a grand a year. ShootingSH run a nationally based syndicate with permissions to shoot deer and other quarries all over the
country. I don't know your experience level for Deer Stalking is, but they will provide you written permission for land and from memory provide some level of training.
The website will also put you in touch with numerous Deer Stalking providers and Estates.

It could be worth a look if your stuck.

Have a search on here for shootingsh, it hasn't received the best feedback.....

 

[palmer_mike]

Hi Mike M7,

Your land issue is easily solved, as long as you don't mind paying about a grand a year. ShootingSH run a nationally based syndicate with permissions to shoot deer and other quarries all over the
country. I don't know your experience level for Deer Stalking is, but they will provide you written permission for land and from memory provide some level of training.
The website will also put you in touch with numerous Deer Stalking providers and Estates.

It could be worth a look if your stuck.

Under no circumstances consider this as a sensible solution to your predicament. Please do a forum search regarding said ‘syndicate’

 

[25 Sharps]

That a true, but once you've got the rifles and good reason (as well as a range on which you can get truly familiar with them) it's minimal effort to book a stalk and send your ticket in to get use on deer etc added, that's what I did.

Police aren't as worried about someone with a year or more of regular target shooting experience under their belt going out on land with a deer rated rifle than someone with zero prior experience.

Not so sure about that, many don’t see it as relevant experience, largely because it isn’t, the only thing it teaches you is safe gun handling.

 

[hendrix's rifle]

Hi Mike M7,

Your land issue is easily solved, as long as you don't mind paying about a grand a year. ShootingSH run a nationally based syndicate with permissions to shoot deer and other quarries all over the
country. I don't know your experience level for Deer Stalking is, but they will provide you written permission for land and from memory provide some level of training.
The website will also put you in touch with numerous Deer Stalking providers and Estates.

It could be worth a look if your stuck.

Ignore what he said. Do not go with them.

 

[MikeM7]

I've seen shootingsh gets some shall we say "mixed reviews", I did consider it briefly but I would rather find a local syndicate. Plus there's the issue of what happens for the first year where my FAC hasn't been issued - I'd essentially be paying £1000 for the letter of land authority.

 

[palmer_mike]

I've seen shootingsh gets some shall we say "mixed reviews", I did consider it briefly but I would rather find a local syndicate. Plus there's the issue of what happens for the first year where my FAC hasn't been issued - I'd essentially be paying £1000 for the letter of land authority.

Yes, much better off getting your FAC on the strength of Paid/invitation stalking to start with as finding a decent syndicate can take time

 

[MidlandsPaperPuncher]

Not so sure about that, many don’t see it as relevant experience, largely because it isn’t, the only thing it teaches you is safe gun handling.

It's the safe gun handling that is of most concern to my department, obviously that's the only bit a club gets you but it's still more experience than someone who's never handled a firearm will have if they book a few stalks and send off an application.

 

[25 Sharps]

It's the safe gun handling that is of most concern to my department, obviously that's the only bit a club gets you but it's still more experience than someone who's never handled a firearm will have if they book a few stalks and send off an application.

It’s only a small part of the experience needed. Shooting at a club you are shooting at a known distance, into a known safe backstop, generally into a target that doesn’t have a mind of its own. You are under the constant supervision of a range officer and your weapon is checked clear for you.

Shooting in the field often requires a very quick mental assessment of range, angle of the target, angle of the shot, backstop suitability, ricochet risk with the risk of the animal moving at any moment.

Nothing you do at a range prepares you for that, so as I said, other then safe gun handling (which is largely common sense) the experience gained is not relevant to field shooting. Some forces therefore take no account of target experience when it comes to adding a deer condition, and I agree with them.

I should say I am an active member of 2 clubs so have nothing against range shooters!

 

[25 Sharps]

Hi Mike M7,

Your land issue is easily solved, as long as you don't mind paying about a grand a year. ShootingSH run a nationally based syndicate with permissions to shoot deer and other quarries all over the
country. I don't know your experience level for Deer Stalking is, but they will provide you written permission for land and from memory provide some level of training.
The website will also put you in touch with numerous Deer Stalking providers and Estates.

It could be worth a look if your stuck.

There’s a reason they are no longer on this forum.

 

[25 Sharps]

I've seen shootingsh gets some shall we say "mixed reviews", I did consider it briefly but I would rather find a local syndicate. Plus there's the issue of what happens for the first year where my FAC hasn't been issued - I'd essentially be paying £1000 for the letter of land authority.

Spend the £1000 on guided stalks and gain some experience

 

[timbrayford]

It’s only a small part of the experience needed. Shooting at a club you are shooting at a known distance, into a known safe backstop, generally into a target that doesn’t have a mind of its own. You are under the constant supervision of a range officer and your weapon is checked clear for you.

Shooting in the field often requires a very quick mental assessment of range, angle of the target, angle of the shot, backstop suitability, ricochet risk with the risk of the animal moving at any moment.

Nothing you do at a range prepares you for that, so as I said, other then safe gun handling (which is largely common sense) the experience gained is not relevant to field shooting. Some forces therefore take no account of target experience when it comes to adding a deer condition, and I agree with them.

I should say I am an active member of 2 clubs so have nothing against range shooters!

I'm an RCO and have been for many years on a 3 mile danger zone range. There's absolutely nothing that you can do to retrieve a carelessly discharged round from flying off into the wide blue yonder. However this notion that somehow a safe range shooter will metamorph into a habitually dangerous shot away from the range beggars belief.

 

[25 Sharps]

I'm an RCO and have been for many years on a 3 mile danger zone range. There's absolutely nothing that you can do to retrieve a carelessly discharged round from flying off into the wide blue yonder. However this notion that somehow a safe range shooter will metamorph into a habitually dangerous shot away from the range beggars belief.

You disagree that field ahooting is totally different to target ahooting on a range then?

 

[hendrix's rifle]

I'm an RCO and have been for many years on a 3 mile danger zone range. There's absolutely nothing that you can do to retrieve a carelessly discharged round from flying off into the wide blue yonder. However this notion that somehow a safe range shooter will metamorph into a habitually dangerous shot away from the range beggars belief.

A range with a target in a fixed position is going to be a given safe shot.

A deer in the field? Not so much. Just look at that absolute whopper on YouTube who got slated last year for taking a deer on the skyline. He's apparently experienced

 

[MidlandsPaperPuncher]

other then safe gun handling (which is largely common sense)

I agree with you, I just had to quote this bit because I've seem some spectacular displays of a lack of common sense on ranges and sadly common sense isn't that common!