Variations

gelert

Well-Known Member
As i am thinking of starting to homeload i wonder if any one can help with a few questions.

1)Do the bullets you buy go on you fac,i can only buy x number at a time and store a certain amount?
The last thing i want to do is get cought out .

2)How do i go about in applying for more ammo to be bought and kept on my current FAC for the purpose of homeloading?

3)I have held my liscence for two years,would it be considered wise to apply for more ammo in such a small amount of time, or is is better to wait till i renew my FAC buy less factory loads and concentrate on homeloading?

4)Is there a special liscence i need for the storage of powder?

Any help would be gratefully recieved, many thanks.
 
gelert,

1)Some shops put them on your cert some dont as there just components and not really a complete live round. The normal minimum amount people are allowed to buy is 100 and hold 150 as they usually come in boxes of 100.

2)You apply as normal buy contacting you firearms department by using the form or phone them up. Its not a variation so its free. Just tell them your home loading and there should be no problem.

3)If you want to home load thats up to you, you could be doing it for accuracy, different species or economical reasons but thats all a good reason to homeload. 2 years or 10 years, it should not matter.

4)No special licence for the powder. Its a propellelant, just keep it in a dry and secure place.

Ian
 
gelert i think bullets are considered as rounds as you need your cert to buy expanding ammo thats why most reloaders up the limits to allow for different bullets to try getting good loads i was lucky in the first box i baught suited my rifle so never upped my 250 limit i only reload now so maxed out on my limit ,im sure others will say similar atb,wayne just to add simply ask for more allowance as you are homeloading and they come in boxes of 100 so you need a few boxes to develope loads
 
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Thank you all for the advice.
I'm off to the gunshop tomorrow with my list for reloading gear so watch this space.
Thanks again.
 
Thames Valley told me "economic reasons is not considered good reason to increase your ammunition holding" and the fact that you can only buy boxes of 100 is irrelevant. Even when I said that as well as the economic benefit it would provide a more accurate round I was told there was no way I was getting my ammunition increased. I wouldn't mind, but they gave me a hold limit of 100 and a buy limit of 50.

Components should not be added to the certificate by the shop, but for expanding bullets you need to prove you have S5 authorisation, and they can only sell you the max acquire amount. You should enter the complete cartridges on your cert when you have loaded them (the only time, apart from when you sign it, that you are allowed to write on your own certificate)
 
As suggested to me by FEO, I always get the RFD to note the bullets (component) bought on my FAC, that way my FEO knows how many I am shooting and would make it easier to justify having larger 'purchase and hold' amounts.....which it did.
 
As suggested to me by FEO, I always get the RFD to note the bullets (component) bought on my FAC, that way my FEO knows how many I am shooting and would make it easier to justify having larger 'purchase and hold' amounts.....which it did.

How does he know that? You might be throwing them in the bin! ;) Maybe he should just read the relevant sections of the HO Guidance to acquaint himself with what circumstances would justify larger quantities instead of advising against something that is specifically mentioned in it.

Sorry chaps, but there is an awful lot of 'making it up as we go along', by too many FEOs or even FLDs. The HO Guidance might not be perfect but at the moment, (and for the forseeable future as the Police appear to have rejected a 'Good Practice' being put in place - wonder why?), it's all we have. If the various forces would only use it for the reason the HO obviously intended it, "to assist consistency of practice between police forces", then we might all have an easier life. Instead they decide to 'cherry pick' the, (usually more restrictive), parts they like and reject others because after all, "it's only guidance". :rolleyes:

As matt states, there is no requirement for an RFD to enter expanding bullets/missiles on your FAC (HOG Ch 3.17). TVP are correct that 'purpose of economy' is not a good reason for an increase in ammo possession (Ch 4.8), although with his own paltry and unworkable 100/50 ammo holding they appear to be quite willing to ignore the very reasonable stated standard amounts of 250/200 with recommendations to increase, (many forces will double), if re-loading, (Ch 4.8; 4.7; 13.28)

Matt, is the 'requirement' to enter completed handloads on your FAC something that TVP are asking you to do off their own back? Because I can't find any legal reference to it. When asked to do this by the FEO, (after 20+ years of not doing it), I asked where it stated that this was something required in law. No answer was forthcoming apart from a, "how will you be able to prove you are using your rifles when it comes to renewal". I suggested that they needed to swot up on what consitutes good reason and maybe have a look at the HO Guidance on the subject.

Your possession of reloaded ammo will be lawful and governed by the quantities stated at Section 2 on your FAC. You exceed that amount, (inclusive of purchased ammo and expanding bullets/missiles) at your own risk. Have a look at the following section on your FAC, where it gives instructions to anybody 'who sells, lets on hire, gives or lends firearms or ammunition' and the first column in table 2; 'Date of sale or transfer'. None of these appear to apply to your own reloaded ammo, so is it another case of them making it up as they go along?

BTW: For those forces who cobble together their own ill-conceived conditions to satisfy some internal policy or the frustrated writing career of an FLM, maybe they should consider the following from the Guidance:

10.33 Possible conditions which may be
applied are listed at Appendix 3 as a guide
to firearms licensing officers. They should
be used, where the individual circumstances
require it, to ensure consistency of practice
between police forces
.


Fat chance!
 
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As you say Orion, the standard "get out of jail free" when confronted with the HO guidance is "it's only guidance".

Now, if they had to try and defend conditions (I understand precedent means conditions are not appealable) then it might be tough for them to justify imposing conditions so blatantly contrary to recommended practice.
 
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