Land Deemed Suitable
- Thread starter LE9219
- Start date
Your firearms licensing dept will have a database of cleared land in their area. A quick phonecall to check would be enough, if you're worried.
Personally, I'd just crack on.
@LE9219
Personally, when on a closed ticket I would always check the land with the police myself, these days I’d do in writing (email) so you have an email confirmation.
This has 2 benefits;
Firstly, you know for sure and you’re not relying on someone else’s understanding of what their land is cleared for.
Secondly, the more land enquiries you make the more pieces of land your FEO knows you are shooting, this will help your certificate get opened up more quickly.
Bore sighting involves looking down the bore and aligning the reticle with what you see. It is best done at 100 yards if your eyes are up to it.
Fix the gun on a bench, it needs to not move between moving between the bore and the scope. Align the bore with a target (4 or 6” black dot is good) look down the bore, it will almost appear like a cone, get the target central to the sight picture of the bore with the cone concentric. WITHOUT MOVING THE RIFLE, then view through the scope and adjust the scope reticle to align with the centre of the dot. You will need to turn the turrets the opposite way that they are marked to do this.
Go back to look between the bore and scope a couple of times to check all in alignment, and shoot. If done correctly you will get onto an A3 sheet of paper every time this way, then adjust your point of impact from your first shot as normal (turn turrets in direction as shown to move bullet impact).
Good luck
Personally, when on a closed ticket I would always check the land with the police myself, these days I’d do in writing (email) so you have an email confirmation.
This has 2 benefits;
Firstly, you know for sure and you’re not relying on someone else’s understanding of what their land is cleared for.
Secondly, the more land enquiries you make the more pieces of land your FEO knows you are shooting, this will help your certificate get opened up more quickly.
Bore sighting involves looking down the bore and aligning the reticle with what you see. It is best done at 100 yards if your eyes are up to it.
Fix the gun on a bench, it needs to not move between moving between the bore and the scope. Align the bore with a target (4 or 6” black dot is good) look down the bore, it will almost appear like a cone, get the target central to the sight picture of the bore with the cone concentric. WITHOUT MOVING THE RIFLE, then view through the scope and adjust the scope reticle to align with the centre of the dot. You will need to turn the turrets the opposite way that they are marked to do this.
Go back to look between the bore and scope a couple of times to check all in alignment, and shoot. If done correctly you will get onto an A3 sheet of paper every time this way, then adjust your point of impact from your first shot as normal (turn turrets in direction as shown to move bullet impact).
Good luck
Yeah but they're just making that up.
Thing is .... Different forces make different rules frequently ! So its impossible to say . Phone your FEO and ask
They think they do, but the law makes the rules not local FLDs.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
Along with collimeters they are very good at removing tens if not hundreds of pounds out of your pocket. You use them a few times and then are very good at gathering dust on a shelf.
A Mark 1 eyeball with piece of paper with a round 4” black circle
️. Your eye will naturally centre the circle in your bore and then look through the scope and adjust reticle. Trick is getting the rifle nice and steady with a good firm rest. Most of the time a bore sight at 25 to 30 off yards or even to 100 will get you hitting an A4 paper.Once the rifled is properly zeroed it is well worth rechecking your boresighting and where exactly your cross hair intersects the target. Mark the spot on your boresight paper, roll it up and put it in your rifle slip.
When you next knock the rifle badly - set it up and check the bore sightings again. You will be able to see if the sights have materially moved. You can do this pretty much anywhere- out on the hill, at home etc. It can tell whether you need to go and check zero or whether it’s probably good enough.
Re Land Clearances - fortunately Police Scotland haven’t taken on the idea. But with all things Firearms related, its your FAC that may be in question. If your friends land is “cleared” was this land put down as one of the pieces of land to justify your FAC application. If it was, then crack on.
If it was not, I would ask your friend to show you confirmation that the land was cleared by the police and / or provide you with a note of authority to use the land, stating confirmation and that you will passing this to your FEO. Most FAC holders and landholder understand such matters. A few don’t….. and best if you come across such is quietly and politely walk away.
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Actually its the chief constable of that particular constabulary that decides the rules and signs off every each grant on every FAC .
My eye sight isn't up to the 100 now sight!
They don't decide what the law is (the rules). You aren't breaking any of the conditions on your cert if you shoot in land that's already been passed off.
Do you realise some forces have different rules ? They do seriously , its all under review but its been like that for years on end . The buck stops with the force Chief constable but the assistant chief is usually given the tasks.
You wont get a pistol for HD in some forces , others only allow a certain capacity and vice versa . Some forces don't really do land checks and others decide on the candidate if the land is checked . I have never had any land checks and i have been at it a good few decades
Yeah of course but they can't take your cert off you for breaking their policies.
Well with the length of time it takes the Met the least id have expected was one of those fancy oversized decorative first letters like the monks used to dowhat with a rubber stamp signature
timbrayford
Well-Known Member
Figure of speak but it is ultimately his responsibility if the S*** hits the proverbialwhat with a rubber stamp signature
timbrayford
Well-Known Member
I did take the opportunity of discussing this with the FLD at a previous renewal. Assessment of the land for, and taking a safe shot, ultimately rests with the person pulling the trigger and not with the administering constabulary.
What are you
What are you gaining, confidence that you understand your FAC conditions?
The more work the FEO has the slower the renewal process for others and the higher the certificate costs.
What are you gaining, confidence that you understand your FAC conditions?
The more work the FEO has the slower the renewal process for others and the higher the certificate costs.
You're gaining clarity that what you've been told is correct. If the info obtained is inaccurate, there's little defence to say my mate said it was fine. It's down to your appetite for risk. I also don't by your argument about it slowing down renewals - that's backbend admin not texts to and from an feo... Come on...
If, in error, you do end up shooting your "closed" rifle on uncleared land, the ground will not open up and swallow you down to the depths of Hell, and the chances of you losing your FAC as a result are so small that they're pretty much non-existent.
When I had my first FAC I didn't know there was such a thing as open/closed. I just assumed that a FAC was no different from a SGC, and used my rifle anywhere I could get permission.
I lived to tell the tale.
It was only after a year or so of reading various posts on this site that I came to understand the difference, and contacted NWP Firearms dept to ask for my cert to be opened. In discussion with them, I made no secret of the fact that I was already safely using my rifle on other land, so therfore had sufficient experience to justify it being opened.
When I had my first FAC I didn't know there was such a thing as open/closed. I just assumed that a FAC was no different from a SGC, and used my rifle anywhere I could get permission.
I lived to tell the tale.
It was only after a year or so of reading various posts on this site that I came to understand the difference, and contacted NWP Firearms dept to ask for my cert to be opened. In discussion with them, I made no secret of the fact that I was already safely using my rifle on other land, so therfore had sufficient experience to justify it being opened.
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