Police challenge on calibre

I don’t understand where the guidelines for calibre come from ?
I’ve got a .44 WCF ( Mild pistol caliber )with about the legs of a .17hmr and struggled to get an open ticket for it because my main permissions are only up to .308.
Something in the Police Guidance is not working correctly
 
It isnt their fault, many FEOs havent a clue unless they also shoot, and they dont receive any decent training in firearms and ballistics. Others have this strange turn of phrase ‘keeping guns off the street’. Cheers, dits. Its in the gun cabinet.

Some rely on firearms units input, who know equally little. You can join off the streets nowadays, to dress in black and pretend you are on a balcony somewhere without doing the hard slog of probationer.

I specifically asked for 300aac to shoot near domestic housing that backs on to a permission, the FEO who knows a thing or two about the calibre and similar, didnt question it, just said ‘good choice!’

Just pay for some stalking out of your area. Tell them you need an open ticket conditioned for 308 on deer and AOLQ.
 
It isnt their fault, many FEOs havent a clue unless they also shoot, and they dont receive any decent training in firearms and ballistics. Others have this strange turn of phrase ‘keeping guns off the street’. Cheers, dits. Its in the gun cabinet.

Some rely on firearms units input, who know equally little. You can join off the streets nowadays, to dress in black and pretend you are on a balcony somewhere without doing the hard slog of probationer.

I specifically asked for 300aac to shoot near domestic housing that backs on to a permission, the FEO who knows a thing or two about the calibre and similar, didnt question it, just said ‘good choice!’

Just pay for some stalking out of your area. Tell them you need an open ticket conditioned for 308 on deer and AOLQ.
Do you mean in a different county or across the border in Scotland for example?
 
Do you mean in a different county or across the border in Scotland for example?
I dont think Scotland has land ‘cleared’ in the same way, but stand to be corrected.

Just make a trip of it and go across the country to a quarry you need your 308 (only rifle) for and which isnt available on your own patch.

Perhaps CWD.
 
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Hi all, I've recently been asked to control foxes on about 3000 acres of arable land. As I'm on a closed cert, I have asked whether the land is signed off for 308 or whether I could be given the open licence (had my FAC for 4 years). The FEO seems to want to inspect the land and has the view that the 308 is excessive. I cannot afford another rifle, so this is what I've got. Has anyone had similar experiences and did you manage to persuade your FEO otherwise?

Going strictly by the (current) guidance fox is not good reason to possess a .308 but if you already have the .308 the guidance states you do not need good reason for additional quarry species or AOLQ.

Your only issue may be the closed certificate but it would have to be pretty awkward land not to clear for .308 at 3000 acres.

Your other option would be to switch to a 6.5 but you really shouldn’t need to do that
 
Flat ground and good visibility in FEO terms means poor backstop, so as already said mention high seats and bait stations.
You’re not going to be effective on 3000 acres for fox control by sitting in high seats, you need to be moving around and sweeping with a thermal or a lamp.
 
I dont think Scotland has land ‘cleared’ in the same way, but stand to be corrected.

Just make a trip of it and go across the country to a quarry you need your 308 (only rifle) for and which isnt available on your own patch.

Perhaps CWD.
I don't think that would get them to open the ticket up, as essentially it would just be the same as the closed one anyway and the land would need to checked/already have been checked
My understanding would be that it would have to be your permission or somewhere you have the permission to shoot which a trip somewhere to do wouldn't cover it at least that's what I've found so far
 
Unless you were angling for a variation for another (smaller) calibre, then there was no need for you to mention foxes to the FEO. You already have a rifle with good reason. All you should have told him was that you have secured a new permission which either needs to be cleared (for your current calibre) or you need your ticket opened.
Not if the feo requires written proof of permission that states fox or a conversation with the landowner / owner of the shooting rights that confirms the same
 
You’re not going to be effective on 3000 acres for fox control by sitting in high seats, you need to be moving around and sweeping with a thermal or a lamp.
The response was about getting the paper work sorted, land cleared and responding to his FEO in a manner that may get the outcome that is desired. not trying to teach how to shoot foxes on ground i have never seen.
 
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The response was about getting the paper work sorted, land cleared and responding to his FEO in a manner that may get the outcome that is desired. not trying to teach how to shoot foxes on ground i have never seen.
So, what if he gets a condition saying he can only shoot from high seats?

Shooting off of sticks, or the roof of a vehicle, keeping shots relatively short and therefore angles steep plus using a very fast, frangible ammunition is a better idea than saying ‘I’ll only use high seats’.
 
So, what if he gets a condition saying he can only shoot from high seats?

Shooting off of sticks, or the roof of a vehicle, keeping shots relatively short and therefore angles steep plus using a very fast, frangible ammunition is a better idea than saying ‘I’ll only use high seats’.
Have you ever seen or heard such a condition.
Generally its a conversation, *obviously i would use high seats where required for a safe shot and i can always put up seats around the Pheasant pens*
It just shows common sense, and your FEO would then realise you understand the principles of a safe shot etc etc
it maybe is that i have had sensible FEO s since my first rifle
 
Have you ever seen or heard such a condition.
Generally its a conversation, *obviously i would use high seats where required for a safe shot and i can always put up seats around the Pheasant pens*
It just shows common sense, and your FEO would then realise you understand the principles of a safe shot etc etc
it maybe is that i have had sensible FEO s since my first rifle

Yes, people have posted about such conditions.

The question here is one of land clearance or an open ticket. The FEO is only going to clear the land if he feels a .308 is safe, he is not going to clear it on the basis that you are going to use high seats, the next shooter may not be sensible enough to use seats but the land is still cleared.
 
Answered your own point. Its not the rifle or calibre that is sfe or not, its the shooter. Ergo, license the shooter not the land/calibre.

I dont understand what people are telling their FEOs to have such restrictions. 308 is a great all round calibre - have shot many foxes with one, and all uk deer species except sika. Ive been shooting 308 for over 30 years, thousands of 14+ year old children manage to shoot it accurately every year. It is a very manageable round.
 
Answered your own point. Its not the rifle or calibre that is sfe or not, its the shooter. Ergo, license the shooter not the land/calibre.

I dont understand what people are telling their FEOs to have such restrictions. 308 is a great all round calibre - have shot many foxes with one, and all uk deer species except sika. Ive been shooting 308 for over 30 years, thousands of 14+ year old children manage to shoot it accurately every year. It is a very manageable round.
The one plus point for the system the way it is now is that land clearance allows the less experienced gain experience, hopefully in a slightly safer area where it is easier to find a safe shot and harder to cause an issue. Its all very well saying 'licence the shooter' but if that is the case more people would get turned down for lack of experience, so for example, without the closed ticket method are they likely to grant a firearms licence to someone who only has experience with air rifles? No they are probably not so it will mean less people coming into the sport which is not good for the sport in any way.

As for 14 year olds being able to shoot it accurately, presumably you are talking about target shooter or cadets, in which case other than safe firearms handling, range work - shooting into safe butts at a predetermined distance - teaches you literally nothing about the decisions you have to make in the field for quarry, often in a couple of seconds.
 
I don't think that would get them to open the ticket up, as essentially it would just be the same as the closed one anyway and the land would need to checked/already have been checked
My understanding would be that it would have to be your permission or somewhere you have the permission to shoot which a trip somewhere to do wouldn't cover it at least that's what I've found so far
Essex police tried to give me closed conditions having had an open ticket. And took several months to do so.

I responded with the amount of permissions I had at the time and that I fully intended to travel about the UK to cull deer and required an open ticket for this reason. They backed off. Easily the worst FL Department Ive ever dealt with (2015 era), CC who didnt want to use his budget on it, serving police who clearly thought it was beneath them to work there, but also very uneducated both in firearms and in general. Absolutely no concept of how other good FL Depts operated or what was required, or the professionalism to learn.
 
On 3,000 acres with pheasant shoot, it's unlikely that a centrefire rifle is not already being used.
 
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