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As a relative newcomer to rifle shooting I have a question regarding "good reason" to hold a rifle on an FAC.
I'm a target shooter, my club shoots at Thorpe but for various reasons I find that the dates we have often clash with other commitments. As I result I have and will be shooting at other ranges.
When I shoot with my own club my visits are logged and the rifle I use is noted and this forms the basis of the information which is passed to the Firearms Licencing people each year as required.
So, how to I go about proving that I have been using my rifles at other ranges to the satisfaction of the Police?
I had thought that the fact I purchased ammunition might be enough but thats out of the window as I have been reloading!

You could make up your own log for visits to other club ranges and have each visit verified by the RCO on the day.

Keep a log of everything you reload, (date, round count, temperature, powder, primer, oal, etc) how many rounds you have shot and date/location.

Show that to the FEO. He can then check with the club in question where you have logged your visit.

With a range log the ammunition log shouldn't be necessary.

Are you legally required to keep a log?

I have a log of 90% of my .22lr visits over the past 5 years since the club records them.

In terms of full bore - there are various RASP sheets where I've been included over the years that i presume could be checked. I don't have a log of full-bore visits though. certainly not for competitions at Bisley, although results and some kind of application would presumably be available if the competition runners have kept them.?

I should probably start recording things more thoroughly from now on. Realistically, I can accurately estimate the number of rounds my rifles have shot based on the amount of bullets I've bought to reload with in the past 5 years. Other than that I don't have any specific logs.

My range usage could probably be checked fairly easily by the associated clubs I shoot with if they keep the records...

Every club i go to (whether as a member or guest) makes you sign a register, so my presence is logged that way. Further, the vast majority of my guest shoots are for competitions so my name in the results which get published gives the game away too!

This is where nothing much is defined in law, the guidance to the Police briefly discusses this subject and in particular mentions that old / antique / rare firearms need not necessarily be shot all that much (I think once a year is stated as ok) to maintain the good reason to posess due in part to it's value / rarirty / availability of ammo and such.

Essentially if asked, it's down to you to demonstrate that the firearm is being used and is therefore still required and good reason to posess - how you do this is again down to you.

In my case I record my shoots on other club / M.O.D ranges in my main clubs log sheets - for no other reason than it takes no time to do so and it's there if the FEO's want a look, for my own purposes I knocked up a cr4ppy Access database so I can record all my firearms in terms of dates used, charge weights, bullet weights, round counts vs barrel life etc etc etc. FEO can have a look at that if it becomes necessary.

This is from the Home Office Guide on Firearms Licencing Law

"Target shooters may be expected to use their firearms regularly, at least three times a year"

But as you say, there are lots of scope for confusion (as there is with much of the rest of the various acts which apply to us!!)

Put down Zombies & burglars....it'll be fine!

:-)