FAC variation advice.

[Lozza79]

Hi folks,

I got my FAC last August for small bore firearms at my local Suffolk club. This weekend I'll be doing an assessment course with the NRA at their Bisley ranges to get my shooters certificate which should complete my NRA membership. Then I plan to join a local fullbore club and (the NRA can also be added on my certificate as a club) apply for variations on my FAC for full bore calibers.

However, I'm not sure what amount of variations is advisable to ask for. I don't want to push my luck and ask for too much, but also I don't want to waist an opportunity and apply for too little also. I want to ask for a variation for 7.92 Mauser, 7.62 Mosin and .223. I was thinking of asking for around 2-300 ammo for each. However it's mostly the Mauser I'm interested in.

Would this be asking too much on a variation? I would have my certificate of competence and full bore target range membership, so I don't see why it should be an issue. Opinions and advise would be appreciated.

[poll007]

To me what you have suggested is more than reasonable.

I would suggest asking for 600 of each ammo type, as that is, in my experience, the standard for full bore ammo capacity for most peoples F.A.C.

I dont know what slots/guns you already have, but im guessing you will be fine asking for what you've stated.

[TattooedGun]

As with everything with firearms, preparation goes a long way with firearms departments, so long as you can adequately prove good reason for the number of slots you are applying for and have the club facilities in place to use them, then you should have no problem.

I don't think that would be too much to ask for on a variation.

[Dark Skies]

I think that's a fairly modest request. Perhaps tone down the ammo to 300 / 400 per calibre and add a few more rifles you might fancy later on.
I don't know how Suffolk performs in turnaround times but in the TVP area it's truly shocking at around four months - so you don't want to be going through it again any time soon.

[bnz41]

Minimum ammo you put down is 600 to hold and 500 to buy at a time. If Suffolk is anything like Essex then you will to write down the cartridge size as well as calibre so for the Mosin it's 7.62x54r

[saddler]

Minimum ammo you put down is 600 to hold and 500 to buy at a time. If Suffolk is anything like Essex then you will to write down the cartridge size as well as calibre so for the Mosin it's 7.62x54r

Welcome to 2017....
Ammo terms of "hold" & "buy" are no longer law.

My normal qty for ammo are/were buy 1000, hold 1100.
Now just own 1100

I know folk that have much much higher for .22

The Mosin ammo is easy to buy in sealed tins of 440 per tin, or 880 per case.
Run that by them. Min. 1000 seems reasonable when ammo I bought in boxes of 880 a time.

[Cj10]

Suffolk have an excellent turn around time, which based on my last variation in 2016 was a couple of weeks.

My FEO and the Suffolk FLM apply the law and guidance fairly, in my personal experience. When I was into Extended Long Range I had a 50 BMG, 338 LM, and 375 CT. Suffolk were happy as I could justify each, and I was using them. As soon as I moved on from that interest I disposed of the rifles and, via a variation acquired several others. Again, I was able to show good reason and there was no problem.

It is only if you adopt a shopping list style approach, and cannot give good reason for each you are likely to encounter resistance. Equally others may have had a different experience.

Ceri

[ArcofZen]

I was told by an RFD to only ask for c150/200 rounds but ignored that advice and just went 600 on all my full bore slots and 1000 .22
My variation came back with 400 on all but the .22 which they kept at 500.

As long as you don't go crazy and ask for 5000 rounds of 7.62 you'll be fine.

[hitchphil]

The latest HO guidance of ammo suggest a max of 1000 rnds center-fire between calibers requested for first FAC issue.

so 300 of each or double up & get 2 guns same cal or have on thats a cal the club stocks?

Being able to show actual purchases from a club & usage by having a diary or log (countersigned by the club) can back up larger requests.

[Blackstuff]

The latest HO guidance of ammo suggest a max of 1000 rnds center-fire between calibers requested for first FAC issue.

Do you have the reference/paragraph numer from the guidance for that 1000rd 'total' figure? The only reference to '1000rds' I can find refers to a reasonable request for a target shooter for rimfire ammo;

13.54 Chief officers of police should also consider the “good reason” for possession of ammunition quantities for target shooting. Allocations of 1,000 rounds, to possess, purchase or acquire, are not unreasonable for most regular shooters. A serious target shooter (for example in a county or national squad) may reasonably wish to possess up to 6,000 rounds to ensure consistency in performance between batches. In exceptional circumstances greater amounts may be required. These figures should be used as guides only and should not be interpreted as absolute limits. This is normally applicable to .22RF rather than full-bore target shooting. Economy of purchase (‘bulk buying’) is not considered
satisfactory as “good reason”.

Strangely there doesn't appear to be a 'standard' amount for centre fire ammo anymore. FYI it used to be 600rds per calibre (Some forces even interpreted it as 600rds per gun, so if you say, had two 308Win rifles you could get an allocation for 1200rds!).