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So I'm sending in a variation for my FAC, and it's the first time I've ever done it. I'm concerned about a couple of things.

Mainly the number of ammunition I have enterred on my FAC since I started shooting is unbelievably low. This is because I have never bought factory ammo for my full bore rifles, I have only ever reloaded so I have none on the FAc whatsoever. and secondly I have asked for an increase in my .22lr allowance, in order to get good deals onbatch testing. but at present 99% of my ammo purchases are from the rifle club and have never been entered on my FAC. Could this cause a problem as me asking for a dramatic increase in allowance whilst not having filled up the back page may seem odd.

I have written an accompanying letter to explain the need for an increased allowance to allow for better deals in bulk buying, whilst being able to match the barrel of the rifle I am using to shoot competitively for the county, and also the practice that it entails to shoot at that level also. I think I have demonstrated good reason, just for whether they will think it odd that I'm asking for another .223 when as far as they can see I've never bought a round for it...

Any suggestions...?

I have written an accompanying letter to explain the need for an increased allowance to allow for better deals in bulk buying

I'm not an expert, but I believe this is specifically not considered a good reason for an increased ammunition allowance.

I believe that common good reasons include achieving consistency (and a consistent zero) across a batch of ammunition, and needing multiple types of ammunition (of the same calibre) for different purposes or firearms.

Personally (and I don't have my FAC yet) I'm keeping a log of all my shooting with approximate rounds expended to deal with any future queries about use, and others have written about keeping their used primers after reloading.

I have touched on accuracy also in the same breath....

I think it was the ACPO guidelines that used to specifically state that bulk buying was not a good reason however it did not seem to get in the way of our centrefire ammunition holdings and 1000/1200 was never a problem in .308 and no doubt other people hold more on their FAC. I doubt either of us have seen more than half a dozen entries on my FAC ammunition holding other than rimfire however we both keep a detailed log of every round loaded and shot which both documents barrel use and also range use.

Regarding the .22LR bulk buying once you have found a particular manufacturer and batch should be reason enough and Ely used to offer a testing facility so you could find what worked best for you and then bulk buy to suit.

I got a massive increase on all my calibres citing the need to 'stock up for potential shortages' and the desire for wide batch consistency.

ovenpaa wrote:I think it was the ACPO guidelines that used to specifically state that bulk buying was not a good reason however it did not seem to get in the way of our centrefire ammunition holdings and 1000/1200 was never a problem in .308 and no doubt other people hold more on their FAC. I doubt either of us have seen more than half a dozen entries on my FAC ammunition holding other than rimfire however we both keep a detailed log of every round loaded and shot which both documents barrel use and also range use.

Regarding the .22LR bulk buying once you have found a particular manufacturer and batch should be reason enough and Ely used to offer a testing facility so you could find what worked best for you and then bulk buy to suit.

They do, as do Lapua, hence the reason for wanting an increase.

I believe that 2500 is the minimum to buy after bench testing with certain ammunition companies (to stop timewasters and tyre kickers, presumably) so 2500 is the minimum I have asked for, however in my accompanying letter I have asked to consider 5000 as this would enable me to buy at a better deal the batch ammo that tests best in my rifle/barrel).

They have my number so hopefully any questions or queries should come directly to me.

I have also given a breakdown suggesting that I shoot minimum of 50 rounds per week and as such 2500 is barely a years worth at that rate. Which seems reasonable... At least to me.

Edit: Post 666

Best of luck, I've been trying to persuade Durham to increase my 22lr from 600 hold for the last 3 years.

Apparently I'm safe enough to hold 1900 .30cal, 500 .44 and 200 12g slug but not 1000 22rf :roll:

Guidance on Firearms Licensing Law 2014 states;


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 upto 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”.

Merseyside upped my .22 limit from 600 to 1200 on the grounds that they had just allowed me overland .. Therefore I needed expanding and non expanding rounds .. Also I'm shooting about 300 a week for target shooting !!

I only hold modest numbers of .308 and 7.62x51....on separate slots.....god knows why, its just Hampshires thing.

I am just about to turn in my .308, but will be asking to keep the ammo allocation because I also shoot hand loads in my 7.62x51.....no I cannot just bin all my components......could be interesting.

As regards the new slot, I am going after 1000 5.56/.223 simply because you will get through so much of the stuff for CSR/Practice etc.

Regarding records, I don't enter anything on my FAC other than factory ammo purchased.

What I do keep is load records for each batch of cases and all the popped primers. My club should also hold records of shoots, along with the private recording system un use (when it works) at the NSC.

In reality its down to trust as all of the above could be falsified one way or tother.