The Airgun Blog

[cooper_dan]

Hi all.
My new blog is now online. Mainly aimed at people looking to get into HFT, written by a beginner to the sport. This will include advice reviews, and hopefully in the not too distant future a club map.

There will also be posts on air rifle maintenance, collecting and restoration.

New posts:
Kingsley HFT 13/08/17

Always looking for ideas on future posts so any comments on here or the blog are welcome
Thanks
Dan

[rabbitwrecker]

Just bookmarked you. Will you be covering hunting?

[TonyL]

Looking good, Dan.

[Unframed Dave]

Good man, not sure about repeatedly referring to air rifles as "weapons" is too helpful though.

Dave

[cooper_dan]

I'm not planning on covering hunting at the moment. I used to do a bit of hunting but not recently so I'm a bit rusty. Maybe in the future

Good point about 'weapons'. I have been around shooting for a while so don't really associate that word in a bad way. But I can definitely see how other people might take it. I have edited the post now and will try to remember this in future

Thanks for the input. I will try to follow up on all the feedback I can

[bighit]

In relation to your UK airgun law,please remember that the law is different in scotland (that's if you include Scotland in the club's section as I know some English shooters take part in competition 's north of the border too.)

I have seen a few YouTube videos on airgun shooting and when they mention laws they forget the Scottish legalities have changed.

Good luck with your blog.

[cooper_dan]

In relation to your UK airgun law,please remember that the law is different in scotland (that's if you include Scotland in the club's section as I know some English shooters take part in competition 's north of the border too.)

I have seen a few YouTube videos on airgun shooting and when they mention laws they forget the Scottish legalities have changed.

Good luck with your blog.

Good point. I had already written the UK law post, so I have uploaded that and will dedicate a whole other post to Scottish law and travelling there.

(UK law and Venom HW80 part 1 added today)

[bighit]

Good point. I had already written the UK law post, so I have uploaded that and will dedicate a whole other post to Scottish law and travelling there.

(UK law and Venom HW80 part 1 added today)

Good man. I have seen a few videos giving the laws but as I said above they missed the Scottish licensing bit and visitor permits.

Will have a look at your blog.
Paul

Edit..

You may need an edit here .
The law states a maximum of 12 ft-lb for air rifles, and 6 ft-lb for pistols. If you are over this, it immediately becomes classed as a firearm and you will need a license.

Over 6ftlbs in a pistol is section 5. So they can't be used by Joe public. I may be wrong

[cooper_dan]

Over 6ftlbs in a pistol is section 5. So they can't be used by Joe public. I may be wrong

I was sure air pistols were the exception and were section 1 only but I will check this

[bighit]

I was sure air pistols were the exception and were section 1 only but I will check this

Air weapons
Air weapons must be held on a firearms certificate in the following circumstances:

Where an air rifle has a muzzle energy of more than 12 ft lbs
Where an air pistol has a muzzle energy of more than 6 ft. lbs. "(In addition, because this type of firearm is classified as a prohibited weapon under Section 5 of the Firearms Act, it also needs the authority of the Secretary of State for the Home Office to possess it.)


From here
http://212.62.21.14/Site/firearmslicensingairweapons


Another one
Airgun power

The legal muzzle-energy limit for air rifles is 12ft.lb and for pistols, 6ft.lb. You do not require any form of licence for sub legal-limit airguns. For rifles producing more than 12ft.lb,a Firearms Certificate (FAC) is required. Air pistols that produce more than 6ft.lb are prohibited.
http://www.airgunshooting.co.uk/expe...e-uk-1-1111764

[cooper_dan]

I've got this from government legislation site:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/...ntary-c9809001

[F4(aba)any firearm which either has a barrel less than 30 centimetres in length or is less than 60 centimetres in length overall, other than an air weapon, F5. . . a muzzle-loading gun or a firearm designed as signalling apparatus;]


Saying 'other than an air weapon' surely excludes air pistols.
Thanks for looking into this with me. There is clearly conflicting information here which isn't good.

I'm out shooting today but tonight I am going to copy these links and any others I can find that conflict each other and write a letter to some people (MET police/BASC/someone in goverment). Hopefully will get a good answer.

(FYI I'm not trying to prove you wrong to make myself look good I really want to know so I can make sure my blog is correct)

[Brian.Samson]

I've got this from government legislation site:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/...ntary-c9809001

[F4(aba)any firearm which either has a barrel less than 30 centimetres in length or is less than 60 centimetres in length overall, other than an air weapon, F5. . . a muzzle-loading gun or a firearm designed as signalling apparatus;]


Saying 'other than an air weapon' surely excludes air pistols.
Thanks for looking into this with me. There is clearly conflicting information here which isn't good.

I'm out shooting today but tonight I am going to copy these links and any others I can find that conflict each other and write a letter to some people (MET police/BASC/someone in goverment). Hopefully will get a good answer.

(FYI I'm not trying to prove you wrong to make myself look good I really want to know so I can make sure my blog is correct)

This part of the law is a bit confusing...

To clarify it, you have to look at the definition of an "Air Weapon" - If an air pistol goes over 6fpe, it is no longer classed as an Air Weapon in law, it's classed as 'specially dangerous' - so that exclusion for air weapons only excludes rifles under 12 and pistols under 6 - if they go above that level they aren't air weapons and aren't excluded.

This was tested in a court a while back regarding the 30/60 rule in Section 5 albeit for a rifle over 12.

Your blog is also slightly incorrect when it says that an air rifle over 12 and a pistol over 6 become a 'firearm' after that level.

That's not correct - they become a firearm above 1 joule of muzzle energy. Above 12 fpe a rifle becomes a Section 1 firearm and above 6 a pistol becomes a Section 5 prohibited firearm.

[bighit]

I've got this from government legislation site:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/...ntary-c9809001

[F4(aba)any firearm which either has a barrel less than 30 centimetres in length or is less than 60 centimetres in length overall, other than an air weapon, F5. . . a muzzle-loading gun or a firearm designed as signalling apparatus;]


Saying 'other than an air weapon' surely excludes air pistols.
Thanks for looking into this with me. There is clearly conflicting information here which isn't good.

I'm out shooting today but tonight I am going to copy these links and any others I can find that conflict each other and write a letter to some people (MET police/BASC/someone in goverment). Hopefully will get a good answer.

(FYI I'm not trying to prove you wrong to make myself look good I really want to know so I can make sure my blog is correct)

I'm not saying you are totally wrong. As Brian above says the regulations are written as though you need to be a lawyer to decipher them.

I'm am pretty sure a pistol over 6ftlbs is prohibited .

Nothing against you here but there is lots of bloggers that don't know the laws and put it in their blogs and it's wrong. I won't name him but there is one that is a member on here and he put a lot of info out in public and members on here proved him wrong in a lot of his content. It got very heated if I remember right .

A bit of research goes a long way. And asking advice if you don't know is not a failure by the blogger. It shows they have researched the subject. Not just spouted the internet version of the law .


I will admit I don't know the full laws and I'm not afraid to ask on here as there is many people that know their hobby and as better than I do.

Paul

[cooper_dan]

Guys, thanks for helping me out here.
I was genuinely ignorant of the pistol changing its classification over 6 ft-lb.

The last think I want to do it post incorrect information regarding the law so I have edited that post.
As it is mainly intended it to be for beginners, I have simplified the sentence to just say what the general Joe Average limits are. I have said that i may do a post on the firearms classifications at a later date when I know a bit more.

Thanks again!

(also I have done part 2 of the HW80 posts)

[cooper_dan]

Some new things added to the blog (see top of this thread.
Next one will probably be a bit about Loughborough HFT