Needing a .223

Gerry.L

Im trying to learn more about shooting and pretty much everybody Ive talked to and everything I have read have all said that I really need to invest in a quality rifle.

Im thinking a 223. It will be a break from the 22 and it will be something new to work with. And it seems to be popular enough. Just wondering. How do I square it with the guards. I cant think of any reason why I "need" one. TO be really honest I dont "need" any of my guns.

THe missus has a few chickens and a cockeral out the back. Im half thinking of saying to the guards that there is a lot of foxes in the area and they're stressing the birds out.

But Im afraid the guards might say that since I have the 22lr thats enough and I shouldnt need anything else. Or tell me to invest in one of those larson style traps you can get for foxes. If that happens its gonna be hard to apply a week later for the same gun with a different excuse...

What do you boys think..? WHy did you lads "need" your ones..??

Tackleberrywho

Gerry.L wrote: »

Im trying to learn more about shooting and pretty much everybody Ive talked to and everything I have read have all said that I really need to invest in a quality rifle.

Im thinking a 223. It will be a break from the 22 and it will be something new to work with. And it seems to be popular enough. Just wondering. How do I square it with the guards. I cant think of any reason why I "need" one. TO be really honest I dont "need" any of my guns.

THe missus has a few chickens and a cockeral out the back. Im half thinking of saying to the guards that there is a lot of foxes in the area and they're stressing the birds out.

But Im afraid the guards might say that since I have the 22lr thats enough and I shouldnt need anything else. Or tell me to invest in one of those larson style traps you can get for foxes. If that happens its gonna be hard to apply a week later for the same gun with a different excuse...

What do you boys think..? WHy did you lads "need" your ones..??

.223 for foxes, and that you will be shooting on Neighbours land with permission.
(make sure you have your neighbours permission)

.223 is the perfect fox round as it is very humane and relatively cheap to run tell them.

stick shooter

For foxes is by far the only good reason to step up to a .223. Get your permissions together and have a nice chat with your super and you should have no problem.

clivej

Well now Gerry that will teach you to start posting in this forum, your now officially bitten by the bug.
Your reason for use is indeed for foxes as the 22lr is for smaller vermin. There are 223's a plenty second hand at good value. Ring round as many dealers as you can for prices and what rifles they have in stock.

foxboy

like everybody else has said .223 is perfect for foxes
I just put culling foxes on my form with some local permissions and no problems, had it in a few weeks

dCorbus

Hi GerryL, welcome on board and fair play to you in your quest for knowledge - Careful now, like shooting, this knowledge-quest can become as much an obsession as a hobby or sport!:rolleyes::D

Just to clarify a couple of points you raised in your OP above:

You are not required to prove a "need" to licence a firearm - What you are required to do, is provide an adequate and satisfactory "good reason" to possess one. I know that's a bit of semantics, but no-one has a "need" for a firearm, we (i.e. firearms owners) however all have our "good reasons". e.g. I don't need a car, in the same way as I need water or oxygen, I do however have a good reason to own a car. Similarly, I do not need my rifles, but do have good reasons for owning them.

You see the slight but very important difference? Don't let any Guard tell you that you need to prove that you need the firearm - you don't. There are lots of good reasons to own one - and vermin control and fox hunting (which you mention above) are perfectly legitimate and satisfactory grounds why you may have a legitimate and satisfactory good reason to own a rifle.

Have a very good and detailed read of the Commissioners Guidelines and the red sticky posted at the top of this forum, as this will give you plenty of guidance as to what may or may not be "good reasons" for such-and-such a calibre and firearm. A lot of lads don't read these properly nor thoroughly and then get caught on the hop by their F/O: The guidelines are exactly that: Guidelines - but knowledge is your friend when dealing with your F/O or your Super.

I'm not fully genned up on hunting calibres and what is or is not suitable, but AFAIK a .22lr is not a suitable calibre for foxing (I'm happy to be corrected on that by the lads who know about such things!). So a larger calibre such as a .223 would be a perfect fit if you were to deal with foxes.

But Im afraid the guards might say that since I have the 22lr thats enough and I shouldnt need anything else.

I'd tell any Guard that says that very politely that he knows f-all about what he/she may be talking about. You can then politely refer them to their own commissioner's guidelines on the subject.

Or tell me to invest in one of those larson style traps you can get for foxes.

Again, I'd be surprised if that came up in conversation - I think you're presuming that your F/O or Super knows anything about firearms and / or vermin control - In most cases, they don't because they have a) no interest in the subject except how it pertains to the application paperwork procedures and b) been provided with little or no training in the subject.

to apply a week later for the same gun with a different excuse...

To be perfectly clear on this: It is not an excuse, it is a reason, which must be a good reason. Do not tell porky pies to your F/O or Super - apart from the fact that they'll probably spot a fib a mile away - it's an offence.

Read the Guidelines, Be sure of your information, Be clear, Set down your reasons, and Don't have the wool pulled over your eyes or be bullied. After that, if your reason is a good reason, you've ticked all the boxes, supplied all the necessary information, and you're not applying for anything contentious (a .223 is not in any way contentious IMO), then you just need to be polite, put in your application, and sit back and wait for what should be a favourable result.

Hope that's of some help.