Airgunning

[RobStubbs]

I've got a few airguns too but mine are all for competition shooting. I predominantly shoot air pistol but I have a couple of air rifles as well. Then of course I also shoot cartridge pistol, but only one of them is allowed in the UK, my others are locked away in Switzerland .

 

Rob.

[Andy_1984]

whats the appeal ? i do have an interest in them but im no hunter and i dont fancy hunting as such, what else is there apart from shooting paper targets ?

[Josh W]

Field target? Plinking, fun.

[didi]

I have a bsa lightening with a simmonds scope, i also have three ferrets 2 terriers and a laguna bred whippet greyhound. hunting, fishing, lamping, shooting and ferreting the best hobby's around

[zinghaha]

I have had one or more airguns since I was nineteen. I especially love air pistols because I can use them just about any where. Easy to conceal and quiet when shooting. I just walk along plinking at objects while hiking.

[Wordbender]

Easy to conceal and quiet when shooting. I just walk along plinking at objects while hiking.

 

Which may be fine in the US, but is highly illegal in the UK and amounts to armed trespass, unless you've got permission to shoot from the landowner or property manager.

 

If another hiker spots what you're doing and reports it, you could find yourself with some very serious company. I'm sure some would cite the 'I'm miles from anywhere' clause, but the fact remains, it's illegal and when used unlawfully, even the most puny airgun is regarded as a full-status firearm in the eyes of the UK law.

 

I run an airgun shooting forum and I'm technical editor of a couple of airgun mags, and all too frequently I get reports of people deing dropped on by the police - often armed response units - for 'simply messing about with an airgun'. Anglers taking airguns to venues to shoot rats are particularly likely to find themselves in trouble, because these venues are defined as 'public places'.

 

Just a heads-up from a concerned party, that's all.

Edited April 13, 2007 by Wordbender

[Wordbender]

Look out for a poster called Wordbender. I believe that he's shot an air rifle or two

 

I wuz good, I wuz.

 

Oddly, I'm not long back from testing a new rifle from BSA, and now I'm just cleaning my Ripley AR5 in preparation for a Sunday evening rabbit session. Excellent.

[thurso angler]

MY TOY

 

 

[Zigs]

Someones got one in Hambridge, they used it to shoot 4 of my windows out, one shot going right through, across the road towards the old folks home. Police say they are very unlikely to catch the culprit. Are there no licencing systems in place ? I would have thought all they would have to do is look on a database & then go knock on the door of anyone in the village who has one ?

[snakey1]

Someones got one in Hambridge, they used it to shoot 4 of my windows out, one shot going right through, across the road towards the old folks home. Police say they are very unlikely to catch the culprit. Are there no licencing systems in place ? I would have thought all they would have to do is look on a database & then go knock on the door of anyone in the village who has one ?

apart from airguns registered as firearms (above 12ftlb muzzle energy for rifles and above 6fllbs for air pistols) there is no registration for them as far as i know (please correct me if i'm wrong) so there is no database to check on.and there are millions of them in circulation so attempting to find them all to register them would be nigh on impossible.