licence substitution

johnfaul

Hi guys , after having a 17hmr for a number of months I have come to the conclusion that a .204 ruger would better suit my needs.
Could i do a straight substitution from .17 to .204 or would I have to apply for an entirely new licence for the .204 .
In which case I would keep the 17hmr untill the licence had to be renewed again? atb john

Cass

Do as i always do when in doubt.

Fill in 2 FCA1's. Fill them both in, but mark one as substitution, and the other as a normal license. Ask the FO on the desk ca he do it as a sub. If he says yes then give him the sub FCA1. If not hand him the other.

Simple fact is only the FO will know for sure as some allow subs whether they are subs or not, and others do not.

Constab2

Did exactly what you are doing in May of this year , HMR to 223 afraid its a whole new licence application according to my FO . Having said that it was relatively quick (within 4 weeks) best of luck with it.

foxer3640

i changed 223 to 25-06 a coulple a weeks ago straight substition no problem.

rowa

You're only supposed to be allowed to exchange like for like , eg same calibre and action type, but some fo's appear to allow straight substitutions.

johnfaul

Thanks for the replies guys you's cleared that up for me ill bring in two forms and see what he says

kildare.17hmr

rowa wrote: »

You're only supposed to be allowed to exchange like for like , eg same calibre and action type, but some fo's appear to allow straight substitutions.

Not entirely true lad, in the guidlines 'like for like' is discribed as 'Unrestricted for Unrestricted, so long as you do not intend shooting deer and the reason for wanting the firearm has not changed'. No mention of caliber. I recently did a sub hmr to 223 no problem

Cass

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

.............. in the guidlines ................

Also in the guidelines it states that;

• A sub should be done within a reasonable timeframe (14 days)
• A mod should be granted if valid reason has been provided
• An application should be processed within 3 months
• etc.

These are also in law, yet are not enacted the same depending on district. My FO is about the best i've ever dealt with. Fair, good knowledge base, a shooter himself, etc. I've often joked that if he went to retire i would pay his salary to stay on.:D Yet when i changed from .223 to .308 he told me the Super wouldn't go for it as one is classed as a lower powered varmint rifle, and the other a high poweed deer rifle. Even though both are unrestricted.

My point is that while the laws and guidelines state one thing a Super can always use his discretion when applying the law to an application once it remains within the law. So he cannot refuse you a license because he is anti gun, but he can refuse you on a legal point of view, and allow the courts to deal with an fallout.

Its a valid point to note though. Too many times i hear of lads (and ladies) having problems and being totally confused because a friend or family member in a different district got what they could not. Fact is nothing is guaranteed so go in looking for the sub, but be prepared to have to go for the full application.