Black powder shooting in Irealnd. Can it be done????

clivej

I was talking to a lad from Poland today that shoots Black powder firearms back home. He would like to bring them over here but I couldn't tell what the story is about them here.

Please can someone tell me what are the legalities are about the licensing and shooting of these firearms here in Ireland.

rowa

Original muzzleloaders can be owned without a licence but modern firing replicas are the same as any other firearm, so if you had an original colt cap and ball revolver you don't need a licence , but if you bought an exact (or very close) modern copy such as the ruger old model army revolver, you would need a licence to possess it afaik.
Its a pity as i would dearly love to get into muzzleloaders, they seem like a lot of fun.

clivej

rowa wrote: »

Original muzzleloaders can be owned without a licence but modern firing replicas are the same as any other firearm, so if you had an original colt cap and ball revolver you don't need a licence , but if you bought an exact (or very close) modern copy such as the ruger old model army revolver, you would need a licence to possess it afaik.
Its a pity as i would dearly love to get into muzzleloaders, they seem like a lot of fun.

OK so I realize that I license would be required.
But what about the loading of such a firearm that will need black powder to use, percussion caps, etc????
Is it possible to legally buy, own, store and use these products to fire the black powder firearms????
More so without all the hullabaloo that seems to go along with such firearms here in Ireland.

I'm thinking it's a big NO NO.

Now myself I have no interest what soever in these contraptions it just for information.

Grizzly 45

Lets not even go there as to what the storage and import requirements are for Black powder! If it is a nightmare for nitro celluose shooters powder,it is double for BP!!:eek:

rowa

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Lets not even go there as to what the storage and import requirements are for Black powder! If it is a nightmare for nitro celluose shooters powder,it is double for BP!!:eek:

But the military reenactors have access to black powder and caps etc don't they ? Also yacht clubs etc for starting cannons ? But some laws don't seem to apply to certain groups , for instance i heard of someone getting an authorisation to hold a live mauser k98 for reenacting with a clause that it could only be fired with blanks.

meathstevie

rowa wrote: »

But the military reenactors have access to black powder and caps etc don't they ? Also yacht clubs etc for starting cannons ? But some laws don't seem to apply to certain groups , for instance i heard of someone getting an authorisation to hold a live mauser k98 for reenacting with a clause that it could only be fired with blanks.

That'd be some classic stalking job with the right ammo..

Grizzly 45

rowa wrote: »

But the military reenactors have access to black powder and caps etc don't they ? Also yacht clubs etc for starting cannons ? But some laws don't seem to apply to certain groups , for instance i heard of someone getting an authorisation to hold a live mauser k98 for reenacting with a clause that it could only be fired with blanks.

Indeed they do..And the DOJ will issue such on a case by case basis.Like for that lad who has a cannon for reenacting the Vinegar Hill battle or battle of the Boyne[??]
However,it isnt every day that they reneact Vinegar Hill,or have yacht races,or have reenactment meets,and I'll ASSume you will proably find that these lads get just enough for the event of one good cannon shot or a volley or two of powder. IOW they arent going home with a few spare lbs of BP.

As for the live Mauser....Well,what can you say here on that one???Only in Ireland!:rolleyes::D

Grizzly 45

meathstevie wrote: »

That'd be some classic stalking job with the right ammo..

They are!!:D Its proably still the most common hunting rifle in Germany. In a "sporterised" version of course.All sorts of stock designs and re barreled actions or still a few with good original barrels.

rowa

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Indeed they do..And the DOJ will issue such on a case by case basis.Like for that lad who has a cannon for reenacting the Vinegar Hill battle or battle of the Boyne[??]
However,it isnt every day that they reneact Vinegar Hill,or have yacht races,or have reenactment meets,and I'll ASSume you will proably find that these lads get just enough for the event of one good cannon shot or a volley or two of powder. IOW they arent going home with a few spare lbs of BP.

As for the live Mauser....Well,what can you say here on that one???Only in Ireland!:rolleyes::D

I suppose no one has made the point that to the ptb that in nearly every back garden of every house in the land has a dirty great tank of either kerosene, home heating oil or gas ? And a petrol station in most areas, you can buy as much petrol afaik and there is no storage restrictions ? I know there has been the occasional petrol bombing by scumbags in various areas in ireland but they aren't that common. So why the crazy restrictions on a kilo or two of bp ?

Sparks

rowa wrote: »

So why the crazy restrictions on a kilo or two of bp ?

Historical reasons to do with the troubles mostly (bp's classed as an explosive legally and that causes all the fun). Originally, all this would have been sorted with a rewrite of the Explosives Act, and I understand that's still the route, but a mix of the FCP being echewed in favour of shouting and the entire national economy collapsing and the government changing put the kibosh on the original rapid schedule (doesn't mean it will never happen, nor that it's not the best approach; just that as a shooting community we screwed the pooch with the lobbying and got clobbered by outside forces).

Grizzly 45

rowa wrote: »

I ? And a petrol station in most areas, you can buy as much petrol afaik and there is no storage restrictions ?

Technically there is...You arent supposed to have more than 10 gallons[40 litres?] in a domestic household in a suitable container.IE a steel or hard plastic seal able Jerry can.
Nor is a garage supposed to sell you over that amount outside your car tank either.
However,whether it is properly enforced or whether staff actually know about it is another matter.

rowa

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Technically there is...You arent supposed to have more than 10 gallons[40 litres?] in a domestic household in a suitable container.IE a steel or hard plastic seal able Jerry can.
Nor is a garage supposed to sell you over that amount outside your car tank either.
However,whether it is properly enforced or whether staff actually know about it is another matter.

I never knew that.

Croppy Boy

At re-enactments black powder is supplied in paper cartridges, this apparently takes away a lot of the movement restrictions, the same as having modern powder in cartridges and not loose.
It is possible to obtain a C49 allowing you to hold usually 10 lbs of black powder and 100 caps. The problem is getting the stuff.

Grizzly 45

rowa wrote: »

I never knew that.

Not many people do. Dangerous Substances Act of 1972.
Actually I was wrong ,you can store up to 100 litres for private use to refuel your lawn mowers,plane,boat or car so long as you dont re sell it or store it properly in accordance with the act.

Just for perspective.
You can store a liquid in your garden shed, in that amount properly mixed in a correct fuel/air ratio is the most powerful non Nuke bomb on the planet!!:eek:
To own a kilo of nitro powder you need more security and fireproofing than a garage that has X thousand litres of petrol in its tanks...Go figure!!:pac:

Grizzly 45

Croppy Boy wrote: »

At re-enactments black powder is supplied in paper cartridges, this apparently takes away a lot of the movement restrictions, the same as having modern powder in cartridges and not loose.
It is possible to obtain a C49 allowing you to hold usually 10 lbs of black powder and 100 caps. The problem is getting the stuff.

Proably if it is pre packed it is classified as normal ammo??That would be handy to know,as then you could possibly shoot older BP filled cartridge guns like the Sharps rifle etc?

Croppy Boy

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Proably if it is pre packed it is classified as normal ammo??That would be handy to know,as then you could possibly shoot older BP filled cartridge guns like the Sharps rifle etc?

AFAIK there's no problem having blackpowder shotgun cartridges, the problem is having the loose powder. BP cartridges can be got if you don't mind spending €5 or so a shot!
It would be nice to shoot a Sharps, the problem with a lot of the BP rifles is the large bore, .45 and .50 or if a nice flintlock Jaeger takes your fancy, a .62 bore.
Try running that one past your FO. (Actually I did, some years ago. It resulted in a large intake of air and a flat refusal):(

rowa

Croppy Boy wrote: »

AFAIK there's no problem having blackpowder shotgun cartridges, the problem is having the loose powder. BP cartridges can be got if you don't mind spending €5 or so a shot!
It would be nice to shoot a Sharps, the problem with a lot of the BP rifles is the large bore, .45 and .50 or if a nice flintlock Jaeger takes your fancy, a .62 bore.
Try running that one past your FO. (Actually I did, some years ago. It resulted in a large intake of air and a flat refusal):(

Did your fo know that although it was a .62 or .50 in calibre it probabily has the same power (if even) as a .22 hornet or .223 ? This stupid equation between calibre and power is typical of people who know very little about firearms.