What is the maximum cal rifle that can be bought without a licence?

Question

im looking in to buying an air rifle for the first time but i saw this document saying something about it being illegal to hav a 12ft/Ibs air rifle without licence, however i hav no idea what this means at all so can u do it by caliber and if not can someone please explan about the ft/Ibs? thanx

Answer 1

I'm guessing your from the Uk.



The 12ft/lb is the muzzle velocity - power at the muzzle. In the UK you can not purchase an air rifle over 12ft/lbs without a Firearm Certificate (FAC) Most modern air weapons come in at 11.5 ft/lbs this keeps you under the legal limit. Playing with different pellet weights (grain) can take you over the limit.



As for calibres smallest - largest .177 .20 .22 .25



.177 & .22 are by far the most popular.



All calibres are available in the 12ft/lb class. The .22 and .25 are popular for FAC rifles.





In a nut shell you need a FAC to purchase a high power air rifle (exceeding 12ft/lbs) The FAC must have a variation for the calibre of rifle.



Buy yourself the best .177 or .22 12ft/lb rifle you can afford.



http://www.guntrader.co.uk/ Take a look here to see what you can get for you ££££££



Good luck.

Answer 2

You are getting confused between calibre and power



In the UK the most common air rifles are in .177 or .22. More recent years have seen the introduction of .20 & .25 air rifles - and several hundred years ago you could buy air rifles in .68 & .75 caliber that were so powerful that you could shoot deer with them & some were used as covert military weapons



BUT



Whatever CALIBER of air-rifle you decide on - they will ALL have to be UNDER 12 ft/lbs power limit



(The 12 ft/lb is the same pressure as dropping a 12 lb weight from one foot high, or a 1 lb weight from 12 foot high)

You'd only need a licence in the UK for a 12 ft/lb air rifle in the UK if you are in Northern Ireland

Answer 3

In the US, there is no such thing as a license to buy an air rifle. Some individual states won't allow mail order of certain air/spring-powered arms, but there is no Federal statute.

Ft/lbs is a measure of twisting motion ( torque ) and projectile speeds are measured in feet-per-second ( fps ). Some airguns have faster fps than others, but again, i know of no limitation that is codified, at least in the US.

I'm sure there are countries which do impose such arbitrary sanctions that do nothing to reduce mans' inhumanity to man.

Answer 4

Air rifle? you can buy an AR 15 without a license. Or just buy a .22