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James048 wrote:I recently finished my Baker Rifle which I had a slot for. My Licensing Department said they would not recognise it until it had been proofed and that they would prefer it went via a RFD who could sign it onto my ticket. I posted this on these forums before and was told that was a scam/incorrect so tried to challenge it but was told by the Police that is how it had to be. Having then found out that my club needs all firearms proofed for insurance, I didn't feel so bad about having to pay the £80-90 for it.

I sent it up with instruction to post it back to my RFD so they could sign it over but then the proof house closed due to Covid...

This is probably my biggest concern at the moment-that the local licencing department decide to make up their own rules with extra hoops or worse still point blank refuse to let me build the rifle.

It seems stupid that you had a fully functional firearm but they wouldn't let it be on your FAC until it came back from proof via RFD as up until that point you then arguably had an unregistered firearm.

James048 wrote: My RFD was closed at the time it was proofed due to Covid, so my FEO allowed me to receive it back to my house, provide evidence it had been proofed with the receipt/certificate and then sign it on myself.

Which is how it should have been done in the first place.

Well done FEO for allowing you to act within the law, eventually.

Got there in the end...

I'm building a Ferguson Rifle next, so intend to try and do the same thing again. I'll see how that pans out next time

James048 wrote:Got there in the end...

I'm building a Ferguson Rifle next, so intend to try and do the same thing again. I'll see how that pans out next time

When it's complete and you have the slot just write it on the FAC yourself, send the FEO a letter telling them you have transferred a firearm to yourself and then it is done. There is no requirement to get proof done until you transfer it to someone else.

Mattnall wrote:

James048 wrote:Got there in the end...

I'm building a Ferguson Rifle next, so intend to try and do the same thing again. I'll see how that pans out next time

When it's complete and you have the slot just write it on the FAC yourself, send the FEO a letter telling them you have transferred a firearm to yourself and then it is done. There is no requirement to get proof done until you transfer it to someone else.

I believe that you can transfer it to someone else but it would have to be a gift or an inheritance. You just can't offer it for sale.

Chapuis wrote:
I believe that you can transfer it to someone else but it would have to be a gift or an inheritance. You just can't offer it for sale.

I think the law says 'transfer' and it is generally assumed to mean anything that involves writing on an FAC, so sold, lent, given, otherwise transferred, etc. Also covered is 'offering for sale', so advertising it for sale before it has been proofed is also an offence.
ETA:

Proof Act wrote:A Small Arm shall not be sold or exchanged, or be attempted to be sold or exchanged, or be exposed or kept for Sale or Exchange, or be exported or attempted to be exported or be kept for Exportation, unless and until the Barrel or every Barrel thereof has been duly proved at the Proof House or a Branch Proof House of either of the Two Companies, or some other public Proof House established by Law, and duly marked as proved.

So it is down to the term 'exchanged' I guess unless it has been subsequently updated.

Update from Kent police;

I emailed the licencing department regarding a variation for slots to cover the bolt, barrel, receiver and moderator (i already have one for the complete rifle). in which i mentioned i would be manufacturing the receiver and as such wanted to confirm that i can simply sign it onto my own FAC once complete or if Kent police have there own way to do it.

Que phone call from my FEO (who i get on with quite well). In short he had never been asked this question and so asked his colleagues who came to the conclusion that i wouldn't be able to do so as i am not an RFD. he did however say that whilst he cant find anything specific in the legislation he is happy for me to send him over anything i find so he can take it to his bosses to look at. I did mention that uk law works on the basis of "is legal unless there is a law prohibiting it" and so that it would be unlikely that i can find a law that says an individual can build their own firearms.

I have begun looking though the firearms act again, but if anyone know a good section to quote it would be much appreciated. alternatively if anyone has a email or letter from their FEO discussing something similar i can use that as an example of how other forces do things.

This wouldn't be any different than someone chambering their own barrel blank and adding it to their FAC would it? Must have been done loads of times I would think. I know guys who have made their own moderators and added them to FAC too.

1066 wrote:This wouldn't be any different than someone chambering their own barrel blank and adding it to their FAC would it? Must have been done loads of times I would think. I know guys who have made their own moderators and added them to FAC too.

In theory it wouldn't, no. But based on what my FEO has been told by his colleagues even that wouldn't be allowed to be done by a non RFD.

Interesting that you can take a fan blade out of the hot section of a jet engine, non destruct test it and put it back in for thousands of hours but if you do some inor engineering procedure to a fire arm you have to subject it to some form of medieval torture.

Blood letting in an age of nuclear medicine.