The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Good morning, thank you very much for the comments. Goodness, you guys are delving deep into the weeds and leaving me behind a little bit. I've been studying YouTube videos and I think the FN 1910 is my choice (with the .32 acp). The man has flown to Belgium without taking a gun and is presented with the choice of, say, four weapons and chooses the 1910, for some reason. It's a nice small, 'handy' gun, feels comfortable and is easily concealable. I saw one guy shoot a magazine and one jammed, but he pulled the slide and it started again. It maybe that I don't even have to explain the cause of the malfunction because, as many have said, there are numerous possible reasons. The point is, the gun doesn't fire and my man is in a confined space with his target. Story continues. You can see the malfunction near the beginning of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfIUaMVIhks
I read also that the magazine spring when containing five or more rounds causes the bullets to rotate slightly downward. Anyway, as you say, there are a number of reasons these guns might fail.

Union St wrote:Question: if anyone is old enough, do you know how the legal situation was in 1962 in the UK? Could people own handguns? Did they require a license?

Not sure if it helps but by the 1960's a firearm couldn't be held for self-defence effectively meaning anyone with a pistol licence had to hold it for target shooting.

I suspect if anyone wanted a gun for naughty purposes then they wouldn't want a "legal" one.

I don't think you would get very far putting "contract killing" down as your reason to possess on your FAC application.

walesdave wrote:

Union St wrote:Question: if anyone is old enough, do you know how the legal situation was in 1962 in the UK? Could people own handguns? Did they require a license?

Not sure if it helps but by the 1960's a firearm couldn't be held for self-defence effectively meaning anyone with a pistol licence had to hold it for target shooting.

Yes they could. It was the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 that prevented weapons being carried in public for defence, but not until 1968 that self defence was no longer “good reason” to possess firearms for defence at home.

Oh, these are very good answers. Excuse my ignorance, but where would one buy a gun. Did they ever have gunshops, like the US?

Sim G wrote:

walesdave wrote:

Union St wrote:Question: if anyone is old enough, do you know how the legal situation was in 1962 in the UK? Could people own handguns? Did they require a license?

Not sure if it helps but by the 1960's a firearm couldn't be held for self-defence effectively meaning anyone with a pistol licence had to hold it for target shooting.

Yes they could. It was the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 that prevented weapons being carried in public for defence, but not until 1968 that self defence was no longer “good reason” to possess firearms for defence at home.

Unless of course you live in NI, where it is still a perfecly good reason...

Union St wrote:Oh, these are very good answers. Excuse my ignorance, but where would one buy a gun. Did they ever have gunshops, like the US?

Yes, of course. Just like we have Gunshop’s today. The numbers have certainly dwindled, for a number of reasons, not just drip, drip of increased legislation.

BooBoo wrote:
Unless of course you live in NI, where it is still a perfecly good reason...

Still a very strict set of parameters for PPWs. But yes, available.

Union St wrote:Oh, these are very good answers. Excuse my ignorance, but where would one buy a gun. Did they ever have gunshops, like the US?

This is a single page from a regular shooting magazine "Guns Review" dated 1988. F. A. Anderson was a typical gunshop of the time, they had two shops in Brighton and one in East Grinstead. Just the East Grinstead one left now I believe.
Here you could have bought anything from a 2" barrel Rossi to a Dirty Harry .44 Magnum S&W.

In the Richard Milner add there's 7.65mm Mauser M1914 pocket pistol for £100 along with plenty of others.

I believe I have some copies of Guns Review from 1962 & 1963.