Trip to London Proof House.

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gamekeeper
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Trip to London Proof House.

Post by gamekeeper »

My local dealer has a section 5 authority to buy and sell prohibited weapons, anything from handguns to RPGs and light and heavy machineguns.
I am listed on his licence as a servant of the company, which means I also now have authority to handle/test such weapons... 8)
Today we took some ZB 30 machine guns, some rifles and a shotgun to the London proof house. We could not park near the proof house so we carried the machine guns etc across a busy road, I thought we might cause a bit of a panic but no one took much notice, I suppose folks who work near the proof house are used to such sights.
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Rusty
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by Rusty »

Video :?:
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soon 2 retire
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by soon 2 retire »

Game Keeper, I'm just curious; who in England is allowed to purchase prohibited weapons from your dealer?


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gamekeeper
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by gamekeeper »

soon 2 retire wrote:Game Keeper, I'm just curious; who in England is allowed to purchase prohibited weapons from your dealer?


Bob in Friday Harbor
Certain collectors, deer stalkers who need pistols for humane despatch but the main reason this dealer has a section 5 licence is because he hires prohibited weapons to movie companies. He has also sold some machine guns to collectors in NZ.
Another reason he can buy prohibited weapons is so that they can be deactivated :evil: and then sold to anyone.

.
Last edited by gamekeeper on Tue Nov 04, 2014 8:32 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Ysabel Kid
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by Ysabel Kid »

game keeper wrote: Another reason he can buy prohibited weapons is so that they can be deactivated :evil: and then sold to anyone.

.
Sacriledge! :shock:
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perry owens
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by perry owens »

Ysabel Kid wrote:
game keeper wrote: Another reason he can buy prohibited weapons is so that they can be deactivated :evil: and then sold to anyone.

.
Sacriledge! :shock:
I agree, but I have a dilemma.....
I bought an 1890 vintage Winchester 1873 when I was living in the US.
The bore is pitted so accuracy is poor.Also the chamber is oversize so it won't pass UK proof.
Because it is not proofed I can't sell it or give it away.
No dealer in the US will ship me a liner because of the export restrictions.
The nearest gunsmith who can reline it is in Switzerland and the cost of shipping it there and back is more than the gun is worth.
I can't hang it on the wall because our gun laws require it to be kept in secure storage at all times.
I can't part it out as I am not a registered dealer.
SO: I can either keep it locked away or deactivate it and sell it to someone who might get some pleasure from displaying it and use the cash to buy a shootable gun.

Perry Owens
"Always carry a firearm east of Aldgate Watson."
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gamekeeper
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by gamekeeper »

The restrictive gun laws in the UK make a lot of transactions too complicated or expensive, one of the guns we took to the London proof house was my Savage 311, it failed proof by being slightly off the face, it would never make much money as a shooter in England, so it could be deactivated and sold for twice what I paid for it, as Perry stated without being proofed I can't even give it away.
I had fun with it and it was a sure killer of Wood Pigeons even though it weighed a ton, even the proof house superintendent thought it was a 10 gauge... :shock: perhaps it would look good over the bar at the local pub. :(
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by rbertalotto »

Please explain all this "proof" stuff. I know what proofing a gun is, but do you need to proof every firearm before it can be sold?

Very few Savage 311 shotguns would pass a face test if it is rigorous.

What does it cost to "proof" a gun and how long does it take.

Sometime I complain about the gun laws in the USA and then I think about you poor folks i UK and it ain't so bad here. Thank GOD we have the 2nd ammendments which helps to keep the anties at bay.
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by Ysabel Kid »

rbertalotto wrote: Thank GOD we have the 2nd ammendments which helps to keep the anties at bay.
And the big story of the 2014 mid-term elections here was that the Second Amendment won, big time, up and down the slates. At a local and state level, for the most part, those candidates supporting 2ndA rights won; those opposing them, even when backed by big anti-gun money, lost big time! :D

Perry & John, that just stinks - no other way to say it. It sounds like the government in the UK really just wants to force gun owners to destroy classic guns. :( :x :cry:
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gamekeeper
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

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rbertalotto wrote:Please explain all this "proof" stuff. I know what proofing a gun is, but do you need to proof every firearm before it can be sold?

Very few Savage 311 shotguns would pass a face test if it is rigorous.

What does it cost to "proof" a gun and how long does it take.

Sometime I complain about the gun laws in the USA and then I think about you poor folks i UK and it ain't so bad here. Thank GOD we have the 2nd ammendments which helps to keep the anties at bay.
It costs about $60.00 to proof test a gun and a fine of nearly $9000.00 if you sell a gun that is not in proof.
All guns must be in proof and have proof marks stamped on the barrel and action to be legally sold.
Most foreign guns are proof tested in the country of manufacture and their proof marks are excepted in the UK, however because US gun manufactures proof their own guns at the factory, that is not accepted by the UK proof laws.
A gun can be considered still in proof if it has not been altered or worn out by years of use or abuse.
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perry owens
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by perry owens »

The new Stoeger Supreme coach gun that I bought in the US failed UK proof because it was off face. I had it worked on by one of our top shotgun specialists and it went off face again when proof fired. It was reworked, submitted for proof and failed again. The proof master's opinion was that the design and manufacture was so poor that these guns would never pass proof. I passed his comments to Stoeger and the Brazilian manufacturers but never got a response.

Perry Owens
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Griff
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by Griff »

Perry,

Not surprising... a local 'smith here has one (stainless receiver), that went back for factory warranty, less than 6 months old, with a severe crack between the breech face and whatever you call the part where the pivot is, they denied the work as the triggers had been reversed and a lighter latch spring installed. Oh well... I did end up with a new 26" removable choke barrel fitted to my coach gun for a C note!
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by KirkD »

Gamekeeper, I imagine that trip was a lot of fun. If you are ever over here, be sure to let us know. We have lots of extra beds in our house now that our kids of pretty much gone, and the range is just 8 minutes down the road.
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2571
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by 2571 »

I've been around guns for 50+ years,but don't know. What does, "off face" mean?
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Not that it will make anybody feel better, but it's now illegal to fill 20 pound propane containers here if they're more than 12 years old and have not been re-certified as sound & within factory specs. Re-certification procedure costs more than a new bottle (container).
perry owens
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by perry owens »

With a single or double break open shotgun, if, when viewed from the side against a strong light, there is a discernible gap between
the breech face and the end of the barrels the gun is said to be "off face". The condition can be caused by wear, misuse or, as in the case of my Stoeger, poor design and construction.

Perry Owens
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Re: Trip to London Proof House.

Post by 2571 »

My dad had an old Damacus twist sg. told me that last time he fired it fired (1936-37), it, he got some gasses in his eye.Must have been describing an 'off face' situation.

Thx for info
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