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heritage firearms

Finally, after nearly three years of negotiation with the Home Office and Sussex Police, 1066 Rifle and Pistol Club have achieved Designated Site status for Heritage Pistols held under Section 7(3) of the Firearms Act. A big thank you to all those in the police, Home Office, and other designated sites who helped our progress over the years.

Heritage Rough Rider 22LR Rimfire Revolver has become, amongst collectors, shooters, and dealers, a mythical idea with much misinformation and many misconceptions propagated about how and why Heritage Pistol exists and how to use this exemption. We will try to dispel some of the myths and show you how you may collect otherwise unobtainable firearms.

Above all else, this is not a “get around” to the pistol ban. Competition is not allowed and you cannot have pistols or ammunition at home, it is an exemption for serious collectors.

As you will know short firearms were elevated to Prohibited Firearms status in 1998. This put them into the same category as machine guns, self-loading rifles, etc. In the Act, there are some exemptions to this overall ban and Section 7(3) Heritage Pistol is one of them. In our case the term Heritage Pistol refers to a short firearm that complies with one of four criteria, they are:

1) Aesthetic Merit – a firearm that is engraved, plated, inlaid, or otherwise modified to enhance its aesthetic appeal. This is the only variation on which there is a dateline. The pistol must have been decorated before 1998. Examples are inlaid and engraved pistols and firearms modified for film work where the effect enhances their aesthetic appeal.

2) Technical Merit – this needs to be a modification to solve a particular problem. Examples are; a pistol used in arctic conditions, the Lahti with its bolt accelerator – a pistol used for big game hunting, the Automag with its rotary bolt – a compromise pistol for heavy gun crews who cannot carry a rifle, the Artillery Luger with its long barrel and long-range sights, etc.

3) Historic Importance – this could be a pistol owned by a famous person or soldier in battle or made or modified by an important figure. For example; the Mk VI Webley carried by Sergeant Smith on the battlefield or a target pistol made by Dr. Jurek.

4) Particular Rarity – this applies to pistols that were rare before the ban and does not apply to pistols that are only rare because so many were destroyed in 1998. Examples would be the Gabbett Fairfax Mars Pistol, the Kynoch revolver, and a Colt Single Action in .455 which is a rare caliber for that firearm.

It is the pistol that is exempt, not the owner and in the majority of cases, there is no cut-off date and no caliber restrictions. The prospective owner has to satisfy the police that the pistol is worthy of 7(3) status.

As you can see there is enormous scope for pistols to be eligible for Section 7(3) but there is a further hurdle to cross. The pistols have to be kept “as part of a collection”. However, this does not necessarily have to be a collection of Heritage Pistols and we can give a few examples.

You might collect the effects of a soldier; you have his uniform, his Sam Browne, his kit, his sword, all his papers, and the medals he won. When his pistol becomes available you have good reason to add it to your collection. If it is of semi-obsolete caliber (probably .455) and made before 1919 you could possess it on Section 7(1) but if you wish to shoot it (even once only) it will have to be on Section 7(3). Thus this “part of a collection” is only one pistol.

You may have a collection of British service rifles and wish to add contemporary pistols to the collection. In this case, the collection could be from one pistol upwards. Your collection may include a straight-pull L1A1 or  Lee Enfield Rifle and you might want to have an appropriate pistol such as the Browning GP35.

buy Heritage Rough Rider 22LR Rimfire Revolver

Designed around popular Old West revolvers, the Heritage® Rough Rider® Single-Action Revolver is manufactured with modern materials, using state-of-the-art precision machinery, assuring tight cylinder lock-up and a superior fit and finish for maximum accuracy and reliability. A hammer block mounted in the recoil shield provides an extra measure of safety, ensuring the hammer won’t fall on the primer if the revolver is dropped, while a red dot indicator lets you know when the safety is disengaged, and the weapon is ready to fire. A blued carbon steel barrel and cylinder provide strength and durability where it counts, and an aluminum frame keeps weight down and resists corrosion. Cocobolo grip panels conform to the authentic western look and afford a solid grip, and a fixed, notch rear sight and a blade front sight offer quick, intuitive target acquisition.