Hello from Paris, France!

[FrenchPewPiou]

Hey everyone!

I've recently invested in a PGM Precision Ultima Ratio New Generation in 6.5 Creedmoor to shoot long range. I've been shooting handguns for 5-6 years now but never shot past 50m with a bolt action. The range I'm going to go to has up to 1000m (~1100 yards) so I'm looking forward to that!

If you visit Paris/France, maybe we can share some ammo!

Picture of the beast:

 

[Baron23]

Hey everyone!

I've recently invested in a PGM Precision Ultima Ratio New Generation in 6.5 Creedmoor to shoot long range. I've been shooting handguns for 5-6 years now but never shot past 50m with a bolt action. The range I'm going to go to has up to 1000m (~1100 yards) so I'm looking forward to that!

If you visit Paris/France, maybe we can share some ammo!

Picture of the beast:
View attachment 8403984

Welcome and enjoy the trip.

Is it fairly easy to own and shoot in France?

 

[ShootnFool8]

Welcome, and very nice pic of the beast.

 

[DekNgo]

Welcome

 

[RTH1800]

Welcome!

 

[Schütze]

Welcome and enjoy the trip.

Is it fairly easy to own and shoot in France?

Interested in this as well.

 

[lash]

Hello from Central Florida. Welcome to Snipers Hide.

 

[theLBC]

welcome from the lbc.

 

[FrenchPewPiou]

Welcome and enjoy the trip.

Is it fairly easy to own and shoot in France?

Thank you! Not really, it's far from the gun friendly states in the US unfortunately. We have three main categories of guns:

• Category "C" (all bolt/pump/lever action guns -- i.e. non semi-auto): you need to be registered in an official gun range affiliated to the french shooting federation (or have a valid hunting permit). Shooting license (or hunting permit) has to be renewed each year with approval of your GP.
• Category "B" (semi-auto guns AND all short guns/handguns even if they are single-shot): same conditions as above but on top of that you must:
  • Have at least 6 months of shooting
  • Ask for the official/written approval of your gun range director (if they don't like you, no guns for you)
  • Do a significant amount of paperwork
  • Wait for months (1-9 months depending on where you live) to get approved. This authorization is valid for 5 years, then you have to ask again for your gun range director approval and redo the paperwork.
  • Also, it's not enforced by law, but a lot of ranges require that you complete some written firearms safety test and that you come to the range at least 3 times per year.
• Category "A" (full auto guns, grenades, RPGs, etc.): reserved to the armed forces, forbidden to citizens.

Basically, you don't really own your guns, because as soon as you don't satisfy all these requirements anymore, you are required by law to give them up.

Welcome, and very nice pic of the beast.

Thank you very much!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

 

[aviumvenator]

Do suppressors fall under any of those categories? What is the process to purchase a suppressor?

 

[Arc Light]

Thank you! Not really, it's far from the gun friendly states in the US unfortunately. We have three main categories of guns:

• Category "C" (all bolt/pump/lever action guns -- i.e. non semi-auto): you need to be registered in an official gun range affiliated to the french shooting federation (or have a valid hunting permit). Shooting license (or hunting permit) has to be renewed each year with approval of your GP.
• Category "B" (semi-auto guns AND all short guns/handguns even if they are single-shot): same conditions as above but on top of that you must:
  • Have at least 6 months of shooting
  • Ask for the official/written approval of your gun range director (if they don't like you, no guns for you)
  • Do a significant amount of paperwork
  • Wait for months (1-9 months depending on where you live) to get approved. This authorization is valid for 5 years, then you have to ask again for your gun range director approval and redo the paperwork.
  • Also, it's not enforced by law, but a lot of ranges require that you complete some written firearms safety test and that you come to the range at least 3 times per year.
• Category "A" (full auto guns, grenades, RPGs, etc.): reserved to the armed forces, forbidden to citizens.

Basically, you don't really own your guns, because as soon as you don't satisfy all these requirements anymore, you are required by law to give them up.


Thank you very much!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like your firearms regulations could have been written by our own anti-gun politicians. A lot of what you described I have heard from the anti-gunners here. Especially requiring renewable licensing and requiring permission from some third party to own firearms. Sadly, we are only a few elections with Democrats at the helm before we are exactly the same as you.

 

[Devildog]

Welcome to the hide. It’s a great place to hang out and learn about long range shooting. I’m curious, what hoops do you have to jump to get a suppressor in France?

 

[FrenchPewPiou]

Do suppressors fall under any of those categories? What is the process to purchase a suppressor?

A few years ago they did I believe, but now the law has changed and they don't belong to any category. Surprisingly enough, purchasing a suppressor is very easy as it does not require any paperwork/legal check. In theory, the seller has to "see" some proof that you have a firearm of the same caliber as the suppressor you want to buy, but as there is no official check/record of that, most gunshops won't even bother checking.

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like your firearms regulations could have been written by our own anti-gun politicians. A lot of what you described I have heard from the anti-gunners here. Especially requiring renewable licensing and requiring permission from some third party to own firearms. Sadly, we are only a few elections with Democrats at the helm before we are exactly the same as you.

Yes... and it never stops... even with our very restrictive gun laws in France, they use almost each random crime/drug trafficking case/terror attack to try and make the laws even stricter. The thing they can't seem to understand is that terrorists, drug dealers and other killers can't care less about their laws but us, the law abiding citizens, get punished for it. This is literally non-sense as most of the weapons used for drug trafficking and terror attacks come illegally from other countries. Last time something like that happened, a lot of people had to give up some of their precious (and expensive) WWII semi-auto guns (such as the PPSH) because some guy decided to push a non-sense law to ban guns which were full-auto but converted to semi-auto (which was legal before as long as they stayed semi-auto). Complete non-sense.

Welcome to the hide. It’s a great place to hang out and learn about long range shooting. I’m curious, what hoops do you have to jump to get a suppressor in France?

Thank you! I replied to the question just above

 

[Fx51LP308]

Welcome from Tampa Bay, FL! I have spent time in France (Day trips from Brussels to Paris & back on the old TEE Isle-De-France train, as well as a weekend in Cannes.

 

[BLEE]

Welcome to the HIde, from Louisiana, USA.

 

[03pierce17]

Welcome from Paris, TX!

 

[TheHorta]

Bonjour! I have family in Ognon and Senlis. Will be there in August/Sept. I’ll bring a .50 Cal beltfed and some HEIAP ammo and we can have some Class A fun together — if they let me out of the airport!