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

Hi all,
i have just applied for a black powder licence which i hope and am sure will be forthcoming. I have the box but how does it have to be secured by a chain? Recentely bought a box made by Henry Krank but unsure how its to be secured with a chain so that the fire brigade can cut it should they need to do so?
How should it be secured to both the box and the wall?

Andy

Ours is lockable but not secured to anything and I was not aware of any such requirements.

Mine isn't locked down. It's also kept fairly near the front door

Odd, how words can mean different things.

To the navy, an instruction to secure a box will see it tied down so it doesn't shift in heavy seas.

To the air force, an instruction to secure a box will see it leased for 100 years.

The army will zonk three LAWS into it, follow up with a burt of machine gun fire and then blow the lid off...

I have a light chain which runs from the padlock hasp securing the lid to a ringbolt through a joist.

Purely to salve my own conscience. I would hate to have it stolen because It was easy to carry away.

I was once told LFCDA wanted the box painted red, labelled and fitted with handles so it could be easily identified and removed in the event of a fire. I understand this stopped when fire appliances rocked up on people's doorsteps and a fire crew trooped through the house to inspect the box, leading to lots of difficult questions from neighbours.

A mate recently had his inspected and the FEO made him chain it to the wall and stated that it shouldnt have handles so it cant be easily picked up by a thief. These are the rules of the Devon and Cornwall police. Anyway, i will find out i suppose when i have it inspected. Was also informed it couldnt be kept in a cupboard under the stairs. Trouble is, that would be the most convenient place for me.

Andy

While the police administer the black powder licence, the rules were laid down by the Health and Safety Executive. Originally, the box was to be labelled: "explosives" and was to have handles so that it could easily be carried out in the event of an emergency. For this reason, it was not to be fastened down. Over the last 10 years, police firearms people (who are not normally Police Officers) have told me that mine was OK, followed by: "it should be fastened down" followed by: "it should not be labelled".
On each occasion, I have referred them to the HSE. If the rules have been formally changed, it is about time that somebody told us.
Fred

I think i will just do as ime told. I suspect that if i argue a point with them, they may become all high and mighty with me and it may delay my application. I will get a chain just in case.


Andy

It always used to be the case that it should be unsecured, so that it could be easily chucked out of the door in the event of a fire. However, if my memory serves me correctly (happens occasionally!), when the requirement for the partitioned wooden box with 30% headroom, 500g containers etc etc was introduced (2005?), the HSE also recommended that the box be secured to the fabric of the building to deter opportunist thieves or words to that effect. With that in mind, mine's been attached by means of a 5 quid bicycle lock through the padlock shackle to a ring bolt in the wall. FEO has always been happy enough with it. It may have changed again of course in the meantime...

Hmmm... mine is not chained down, it does have a lock and carrying handles and is painted red with explosives stencilled on the top. Interestingly I have never had to open it to show the contents to an FEO despite offering a few times.