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22 cals in South Africa

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I found this reference:

"Any airgun that exceeds both the 5.6mm calibre and muzzle energy of 8 joules / 6 foot pounds is classified as a firearm in South Africa and in terms of the FCA a firearms licence is required to own and operate such. Hereinafter referred to as a “LCA – Large Calibre Airgun” class airgun."

https://sahfta.org.za/airgun-safety-guide-laws-in-south-africa/
 
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I knew they needed a firearms license- but Matt Dubber routinely hunts with centerfire and rimfires in his videos so I assume he has a firearms license. But he's said several times that he's limited to 22 cal PCPs. Even the kid that appears in his videos used a 22LR and 22-250 when he hunts. Jim Chapman, Kip Perowe and Ian Hartford have hunted with big-bore PCPs in Sa before.
 
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Yep doesnt make any sense. I know some countries like south Africa and Europe, big bore are considered firearm and need a license. What I dont get is how does them south African guys own and fire real live rounds aka powder burner, but cant shoot a .25 cal. If they own a firearm doesnt that mean they have their firearm license already? And if big bore is considered a firearm and need a firearm license. Wouldnt they already have it? Unless they are using and owning illegal firearms. 
 
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firearms licenses in SA take a very long time to get and can be quite costly. Why invest so much time and effort in shooting a slightly bigger pellet/slug if the .22s do the trick and can be bought without the hassle of licensing. If you need more power and a firearm takes the same amount of effort than why bother with an airgun which still gives you limitations while for example the 22-250 will give you a lot more power and range.

@pigeonman, Europe isn't a country, it's a continent :p Only the Netherlands and Belgium in europe have laws that allow you to own any caliber airgun you want without restrictions in size and power. Basically the only restriction we (the Netherlands) have is that it's not allowed to own an airgun which is an exact copy of a firearm in terms of looks.

Regarding the big bore hunters in SA: they bring them in under licenses which are probably payed for by companies to use the videos for advertisement as if the airguns are actually good 😆
 
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OP is talking about how Matt and his buddies all say they are limited to .22 cal cause anything bigger requires a firearm license. That is their excuses for not testing .25 and .30 slugs. All they shot is .22 slugs. Yet we see them shooting monkeys with firearm. I believe that is OPs question. So the question is. Why is Matt and his SA buddies limited to .22 cal airgun when we see them using .22LR and center fire in their videos.
 
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In South Africa, each air rifle that is bigger than 5.5mm caliber must be licensed. It’s not that they are illegal, but each separate rifle or barrel must be licensed. The licensing procedure here can take from 4 months up to a year with lots of motivations and hassle so that’s why not many guys here purchase large cal air rifles, if we are going through all that hassle, we would rather purchase and license a centre fire rifle.

For foreigners coming here to hunt with their own rifles, a temporary import permit is required, whether for a centre fire or a large cal air rifle. That is often quicker to obtain and would require a letter of motivation from the hunting outfitter, or sports body you are representing, etc

In South Africa the licensing and control of firearms is carried out by the police services, they have been mandated by the government to reduce the number of firearms held by the public, that is why the licensing of a new firearm takes so long and the process is so difficult. Often licenses are refused for no good reason and must then be appealed with huge time and cost factors, often involving lawyers.
 
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The problem lies in the fact that our police are utterly incompetent. 

Large caliber airguns require licensing but since they are all but unknown to most law enforcement and their list of licensable weapons has never been updated to include them, it is also essentially impossible to actually get a license. 

That ignorance is both the reason why Matt Dubber states that we are limited to 5.5mm guns and the reason why many importers manage to bring in larger calibers on the sly, as they usually get in under law enforcement's radar. That's why that 'spring powered african airgunner' bloke is happily reviewing them. 

Most of us just prefer not to worry about running into the one cop who knows what he's talking about with our illegal big bore.

Regarding none of it making sense - agreed. SA gun laws are among the most idiotic out there and a classic case of making sure only the crooks and crooked cops have guns. 

On the question about coming from abroad, foreigners can come into the country with their big bores much the same way they can with their firearms. I suspect there is further 'grey area' regarding the law and hunting with them but that will just about never be a practical issue. 
 
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In South Africa, each air rifle that is bigger than 5.5mm caliber must be licensed. It’s not that they are illegal, but each separate rifle or barrel must be licensed. The licensing procedure here can take from 4 months up to a year with lots of motivations and hassle so that’s why not many guys here purchase large cal air rifles, if we are going through all that hassle, we would rather purchase and license a centre fire rifle.

For foreigners coming here to hunt with their own rifles, a temporary import permit is required, whether for a centre fire or a large cal air rifle. That is often quicker to obtain and would require a letter of motivation from the hunting outfitter, or sports body you are representing, etc

In South Africa the licensing and control of firearms is carried out by the police services, they have been mandated by the government to reduce the number of firearms held by the public, that is why the licensing of a new firearm takes so long and the process is so difficult. Often licenses are refused for no good reason and must then be appealed with huge time and cost factors, often involving lawyers.
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Wow, each rifle must have it's own license? SA have dumb law. If you already have a firearm license, why cant you just buy another firearm without having to pay and apply for one for each rifle..sounds like the gov want money. Man I love the good old USA. I can walk into a gun shop and buy any rifle I want, even a 50bmg without applying for a license. All I need is a clean background check and some cash.
 
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What happens when people move to where you live and then try to change the laws? I live in New Hampshire where the gun laws are mostly fine, except for hunting with air rifles. There have been multiple attempts to fix that, but it gets shot down. I moved here from Massachusetts because I loved the better laws, the people, the freedom, lower house costs, no State income tax. I get to use my rifles in my back yard whenever I have a free moment. But other people move here and they want to change the gun laws to be more like Massachusetts. You can't even have pepper spray in Massachusetts! My point is a lot of laws change and even if you move, others will come and change them again. You sometimes have to fight to keep your laws by voting, supporting organizations who support your views, making your views heard.
 
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