I see that this thread has been running for some time. Have you taken the plunge yet Tony ? If not, why not ?
As has been said, for the application for a Shotgun Certificate you should stand every chance of success if you have somewhere safe to keep the gun, you don't have a criminal record, you can find a couple of 'suitable' people to counter-sign for you. As a law abiding citizen of the UK it is actually
your right in law to posess a shotgun as long as you have done nothing to invalidate that right. Unless the police can find a good reason not to issue the certificate then they must grant it.
A Firearm certficate is a different matter. With an FAC it is up to the applicant to show good reason as to why he/she should be allowed to posess the firearms he/she has requested permission to own. It is not your right to own a firearm, and therefore the onus is on you to prove to the police that you have good and just cause to do so.
If you have the written permission of a landowner to use a firearm on his land for the purpose of pest/vermin control, and the police are happy that the land is suitable for the use of that firearm, and you can store the firearm and ammo in an appropriate way (gun cabinet) and you can fulfill the requirements of the shotgun certificate application, then there shouldn't be too much problem with the grant of your FAC.
Shooting permission must state "firearm" or "rifle", simply having something in writing that says "shooting" will not do as this could mean with air-rifle or shotgun. The landowner will be contacted (maybe even visited) by the police prior to the grant of a certificate. Too many people have tried to 'pull a fast one' in the past and attempted to get a rifle when all they have permission to shoot with is a shotgun
The land must be deemed suitable for the use of the firearm you are applying for too. Too many footpaths crossing it, or being too small and/or surrounded by housing, busy public roads or other 'concerns' will not help your application at all. the police look at the land you have permission to shoot over on maps and on the ground to check that it's suitable.
Other assorted thoughts that come to mind are...
With a shotgun certificate you can own whatever legal shotguns you'd like, and can buy however much ammo as you'd like at a time (you'll find that buying 1000 at a time works out cheaper in the long run
) The seller of a shotgun will need to put details on your certificate and tell the police in writing that the gun has been sold to you, (the holder of certifiacte number ******* ) and I've always found it best to write to the police myself to confirm the transaction.
You must have your shotgun certificate with you to show the seller when you buy ammunition, but the sale is not noted on the certificate. The vendor may well keep a record for his own purposes though.
With an FAC it's a different matter again. You have to state at the time of application... What type (bolt acton / semi-auto) of rifle you want,
What calibre it will be (I'm assuming you'd be looking at .22 LR Rimfire ?),
Whether or not you would like to have a sound moderator fitted to the rifle
How much ammunition you'd like to be able to buy at one time
How much ammunition you'd like to be able to have in your posession at any one time
When you buy ammo, the ammount and type of ammo sold to you will be registered on your certificate by the vendor. He won't sell you more than you are allowed to buy at one time. He may also query your reasons for trying to buy 500 rounds on Monday and another 500 rounds on Tuesday if you are only allowed to keep 750 rounds at a time.
A good plinking session will soon see off 250 rounds so it's possible that you would be staying within the law, but don't try it too often unless you desperately want a visit from the firearms officer of your local nick, coming to see what you've got at home and asking searching questions
When you buy your rifle, the seller must fill in the details on your FAC and note the serial number, type, calibre etc etc on there and he/she must write to the police telling them of the sale or transfer. Again, I like to be double-sure by sending a letter myself too
If you apply for a .22LR Rimfire for pest control (bunnies) remember to always put down on the applicatuion that the rifle and ammo will be used for "Pest Control and
Zeroing" otherwise you are technically breaking the law if you set your sights using anything but live quarry
The FAC will not be issued with the word "rabbits" on it, it will always say "pest control". This is good because you are then not limited to what quarry you can shoot (as long as you have permission to shoot the species in question from the landowner or owner of the 'sporting rights')
From what I've seen most first time FAC applicants are limited to where they are allowed to use the rifle, normally
only on the land/permission used for the application. Sometimes there will be an additional proviso added that states that you may only shoot if accompanied by an experienced shot with the type of rifle you have, although this is more prevalent with applications for heavier calibre stuff than .22 rimmy.
First time applications for a .22 rimmy will normally result in an ammo allowance of being able to hold 750 rounds, and buy 500 at any one time. In all honesty this should be plenty for anyone not emplyed as a professional pest controller or working in a similar environment. When you renew your licence they will look at the amounts of ammo you've bought, and when. If you can show that you are using lots of the stuff, then now is the time to apply for a greater amount bought/held. First time appicants who ask for more than the 500 / 750 norm are normally 'advised' by the firearms officer who does the "home visit" to ammend their expectations
Foxes are counted as pests/vermin for the sake of your FAC and can be taken with the .22 but deer
are NOT. Not under any circumstances.
where you need a short 3+ shot so sect 1 any way 
