Getting Started

eirekev

i live in dublin city and was looking to buy my first rifle i have access to land and am looking to get either a 22-250 or 220 swift as i have expierence shooting my friends rifles and have expierience from the rdf what clubs are there in dublin and where can u buy and whats the best way to get started ??

Sparks

First step; join a gun club or a target shooting club. See what the other shooters are using, maybe even try a club gun on for size. Learn to shoot safely through the club, then spend a few hundred quid on a new rifle (you may even find a second-hand one for far less money; I understand that .22-250's and .220 swifts are falling in price with the introduction of better-suited rifles like .223s and .308s for fox and deer).

jeffshc1

I agree with Sparks. Get proper instruction, even if you’ve been shooting for a long time.
Safety first! It gives shooting and shooters good name.

cantona

Hilltop Quad,near Newtownmountkennedy (try before you buy, good selection,friendly)

Outdoor Hobby Leixlip. (Competitive prices, very friendly)

PM me for contact details and directions

TomBeckett

Hello There..
As the lads were saying above it depends on what type of shooting you are planning on doing I have a 220swift and a .308 if you are going to do a lot of shooting i think ether a .223 of the 22-250 would be a better choice now dont get me wrong the 220swift is a far better caliber then the .223 or the 22-250 but the ammo is very expensive fpr instance 20rds of .223 €10-€15 20rds of 22-250 €25 and 20rds of .220swift €40:eek:

But if your looking for a rifle to shoot long range with lots of punch!! and a days shooting is not more than 20rds then definatly go for the swiftie:D

But dont fire more than 5-7rds is sucession an the barrell gets so hot you could use it as a spit roast:cool:

Sparks

In fact, if he's only starting, a .22lr might be a better choice for a while. Ammo costs around €10-15 per hundred rounds for top-level olympic stuff and far less for plinking. Can't beat that unless you take up air rifle

TomBeckett

Emm
.22lr i think is a little bit too much like an air rifle if he wants to have a little fun mabye .22hornet they are cheap and he will get far more range than from .22lr a mate of mine had a .22lr i think it was a CZ and it was a nightmare trying to zero the scope it was so inconsistant if fired every round differently totally wrecked my head!! he got rid of it and bought a remi 700 in .223 now he is happy:D

Rovi

TomBeckett wrote:

Emm
.22lr i think is a little bit too much like an air rifle if he wants to have a little fun mabye .22hornet they are cheap and he will get far more range than from .22lr a mate of mine had a .22lr i think it was a CZ and it was a nightmare trying to zero the scope it was so inconsistant if fired every round differently totally wrecked my head!! he got rid of it and bought a remi 700 in .223 now he is happy:D

This is the first I've heard of anyone having a bad word to say about CZ firearms. Not that I doubt your account, but they've got a fine reputation as 'value for money' items.

Anyhow, back on topic.
I'd agree with Sparks on suggesting a .22LR as a first rifle, if only to ease the process of getting a licence.
Does anyone know if anyone has ever gotten a licence for a fullbore rifle as their first licence? I've certainly never come across it.
Apologies to the OP if this isn't his first rifle, in which case he knows all this stuff already.

Also, supersonic ammunition (including .22LR varieties) isn't welcomed on the smallbore ranges I frequent, so the OP would be excluding himself from these places if he were to go for something bigger.

The cheapest of centrefire ammunition is orders of magnitude more expensive than .22LR too.

While the big noise and long reach of fullbore is great gas, I'd contend that the .22LR is the supreme calibre for fun, utility, and economy.
Everyone that I know of with an interest in rifles has at least one in .22LR, no matter what their 'main' interest (deer stalking, F-Class, etc).


I think there may even be a law somewhere that everyone should have a .22LR rifle. If not, there should be.
Now THAT would be a good amendment to the CJB!

Sparks

I think there may even be a law somewhere that everyone should have a .22LR rifle.

Just so long as it's not a 10/22

Rovi

Sparks wrote:

Just so long as it's not a 10/22

While the 10/22 may be anathema to the lads in the harlequin suits (Hi Sparks & co. ), it is kind of the Volkswagen Beetle of .22 rifles; vast quantities of them out there, in endless configurations. Not the acme of technology for anything, but can be pressed into service to do a passable job at everything.

Put it this way: I'm looking out for the 'right one' to appear, and it'll be added to the collection in due course.

Sparks

I wouldn't call it the Beetle Rovi, more like the Lada Riva. It will go in a general direction allright, but...

civdef

Have you seen some of the 10/22 modifications that are out there? There are people benchresting them for heaven's sake - at which point the modifications have no doubt cost more than a purpose built match rifle.

It's not my idea of fun, but then neither is dressing up in constricting leather to go shooting...

Sparks

Have you seen some of the 10/22 modifications that are out there? There are people benchresting them for heaven's sake - at which point the modifications have no doubt cost more than a purpose built match rifle.

Be fair civ - by that point, they're not shooting with a 10/22. New stock, new barrel, new trigger, new sights, and probably a tuned and modified action - it's like saying that that axe has been in your family since the time of Brian Boru, with only seven new axe heads and twelve new handles...

It's not my idea of fun, but then neither is dressing up in constricting leather to go shooting...

Ah, don't knock it 'till you've tried it
(Besides, it's not leather, it's canvas - you can get leather suits, but I'm not made of money )

civdef

In my book, it's still a 10/22, just not a stock one. It's the same way a AMG merc is still a merc, or a custom 1911 match pistol is still a 1911 design.

Sparks

Meh. To me, if you have to spend more than the original purchase price on accessories for a rifle in order to make it group on the aiming mark of a 50m ISSF target (4.5" diameter circle for those who haven't seen one), then it's not a great rifle and you'd be better off with something else. Hell, a BSA martini-action would be a far better choice - those things are being given away second-hand in the UK, and they're much more accurate. (Actually, someone put one in an aluminium stock recently to see if it could hold it's own against the more modern anschutz rifles, that's going to make for an interesting experiment...)

(Not to mention, if you're just starting off, perhaps a semi-auto isn't the best choice?)

civdef

I think you're overstating the crapness of the base model. Straight out of the box, scoped, at 50m I'd expect well inside 1.5". That's still crap, but not as bad as you make out.

Sparks

Hmm. Scoped, maybe, I've only ever shot one without a scope. Mind you, after fifty rounds, I wasn't exactly clamouring to spend an hour attaching a scope and zeroing it. I'd much rather get something like a BSA and plink with that.

Keelan

Rovi wrote:

Does anyone know if anyone has ever gotten a licence for a fullbore rifle as their first licence? I've certainly never come across it.

Yes, i have.
I know several people, who have got swifts the first time and deer calibers aswell, with no problems

I also know dozens of people who have swaped from a air rifle to a .220 swift in a matter of minuites.
All .220 certs are classed the same in this country, or were, as now some of them have copped on.

I also know of fellas who have only had shotguns and got a high powerd .220 caliber rifles for the first time with no problems.

Rovi

Keelan wrote:

Yes, i have.
I know of 6 people. 3 of them got a swift first time and the other 3, got deer calibers, which are, 2 6.5 x 55s and a .243.

I also know dozens of people who have swaped from a air rifle to a .220 swift in a matter of minuites.
All .220 certs are classed the same in this country, or were, as now some of them have copped on, its not the case.

I also know of fellas who have only had shotguns and got a high powerd .220 caliber rifles for the first time with no problems.

Fair play to them, it would appear that it can be done then.
I'd suspect that the three Swifts fell into the old 'all .220s are the same' category, though.

Keelan

Rovi wrote:

Fair play to them, it would appear that it can be done then.
I'd suspect that the three Swifts fell into the old 'all .220s are the same' category, though.

I actually know more then 3, more came into my mind as i thought about it, so, as you may see, i have edited my post above.

mossberg_ie

Rovi wrote:

While the 10/22 may be anathema to the lads in the harlequin suits (Hi Sparks & co. ), it is kind of the Volkswagen Beetle of .22 rifles; vast quantities of them out there, in endless configurations. Not the acme of technology for anything, but can be pressed into service to do a passable job at everything.

Put it this way: I'm looking out for the 'right one' to appear, and it'll be added to the collection in due course.

U sound like u hv ur head screwed on.. i came on to these forums cause i tought it would be different to the conversations i normally hv with gun owners... But it doesnt seem so. Some peeps 'ere with the usual tunnel vision will keep the shooting in this country where it is 4 the nxt 100 years. Lads u need to open ur minds. So wot if the 10/22 doesnt do it 4 u.. who cares as long as were out there not playing poxy GOLF. Shooting target with a bolt action doesn't do it 4 me but i wouldn't even think of slagging u off about it.
If thats wot floats ur boat well so be it.
Rovi if ur still looking for the ROLLS ROYCE of 10/22's thats customised to the hilt then ur in luck my man. I hv the gun 4 u. PM me if ur interested.

Rew

Moss: You have more then 160 characters here so in the intrests of clarity please dont use "text speak". As well as that you should look over the forum charter

From what iv seen of the 10/22's there a grand rifle. Cheap and you can customize the crap out of them. I was talking to me local dealer about them and his take on them was that people customized the crap out of them spending €1500+ and then expected to be able to sell them for a decent price but couldn't get any buyers.

I personally like the stainless with the laminated stock:

mossberg_ie

Rew wrote:

Moss: You have more then 160 characters here so in the intrests of clarity please dont use "text speak". As well as that you should look over the forum charter

From what iv seen of the 10/22's there a grand rifle. Cheap and you can customize the crap out of them. I was talking to me local dealer about them and his take on them was that people customized the crap out of them spending €1500+ and then expected to be able to sell them for a decent price but couldn't get any buyers.

I personally like the stainless with the laminated stock:

Soz Rew wont happen again... other forums i use dont mind (text speak). But ur the admin and wot u say goes.

Sparks

mossberg_ie wrote:

So wot if the 10/22 doesnt do it 4 u.. who cares as long as were out there not playing poxy GOLF. Shooting target with a bolt action doesn't do it 4 me but i wouldn't even think of slagging u off about it.

*sigh*
Didn't anyone else grow up slagging off Dublin fans before the match and then having a pint with them afterwards to ease their suffering after another crushing defeat at the hands of the Kingdom?
Look, the 10/22 doesn't do it for me. You want to shoot it, go right ahead. It's perfect for some kinds of shooting where a bolt-action would be awful, and vice versa. Doesn't mean I can't josh you for it though Hell, that's half the fun in the social side of shooting...

Umiq88

@keelan

when they're applying for a cert for a .223 or a .220 swift what do you put down on the licence the full .220 swift/.223 of just .22

Rew

My .223 licence says "0.223 inches"

TomBeckett

My Swift licence just says .220 inches..

Sparks

As does my .22lr licence. I've been trying to get it changed for a few years now, they keep saying the system doesn't know the difference between a .220 and a .22lr...

Keelan

psittacosis wrote:

@keelan

when they're applying for a cert for a .223 or a .220 swift what do you put down on the licence the full .220 swift/.223 of just .22

Psittacosis, if your applying for a .223, you put down .223.
If its for a .220 swift, just put down .220, same for the .22, just put .220.
Hope this helps and clairfy it a bit more.;)

maglite

just on a side where do you measure the .220 from bullet bore in grove out bof grove? my .220 are .221-.222

Rafer

maglite wrote:

just on a side where do you measure the .220 from bullet bore in grove out bof grove? my .220 are .221-.222

Hi ALL
Just to clear the air a bit , on the question of .223 ,22-250 and .220swift on your licence . they all fire the same diameter bullet which is .224 just at different velocities. Take a 55grain V-max bullet for example in a 223 speed at 3100fps approx, in a 22-250 at 3600fps and a 220swift at 3800fps .
Source : Hornady Handbook of cartridge reloading.
Commonsense should prevail in all applications for licences ,if a .220swift is allowed on a standard rifle licence so should a .223 and a 22-250
Hope this is of some help
Regards Rafer