New to Hunting - Can a rifle be your first gun

digital_junky

Hi Guys,

Myself and my brother have recently joined a game hunting club near us and are looking to get into hunting.

I was wondering can a rifle be the first gun you buy.

I have been told that you must start with a shotgun and after a year you can then get a rifle.

Would be greatful if someone could clarify for me.

newby.204

From my limited experience, buying a shotgun first, depending on your local Firearms Officer is a good idea. However im sure if you had sufficient land, which you would have with the club, you would be able to licence a rifle first i wouldn be too ambitious with the caliber, start off with .22lr or maybe
.22wmr. The lads round here will know more and be of better help, if im wrong i apologise in advance.

civdef

My first licence was for a rifle (a 22lr), had no problem.

Umiq88

Depends on your age as well im 18 and in the process of my first licence (rifle). The FAO says that generally they dont like handing out rifle licences to people under 21 but ive met all the requirements and have a meeting with the super next week and he says ive a god chance of getting it. For a .22wmr btw.

demonloop

I think its more a case of what your local super decides you would be best doing, there seems a conception that its safer to be issued a shotgun license first, to see how you get on. There is some sense to that but AFAIK the law does not say you must be issued a shotgun first, the other guys on the board from the south will know for sure.

I live up north, my first application was for a 7.62mm rifle, came through in 5 days from the application.

Pity our system has now become paperwork for paperwork, a few years ago you could arrive at the then RUC HQ (with boxes of sweets, cream buns etc) and get your certificate right away (for additional firearms) and new applications only took a few weeks and again if you phoned and pleaded they would do it the same day and post it the next!

Rovi

As each Garda District is autonomous unto itself, and looks like it will continue to be so for 'non-restricted' firearms, a lot depends on where you are and the policy/attitude of your local Superintendent.

While things may change somewhat under the newly amended Firearm Acts, historically it has generally gone something like this-
The great majority of first time gun owners have started off with a shotgun, and it's never been much trouble for an 'ordinary decent citizen' to get a licence for one.
A fair amount of people have gotten a licence for a .22 as their first gun (see civdef's post above, for example), but I'd suspect that most of these people were in 'favourable circumstances', i.e.- an agreeable Super, other guns already in the household (parents, siblings, etc), had readily available land on which to shoot, were of 'temperate' habits, etc.
A few people have managed to licence full-bore rifles as their first gun, but they've been few and far between. I'd strongly suspect that these were 'mature' people in very good standing with the local Gardai.
There's talk of someone somewhere getting a handgun as their first licence, but I've no idea if there's any truth to that or not.

There's nothing in law about 'probationary' periods of shotgun ownership before becoming eligible for a rifle licence, but Firearms Officers/Superintendents have traditionally liked for someone to have had some 'uneventful' time with a shotgun before issuing them a rifle licence.

digital_junky

thanks for replies guys.

i think i will play it safe and just get a DB shoutgun.

never handled guns before. the idea of a rifle just sounded good as u can get silencers and sights and the likes.

think i better learn how to shoot first eh!!

thanks again

newby.204

Just a piece of advice dont refer to them as "silencers". Moderators is the term most used round here as its less sinister. Now to who, well we all know, the tree hugging gun hating lot thats who!!!

Umiq88

Think what would suit you is a trip to a range

There you will be able to handle guns and get advice and you'll be able to make your mind up about which route you want to take also it wouldnt be any harm if you've never handled a gun

Also they dont just hand out licences you need a ligitimate reason for owning a firearm some of which are vermin control and hunting (these will require permission to shoot on lands) or various types of target shooting which require you to become a member of a club

Also when applying for a licence they like to see that you've had some sort of training. I can recommend courtlough (spellin??) i personally havent been there myself but have heard nothing but good things from other members herw