100 + meter rifle range

Arcto

So I've been looking around the last few days for somewhere that caters for 100+ meter centrefire .223 shooting lanes and there doesn't appear to be anywhere in the south end of the country! (By south I don't mean the republic, I mean the south, south east and south west end of the republic)

Is that right?

dCorbus

If the MNSCI is too far away from you, the nearest centrefire range to you is probably an Riocht in Castlemaine, Kerry (Centrefire out to 300yards).

Sparks

I would have thought that Tullamore was in the southern half myself
But that aside, what about An Riocht in Castlemaine in Kerry?

Arcto

Had that place confused with another in North Kerry (which was 3 hours drive from me....so 6 hours commuting every time I wanted to go for a shoot would not have done!)

Ill check out an Riocht ASAP. Thanks!

Shane.sf

I have the same prob except I'm from Waterford and to my knowledge there's no range near me!!!

Arcto

Shane.sf wrote: »

I have the same prob except I'm from Waterford and to my knowledge there's no range near me!!!

Wanna go halvsies on some land and the cost of getting range certified and insured :P

Shane.sf

Arcto wrote: »

Wanna go halvsies on some land and the cost of getting range certified and insured :P

Ye no bother and we might get a grant from the enterprise board.

ianoo

Arcto wrote: »

Wanna go halvsies on some land and the cost of getting range certified and insured :P

count me in if ye do :D:D..this area is crying out for a range .....

ian

beretta686s

kk carlow wex toooooooooooooooo

arrowloopboy

Do ye know no one with a bit of land ye could use ?

Sparks

arrowloopboy wrote: »

Do ye know no one with a bit of land ye could use ?

That's only step one. After that, you have planning permission, the local superintendent's permission, and the range licence and club licence (€1000 each, club licences are being granted at the moment, range ones will be as soon as the ranges SI is out). All those are independent (ie. get the range licence and it does not guarantee any of the others). And after all of that, you also have the construction costs (backstops, berms, targets, all the safety features like baffling and so on)...

Building a range is a pretty long task. It's not impossible - in fact the construction parts aren't all that hard, and the paperwork's not rocket science for the most part, but it'll take time. You're looking at the guts of a year from start to finish at a bare realistic minimum, even if you are going to spend most of that time waiting for other people to get back to you.

Tackleberrywho

Sparks wrote: »

That's only step one. After that, you have planning permission, the local superintendent's permission, and the range licence and club licence (€1000 each, club licences are being granted at the moment, range ones will be as soon as the ranges SI is out). All those are independent (ie. get the range licence and it does not guarantee any of the others). And after all of that, you also have the construction costs (backstops, berms, targets, all the safety features like baffling and so on)...

Building a range is a pretty long task. It's not impossible - in fact the construction parts aren't all that hard, and the paperwork's not rocket science for the most part, but it'll take time. You're looking at the guts of a year from start to finish at a bare realistic minimum, even if you are going to spend most of that time waiting for other people to get back to you.

Yes indeed + Thousands of gallons of Diesel to create Berms/backstops, Toilet facilities, security facilities, millions of man power hours, blood sweat and tears.

Nothing more disheartening that building a road foundation for it to be washed away by our Summer monsoon season, to have to start again.

For anyone even considering establishing a range, you would be more like a 40 year plan than a 1 year plan, unless you have oodles of money.

And to have everything done to a fine art, and some one to come and say the backstop is not tall enough, put another couple of hundred tonne of sand on it:(

You also need almost no neighbours in a 2 mile radius.

So anyone thinking about it, think long and hard!

Or Win the Euro Millions Friday night (which one will not do as I am going to win it )

Sparks

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Yes indeed + Thousands of gallons of Diesel to create Berms/backstops, Toilet facilities, security facilities, millions of man power hours, blood sweat and tears.

Well, yes, but you're thinking of Midlands, and that's after a few years of being up and running; for a new range starting off, trying to build a duplicate of the Midlands as it is now is probably suboptimal for the same reason that trying to eat an entire cow at once is not as good an idea as just eating a large steak...

Point being, it can be done, but it will take time and patience. And you should aim to start with a small kernel of a range and then add to it gradually.

Shane.sf

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Or Win the Euro Millions Friday night (which one will not do as I am going to win it )

sorry to disappoint you but it's mine.

Tackleberrywho

Shane.sf wrote: »

sorry to disappoint you but it's mine.

Back of the queue pal

Seriously though, to build a range these days is getting harder and harder.

Every year they raise the bar

dCorbus

@ Arcto & Shane.sf:

I take it from your posts that both of you are located near Waterford.
TBH if you are in that area, the trip up to Midlands would be well worth it.
As you mentioned, getting over to Castlemaine would take you the guts of 3 hours - and if you're going to go that far, the MNSCI is actually closer.

From experience, leaving nice and early on a Sunday morning, if you want to get up to the MNSCI from Downtown Youghal City Centre, head up over the Vee, take a left at Tallow, join the motorway after Fermoy, and follow the motorway up to Portlaois, and head cross-country toward Tullamore, and then you're there give or take a turn or two.

Having done this run a couple of times myself from Youghal to Midlands, if you want to be on the range for 9am, it shouldn't take much more than about 2 Hours 20 min door-to-door (Given that IS early on a Sunday morning so little or no traffic enroute).

Plenty of lads are travelling up or down to Midlands from much farther afield - but, trust me, it's worth the effort, given the wide range of facilities you'll find up there outside Tullamore.

On the other hand, if anyone does want to open a range in the Deep South :D, I'd probably pay that a visit too! The thought of opening a small one myself in the Youghal / Midleton area did cross my mind (once or twice), but the cash ain't exactly flowing at the mo.:(

As Sparks points out, Midlands is the flagship range in the country (particularly for Fullbore/Centerfire - but also with great pistol ranges, medium-distance fullbore, and 50m Prone ranges, in addition to the long-range shooting set-up), but that range has been the work of many many years of hard-work and dedication by one man in particular with the assistance of many others - As a benchmark, sure, it's a fantastic model to follow, but for anyone thinking/planning on starting their own range, not all aspects need be incorporated from the start. (Did I say I'd done a bit of thinking about this already?!;):rolleyes:)

ianoo

in fairness the midlands range is just over 2 hrs from waterford using the motorway to kilkenny then to portlaoise ,tullamore ,not a bad road ,,,but would still be nice to have a local range that you could go to at the drop of a hat when the mood takes you :)without haviong to plan it out ...

ian

Shane.sf

ianoo wrote: »

in fairness the midlands range is just over 2 hrs from waterford using the motorway to kilkenny then to portlaoise ,tullamore ,not a bad road ,,,but would still be nice to have a local range that you could go to at the drop of a hat when the mood takes you :)without haviong to plan it out ...

ian

The drive is not the problem it's the membership. It's not worth it for twice a month maximum. But if there was one handy you could go a couple of times a week!!

Shane.sf

Shane.sf wrote: »

The drive is not the problem it's the membership. It's not worth it for twice a month maximum. But if there was one handy you could go a couple of times a week!!

Let me rephrase that... It is worth it I just can't afford it for so little use. I can't justify it

ianoo

Shane.sf wrote: »

The drive is not the problem it's the membership. It's not worth it for twice a month maximum. But if there was one handy you could go a couple of times a week!!

Shane.sf wrote: »

Let me rephrase that... It is worth it I just can't afford it for so little use. I can't justify it

my toughts exactly....

ian

Arcto

I'm in the same boat. I'd be willing to fork out €300 a year for a range in Youghal (hint...hint.... ) but just wouldn't get the use out of joining a range as far as the midlands.

Next time they have an open day I'm there!

arrowloopboy

Just a heads up lads,i've had a post removed and been tipped off by one of the mods that its actually illegal to set up a bit of a range on private land without the proper authorisation.
I was unaware of this and so are all the guys i know that zero/practice on private property.

Regards..

Alb

Mr.Flibble

arrowloopboy wrote: »

Just a heads up lads,i've had a post removed and been tipped off by one of the mods that its actually illegal to set up a bit of a range on private land without the proper authorisation.
I was unaware of this and so are all the guys i know that zero/practice on private property.

Regards..

Alb

Who said they were going to do it without authorisation? D'Corbus certainly didn't.

Also, I thought zeroing was allowed; it's just organised, formalised and/or co-operative target shooting that needs authorisation.

Cass

arrowloopboy wrote: »

I was unaware of this and so are all the guys i know that zero/practice on private property.

Mr.Flibble wrote: »

Also, I thought zeroing was allowed; it's just organised, formalised and/or co-operative target shooting that needs authorisation.

Zeroing is not specifically mentioned in any legislation. There is a "let off" in section 33(18)(c) of the 2006 act that relates to range shooting, and authorisation. It states NO shooting (as described in the section) outside an authorised club or range without "Valid Reason". So it could be argued that zeroing a rifle for safety reasons would be a valid reason.

So far the Gardai/DOJ have never had any issues with lad(s) firing a couple of shots to re-zero a rifle once common sense and a safe and appropriate backstop/land is available (if they do not have access to a range). However there has been no case taken yet to clarify the line where zeroing stops and target shooting begins. So technically if a Garda caught 2 lads that have only fired 3 shots at a paper target to re-zero he could prosecute them for participating in target shooting while not on an authorised range. It would be cruel and most likely not get far if at all (legal wise), but i would not like to be the one to take the first case.

Mr.Flibble

Ezridax wrote: »

Zeroing is not specifically mentioned in any legislation.

I had the impression someone in the PTB had gone on the record with something more specific, but I can't remember who/when. Sparks would know.

Ezridax wrote: »

There is a "let off" in section 33(18)(c) of the 2006 act

Have you a link handy for that?

Cass

Mr.Flibble wrote: »

I had the impression someone in the PTB had gone on the record with something more specific, but I can't remember who/when. Sparks would know.

i could not tell you, but saying something, even when made by a higher up, would be of little use without an actual SI, section, act, amendment, etc. In other words something in writing. Even something in the commish- guidelines would be useful.

Have you a link handy for that?

Here ya go.

Sparks

Mr.Flibble wrote: »

I had the impression someone in the PTB had gone on the record with something more specific, but I can't remember who/when. Sparks would know.

Minister McDowell stated at one time that zeroing "would be fine".

That, and €2.15, will buy you an espresso in an overly effeminate coffeeshop. What the Minister says in an offhand way has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on a legal case. The law is what is written down; not wavy-handy-erra-it'll-be-grand statements made off the cuff by the Minister because someone gave him an awkward question in the Dail.

Ezri is completely and utterly correct when he says that shooting on an unauthorised range can land you in hot water. It's a horrible horrible piece of the firearms act, we've been complaining about it since we first caught sight of it back in 2004, but it's never been fixed, and we still have no working legal definition of target shooting as opposed to zeroing (hell, I can't even think of a workable definition for general common sense use that distinguishes between informal target shooting and zeroing, so how you'd draft one that'd make it through the AG's rewrite and the Dail's patchwork amending habit, I don't know).

Arcto

Was aware, that's why I haven't set up my own shooting butts on the land I have permission on :cool:

Sparks

Arcto wrote: »

Was aware, that's why I haven't set up my own shooting butts on the land I have permission on :cool:

Yeah, but that wouldn't matter. The way the law is written, if your licence is for (say) rabbits, and you shoot at anything other than a rabbit (like, say a paper target or a tin can or a steel popper), even once, that could be used to haul you across the coals. Like we've been saying here for seven year, it's a ridiculously badly written bit of law.

Arcto

I wasn't aware of that bit!

That's pretty bad....I presume vermin control covers fox's, rabbits....paper targets in the shape of rabbits? :pac:

Sparks

Everything but the paper target, daftly...