Target Practice

gmac102

I would like to take up Target Shooting as a hobby, very interested in it but online there doesnt seem to be much information.

Can someone tell me how I can start? Where to go etc
Live in Dublin, and I'm female

Vegeta

Hello and welcome,

There are some facilities close you but it may help posters make more suitable suggestions if you give an idea of the type of target shooting you'd like to try.

Do you have a preference for rifle, pistol or shotgun, that type of thing.

gmac102

Vegeta wrote: »

Hello and welcome,

There are some facilities close you but it may help posters make more suitable suggestions if you give an idea of the type of target shooting you'd like to try.

Do you have a preference for rifle, pistol or shotgun, that type of thing.

Hello and thank you, Pistol Other than that I dont know what to say, Ive tried it before and really enjoy it. Its something Ive wanted to do for years, no time like the present. Altho I will be honest I havent a clue how its done as a sport.

Vegeta

gmac102 wrote: »

Hello and thank you, Pistol Other than that I dont know what to say, Ive tried it before and really enjoy it. Its something Ive wanted to do for years, no time like the present. Altho I will be honest I havent a clue how its done as a sport.

I don't shoot a pistol myself but there are places a short trip from Dublin and the members there do.

Hopefully some of the members will post here or PM you with what's involved getting into the sport.

Good luck with it and have fun.

gunhappy_ie

Gmac welcome.

Unless you intend to hunt with your firearm, joining a range is your only option. Firstly, find out what clubs are near you (ask/use the search button here is possibly best). When you know what type of clubs are in your area it will almost dictate the type of shooting that you can do (if you drive you can go further afield to other ranges).

With a list of clubs in hand I personally think that checking if the club is online/ringing/going and asking at the club as to what they do/what type of firearms/shooting they allow (some ranges for example only allow rimfire rifles/pistols or some may just be a clay pigeon range).

To start you can apply for a rifle/pistol in .22 caliber (there both rimfire) although IMO it may be better to apply for a rifle, get some experience with that and then apply for a pistol (they are harder licence and you may be refused if it is your first firearms licence.

You can practice to your hearts content at your range and when you feel up to it there are competitions held on a regular basis, there is a league for women run by the NASRPC (dont get too bogged down by associations abbreviations as long as im shooting I still cant get the hang of it :P)

For further infor on NASRPCs Women on target go to:

http://www.nasrpc.ie/women-on-target-c

If youve any other questions feel free to post up or send me a pm

GH

gmac102

gunhappy_ie wrote: »

Gmac welcome.

Unless you intend to hunt with your firearm, joining a range is your only option. Firstly, find out what clubs are near you (ask/use the search button here is possibly best). When you know what type of clubs are in your area it will almost dictate the type of shooting that you can do (if you drive you can go further afield to other ranges).

With a list of clubs in hand I personally think that checking if the club is online/ringing/going and asking at the club as to what they do/what type of firearms/shooting they allow (some ranges for example only allow rimfire rifles/pistols or some may just be a clay pigeon range).

To start you can apply for a rifle/pistol in .22 caliber (there both rimfire) although IMO it may be better to apply for a rifle, get some experience with that and then apply for a pistol (they are harder licence and you may be refused if it is your first firearms licence.

You can practice to your hearts content at your range and when you feel up to it there are competitions held on a regular basis, there is a league for women run by the NASRPC (dont get too bogged down by associations abbreviations as long as im shooting I still cant get the hang of it :P)

For further infor on NASRPCs Women on target go to:

http://www.nasrpc.ie/women-on-target-c

If youve any other questions feel free to post up or send me a pm

GH

Hey

Thanks for the info, see I know more already! Feeling excited If I have any questions I'll ask, thank you very much

freddieot

+1

A .22 Rifle is probably the best option you want to start off. A lot of us cut our teeth on them and to shoot one well takes a lot more practice than you might think.

Ammo is cheap so learning is not expensive as you'll need a lot of it.

Something like a CZ .22 might be a good option for you. Learn to shoot it well and then if the bug bites go for a pistol or maybe even a more powerful longer range rifle later on.

Fisrt thing is to go to a club and see what the story is. There are few enough ladies in our sport so most people would be delighted to help you get started.

Best of luck anyway...Let us know how you get on !

gmac102

freddieot wrote: »

+1

A .22 Rifle is probably the best option you want to start off. A lot of us cut our teeth on them and to shoot one well takes a lot more practice than you might think.

Ammo is cheap so learning is not expensive as you'll need a lot of it.

Something like a CZ .22 might be a good option for you. Learn to shoot it well and then if the bug bites go for a pistol or maybe even a more powerful longer range rifle later on.

Fisrt thing is to go to a club and see what the story is. There are few enough ladies in our sport so most people would be delighted to help you get started.

Best of luck anyway...Let us know how you get on !

thanks freddie

is ammo cheap ive no idea, ive gotten as far as i want to do it!

I would prefer a pistol as ive done pigeon clay shooting and think id rather a pistol! is it possible just to start of on one ?

I am waiting on an email from a club but if i dont hear soon I may pop down

thanks i will deffo let you know how i get on and thank you so much for your guidance

Mr.Flibble

gmac102 wrote: »

I would prefer a pistol as ive done pigeon clay shooting and think id rather a pistol! is it possible just to start of on one ?

Of course it is.

Freddie's heart is in the right place, but his advice on that particular matter is outmoded. The reason so many of us "cut our teeth" on a .22 rifle is because pretty much everything else except shotguns was effectively banned for so long, and/or because we started by shooting vermin and .22 rifles are good for that.

Nowdays it's silly to suggest someone who has a bone fide interest in pistol shooting should learn to shoot a rifle first.

If you want a safe option as a beginner, start with an air pistol. Try to join a club with club pistols, so you can gain some proficiency and experience before shelling out your hard-earned on a gun which might turn out later not to be as suitable as you initially thought.

Which side of Dublin are you?

clivej

Hi GMac

First off you must join a range that shoots target pistol as that will be the only reason you can own a pistol. NOT ALL RANGES SHOOT PISTOL. Here is a link to the maps of ranges in the country.
http://www.nasrpc.ie/who-we-are/links

Here is a link to the list of approved pistols page 41, but thats not to say you can't get another handgun.
http://garda.ie/Documents/User/Commissioners%20Guidelines%204.pdf

Next speak to either the local Superintendent or the Supers secretary about getting a license for a pistol in your area.
Then go to a range to speak to people that shoot pistol and your get more info thsn you can handle

Sparks

clivej wrote: »

Hi GMac

First off you must join a range that shoots target pistol as that will be the only reason you can own a pistol. NOT ALL RANGES SHOOT PISTOL. Here is a link to the maps of ranges in the country.
http://www.nasrpc.ie/who-we-are/links

Clive, that's only a list of the NASRPC ranges, it omits a few. Like WTSC, which would be one of the only air pistol ranges open to the OP if she's not alumni/student/staff of UCD. It doesn't even have the Midlands on it and that's one of (if not the) largest ranges in the country.


Also, I wouldn't worry about getting a licence for a pistol yet. Find a local range that shoots pistol and contact them and go see what it looks like. Most ranges have club equipment for new shooters now, which is a lot better than trying to get your own kit to start off on. Spending a grand or more on kit on your first day (and going through the licencing procedure which will mean more expense on gun safes and club memberships and so on, not to mention the time spent waiting on paperwork) is deeply suboptimal.

And I'd also suggest starting on air pistol. It's cheaper than anything else out there, both to buy the kit and in running costs, it's easier to learn the fundamentals on an air pistol for several reasons (it's cheaper so you shoot more, there's no fussing over ammo choices, cleaning's a breeze and you can practice dry-firing at home without losing any aspect of training because there's no noticable recoil when live-firing anyway). And the skills translate immediately to shooting smallbore pistol. So if you want to try that later, you'll have learnt 95% of it or more already.

gmac102

Hey Guys

Thanks very much for the info, very helpful.