Advice please

DARK-KNIGHT

Hi ladies and gents!!!

I have a huge interest in shooting well target shooting not hunting etc...

Was thinking of joining a club and applying for a licence and buying myself a nice rifle.

I am in Kildare are there many shooting ranges in the area?? Any advice etc? My family are hunting mad and have always wanted to get into guns

cw67irl

Harbour House in Nurney, 5/6 miles from Kildare village!! One of the best ranges in the country!!! Lot of the posters here are members and im sure one will arrange a range day for you!!!

DARK-KNIGHT

cw67irl wrote: »

Harbour House in Nurney, 5/6 miles from Kildare village!! One of the best ranges in the country!!! Lot of the posters here are members and im sure one will arrange a range day for you!!!

Oh Nurney is only a few minutes from me very good

Any advice on licence and or starter gun choice? Ill prob buy a used gun to last me a few years til I find a gun I really would love

IRLConor

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

Any advice on licence and or starter gun choice?

You're best off going to a range and seeing what other people have. That's the best way to find out what you want. The other shooters there will give you ideas about what guns are out there, what your options are and the kinds of guns suitable for the competitions that are run.

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

Ill prob buy a used gun to last me a few years til I find a gun I really would love

This is a good idea. Just don't take it too far. A decent used rifle will last a long time if you look after it but you'll have no fun if you skimp at the start and end up with a rifle that doesn't shoot well.

DARK-KNIGHT

IRLConor wrote: »

You're best off going to a range and seeing what other people have. That's the best way to find out what you want. The other shooters there will give you ideas about what guns are out there, what your options are and the kinds of guns suitable for the competitions that are run.



This is a good idea. Just don't take it too far. A decent used rifle will last a long time if you look after it but you'll have no fun if you skimp at the start and end up with a rifle that doesn't shoot well.

Cheers I think I'll spend a few euro on a used but pristine rifle..

I will be holding onto the gun for a few years either way as I won't put massive investment in until I am 100% sure what my perfect match of a gun is and what gun I truly desire to own.

Lads I know are into airsofting but I wouldn't be mad about that but I love the idea of target shooting

Plus the cost of airsofting is huge to be honest

What are Irish laws on pistols like?

IRLConor

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

What are Irish laws on pistols like?

For air and a lot of .22 pistols the licensing is straightforward (not always as easy as a rifle/shotgun) and there are lots of people with licenses.

For bigger than .22, forget about it. No new licenses are being issued and there are precious few existing licenses.

Cass

I would recommend a .22lr for your first rifle.

There are numerous reasons for this:

• It's a great rifle to learn the basics of shooting
• It's cheap to buy and cheap to run
• There are numerous competitions in most ranges (not just the one you are a member of) in .22lr
• They resell quickly as it's a desirable caliber
• HH has only a 50 metre range so a fullbore rifle is not going to show it's full potential
• There are no comps for fullbore rifles at under 100 yards/metres (not including Gallery)
• Applications for lower calibers are usually favoured for first time owners
• Not a huge investment if you find you don't like it
• It's good enough for vermin if you decide to do some hunting with your family

DARK-KNIGHT

Cass wrote: »

I would recommend a .22lr for your first rifle.

There are numerous reasons for this:

• It's a great rifle to learn the basics of shooting
• It's cheap to buy and cheap to run
• There are numerous competitions in most ranges (not just the one you are a member of) in .22lr
• They resell quickly as it's a desirable caliber
• HH has only a 50 metre range so a fullbore rifle is not going to show it's full potential
• There are no comps for fullbore rifles at under 100 yards/metres (not including Gallery)
• Applications for lower calibers are usually favoured for first time owners
• Not a huge investment if you find you don't like it
• It's good enough for vermin if you decide to do some hunting with your family

All I want is to get started in the sport I love shooting have shot my uncles rifle before and the feeling I got was pure pleasure lol

I don't intend on being Bruce Willis with a range of weapons rubbing them off my crotch and firing a flock into the air

But I am really taking all your advice in lads so thank you all

Cass

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

I don't intend on being Bruce Willis with a range of weapons rubbing them off my crotch and firing a flock into the air

Firstly if you did then you have more problems than can be solved on this forum.

Secondly i'd get used to calling them firearms or guns. Most people dislike the term weapons as they are not used or brandished as such.

But I am really taking all your advice in lads so thank you all

There is nothing stopping you from going for a larger rifle, just given the range, the type of shooting, and your experience level the .22 rimfire ticks all the boxes afaik.


Best of luck in whatever you go for.

DARK-KNIGHT

Cass wrote: »

Firstly if you did then you have more problems than can be solved on this forum.

Secondly i'd get used to calling them firearms or guns. Most people dislike the term weapons as they are not used or brandished as such.


There is nothing stopping you from going for a larger rifle, just given the range, the type of shooting, and your experience level the .22 rimfire ticks all the boxes afaik.


Best of luck in whatever you go for.

do you use the place in Nurney cass or is there a range in Laois?

Also I would never refer to a gun as a weapon it was stated as a weapon for pure effect with the Bruce Willis theme

Cass

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

do you use the place in Nurney cass or is there a range in Laois?

I don't, but have heard great things especially from Benchrest, pistol and Gallery shooters. I'm into the long range range stuff so i use the MNSCI.

It's important to pick a range that suits your needs/style of shooting.

Also I would never refer to a gun as a weapon it was stated as a weapon for pure effect with the Bruce Willis theme

Coolio.:cool:

DARK-KNIGHT

Cass wrote: »

I don't, but have heard great things especially from Benchrest, pistol and Gallery shooters. I'm into the long range range stuff so i use the MNSCI.

It's important to pick a range that suits your needs/style of shooting.


Coolio.:cool:

I'm thinking of going with a .22 as you suggested as a starter gun and maybe in a few years I'll try long range shooting but I imagine long range is more expensive?

Cass

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

......... I imagine long range is more expensive?

It is, but not when compared to other sports.

For example you buy a .22lr (say a cz) and enter the odd competion and shoot informally. It's about the cheapest shooting you can do. Now buy a TR rifle (peep sights) and all the gear that goes with it. Into some big enough money. Gallery rifle, pistol, and long all have their expenses and like with most types of shooting it's limited by your wallet.

Long range is expensive to get into. The cost of a competitive rifle, gear, and ammo can add up. However i know lads that use .22 rifles for benchrest and Gallery that when added up cost as much and sometimes more than a rifle/gear in long range. It's really down to what you spend and your commitment to the sport.

However start with a .22, and work from there.

It wasn't me!

I just bought a stack of ammo this morning to do me the next six to eight months. Let nobody tell you that smallbore is cheap once you get into it competitively.

Cass

Do the same for a .308 and then talk to me about cheap. ;)

It wasn't me!

Cass wrote: »

Do the same for a .308 and then talk to me about cheap. ;)

It's Tenex. The difference is less than you might think.

One shot on kill

If you need someone to go down with you one day. Ill head over. I'm only around the corner myself.

DARK-KNIGHT

One shot on kill wrote: »

If you need someone to go down with you one day. Ill head over. I'm only around the corner myself.

oh great thanks. are you in monasterevin orkildare/ nurney area?

clivej

If your really interested in getting into target shooting with a .22lr then get along to Harbour House on a Saturday. Introduce yourself to people and you will find how friendly they (we) are. There are rifles, both bolt action and semi-auto, and handguns to be seen there.
If your nice you may even get invited to shoot one or two of the members firearms while under their supervision :D
Members will tell you the best type of firearm for you, for what you want to do.
Firearms are available to buy from gun dealers that are on-site.

At Harbour we have 3 ranges, #1 50m with 24 bays, #2 50m benchrest with 20 bays, #3 25m with 16 bays. It is the best set up in the country bar none for the type of shooting we do. Which is Gallery Rifle, Gallery Pistol, both rimfire and centerfire. And benchrest rimfire .22lr.
Also there is a clay pigeon shooting range as well with 6 or 7 traps.

Harbour House is affiliated to the NASRPC national body for amongst other things Gallery Shooting competitions, which are held throughout the year at different ranges. International events are also held there with competitors from the UK and Germany, and in 2015 the World Championships will be held at HH.

Be careful as this sport is addictive :cool::cool::cool:

DARK-KNIGHT

Oh man I just creamed my pants seeing that range

One shot on kill

A lot of money and work gone into the place over the past year or two. It has really come on.

homerhop

I will be there on Saturday if you would like to hook up and will show you around.

EWQuinn

"My family are hunting mad and have always wanted to get into guns"

Sure you don't live in the USA?

That Harbor House looks like the ticket man, nice range, and if there's nice folks to go with, you are set. If you are truly new to shooting, .22 LR or something mild on recoil and pocket book is the best way to learn by far, even more so for the kids and ladies.

garv123

I've a funny feeling you'd fall in love with a ruger 10/22 semi auto and the amount of customizing you can do to it. :P

homerhop

EWQuinn wrote: »

That Harbor House looks like the ticket man, nice range, and if there's nice folks to go with, you are set.

That's only one range of 3, there is also a 50m Benchrest range with the firing line under cover and 15 benches and a 25m range. Fantastic room in the club house with 2 dealers there on a Saturday. I am going to be completely bias and say it is one of the most friendly clubs of any kind I have ever come across.

EWQuinn

So if there are memberships available, he qualifies, can pay the dues, get licensed and firearm purchased, he's good. Makes me wish I could join

cw67irl

homerhop wrote: »

That's only one range of 3, there is also a 50m Benchrest range with the firing line under cover and 15 benches and a 25m range. Fantastic room in the club house with 2 dealers there on a Saturday. I am going to be completely bias and say it is one of the most friendly clubs of any kind I have ever come across.

Completely Agree!!!

One shot on kill

EWQuinn wrote: »

So if there are memberships available, he qualifies, can pay the dues, get licensed and firearm purchased, he's good. Makes me wish I could join

You send a cheque and is say he would be more than happy to send you out a membership card.

homerhop

One shot on kill wrote: »

You send a cheque and is say he would be more than happy to send you out a membership card.

You can bet your life beforehand phone calls will have been made asking about any individual joining

One shot on kill

Ye providing he knows more people than the individual themselves. The thing about that is you have to be very carefull of the questions you ask and to whom.

Its a very small world.

Lucky I don't have to worry I suppose. Its a great club and well worth checking out. Infairness your wasting your time going down for a half an hour. You will spend that talking to the first lad you meet.

DARK-KNIGHT

garv123 wrote: »

I've a funny feeling you'd fall in love with a ruger 10/22 semi auto and the amount of customizing you can do to it. :P

I am primarily looking for a bolt action 22 garv as I wanna aim to be proficient with accuracy etc and feel if gun has a mag it's too easy to tap tap tap the trigger.