Hilltop Shooting

Corega

Myself and a few mates have been heading up to Courtlough for a while now but we wanted to find somewhere closer to home, so were considering going to Hilltop. Has anybody been up there before and is it any good? Also we were looking into the pistol shooting, does anyone know whether or not these are the .22 target pistols or are they the proper ones?

fishdog

does anyone know whether or not these are the .22 target pistols or are they the proper ones?

What in your opinion is a proper pistol?

Some are .22 (which some serious pistol shooters would consider the ultimate pistol round) others are 9mm, .40, .357 etc.

Corega

Yup 9mm would be ideal, .50 Action Express would be a dream but I'll have to wait until I go to the states. I've already fired .22s so am looking to try out all the other calibres available.

fishdog

I've already fired .22s so am looking to try out all the other calibres available.

Well if you are not know there and you do not have your own pistol I dont think you will have a hope of even shooting a .17 air pistol, never mind anything else!

But it is not up to me so I would advise that you ring first to avoid dis appointment.

rrpc

Corega wrote: »

Yup 9mm would be ideal, .50 Action Express would be a dream but I'll have to wait until I go to the states. I've already fired .22s so am looking to try out all the other calibres available.

Try them out with a view to what?

foxhunter

Also we were looking into the pistol shooting, does anyone know whether or not these are the .22 target pistols or are they the proper ones?[/QUOTE]


I shoot a .22 target pistol that is over 40 yrs old and i guarantee you its
more of a "proper" pistol than a lot of the crap thats around now.

Bananaman

does anyone know whether or not these are the .22 target pistols or are they the proper ones?

Yup 9mm would be ideal

Not the kind of comments that will help you get what you want.
All pistols are proper ones, regardless of calibre. They are all dangerous and you must learn how to use them properly.

Generally Pistol Shooting in Hilltop is only open to existing members. You can call Pat and see about making an appointment to try. A reference from existing members would go a long way to making it happen. Otherwise he has no idea who you are or if you are a person of upstanding character. i.e. You could just be some scobe in which case it will never happen.

If you do call him to try and book it you will probably have to shoot a few other disciplines first such as clay pigeon and/or rifle so he can get a look at you behavior towards the Range officers and how you conduct yourself on a shooting range. There is Zero Tolerance for messers on a range.

Either way you will be starting with a .22. Once you have shown that you will do what you are told, your handling and safety are up to scratch and you are able to shoot the .22 with some degree of accuracy then you may have some chance of firing a few rounds on a larger calibre.
Be under no illusions, it is not an easy thing to do. It is not an easy thing to control.

There is no chance you will be given a CentreFire pistol or ammunition without proving you can handle it.

My tuppence worth.


B'Man

Corega

Thanks Bananaman, finally got an answer to my original question. Like I said I've done clay's before, more than a few times and have shot a .22 rifle the odd time too. I guess I should have simplified my question to: what kind of pistols do they have at Hilltop? The reason I was asking was because when we did fire the .22 rifles we weren't all that impressed by them, i.e. very little kickback, feels as if you're shooting an airgun. At the end of the day these things don't matter because the aim, excuse the pun, is to see how well you can hit the targets. In any case we feel that we've done clay pigeon shooting to death and are looking for something different.

Furthermore I wouldn't consider myself in the know when it comes to firearms legislation, so up until recently I had no idea that anything above .22 could be used in pistol form. Afaik that changed in 2006 so I'd like to be able to benefit from it while I can.

And while I realise you're not the person I have to convince we are by no means "scobes", we don't spin around with a loaded gun after hitting a target, jumping up and down screaming "I got it, I got it!" and we strictly adhere to and abide by the rules of any range we're at.

Again thanks for clearing that up.

Bananaman

we feel that we've done clay pigeon shooting to death

When you're talking to Pat ask him about booking in to shoot a Compact Sporting Layout under lights. Might change your mind.
Try out his Full Sporting (nobody has yet shot a 50) and ABT layouts aswell.

what kind of pistols do they have at Hilltop?

Specifics of that are not for discussion in a public forum. Suffice it to say that there is a full bore indoor range - what you will have an opportunity to use will depend on your behaviour. You just have to work towards it and show that you are serious and capable.

Make the call.

B'Man

coffeepot

what kind of pistols do they have at Hilltop?

Specifics of that are not for discussion in a public forum.

Why?? Hilltop seems to advertise many differnt types in the "Irish Shooters Digest"

bunny shooter

coffeepot wrote: »

Why?? Hilltop seems to advertise many differnt types in the "Irish Shooters Digest"

It's christmas, be nice

coffeepot

I am being nice! I was just a little confused by that post. No offence intended:D

Happy Christmas to all!!

Sparks

coffeepot wrote: »

Why?? Hilltop seems to advertise many differnt types in the "Irish Shooters Digest"

30 years of being treated abysmally by the authorities has left a lot of those who run associations and clubs rather - pardon the pun - gun-shy when it comes to publishing all the details about their clubs (and there's often the argument that it comprimises security to do so).
Personally, and I'm shocking noone here I suspect, I think that that's a lot of hogwash, and hiding our light under a bushel serves noone - and when you publish some of the stuff you see in the Digest, which enjoys a particularly strong consumer demographic from our Gardai friends especially amongst the higher ranks, you have to laugh at the idea that you shouldn't post on boards, but it's fine to publish in the Digest
However, to each their own; time will tell which approach is better for our sport (though I keep thinking that the GAA don't hide their match timetables and golfers don't keep their names out of scorebooks...)

Bananaman

I'm only a member of the club
I'll comment on how someone should behave, in my experience,
who they should call, if I know
what they should do, if I know

but I'll draw the line at advertising specifics like that without asking Pat first.

At the end of the day Pistol shooting is NOT open to the general public and is a privilege that has to be earned. Stating here what particular Makes, Models and Calibres are available will only rub salt in a wound if someone is turned down. That would just be cruel.

If you want to find out what he has, make an appointment, join the club, compete within the club, see what everyone else has, get your own, then compete outside the club, see what everyone else has and then get a credit card that the better half doesn't know about :-)

Happy Chrimbo,

B'Man

coffeepot

but I'll draw the line at advertising specifics like that without asking Pat first.

Fair enough, no offence intended. I was just confused because Hilltop seemed to be so open about what they had with adds, display cases etc.

At the end of the day Pistol shooting is NOT open to the general public

I didn't know that.

I thought that anyone (assuming they have no criminal record), could get involved in pistol shooting by joining a club?

I know sevral people who did it this way.

Taradusk

Coffeepot, getting an invitation to join any club can be down to the applicants personality among other things.

:DThe other members have to find you acceptable. Its not just a matter of writing a cheque for the membership fee.

coffeepot

Coffeepot, getting an invitation to join any club can be down to the applicants personality among other things.

The other members have to find you acceptable. Its not just a matter of writing a cheque for the membership fee.

I see, so thats why

At the end of the day Pistol shooting is NOT open to the general public

sidneyreilly

I refer to bman’s reticence in regard to (and I truly mean no disrespect in this to the OP) people looking to shoot "proper pistols". There is no shortage of people out there who wish to shoot glocks,.40's .45's .357 and .50 etc.. that have little interest in the sport bar "blazing away"
and are therefore not the first choice for club members investing time effort and "risk" in entertaining them. To your point Sparks: at least people who read a shooting publication tend to show at least a general interest in shooting (for the most part) by taking the trouble o obtain a copy rather then some idle web surfer with an interest in shooting "proper pistols" . Anyone who is interested in the sport is always welcome.

Frankly I find that whole reference to "proper pistols" a poor indication of respect for same.

dresden8

I disagree.

Not everyone is a fully signed up *******n at the start. Most people don't fully commit to a sport and spend 3 grand or so before they "have a go".

I like to potter away and shoot. I have no grand hopes to become a gold medallist or the the greatest shooter in the world. I like to shoot because I like to do it. I am probably a **** shot. This does not make me a lesser sportsman than anybody else. It is my right to be crap!

That does not lessen my right to have a gun or be a shooter.

But try telling the cops that.

dresden8

why is o l y m p i a n blanked out? As Littlejohn would say "You couldn't make this up"

It wasn't me!

All words associated with that music promoter that shall not be named are censored. This includes the name of a well-known music venue on Dame Street owned by this promoter, which takes up all but the last letter of that word.

dresden8

Aaah! But still.

sidneyreilly

dresden8 wrote: »

why is o l y m p i a n blanked out? As Littlejohn would say "You couldn't make this up"

Maybe cause it's a bad word:D:D

It's not like that Dresden, I was only talking about people who do not appear to respect firearms of the smaller caliber. The majority of pistol shot in Hilltop is fullbore and safety is Enforced, a poor attitude is not welcome. Casual target shooters are as welcome as any other once they are safe just as anyone else.

coffeepot

Taradusk

Coffeepot, getting an invitation to join any club can be down to the applicants personality among other things.

The other members have to find you acceptable. Its not just a matter of writing a cheque for the membership fee.

Sorry but this is not always the case. Commercial operations are commercial, once you are safe their first priority is to make money. Being popular is just a bonus!


dresden8

I like to potter away and shoot. I have no grand hopes to become a gold medallist or the the greatest shooter in the world. I like to shoot because I like to do it. I am probably a **** shot. This does not make me a lesser sportsman than anybody else. It is my right to be crap!

That does not lessen my right to have a gun or be a shooter.

Once you are safe I agree. There are alot of people out there like you.

sidneyreilly

The majority of pistol shot in Hilltop is fullbore and safety is Enforced, a poor attitude is not welcome. Casual target shooters are as welcome as any other once they are safe just as anyone else.

That sounds fair enough. I assume then I can take it then that once you respect the saftey rules and dont expect to shoot a full bore straight away you can shoot pistol there? That is how it worked fo me. Are the general public not allowed to be "casual shooters"?

Therefore I dont understand this:

Bananaman

At the end of the day Pistol shooting is NOT open to the general public

What sections of the "general public" are not allowed to shoot pistols?

I think you are making it sound harder to shoot pistols than it is. I found it easy to have the oppertunity to shoot them. I witnessed sevral people buy them with relitive ease mosty from Germany.

rrpc

coffeepot wrote: »

What sections of the "general public" are not allowed to shoot pistols?

I think you are making it sound harder to shoot pistols than it is. I found it easy to have the oppertunity to shoot them. I witnessed sevral people buy them with relitive ease mosty from Germany.

I think B'man didn't choose his words carefully enough, what he means is that it's generally not the same as in the states or other countries where you can just wander onto a range and try whatever takes your fancy.

There's a process involved; the law demands that you are a member of a target shooting club before you can get a pistol licence. As a member of a club you can use club pistols without a licence, but you have to be a member.

So there are a couple of requirements you have to meet. I have heard some accounts of how people have come onto ranges and completely disregarded range officers instructions regarding safety and they were politely asked to leave.

coffeepot

rrpc

what he means is that it's generally not the same as in the states or other countries where you can just wander onto a range and try whatever takes your fancy.

I understand that. I did say:

I assume then I can take it then that once you respect the saftey rules and dont expect to shoot a full bore straight away you can shoot pistol there?

So there are a couple of requirements you have to meet.

Apart from following all instructions from the RO and being 100% safe, what are they? It seems that you can be a member of a club for a day.

I have heard some accounts of how people have come onto ranges and completely disregarded range officers instructions regarding safety and they were politely asked to leave.

Anyone not doing as the RO tells them should be made leave, regardless of the type of firearm (pistol, shotgun or rifle). This is normal.

I understand that you would start with rimfire first and after practice and instruction move on to full bore.

So if you put saftey first and do as the RO tells you, then pistol is open to the general public?

Taradusk

At the end of the day Pistol shooting is NOT open to the general public

Yes, much the same as the local private golf club requires a person to to be recommended and approved / seconded, so it is not open to the general public either.

coffeepot

Yes, much the same as the local private golf club requires a person to to be recommended and approved / seconded, so it is not open to the general public either.

This is the strangest statement I have heard yet.

If one club wont let you play golf, try another!! There will always be one that will take your money!

Perhaps we should agree to disagree. Perhaps as you suggest there are many people out there that have tried to enjoy pistol shooting, but have been prevented by members of gun clubs?? What a pity, it is a great sport.

I have enjoyed it and never encountered any of these problems and I wold consider myelf a member of the general public. I think we should all try to promote the sport and encourage more people to take part in a safe enviroment. Happy shooting!

Taradusk

Well Coffeepot, perhaps we should should just agree to disagree, but remember, a reputable shooting club will definitely not accept you just for commercial reasons, or your money. Safety is too much of a priority. Have safe and enjoyable shooting!:D

rrpc

Personally I think everyone is in agreement and can't bear to admit it

The problem is the definition of 'open to the general public'. It's not as easily defined as golf for example because there are so many safety and legal requirements, especially the legal ones.

No other sport is as heavily governed by law as shooting is, that's why people are so cagey about saying what you can or cannot do, because in law a lot of that is defined by the local Garda Superintendent and all of them differ.

So what one person says is ok could be completely verboten in another club and Garda district and hence the fuzziness.

MortgageMan

So far this year Hilltop has had a large number of enquiries and new members. Anybody who who came to check out the club has remained and has been taught safety first, then trust, then friendship among other members.

We only require that all potential new members bring the chocolate biscuits for at least the first five weeks.

Have a Happy New Year.

dimebag249

I've been living in Poland for a while, visited a pistol range one day. Slapped down my cash, was given a Glock 17, S&W 686 and a couple boxes of ammo. Really good fun. I have a shotgun and a .22 in Ireland, and I really appreciated the novelty of pistol shooting; I was thinking I might take it up if I can save the cash.

Point is, if I hadn't tried pistol shooting abroad, I'd never know I liked it. I've visited a pistol range in Ireland, and when I asked if I could try I was told "mmm... maybe someday. Maybe," and I was there on the invitation of a senior member. I'm sure clubs have valid security concerns, but where the hell is shooting in Ireland headed if people can't even try it out? And so what if a guy wants to fire a .44 or a .50 AE, I'd jump at the opportunity to try one out, who wouldn't?

IRLConor

dimebag249 wrote: »

Point is, if I hadn't tried pistol shooting abroad, I'd never know I liked it. I've visited a pistol range in Ireland, and when I asked if I could try I was told "mmm... maybe someday. Maybe," and I was there on the invitation of a senior member. I'm sure clubs have valid security concerns, but where the hell is shooting in Ireland headed if people can't even try it out? And so what if a guy wants to fire a .44 or a .50 AE, I'd jump at the opportunity to try one out, who wouldn't?

The problem is (partly) that Ireland is not Poland (or Germany or Switzerland or Finland or the USA) and the general cultural attitude towards guns here is different.

I suspect that very few people in Poland give a toss that someone can walk in off the street and shoot. Here it's a very different story. I suspect that if the average Joe in the street even knew even that pistols were legal here there'd be a big fuss made on the Marian Duffy show or whatever Ireland's whiners listen to these days.

IMHO, Hilltop are right to be cautious to try and avoid having fingers pointed at them by uninformed mudslingers.

sidneyreilly

All. Unlike the range in Poland described above you cannot just walk in and shoot, I think it's fair to say that this is universal in Ireland be it a commercial range or a private members range. In fact pistol shooting can indeed be booked, but like everything else it is subject to availability which in the case of pistol shooting means enough of appropriate(experienced in pistol) range safety officers. Pistol shooting requires more range officers then the likes of clays or target rifle as the handguns are far more wieldable and likely to be swung around and thus more difficult to control by such range officers. Greater scrutiny is placed on those wishing to shoot pistol in this regard (you will find pistol range safety officers (who are club members)VERYintolerant to giddiness or even the slightest lack of respect so certain parties may travel a long way and never get to fire a shot) also the last thing anyone wants is some scobe booking in to practice for their next hit etc..! The proprietor of a commercial range will reserve the decision on who they arm be it with a pistol, shotgun, rifle or bow just as an officer/member of a private club will.