can i shoot?

james998964

hey guys im 16 and just wondering can i pistol shoot?

i live in midlands and i think it would be a great hobby. would i be limited to .22 or could i use 9mm? although i think that is a bit doubtfull!!

i mean as a serious hobby, and not just as some kid messing with a gun, and i understand it is very dangerous if used irresponsibly.

thanks for all your feedback.

IRLConor

If you live near the Midlands range it might be worth visiting and having a chat with them. They're a friendly bunch and they should be able to answer some of your questions. More info on this website: http://www.nationalshootingcentre.ie/

Whether your local Gardai will issue you a license for a pistol is anyones guess. They will almost certainly require you to be a member of a club but they might be hesitant to issue a pistol license to someone of your age. Depending on where you live, some of the Midlands members might know what the local Garda attitude is like and might be able to offer specific advice.

Good luck. Hopefully I'll see you at a competition some day.

james998964

would it be easier to get a .22lr rifle licence? for targets mostly. I live in the country and I could use in on my Grannys land.

is this more feasable? and how much is a good second hand rifle? I would prefer to shoot on a long strech of a field with a hill at the back(for safty) than at a club. this way I could learn then join maybe the following year.

p.s I am 40 min from the range you mentioned. I live in ballinasloe.

IRLConor

james998964 wrote: »

would it be easier to get a .22lr rifle licence? for targets mostly. I live in the country and I could use in on my Grannys land.

is this more feasable? and how much is a good second hand rifle? I would prefer to shoot on a long strech of a field with a hill at the back(for safty) than at a club. this way I could learn then join maybe the following year.

p.s I am 40 min from the range you mentioned. I live in ballinasloe.

It might be easier to get a license for a .22lr rifle. It all depends on the local Gardai though. I have no idea what a good second-hand rifle will set you back. I've heard good things about CZ 452s and they're selling for around €400 new on www.shoot.ie. Some of the other shooters here will have better info than I do. Short of that, a trip to your nearest gun dealer is in order. You never know what they'll have in stock.

Shooting into a hill is always a good idea. If you're using the same spot for your target all the time it's a good idea to clear away as many stones or other hard objects as possible from there. It would cut down on ricochets.

Target shooting outside of an authorised range may become illegal soon. It's up in the air at the moment. There has been some discussion on it here recently but as far as I know you're fine for now provided you have permission for the land you're shooting on and provided you shoot safely. Keep an eye out here and you'll probably see plenty of discussion of the topic over the next few months.

I wouldn't hold off on joining a club for too long. Being a member of a club will help with most firearms cert applications and you also get the benefit of the help of other club members. The downside of course is the cost of joining and membership. Some clubs have student or youth rates to encourage young members so see if you can get a discount.

I don't know if Midlands are still renting .22lr rifles for use on their range but it might be worth a trip or two to them before you head out on your own. If that doesn't work for you, then try and get a hold of an experienced shooter in your area to go with you the first few times you go shooting. Shooting isn't particularly difficult but it's worth making sure you don't pick up any unsafe habits at the start.

james998964

that's great advice, thanks!

apperantly they still do rent rifles so me and a neibour are going to go to there range and have a go. when I'm there I will take the opportunity to talk to some people. and again thanks a lot for your help.

clivej

james998964 wrote: »

that's great advice, thanks!

apperantly they still do rent rifles so me and a neibour are going to go to there range and have a go. when I'm there I will take the opportunity to talk to some people. and again thanks a lot for your help.

PHONE THEM FIRST. 05793 55979
I was up to the midlands club 3 weeks ago and the licenses (I think) were up on the rent out 22lr guns and they were waiting for the updates for them to come.

bunny shooter

clivej wrote: »

PHONE THEM FIRST. 05793 55979
I was up to the midlands club 3 weeks ago and the licenses (I think) were up on the rent out 22lr guns and they were waiting for the updates for them to come.

Good idea. I believe the garda range authorisation for renting them is up ?

james998964

ok!

thanks for that bit of info, would hate to go up and hear that, would be dissapointing to say the least, LOL.

It wasn't me!

Gotta say, haven't tried 9mm pistol, but have tried .22, and it's fabulous fun. Eats ammo like a pig on steroids though, so you may need to get a job to furnish a pistol habit.

james998964

I have a job so not such a big deal! although .22 isnt that badly priced, how much would a bulk amount set to back? say 1000 rounds

It wasn't me!

Hmm, depends what you're getting. Cheap ammo can be had from about €4 a box, whereas really good match grade rifle ammo can cost €12 a box. These aren't representative of the amounts you'll be looking at though. You'll get a good deal buying in that kind of quantity, and a better one as you go up the scale. Still, make no mistake, pistol shooting is expensive. All too easy to go through several hundred rounds at a time. You picked an expensive hobby. A fun one though.

rrpc

james998964 wrote: »

I have a job so not such a big deal! although .22 isnt that badly priced, how much would a bulk amount set to back? say 1000 rounds

Reasonable quality pistol ammo such as Eley Pistol is about €120/1000 retail.

You could use that up in a week if you're training regularly

rrpc

bunny shooter wrote: »

Good idea. I believe the garda range authorisation for renting them is up ?

This is a misconception that we should really try and be very careful about knocking on the head. The authorisation for a club to hold firearms is a club authorisation and is dealt with under sction 2(5) of the firearms act.

A range authorisation is dealt with under section 4A of the firearms act as inserted by section 33 of the 2006 CJA and is not the same thing at all. The problem is that the Gardai decided to start authorising ranges under section 2(5) and bits of other sections that looked a bit like section 4A when looked at in the right light from a distance without your glasses on.

The end result is that now everyone is confused and it's up to us to clear up that confusion at every possible opportunity.

So it's a club authorisation under section 2(5). A range authorisation under section 4A doesn't actually exist in law yet.