Buying a rifle - how much?

firefly08

Hi, I'm hoping to buy a rifle to take up target shooting. I was at Courtlough, Balbriggan at the weekend, and they quoted me around 800 euro for a new rifle (don't know what make), including silencer & optics.

Is that kind of expensive? Can anyone tell me, roughly, what's a good price for that kit - and should I shop elsewhere? The thing is, if I buy it from them, I can start using it right away (at the club grounds) while I'm waiting for my license.

I'm also thinking of buying a shotgun for clay shooting - I may do that first, and just hire a rifle at the club the odd time - what should I expect to pay for a shotgun?

Thanks!

Vegeta

Would need to know the make of equipment really to say if its good value or not.

For example scopes run from 100 euro to 2500+ euro

Any idea on brands etc

firefly08

Thanks for the reply.

No they didn't mention the brand.

The guy said they were 100% accurate up to 150 metres - I presume he was exaggerating...

Unfortunately I don't know the first thing about scopes either so I don't know exactly what I was offered. I will contact them again and get a breakdown of everything, makes/models etc.

Vegeta

firefly08 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply.

No they didn't mention the brand.

The guy said they were 100% accurate up to 150 metres - I presume he was exaggerating...

Unfortunately I don't know the first thing about scopes either so I don't know exactly what I was offered. I will contact them again and get a breakdown of everything, makes/models etc.

I am taking a wild guess but I'd imagine the package is along the following lines

CZ 452 bolt action rifle in .22lr, good price for one of these is approx 450 give or take 50 quid
SAK mod which is about 60 quid I'd say
Scope + Mounts, shot in the dark here but I'd say some form of Hawke scope making up the difference

Ask for the brand and model of everything and folks will be able to say if its decent value or not.

Any bi-pod?

firefly08

No bipod mentioned. He said it was everything I'd need, and I didn't use a bipod during my shooting, so I guess not.

He did say it included a silencer - it that what you mean by a mod?

jwshooter

john lambert has very good deals on cz there very reliable and accurate rifles .ideal for target shooting plinking and vermin control .you dont want a moderator on a 22 for targets or plinking as you will be most lightly using subs.

kowloon

Shop around; but if you're a member of Courtlough you might get some use out of the gun on the range while you wait for the licence, which might take a while to go through.

firefly08

Well I rang back and this time I was quoted 695 for the same package, this time by the guy who runs the place. He said it's a CZ Silhouette rifle right enough.

I then forgot to ask about the make of the scope. I'm an idiot. Thanks for the help everyone!

endasmail

i done the exact same firefly,got the rifle and a shotgun from liam,i found him sound to deal with ,for the sake of a few quid ya have to take in the convenience of courtlough
buy gun
leave it there while waiting for license (which can take a while)
go up and shoot whenever ya want
trade in later on if ya want
get a nice price on a shotgun at later stage
that exactly what i did ,coundnt fault him
oh yea id say it is a hawke scope on the .22
hope this helps

coolhandluke

endasmail wrote: »

i done the exact same firefly,got the rifle and a shotgun from liam,i found him sound to deal with ,for the sake of a few quid ya have to take in the convenience of courtlough
buy gun
leave it there while waiting for license (which can take a while)
go up and shoot whenever ya want
trade in later on if ya want
get a nice price on a shotgun at later stage
that exactly what i did ,coundnt fault him
oh yea id say it is a hawke scope on the .22
hope this helps

Sounds like a good plan alright,just one question.

If you want to get a shotgun as well for clays do you have to get another licence ?Oh and do you have to get a moderator to shoot .22 in courtlough ?

As i'm still not 100% if i want to go rifle or shotgun.

Sparks

And don't forget - look for second hand deals as well. A second-hand anschutz will probably outshoot a new CZ for about the same money if you get a good deal.

firefly08

Will keep that in mind. But, I'm now reconsidering buying the rifle altogether.

I went to visit Hilltop this evening, and they said they'd advise against buying a gun right away - they said as a member I could hire club guns whenever I want. And the cost of hiring a gun and using the range seems pretty good too. On the other hand, there's a VERY substantial joining fee.

It's hard to know what the best option is. Can't make up my mind!

Owning the rifle seems pointless if I don't have to, since the only place I'll get to use it is whichever club I join.

Chopperdog 2

Firefly,

My basic maths leads me to this figurement of your situation;

Courtlough:- Modest annual club fees, combined with purchase of rifle and full use of range for a year (very approx) €1,000.

Hilltop:- 'Significant' joining and membership fee, plus 'hire' of rifle over a year period (very approx) €1,000.

If you go the Courtlough route you will own your rifle and be a club member for the year.

Going the Hilltop route you will 'hire' a rifle and be a member for the year.

Age old arguement of owning or renting an item.

Once you are licenced by An Garda Siochana for your rifle there is no restriction on you travelling to other clubs to compete or practice.

Seems like a no brainer to me....

Join Courtlough and own your own rifle that you can customise and tweak to your own liking, rather than just having to accept what is offered and having to adapt to such.

Additionally, the CZ silhouette, style, deluxe etc. range are an excellent value for money package. How many bad reports have you read here about them for a starter/intermediate grade target rifle ?

Also, they hold an excellent resale value should you decide to advance to the higher levels of rimfire target shooting.

All; I do have an interest in Courtlough, being a member there.

Firefly; I think I might have spoken to you in reception last saturday afternoon after you returned back in from shooting.

Good luck with the decision, please P.M. if you would like any further club info.

firefly08

Yeah, that was me on Saturday afternoon I'd say. Cheers for the advice.

As regards the restriction on bringing the rifle elsewhere, the problem is that I don't have a gun safe, and I'm not likely to have in the near future (rented house). So I'd have to use club storage facilities. The guy at Hilltop said that this means the club will probably have to give an undertaking to the Guards that I won't take the rifle off the club grounds.

Anyone know if that's right? It's a shame really cause I'd like to be able to do some hunting, but that's life!

But you make a good point about getting to look after the rifle myself.

endasmail

firefly08 wrote: »

Yeah, that was me on Saturday afternoon I'd say. Cheers for the advice.

As regards the restriction on bringing the rifle elsewhere, the problem is that I don't have a gun safe, and I'm not likely to have in the near future (rented house). So I'd have to use club storage facilities. The guy at Hilltop said that this means the club will probably have to give an undertaking to the Guards that I won't take the rifle off the club grounds.

Anyone know if that's right? It's a shame really cause I'd like to be able to do some hunting, but that's life!

But you make a good point about getting to look after the rifle myself.

at some stage your gonna want to take that gun home with ya,and take it out ,it up to yourself ,but ya can leave the gun there in courtlough until ya get yourself sorted .you will want to take it out as time goes by

firefly08

You're right, I'm definitely gonna want to take it out. But I don't know if that's an option. Would I be allowed take it out if I don't have somewhere safe to store it outside the club?

endasmail

not sure if a need a safe for one .22 rifle ,id keep at it at home and keep the bolt out ,kept seperately along with the ammo

Vegeta

endasmail wrote: »

not sure if a need a safe for one .22 rifle ,id keep at it at home and keep the bolt out ,kept seperately along with the ammo

Get a safe

Better 'safe' than sorry.......da dum dish

Also

The NCPU have issued guidelines to supers as advice, not rules.
These are:
The firearm has to be stored in a structurally sound building.
Gun cabinets must be used.
Firearms should never be left unattended.
Three categories for secure storage:
Category A (rifles to .22, shotguns)
- Gun Cabinet (not insisting on BS standard, just that it be fit for purpose), secured to a solid wall or floor and concealed if possible.
- The dwelling should be reasonably secure (good doors and windows).
Category B (fullbore rifles)
- Gun Cabinet as in category A
- Seperate storage area in the cabinet for ammunition
- Audible (not necessarily monitored) alarm on the dwelling
Category C (pistols and revolvers)
- Gun Cabinet as in category B
- External doors must be in good condition with 5 lever mortice locks or for patio doors, anti-lift devices.
- Alarm to EM5031 standard, monitored by a recognised monitoring centre
Also, if you have four or more firearms in a category, you must meet the standards of the next higher category (so 4 cat A firearms = you must meet the cat B conditions).

ivanthehunter

Dont forget that Courtlough will bleed you fpr extra 150 to rent a gun locker off them so try and meet up with some one to share the cost.

firefly08

Yeah they mentioned that. Although I was under the impression that price was per gun, so I wouldn't be able to split it with anyone. Hilltop only charge 50 euro for the same thing, which is another thing that makes me lean towards them!

Now I'm waiting for a chance to talk to the Guards about storage etc. to see whether I would get a license with the intention of storing the gun at club grounds. That will be what makes up my mind I think...

Tea drinker

Lettuce no how you get on with this, I am in a similar situation myself re rented accomadation. I have another possibility I want to explore but I'll ask that question elsewhere rather than derail your thread.

firefly08

Well, I was planning on posting something soon, because I've read a good few posts like my own, where people were renting and wanted to store the gun elsewhere - but no one seemed to know what the story is with that...

I talked to my local sergeant in charge of firearms applications, and he said it's no problem if you want to keep the gun at the club premises- in fact, he said, it's quite a common request. Once you have the license, there is no restriction on taking the gun elsewhere, as long as it's stored in the club when not in use.

So I joined Courtlough, put a deposit on a .22 CZ 452 Silhouette, and rented a locker. I included the receipt for the locker with my application, which I submitted 2 days ago.

So I will post with the news when I get the license.

BTW there was some talk earlier in the thread about the amount of storage space in the lockers at Courtlough - it turns out they are big enough to store several guns.

Frank_Gooding

Talked to some of the guys up in bohernabreena they reckoned the .22 silencer on a mates gun should have a seperate license.

What is the story on that.

Sparks

That's technically the law Frank. Under section 1 of the firearms act, part of the definition of what a firearm is, specifically includes silencers as being firearms for the purposes of the law. So technically, you should have a seperate licence for them. In practise it's handled using an authorisation from your local superintendent (a letter giving permission to have it, in other words).

Chopperdog 2

firefly08 wrote: »

Well, I was planning on posting something soon, because I've read a good few posts like my own, where people were renting and wanted to store the gun elsewhere - but no one seemed to know what the story is with that...

news when I get the license.

BTW there was some talk earlier in the thread about the amount of storage space in the lockers at Courtlough - it turns out they are big enough to store several guns.

Welcome on board Firefly,

If you are free on sunday at noon come up to the Courtlough rifle range. We are running a fun rifle competition specifically geared towards beginners.
Its not just a competition, but also a learning workshop for all participants.

Try come along and meet some new buddies and learn a few pointers on your new sport.

firefly08

Thanks chopperdog - unfortunately I only just saw the message now. Will there be anything like that on again soon?

Chopperdog 2

Firefly,

We are running these every second sunday at the club.

There should be one on sunday 15th March, but I will be at IWA in Germany that weekend so we will probably push it out to 22nd March.

PM me for any more info.

Looking forward to seeing you.

Note; this is open to all Courtlough members who might be reading this...

Sikamick

firefly08 wrote: »

Hi, I'm hoping to buy a rifle to take up target shooting. I was at Courtlough, Balbriggan at the weekend, and they quoted me around 800 euro for a new rifle (don't know what make), including silencer & optics. The Rifle is a CZ .22 with scope, bi-pod, and sound moderator, as deals go this is fairly good, if you were to buy the parts individually all depending on the firearms dealer it would cost more.

If you intend to take the sound moderator with the deal make sure you get an Authorization from the Garda.

Is that kind of expensive? Can anyone tell me, roughly, what's a good price for that kit - and should I shop elsewhere? The thing is, if I buy it from them, I can start using it right away (at the club grounds) while I'm waiting for my license.



I'm also thinking of buying a shotgun for clay shooting - I may do that first, and just hire a rifle at the club the odd time - what should I expect to pay for a shotgun? Because you are a beginner I would suggest that you get safety training, Courthlough have very good shotgun instructors I don't know if they do Safety training in Rifle handling, I would think they do: Sikamick


Thanks!

Michael O'Connor. aka Sikamick
Secretary to Dublin Target Sports Club
also The Vintage Classic Rifle Association of Ireland

clivej

Just looking through the For Sale section FishSlapped has a nearly new CZ 22 varmint for sale at a good price. I have taken a few shots with it and it is very accurate.

Scoogles

Frank_Gooding wrote: »

Talked to some of the guys up in bohernabreena they reckoned the .22 silencer on a mates gun should have a seperate license.

What is the story on that.

Well frank one thing is for sure, don't let them apply for authorisation from a super for a 'silencer' it would have to be called a 'sound moderator'. Not pulling your leg or anything but its just the wording used, like the dole being called the job seekers allowance, thats just the way it is now