Advice for nooooooob!!

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Hey all!

I have bought (regretably) a CZ .22 and applied for the licence, but, have changed my mind. I was advised to start out small, even though I knew I could handle a bigger calibre. I know there is nothing wrong with a .22 if you want it for pest control or a stepping stone to something more serious, but I have always intended on buying a .308 with the intention of hunting deer and for long range target shooting.

Am I correct in saying that I need to join the Midlands range to get the .308 licence and to take part in long range target shooting? I live in Dublin but would have no problem with travelling 2-3 times a month to shoot.

Also will I need to contact the GS to cancel the .22 application or just let it complete?

I also would like advice on what type of .308 to start with, hoping for a Steyr SSG, any advice on these points woul be mucho appreciated!!

Thanks in advance!

moose112

I have been shooting for the past twelve years with a shotgun, only lately decided to invest in a rifle.
Mentioned this to a few friends and lads in the club and advised me to go for a .22 or .17hmr as it takes time to get used to shooting a rifle.
In there word "why buy a ferrai when you can't handle a micra"

Just my two cents

Cass

Hey ben,

I have bought (regretably) a CZ .22

Did you not like it or just not interested in starting with a .22lr.

.......but I have always intended on buying a .308 with the intention of hunting deer and for long range target shooting.

.308 is perfectly good for deer hunting. Also a great round for long range target work. I shoot a Sako .308 but it weighs a ton and is not really suitable for stalking, hence the reason i've bought a new 30-06. Pure hunting rifle.

Am I correct in saying that I need to join the Midlands range to get the .308 licence and to take part in long range target shooting?

Wouldn't hurt, but be aware the midlands like all clubs frown upon people joining just to get licenses. They have the best facilities for long range target work plus 100-300yd fox/deer zero range.

Also will I need to contact the GS to cancel the .22 application or just let it complete?

If you know someone with a .22 let the license application go through then transfer it to that rifle. If you really have no interest in .22 then cancel but check with other lads on this site as it may affect other future applications.

I also would like advice on what type of .308 to start with.........

Never shot the .308 in steyr but did have (until recently) a steyr 243. Pros; Good rifle, light, easy to carry. Cons; very loud (even with moderator), plastic feeling, not a target rifle.

The other lads here will give you more indepth advice on specifics.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

moose112 wrote: »

I have been shooting for the past twelve years with a shotgun, only lately decided to invest in a rifle.
Mentioned this to a few friends and lads in the club and advised me to go for a .22 or .17hmr as it takes time to get used to shooting a rifle.
In there word "why buy a ferrai when you can't handle a micra"

Just my two cents

Hi Moose112,

Thanks for the advice, I should have mentioned, I am a serving member of the Defence Forces for the past 12 years, so, I am very familiar with high calibre weapons, ha, il give the Ferrari a shot!

moose112

benwavner wrote: »

Hi Moose112,

Thanks for the advice, I should have mentioned, I am a serving member of the Defence Forces for the past 12 years, so, I am very familiar with high calibre weapons, ha, il give the Ferrari a shot!

Suppose that counts for something so:D

Jonty

Are you aware of the cost of 308 match ammo? Its not really suitable to learn on. You will need deep pockets. Stick with the .22 for a few months to get the basics right. If you are in Dublin you should really try some of the smallbore ranges up there. I'd recommend Hilltop in Newtownmountkennedy as you can hire a rifle there. .22 benchrest is an awful lot harder than it looks!!

Just noticed you are DF. Still a 300mm bull on a four foot target is a large target and to be fair you don't really have to be a great shot to be hitting it consistently.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

ezridax wrote: »

Hey ben,



Did you not like it or just not interested in starting with a .22lr.



.308 is perfectly good for deer hunting. Also a great round for long range target work. I shoot a Sako .308 but it weighs a ton and is not really suitable for stalking, hence the reason i've bought a new 30-06. Pure hunting rifle.



Wouldn't hurt, but be aware the midlands like all clubs frown upon people joining just to get licenses. They have the best facilities for long range target work plus 100-300yd fox/deer zero range.



If you know someone with a .22 let the license application go through then transfer it to that rifle. If you really have no interest in .22 then cancel but check with other lads on this site as it may affect other future applications.



Never shot the .308 in steyr but did have (until recently) a steyr 243. Pros; Good rifle, light, easy to carry. Cons; very loud (even with moderator), plastic feeling, not a target rifle.

The other lads here will give you more indepth advice on specifics.

Hi ezridax,

I was advised to start off with the .22 because it was easier to get a licence, then I could work my way up the calibre chain. Tbh, I have no interest in starting with the .22lr. I mainly wanted to do long range target shooting and enter competitions, the deer side of things would come later. I have been meaning to join the Midlands club but wasnt quite sure which way to go about it all.

Thanks for the advice about the Sako, il have to look into that!

Jonty

one piece of advice about the SSG is that it is nigh on impossible to rebarrel them as the barrel are heat shrinked to fit the action, it takes about 10 tons of pullout force to separate them and them stock is fairly dung, its made from cycolac which is kinda brittle. Also the magazines are soft as well.


Look at the Sako TRG or the Accuracy International. The problem with these is that they are not really suited for stalking.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Jonty wrote: »

Are you aware of the cost of 308 match ammo? Its not really suitable to learn on. You will need deep pockets. Stick with the .22 for a few months to get the basics right. If you are in Dublin you should really try some of the smallbore ranges up there. I'd recommend Hilltop in Newtownmountkennedy as you can hire a rifle there. .22 benchrest is an awful lot harder than it looks!!

Just noticed you are DF. Still a 300mm bull on a four foot target is a large target and to be fair you don't really have to be a great shot to be hitting it consistently.

Hi Jonty,

Thanks for the input and true you dont need to be a great shot for the 4" targets in the DF, but i am used to shooting a bigger caliber than the .22, plus I have used the 7.62 AI 96 a lot, so tbh a .22 up to 100m doesnt really appeal to me, its kind of taking a step back. I actually got the .22 in Hilltop, great bunch of lads I have to say.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Jonty wrote: »

one piece of advice about the SSG is that it is nigh on impossible to rebarrel them as the barrel are heat shrinked to fit the action, it takes about 10 tons of pullout force to separate them and them stock is fairly dung, its made from cycolac which is kinda brittle. Also the magazines are soft as well.


Look at the Sako TRG or the Accuracy International. The problem with these is that they are not really suited for stalking.

Thanks Jonty,

I didnt realise the Steyr had many cons. I am used to the AI but the Sako sounds nice, any ideas of cost for the Sako's?

Jonty

benwavner wrote: »

Hi Jonty,

Thanks for the input and true you dont need to be a great shot for the 4" targets in the DF, but i am used to shooting a bigger caliber than the .22, plus I have used the 7.62 AI 96 a lot, so tbh a .22 up to 100m doesnt really appeal to me, its kind of taking a step back. I actually got the .22 in Hilltop, great bunch of lads I have to say.

They are mighty men up there to be fair. I'd be up there once a week myself, shoot a few clays and a bit of benchrest. Have a sako .308 and its a great tool.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Jonty wrote: »

They are mighty men up there to be fair. I'd be up there once a week myself, shoot a few clays and a bit of benchrest. Have a sako .308 and its a great tool.

Man, I love a bit of clay shooting, it just feels so satisfing!! Did u get the Sako new or used? Woulk you advise buying a used one to start out with?

Cass

If its target work you are interested in then .308 is a good rifle. I know of lads who sold a .308 only to buy one again in a couple of weeks/months. I have the Sako TRG22 in .308 phosphate green, with a Nightforce 12-42x56 scope. i have a muzzle break and moderator along with every accessory. (as in pic 2) The rifle is far more accurate than i am as in it can out shoot me, but with 1"-1.25" groups of 5 rounds at 300yds consistantly i can't complain.

They come in 2 choices black for about €2600 and phosphate green for €3400+. With scope and accessories, ammo, cleaning gear, basic set up kit, etc total cost can run around €7000+. As Jonty said ammo is expensive but lets face it you're not going to be firing 200 rounds per session but at about €37- 40 per box of 20 its not cheap.

The Sig (pic 1) is a 6.5x55. Excellent rifle also. Starts at €2700+ new but Sig have stopped making them so you shoyld pick up a nice second hand one for right money. Most long range shooters i've met started or used a sig at some point. Pin point accuracy out to 600yds. Takes more adjustment than the Sako to click out the yds but thats down to velocity of the round and load of the round. Some of the lads at midlands are using 7mm and other rifles but most are customised and would make you cry at their price range (but what rifles).

You can start much lower price wise. May i suggest the savage .308 as in pic 3. I've heard great reports about them and have fired one on two occassions. Plus only €1600 or there abouts.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

ezridax wrote: »

If its target work you are interested in then .308 is a good rifle. I know of lads who sold a .308 only to buy one again in a couple of weeks/months. I have the Sako TRG22 in .308 phosphate green, with a Nightforce 12-42x56 scope. i have a muzzle break and moderator along with every accessory. (as in pic 2) The rifle is far more accurate than i am as in it can out shoot me, but with 1"-1.25" groups of 5 rounds at 300yds consistantly i can't complain.

They come in 2 choices black for about €2600 and phosphate green for €3400+. With scope and accessories, ammo, cleaning gear, basic set up kit, etc total cost can run around €7000+. As Jonty said ammo is expensive but lets face it you're not going to be firing 200 rounds per session but at about €37- 40 per box of 20 its not cheap.

The Sig (pic 1) is a 6.5x55. Excellent rifle also. Starts at €2700+ new but Sig have stopped making them so you shoyld pick up a nice second hand one for right money. Most long range shooters i've met started or used a sig at some point. Pin point accuracy out to 600yds. Takes more adjustment than the Sako to click out the yds but thats down to velocity of the round and load of the round. Some of the lads at midlands are using 7mm and other rifles but most are customised and would make you cry at their price range (but what rifles).

You can start much lower price wise. May i suggest the savage .308 as in pic 3. I've heard great reports about them and have fired one on two occassions. Plus only €1600 or there abouts.

Lovely pics...........the Sako looks fantastic....Id love one of those!! For now, i reckon il start off with something less expensive. Maybe a used Sako?

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Thanks for all your help lads,

Il be contacting the Midlands range and hopefully getting my hands on a Sako .308!!

Hopefully see u down there one day.

Cheers!!

Jonty

I've got a Sako 75 varmint (heavy) barrell in .308, not the TRG.

Altenatively you could look at a tikka t3 tactical

http://www.tikka.fi/t3models.php?tactical


There around €1500 new and are available in .308. I've got one in .223 and its the mutts nutts.

They are essentially a sako barrel and trigger (not TRG but 75 varmint similar contour barrel) and a twin locking lug bolt. They come factory threaded and are quite popular.

The big problem with these I find is that you can't load through the ejection port and behind the trigger guard is a bit rough and feels funny on your Index finger. On the plus side its sweet and can double as a stalking rifle sooner than a TRG or AI

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Jonty wrote: »

I've got a Sako 75 varmint (heavy) barrell in .308, not the TRG.

Altenatively you could look at a tikka t3 tactical

http://www.tikka.fi/t3models.php?tactical


There around €1500 new and are available in .308. I've got one in .223 and its the mutts nutts.

They are essentially a sako barrel and trigger (not TRG but 75 varmint similar contour barrel) and a twin locking lug bolt. They come factory threaded and are quite popular.


The big problem with these I find is that you can't load through the ejection port and behind the trigger guard is a bit rough and feels funny on your Index finger. On the plus side its sweet and can double as a stalking rifle sooner than a TRG or AI

Actually, this sounds like a much better option for me, seems like an "all rounder" plus its cheaper to start with, thanks for the link!!

Clash

The best option is to go to the club and have a look at what people are doing and what they are using and talk to them.

If it's target shooting you want to do, then target shooters in a target shooting club are who you need to talk to before you do or buy anything.

Even if it's a mixture, you'll find people there who know the ropes.

Cass

Clash wrote: »

The best option is to go to the club and have a look at what people are doing and what they are using and talk to them.

If it's target shooting you want to do, then target shooters in a target shooting club are who you need to talk to before you do or buy anything.

Even if it's a mixture, you'll find people there who know the ropes.

+1

Good advice. Look around. Get a feel of a few rifles. See how they fire etc. One piece of advice. No matter what you spend on a rifle try not to skimp on the scope. I know money is an issue for everyone in present times but the amount of lads shooting perfectly good rifles with inadequate scopes is surprising. A target scope will do the job of a hunting scope and target whereas a hunting class scope may not suit target work. Midlands is open 10am till 16:30 Saturday and Sunday. Go take a look.

It wasn't me!

Main problem is trying to get a hunting rifle and a target rifle in the same gun. For it to be a hunting gun, you're not going to want to trek around with a 30" barrel, which long range .308s will have, to keep a bullet supersonic to the target, so the .308 is out for that. Faster calibres with better ballistics can achieve that goal with shorter barrels. For instance, with a 7mm Rem Mag or a .243AI, you'd probably get away with a 26" barrel, which is manageable in the field. Then you're going to want a scope to do it all, so looking for a wide range of magnification, high end for targets and lower for hunting, so perhaps a Bushnell Elite 4.5-30x50 is the answer. Then get a good, hardwearing stock with good bedding. For barrel profile you're looking at getting a fairly heavy one to handle the targets, so that'll increase your overall weight. All in all, what you're going to end up with is a compromise gun, that's a touch uncomfortably heavy and ungainly for hunting, and is costing you points on the range. You could do both, but realistically, you need two guns to do both, ideally.