.270 Rifle

Veni Vidi Vici

Hey there, I'm fairly new to all this so please be patient!

My dad has a CZ .22 magnum, it's a great little rifle, however, I've been thinking myself about saving up a bit of money for a larger calibre rifle. I've a lot more interest in long range target shooting I'd love to try out and have had my eye on a .270 for a while now. If i were able to get such a rifle I'd probably move on to hunting deer after a year or two of target practise.

I'm just wondering how hard it is to get such a rifle keeping in mind i'm 22 years old, no criminal background etc... What procedures you'd have to go through, any tips, how to go about licencing for deer shooting. Am i even picking the right calibre for my intentions?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Sean

deerhunter1

Veni Vidi Vici wrote: »

Hey there, I'm fairly new to all this so please be patient!

My dad has a CZ .22 magnum, it's a great little rifle, however, I've been thinking myself about saving up a bit of money for a larger calibre rifle. I've a lot more interest in long range target shooting I'd love to try out and have had my eye on a .270 for a while now. If i were able to get such a rifle I'd probably move on to hunting deer after a year or two of target practise.

I'm just wondering how hard it is to get such a rifle keeping in mind i'm 22 years old, no criminal background etc... What procedures you'd have to go through, any tips, how to go about licencing for deer shooting. Am i even picking the right calibre for my intentions?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Sean

Hi there welcome;), in order to get a calibre you speak of, you need a deer hunting licence which is free once you have written permissions of land that has deer on it, or to target shoot with such a calibre you need to be a member of a target rifle club that caters for such calibres, best of luck to you and looking forward to hearing from you here in the future

No6

IF I were you I would get licensed on your dads 22mag now and start practicing with that, target shooting and lots of it but also hunt rabbits and foxes if you can. Theres a lot of difference between shooting at a target and a live animal. To get a .270 or any other deer legal calibre you need a deer licence from the NWPS which can only be obtained when you have permission to shoot on land with deer on it or are paying to shoot on Colite lands. So unless you have buckets of money you'll end up getting permissions from farmers which is easier siad than done at times.

It wasn't me!

For target shooting, there's no real ammo for a .270 out there, whereas if you get something like a .308, you're covered for reasonably priced good quality target shooting ammunition and plenty of quality hunting ammunition. That's what I'd do anyway in your position. As regards licensing, for that size rifle, you'll need to either be a member of a range that caters to it or hunt deer. If you want to hunt deer, you'll first need written permission to hunt where there are deer. You then get a licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Services to let you hunt deer. You use this to apply for the firearm certificate for the rifle. However, if you want to target shoot, you must do so on an authorised range. .270 is a great round, but there just isn't ammo for it for target shooting, while there is for a .308. Either will make a good stalking calibre though. Since you want the practice though, your first bet is going to be joining a range which is authorised for centrefire rifles. Where are you based?

Remmy

hey op.It would be very tricky to jump from not owning any firearms to right away a large cailbre rifle.The common thing to do is to start off with something like a .22lr bolt action rifle.After a year or two move up to something bigger.They are great for learning the ropes of target shooting and the ammunition is quite cheap.If you are interested in getting into long range target shooting then it's important to know how to shoot well at 50 yards first.That wasn't meant to be condescending btw.

Re the .270 , great round but most rifles in that chambering are configured more for deer stalking i.e light weight which makes them not as effective as a dedicated target rifle which should be quite heavy. For getting started in longe range shooting it's hard to argue with a .308. They have a wider range of target ammunition and are used more extensively so it's easier to discuss with other people where you are at , at the longer distances.

So a dedicated target rifle and dedicated deer rifle have two different requirements. I have a heavy .308 savage for target shooting which is ideal but I am aiming to get a nice light .270 for deer in a few years when funds allow.Hope that helped some.:)

Veni Vidi Vici

Thanks a million for all your replies. I'm currently based in North Tipperary and will easily be able to get permission from land owners to shoot on their land (I've a lot of cousins and my dad's friends who are farmers etc.) Would I still have to join a shooting range?

I've also thought about being licensed on my dads rifle, how hard would it be to do so? Would it cost extra?

dev110

I have to agree with Remmy it would be better off if you started on something smaller like your dad's .22 magnum and use that for a year or so to learn the basics such as how to support the rifle in different positions, follow through, squeezing the trigger, breathing. These will be the core to any good shooting.

Also if you went straight to a hard hitting caliber like the .270 you could develop bad habits such as flinching and this is very hard to get out of.

Don't get me wrong the .270 is a brilliant caliber and anything you point at falls over. It is like a laser beam to 300 yards.

Also have to agree with IWM as the .270 wouldn't be known as a target caliber and I don't think that there is target ammo for it. The .308 would be a great caliber for target and a hunting round.

Cass

Welcome aboard.

The lads have covered most of the bases with their responses. Here is my own tupence worth.

Veni Vidi Vici wrote: »

I've a lot more interest in long range target shooting I'd love to try out and have had my eye on a .270 for a while now. If i were able to get such a rifle I'd probably move on to hunting deer after a year or two of target practise.

The .270 is a hard hitting round and well capable of doing the things you want. A hunting style rifle will not do very well at target work, but if its only informal target shooting to get you used to the rifle, and shooting it then a hunter will be fine. Plus if you go the target route and get a rifle suitable for target work solely you will find it too heavy, awkward, not suitable for hunting.

I'm just wondering how hard it is to get such a rifle keeping in mind i'm 22 years old, no criminal background etc...

Once your reasons for wanting the rifle are valid then you will have no bother. Obviously the decision is ultimately your Super's, but if you are a member of an authorised range or have the necessary land permissions for deer stalking then you are covered. You need not get a deer license if you are a member of an authorised range. So you could shoot on the range with your rifle and then apply for a deer license when you feel you are ready.

What procedures you'd have to go through,

Most of it is covered in the red announcement at the top of the main shooting forum. Here. In short you need to have membership of an authorised range or have the necessary permissions from a couple of land owners allowing/giving you shooting rights over their land. Any target work will have to be carried out on an authorised range, but if you go straight into deer stalking you need a rifle, license, land permission, and the necessary license from the NPWS.

any tips,

For info on guns go to a local range and look around. Also visit some dealers and see what else is on offer.If its deer then get out and start knocking on some doors.

how to go about licencing for deer shooting.

As above.

Am i even picking the right calibre for my intentions?

I've also thought about being licensed on my dads rifle, how hard would it be to do so? Would it cost extra

Not very. As you Father has met all the conditions and security requirments you would be covered there also. It will cost you €80 for the three year license, and as said would be an excellent introduction to the world of shooting.

There is no "right" caliber. Merely what you like or are happy using. The .270 is well up to the job. Other calibers to look at would be the .243, 6.5x55 or .308. There are many more, but these would probably cover the majority of popular calibers.

Veni Vidi Vici

As my dad is licensed for the .22, how would i go about being licensed, would it be under his or would I need a separate license for myself?

It wasn't me!

Veni Vidi Vici wrote: »

As my dad is licensed for the .22, how would i go about being licensed, would it be under his or would I need a separate license for myself?

You'll have your own licence, exactly the same as if he weren't licensed on it at all, except where it asks on the form for the licence details of anyone else licensed on the firearm, where you'll fill in his cert number. That's it though. You should be fine. It's good practice though to learn on the rimfire. The more time you spend shooting, the better feel you'll get for whether it's hunting or target shooting you want to do. If you want to be competitive in the target shooting, then the rifle is going to be long and heavy and no use for hunting. It's easy to get a nice light sporting rifle to drag around everywhere though which won't break the bank and would be perfect for you as a hunting gun.

Veni Vidi Vici

He doesn't use it at all any more, so I think I might go through that process, and once I'm licensed for the rifle, he should be able to cancel his?

Cass

Just to be ultra clear, he doesn't have to cancel his license. You both can be licensed on it.

poulo6.5

Hello and welcome to the mad house.

Firstly have you ever bin stalking before or had any experience with a full bore rifle.

There is a lot more to stalking than just pulling a trigger. You have to carry/drag your animal back to your car/van what ever and get it home. Then skinning and butchering. You will need hanging space and refrigeration. And so on.

If I were you I would get licences on your dads .22 and then try for your full bore license.

And the lads are right in saying that a .308 is a better choice for target and hunting use. As it has a good range of hunting and target ammo. Not to mention the cheap stuff you can get for learning with


If you have never bin stalking and still think it is for you then give me a buz in September and I'll take you along so you can see what it's all about.

pugw

Hey here's what I would do, practice with your dads rifle for a few weeks then shop around for a second hand .223, you'll be waiting a few months for the license so keep practising with the .22mag. .223 ammo can be got cheap enough so go targeting and foxing for a year then if your still interested in going after deer trade up to a .270 !

No6

I'd take Paulo up on his offer, the best way to learn deer hunting is with someone who knows what they are doing and as mentioned above the easy bit is pulling the trigger, foxing is good practice but they are a lot lighter than deer!!:D

Tackleberrywho

Very few have the determination to deal with what happens after you pull the trigger.
And if you are on your own, it is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay harder!

Get a dual licence on yer dads rifle
After a few months/year get a .223
Then after foxing for a while see if you still want to be a deer stalker.

Bearing in mind, if you can skin a fox, you can skin a deer

ormondprop

Veni Vidi Vici wrote: »

will easily be able to get permission from land owners to shoot on their land (I've a lot of cousins and my dad's friends who are farmers etc.)

its not just permission from famers like you need for your gun license, to get a deer license it has to be land that deer are on, you have to get the folio number of the land for the application then the local ranger checks to see if there is actually deer there before approving it,
From using your fathers magnum to getting a .270 is a huge leap, if i were you i'd get licensed on the magnum or else get the likes of a .223 or .204 and get out hunting rabbits foxes crows and get used to centrefire rifles while at the same time go deer stalking with lads you know who do it for a year or two, then if you enjoy it trade your rifle for a deer calibre, thats what i'm planning, learn to walk before you run, i started with .22 then a hornet now a .223 next stop will be something like a 243