1st Time rifle license.

p_mac

hi guys,

i am very interested in getting into a bit of foxing, i am in the market for a rifle or rifle package at the moment...

i have had my shotgun for over ten years now, but have never had a rifle licence and was just looking for some general advice on the process involved if i were to make a deal with somebody advertising on boards.

dev110 it looks like a real nice setup...

any info is much appreciated...

pete

Cass

Hello and welcome to the shooting forum.

What you ask can have a long and drawn out amount of answers. Try and break it down as this.

When it comes to starting of the first caliber recommended is always a .22lr rifle. The reason for this is the rifle, setup, gear, ammo, etc is cheap to buy, and easy to maintain/run.

The limitations with a .22lr are range, and effectiveness on larger game. However if you have no experience with a rifle then i would not suggest jumping into a centrefire rifle. The differnce betwen a rimfire, and centrefire is based on the make up of the round used. See the picture below;


The round to the left being the rimfire meaning once the bottom/rim of the cartridge is struck by the firing pin the round is discharged. On a centrefire the primer (no 4 on right picture) must be struck which ignites the powder and fires the bullet.

Most rimfires have a range of between 0 - 125 yards, effective range. Centrefire rifles, depending on shooter ability have mush greater effective ranges, and hence need ALOT more experience to handle. Apart from the firearm you need to be aware of your environment, backstop (where the bullet will finish) shot placement, etc. Its not quite as easy as point and pull the trigger.

The best selling and most popular starter rifle is the CZ .22lr.


Th setup above would cost, depending on scope choice, about €800 new or between €300 - €550 second hand. There are a fantastic gun, and if you asked i would say about 70% of rifle shooter either had one or have one.

To find out which rifle you want or more importantly which suits your intended purpose then i would suggest visiting a few rifle ranges, and seeing what others are using, and what they have, use it for, how it works, how effective it is, cost, etc. Most ranges would welcome you, and freely show you around. Simply ring before travleing as some ranges need prior notification before you can turn up.

Once you have your fireamr chosen, know what you want you go to a dealers. You should always go to as many as possible, and never buy in the first shop even if the price seems too good to be true. once you have a gn picked in a dealer you trust i always recommend asking someone with experience to come view it, and gie you advice on the price you are paying and the deal you are getting. Too many people just pay whats asked, and find out after they could have done better, or gotten it cheaper elsewhere.

With regards to the license, and getting one. Your previous experience with a shotgun will be a plus, but you may find you have to do a comptency course to obtain a rifle license. This process is described here and here.

Once you have the course done, if necessary, you need to apply for the license and send in your course cert. If you intend on hunting you need permission letters from land owners/farmers to say you have their permission to shoot on their land. If you want it for range work then you need to be a member of an authorised range. All the details for , about and how to fill in the FCA1 is here. Also have a read of the seciurity requirements. A safe is mandatory for a rifle, and as you have a shotgun you might fulfill the safety requirements already.

In relation to buying form a member on boards or anyone privately. Its no different to buying of a dealer realy bar one or two things. Have a read of this thread to get a rough idea.

i think i've covered most of the basics. TBH its a lot of info, and the red announcement a the top of the main shooting forum holds pretty much all the info you would need.

Any other qquestions feel free to ask.

session savage

What he said ^^^^^^^^^^^^:D

session savage

Seriously though I would agree with Ezridax about getting a .22lr first. I have a CZ 452 as pictured above and got it out of the box for 550 and put a hawke scope worth about 100 on top and its a phenomenal little firearm. TBH I think the ould .22 is seriously underrated but personally I wouldnt use it on foxes (i have the .223 for that)
I have never met someone who regretted getting a .22lr first.... NEVER.

mrbrianj

The other answers are spot on.

But if you do have experience but just not had your own rifle. Think about getting a deer permit and going .243, which will fox damn well! But opens all your options.

But otherwise as the lads say .22 to start off. I think most people who get one keep a rifle in that calibre no matter what else they need

tommyboy26

Cz 452 is the best out of the box starter rifle you can get. fairly cheap to buy,feed with ammo,maintain. very accurate little rifle i know lads who bought them and never got rid of them ten years later.

aurin07

Everyone should own a 22lr.




I'll never sell my 452 would love a HMR but cant be ridding of the 22

session savage

Its a wonder that having a .22 as a first rifle isn't mandatory in the same way you have to have a restricted/small power motorbike as a first. ... maybe i shouldnt be giving them ideas??

czgalway

you should have absolutely no problem with getting a licence for a rimfire rifle 22lr or 17hmr i got my cz452 lux in 22lr with a harris bipod and a sak silencer and a 3-9 hawke scope with 300 rounds and a trigger lock for exactly 500 euro brand new in duffys in galway.shop around i got mine in a deal the rifle on its own was 470 euro so it was a no brainer .if you are thinking about doing a bit of foxing i would recomend the 17hmr it packs a lot more punch and is still a smaller calibre than a 22lr so should have no prob licencing.good luck with what ever you pick

offalyvoere22

Ezridax wrote: »

Hello and welcome to the shooting forum.

What you ask can have a long and drawn out amount of answers. Try and break it down as this.

When it comes to starting of the first caliber recommended is always a .22lr rifle. The reason for this is the rifle, setup, gear, ammo, etc is cheap to buy, and easy to maintain/run.

The limitations with a .22lr are range, and effectiveness on larger game. However if you have no experience with a rifle then i would not suggest jumping into a centrefire rifle. The differnce betwen a rimfire, and centrefire is based on the make up of the round used. See the picture below;


The round to the left being the rimfire meaning once the bottom/rim of the cartridge is struck by the firing pin the round is discharged. On a centrefire the primer (no 4 on right picture) must be struck which ignites the powder and fires the bullet.

Most rimfires have a range of between 0 - 125 yards, effective range. Centrefire rifles, depending on shooter ability have mush greater effective ranges, and hence need ALOT more experience to handle. Apart from the firearm you need to be aware of your environment, backstop (where the bullet will finish) shot placement, etc. Its not quite as easy as point and pull the trigger.

The best selling and most popular starter rifle is the CZ .22lr.


Th setup above would cost, depending on scope choice, about €800 new or between €300 - €550 second hand. There are a fantastic gun, and if you asked i would say about 70% of rifle shooter either had one or have one.

To find out which rifle you want or more importantly which suits your intended purpose then i would suggest visiting a few rifle ranges, and seeing what others are using, and what they have, use it for, how it works, how effective it is, cost, etc. Most ranges would welcome you, and freely show you around. Simply ring before travleing as some ranges need prior notification before you can turn up.

Once you have your fireamr chosen, know what you want you go to a dealers. You should always go to as many as possible, and never buy in the first shop even if the price seems too good to be true. once you have a gn picked in a dealer you trust i always recommend asking someone with experience to come view it, and gie you advice on the price you are paying and the deal you are getting. Too many people just pay whats asked, and find out after they could have done better, or gotten it cheaper elsewhere.

With regards to the license, and getting one. Your previous experience with a shotgun will be a plus, but you may find you have to do a comptency course to obtain a rifle license. This process is described here and here.

Once you have the course done, if necessary, you need to apply for the license and send in your course cert. If you intend on hunting you need permission letters from land owners/farmers to say you have their permission to shoot on their land. If you want it for range work then you need to be a member of an authorised range. All the details for , about and how to fill in the [URL="http://www.garda.ie/Documents/User/fca1 firearm certificate application[2].pdf"]FCA1[/URL] is here. Also have a read of the seciurity requirements. A safe is mandatory for a rifle, and as you have a shotgun you might fulfill the safety requirements already.

In relation to buying form a member on boards or anyone privately. Its no different to buying of a dealer realy bar one or two things. Have a read of this thread to get a rough idea.

i think i've covered most of the basics. TBH its a lot of info, and the red announcement a the top of the main shooting forum holds pretty much all the info you would need.

Any other qquestions feel free to ask.

Hey iv a quick question. Iv a .22lr iv had it about 6 month now. I was just wondering can i apply for a higher caliber like a 223 or do i have to get rid of my 22 first.plus what do i need to apply for the 223?

Regards

clivej

offalyvoere22 wrote: »

Hey iv a quick question. Iv a .22lr iv had it about 6 month now. I was just wondering can i apply for a higher caliber like a 223 or do i have to get rid of my 22 first.plus what do i need to apply for the 223?

Regards

Apply away you can have as many firearms 'As you have GOOD reason' to own.

clivej

If you want to go fox shooting then be all means go get the 223. There's plenty of second hand rifles out there to choose from.

My sons first rifle/firearm was a CZ in .223.

Cass

offalyvoere22 wrote: »

......... can i apply for a higher caliber like a 223 or do i have to get rid of my 22 first.plus what do i need to apply for the 223?

Regards

Depends really on your FO/Super and as said above your good reason for wanting the rifle.

Ordinarily most FOs can distinguish between the uses of a .22lr, and a .223 so it is more than possible to own both. However if from a personal point of view you do not want both then you can trade one against the other at an RFD.

If trading you can try do a substitution, but he may view it as a new application as one is a rimfire, the other a C/F. Alternatively you can seek a new license for the .223, and keep the .22lr.

These questions pop up most every week, and the best answer anyone can give is roughly what i've said above. Unfortunately there is no definite answer. It really is up to your FO/Super.

Lastly as to what you need. Pretty much the same as what you used for the .22lr. Land permissions or membership of an authorised range. Then the FCA1 is the same.