Need some help with buying my first rifle.

nastros

Basically I am planning on buying a Ruger 10/22 and start target shooting. I just have a few questions that I hope people here can help me with.

1. I am wondering where to buy the rifle. I am in the Clare/Limerick area. If people know a reliable place to buy near me I would really appreciate it.
2. I am looking for a Target shooting range in the Clare/Limerick area or closest to that area where I can go once a week and practice.
3. I was told that the Ruger 10/22 would be a good starting rifle if people have batter recommendations I would be happy to here them.

I appreciate all the help I can get here very new to this.

Cass

nastros wrote: »

• I am wondering where to buy the rifle. I am in the Clare/Limerick area. If people know a reliable place to buy near me I would really appreciate it.

Have not bought in Limerick so someone better suited can recommend a gun shop.

• I am looking for a Target shooting range in the Clare/Limerick area or closest to that area where I can go once a week and practice.

Here s a list of some ranges. See if any are suitable.

• I was told that the Ruger 10/22 would be a good starting rifle if people have batter recommendations I would be happy to here them.

Depends on the type of shooting. A Ruger 10/22 would be a good starter for Gallery rifle, but for most other forms of shooting (BR, Sporting, etc) then a bolt action rifle is more accurate than a Ruger. The CZ is a among the most popular rifle for very little money. They are reliable, accurate, cheap to buy, and run, and can be gotten in most every gun shop due to their popularity.

nastros

Thanks for the advice I will have a look a the CZ rifles also.

tommyboy26

nastros wrote: »

Thanks for the advice I will have a look a the CZ rifles also.

what type a target shooting are you planning to do?


TB26

nastros

Im looking to try everything I can and see what I like. I have fired a lot of firearms when I lived over in the states but I have never done much of it over here. I have always been fond of rifle shooting and I know a rim fire is good starter rifle as it is relatively low cost. Not looking to do any hunting with the rifle purely target stuff.

tommyboy26

nastros wrote: »

Im looking to try everything I can and see what I like. I have fired a lot of firearms when I lived over in the states but I have never done much of it over here. I have always been fond of rifle shooting and I know a rim fire is good starter rifle as it is relatively low cost. Not looking to do any hunting with the rifle purely target stuff.

you should go to one or two ranges and speak to members about what disapline to they shoot and what rifle and gear there using. i shoot mainly gallery rifle and have a 10/22 which is the mostly commonly used rifle in smallbore gallery as semi auto is a requirment for smallbore gallery rifle.

however if you were looking to just do a bit of plinking you cant go far wrong with a cz 452 bolt action. there realitivly cheap very accurate out of the box and well built and cheap to run.

My main recommendation is that you do alot of research before you buy as you dont want to have to go through the whole process of changing rifles and gear if what you bought firstly doesnt suit what you want to do.

TB26

clivej

If its target shooting that will be your main interest then don't get the ruger 10/22 as by its nature is not as accurate as a bolt action rifle. I know as I have used both and it's horses for courses.

The CZ range of .22 rifle take some beating for 'out of the box' accuracy and is well capable of 1/2" groups at 50m. Plenty of these rifles in the dealers second hand at small ish money.

The Ruger is a good semi-auto .22 and is a fun little rifle to use and shoot. But it will never consistany group like a bolt action unless many upgrades are made to it at big ish money. My 10/22 will group the magic 1/2" at 50m but has been upgraded until all that's Ruger now is the action with the serial number on it. And at a cost of €1000 plus.

So my advice is go for the CZ varmint model in .22 with a nice Bushnell Banner 6-18x50 scope.

Valhalla18

Hi all ,

( Sorry Clivej but i have to disagree with you )

If you want to shoot gallery rifle comps then i would advise going for the Ruger 10/22 . It is the most widely used rifle for this sport ( about 95% of gallery rifle shooters use them ).
A brand new out of the box timber stock costs about €400 approx or the all weather costs about €450 ish .Yes you can spend any amount of money after that but you dont have to . I had a " tricked out " ruger but i have now gone back to the all weather and i find i am actually shooting better with it now than i was with the one with carbon fibre barell etc .
Dont forget you are only shooting a maximun of 50 meters , and thats if you are shooting the GR1500 event , all other short matches only go out to 25 meters .
I do not shoot a lot of benchrest comps but if you were then a CZ452 would be a good basic starting rifle , same again you can spent any amount of money after that on custom benchrest rifles .One of the benchrest people on here can give you more info.

There are a few clubs that you could look up

Munster Target Shooting Club - MTSC
Harbour House Shooting Club
Hilltop Shooting Club
Fermoy Shooting Club
LoughBo Shooting Club
( not all near you but all heavily into galleryrifle shooting )

They all have websites ( i think ) to look up and MTSC and Fermoy might be the closest to yourself .If you contact them they should know some good dealers .( i would recommend ringing Hilltop as he has a good range of firearms in stock at the moment ).
If not send an email to Galleryrifle@nasrpc.ie and they will help you .

regards
Valhalla18

nastros

Ok thanks for the information. This has been really helpful. I will contact a few of the ranes ye mentioned and get some more advice from them.

Cass

Valhalla18 wrote: »

Hi all ,

( Sorry Clivej but i have to disagree with you )

If you want to shoot gallery rifle comps then i would advise going for the Ruger 10/22 .

Clivej is a big boy, and well able to answer himself, but i thought i'd add my tuppence worth.

I think you might have picked up his advice wrong. To me he is not recommending a CZ over a ruger for Gallery, but more so for an all purpose rifle. The CZ is as sheap as the Ruger, but can be used in more disciplines than Gallery to better effect due to the inherent inaccuracy of the Ruger (being a semi auto).

Now if i'm wrong then i apologise to both Valhalla, and Clivej.

Clivej shoots Gallery, and pistol so he'd have a good idea of what is needed, better than i, but his advice to me makes more sense. A CZ or similar bolt action rifle is a better starter rifle. While learning the basics of rifle shooting it also offers better performance than a stock Ruger at the same money. This will build confidence, and get the OP shooting.

Later on the OP can then decide to make the move to Gallery or continue to shoot BR, etc with his bolt action. However if he starts with a Ruger, and finds BR is his "cup of tea" e may find constantly lower scores, results, performance from using a semi auto over a bolt action.

clivej

Valhalla18 wrote: »

Hi all ,

( Sorry Clivej but i have to disagree with you )
regards
Valhalla18

Now GF........

I thought I made my answer to the OP question clear enough. He asks about getting a Ruger 10/22 as a "Target" rifle. As you look to be well informed about the 10/22's the. You will/should know that they will Never be able to shoot as well as a bolt action rifle 'Out of the box'.

Again as I say it's horses for courses if you want small grouping for target shooting then get a bolt action rifle and the CZ range of .22 rifle are a good starting point.
If you want to go gallery competition shooting then get the Ruger 10/22 'cos there not much to touch them for the gallery shooting.

Cost to make a Ruger 10/22 do 1/2 MOA groups, which is 1/4" @50m
Ruger 10/22 €350. Now toss out all but the action
Kidd match target barrel from €350
Kidd two stage trigger from €400
Kidd bolt and charging handle €150
Boyd Evo stock €150
Tactical Solutions 15MOA rail €40

Total = €1440 ish and that is cheap

dax121

clivej wrote: »

Kidd bolt and charging handle €150

is their something ur not telling us clive i payed over €250 for mine

cw67irl

Another option for a fully custom gun is just buy an empty receiver and add all your custom parts to it, Would cost roughly the same but would give you a better quality rifle!

However you would have to have all your parts ready to go into it as soon as you get your licence!

clivej

cw67irl wrote: »

Another option for a fully custom gun is just buy an empty receiver and add all your custom parts to it, Would cost roughly the same but would give you a better quality rifle!

However you would have to have all your parts ready to go into it as soon as you get your licence!

Getting just a custom action/receiver is easier said than done. I'm trying to get a Kidd action but finding it hard. And will need a license for the action as that's the part with the serial number on it.

There are places in the US that sell an 80% action and will ship to Ireland and you have to finish it off by drilling all the holes in it, including the barrel hole. They will supply a gig for hole placement and the correct drill sizes.

nastros

Talked to the guys in Fermoy they asked me to call down on Sunday and see what type of shooting would interest me before buying anything. Will keep ye posted on what I end up with.

cw67irl

I believe paddy fagan is selling the receivers, Or is in the process of getting them, Rude Fat Dog also sell them amd could ship to an RFD here

You could go that road and just apply for a licence for the receiver!

Valhalla18

Hi all ,
As i am "slightly" biased towards gallery rifle i may have picked up the thread wrong .
So here goes again ,
if you are starting out and unless you have a few quid hidden away then,

For gallery rifle then go for a ruger 10/22 , one straight out of the box is good enough for beginners or even more experienced shooters .

For target shooting , benchrest , plinking or rabbit shooting etc then a CZ452 is a very accurate , easy to look after firearm .( I used to have one and i am sorry i got rid of it .)
I hope that clears up the confusion on my part and my humblest apologies to you Mr CLIVEJ

Regards
GF

nastros

So while chatting with the father he decided he wouldn't mind getting into the target shooting as well. Would it be good idea to buy 2 rifles or both go on the one rifle. Also are you allowed hold a license for firearm in rented accommodation.

clivej

nastros wrote: »

So while chatting with the father he decided he wouldn't mind getting into the target shooting as well. Would it be good idea to buy 2 rifles or both go on the one rifle. Also are you allowed hold a license for firearm in rented accommodation.

Buy just the one for now and both of you apply for a license on it.
And yes you can get your license even if the house/apartment is rented. But if you have to instal a safe ask the landlord if that's ok first

Queen-Mise

I read this thread title as: 'Need some help with buying my first wife' :o

I'm going back to bed. Good luck with your rifle buying.

nastros

clivej wrote: »

Buy just the one for now and both of you apply for a license on it.
And yes you can get your license even if the house/apartment is rented. But if you have to instal a safe ask the landlord if that's ok first

Thats good to know thanks

nastros

So another question. My family own an a bog that's been in the family for years. Not sure of the exact size but I know its at least 5 acres and is beside my uncles farm. Is it possible to obtain the licence by just registering it to this land? Or do you need to have more land.

LIFFY FISHING

I suggest that before you go to far or get to excitedyou make an appointment to visit your FAO in your local Garda station, generally they are sound and when you get face time with them they will give you an indication of the course of events, I know of someone refused a 1022 because the land he was shooting over was too flat?.. so buying a rifle may not be open to you on land permits if 5 acres( small shootong area with a rifle) & bog shooting will mainly be phesant and you will require a shotgun for that.If you really want a rifle then you may have to join a rifle range in order to get a licence. Good luck with your application which ever you decide

nastros

LIFFY FISHING wrote: »

I suggest that before you go to far or get to excitedyou make an appointment to visit your FAO in your local Garda station, generally they are sound and when you get face time with them they will give you an indication of the course of events, I know of someone refused a 1022 because the land he was shooting over was too flat?.. so buying a rifle may not be open to you on land permits if 5 acres( small shootong area with a rifle) & bog shooting will mainly be phesant and you will require a shotgun for that.If you really want a rifle then you may have to join a rifle range in order to get a licence. Good luck with your application which ever you decide

Was curios more than anything will be joining a club anyway as I am not big into hunting.

nastros

Went to the Midlands National shooting centre the weekend and got some good advice and a tour around the place so more than likely gonna go with a bolt action .22lr to start with then maybe work my way up. Thanks for the advice it was appreciated.

Hunter21

nastros wrote: »

Went to the Midlands National shooting centre the weekend and got some good advice and a tour around the place so more than likely gonna go with a bolt action .22lr to start with then maybe work my way up. Thanks for the advice it was appreciated.

I see in your details under your username that you are from Limerick, so would Munster Target Club in Kilfinnane Co Limerick be closer to you? And possibly cheaper to join then midlands.

nastros

Fair point but I am actually looking to eventually work up to the long range shooting so it suits me. Plus I am in Offally most weekends.

nastros

So just a quick update to all who helped me here.I bought a cz452 and met my firearms officer and he went through everything with me and stamped the forms for me there and then. Only thing was he asked me to buy a safe which I thought was fair as I do intend to move up to full bore rifles at some stage. Just want to thank everyone for the help here hopefully should have the licence in the next 6 weeks or so.

Cass

nastros wrote: »

Only thing was he asked me to buy a safe which I thought was fair ............

As well as the law. For a rifle you MUST have a safe.

Well done o the application, and good luck with your new rifle. Let us know how you get on, and maybe a few pictures when you collect her.

nastros

Ezridax wrote: »

As well as the law. For a rifle you MUST have a safe.

Well done o the application, and good luck with your new rifle. Let us know how you get on, and maybe a few pictures when you collect her.

Dont worry few pics will be up once she is home.

clivej

nastros wrote: »

So just a quick update to all who helped me here.I bought a cz452 and met my firearms officer and he went through everything with me and stamped the forms for me there and then. Only thing was he asked me to buy a safe which I thought was fair as I do intend to move up to full bore rifles at some stage. Just want to thank everyone for the help here hopefully should have the licence in the next 6 weeks or so.

Just a quick note on the safe.

get a deep safe that will hold the rifle with scope.

nastros

clivej wrote: »

Just a quick note on the safe.

get a deep safe that will hold the rifle with scope.

Cheers thats what i went for also got one that was long enough to hold a full bore rifle if i ever upgrade.

nastros

Got the license approval today in the post so should have the rifle home in the next week. Thanks for all the advise given it was much appreciated.

Cass

Excellent news.

Best of luck with your new rifle.

clivej

nastros wrote: »

Got the license approval today in the post so should have the rifle home in the next week. Thanks for all the advise given it was much appreciated.

Aim small and hit BIG

cw67irl

Best of luck with it!

nastros

quick question my licence says I can carry 100 rounds in my possession. Is this travelling to and from the range or is this 100 rounds full stop. The other thing is my father got a licence for the rifle and it says the same thing does that mean if we were travelling together we could carry 200?

Witcher

You can only have 100 rounds in total..any empty brass you bring home counts towards your limit too.

Yeah you can have 200 if you're together.

100 is a low limit..did you ask for more?

nastros

Put down 500 but it was refused.

Cass

Why?

For target shooting you can have at least 750 rounds. I would write into your FO/Super, and tell them that you need 750 rounds to practice, and take part in competitions. That including your empties a 100 round limit is useless. That the ammo comes in 525 tins, etc.

Look for between 750 - 1,000 rounds. If you get 300 - 500 it's better than 100.

nastros

Ok will do that so.

nastros

Just thought Id share what the rifle looks like now http://i.imgur.com/OkoXFwa.jpg

clivej

Your CZ looks good. Well Ware

Aim small