Help for a first time Air Rifle Licence Application

BrokenSpiral

Hi Folks,

I have done a fair bit of reading here and other sites but I am still a bit confused due to conflicting info!

I want to buy a .177 air rifle for target shooting and I have a couple in mind from shops in the UK but not decided on one specifically yet.

So far I have read that I need to be a member of a licensed gun club before I can apply. I have also read that I do not need to be a member of a club if I can get 2 landowners to agree to let me shoot on their land. And a 3rd opinion is that it's ok to say that you will join a club if the licence is granted.

I have read that I need a gun safe before I apply and someone else has said that as its only an air rifle I do not need a gun safe.

Can anyone give me clarity?

And am I applying for a Firearm, Limited Firearm or Restricted forearm licence?

Thanks in advance for all comments and suggestions!

Sparks

BrokenSpiral wrote: »

So far I have read that I need to be a member of a licensed gun club before I can apply. I have also read that I do not need to be a member of a club if I can get 2 landowners to agree to let me shoot on their land.

It's the former (you have to be a member of a target shooting club); either you're in a club or you have permissions to shoot in order to get a licence, but if you want to do target shooting, it has to be on an approved range, so the landowners permission isn't any good to you unless the rifle is for both hunting and target shooting.

And a 3rd opinion is that it's ok to say that you will join a club if the licence is granted.

Er, no. The AGS can call the club to confirm your membership when checking the application, so you'd have to be in the club first.

I have read that I need a gun safe before I apply and someone else has said that as its only an air rifle I do not need a gun safe

You must have a gun safe for an air rifle as a minimum; the full requirement is down to your superintendent (though I've not heard of anyone being asked for more for just an air rifle licence).

And am I applying for a Firearm, Limited Firearm or Restricted forearm licence?

A normal Firearms licence. The "limited" licence no longer exists as far as I know, and I can't think of many air rifles that'd be restricted, certainly none you'd see day-to-day!

BrokenSpiral

Thanks Sparks. Really appreciate that clarity!

I have called a few rifle clubs and they say that they only do normal guns, not air rifles or pistols.

I live in South Dublin, any suggestions on a club I can join nearby?

Sparks

Rathdrum, possibly UCD (but I'm not sure of the conditions for membership the college imposes on them), and after that you're looking north of the city to Wilkinstown. There aren't that many airgun target shooting clubs around unless you're in the Pony Club Tetrathlon (or Modern Pentathlon) and they're not really focussed on people who just want to shoot, as far as I know (though I'd happily be corrected on that one).

There are a few lads in Cork and Kerry doing it too and up North, but that's a wee bit afield

BrokenSpiral

Cheers Sparks!

extremetaz

Sparks wrote: »

I can't think of many air rifles that'd be restricted, certainly none you'd see day-to-day!

How about some .357 caliber, integrally silenced, PCP madness!! ...teeheehee.

Benjamin Rogue


yeah though, hardly your garden variety air plinker. :P



As for target shooting with air rifles - if you're just looking to plink, then any rimfire rated range could accomodate you if they're willing. If however you're looking towards competition then...well... there's no field target community established here so you've to head up north for that sort of action, and they have a competition limit of 12ft.lbs on the rifle muzzle energy, so bear that in mind when you're purchasing.

If, on the other hand, you're looking towards 10m air (ISSF/Olympic format) then you won't find anyone better than Sparks to talk to on here - and you'll be looking towards entirely different air rifles than are employed in the field disciplines.

Sparks

extremetaz wrote: »

How about some .357 caliber, integrally silenced, PCP madness!! ...teeheehee.

I was more thinking of a .48 calibre 20-shot repeater at the time!

And the point about what the OP wants to shoot is well made - we don't really have any kind of organised plinking scene with air rifles as such here (they do in the US with the sporter class of matches and the 4H matches and so on); we don't have much field target though they do up North, and our ISSF stuff is mostly confined to the east coast clubs though I don't know of any club who'd actually stop you shooting it (because most clubs aren't so daft).

extremetaz

Sparks wrote: »

I was more thinking of a .48 calibre 20-shot repeater at the time!
.

YOWZA!! :eek:

BrokenSpiral

I'm really just looking for the fun of target shooting, not competition or anything like that! More just for the enjoyment of it. I'd love to do field target shooting but I haven't seen anything about that here!!

Sparks

Might be a good idea to contact UCD so Broken, and ask to come along and spectate at a match, see what it looks like, get to talk to the people there and get a feel for what the sport's like.

rowa

BrokenSpiral wrote: »

I'm really just looking for the fun of target shooting, not competition or anything like that! More just for the enjoyment of it. I'd love to do field target shooting but I haven't seen anything about that here!!

Slug gun, who posts on here is working hard in our club (east coast shooting club in roundwood) to start an air rifle field target range ,targets have been bought and its great fun , cheap to shoot too.

German pointer

extremetaz wrote: »

How about some .357 caliber, integrally silenced, PCP madness!! ...teeheehee.

Benjamin Rogue


yeah though, hardly your garden variety air plinker. :P



As for target shooting with air rifles - if you're just looking to plink, then any rimfire rated range could accomodate you if they're willing. If however you're looking towards competition then...well... there's no field target community established here so you've to head up north for that sort of action, and they have a competition limit of 12ft.lbs on the rifle muzzle energy, so bear that in mind when you're purchasing.

If, on the other hand, you're looking towards 10m air (ISSF/Olympic format) then you won't find anyone better than Sparks to talk to on here - and you'll be looking towards entirely different air rifles than are employed in the field disciplines.

Have a look at the link below shooting impala in Africa with one. lovely piece of gear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzLvEKG_zHs

slug gun

BrokenSpiral wrote: »

I'm really just looking for the fun of target shooting, not competition or anything like that! More just for the enjoyment of it. I'd love to do field target shooting but I haven't seen anything about that here!!

As Rowa kindly mentioned previously, East Coast Shooting Club in Roundwood now has a Field Target range with competition standard "knockdown" targets. We hope to get a couple of dedicated FT air rifles as club guns soon, to introduce the discipline to members and visitors. Its proving popular with lots of people curious and wanting a go! Hopefully, when the weather finally gets a bit better and with FT air rifles available it will attract even more shooters.