new rifle help getting use to it etc

The Red Lad

Well lads collecting my new rifle on weekend .223 savage axis I'm handy with a shotgun but a rifle is a different ball game altogether when it comes to safety just on a matter of getting use to it and target practise on day one the fact the scope will be off too and il have to line that also what can I put up to hit to break the bullet and how far away should this be 100 yards or more or less thanks in advance lads don't want to assinate some farmers bullolk :P was thinking the bog would be ideal for getting use to it nice and remote what yee reckon ?

FISMA

The Red Lad wrote: »

Well lads collecting my new rifle on weekend .223 savage axis I'm handy with a shotgun but a rifle is a different ball game altogether when it comes to safety just on a matter of getting use to it and target practise on day one the fact the scope will be off too and il have to line that also what can I put up to hit to break the bullet and how far away should this be 100 yards or more or less thanks in advance lads don't want to assinate some farmers bullolk :P was thinking the bog would be ideal for getting use to it nice and remote what yee reckon ?

Start with 50yards, paper target would be nice. Then go back to 100ya.

You need to level the rifle, then the scope.

Here's a quick way to zero. However, it assumes you have set up the scope and rifle and that you have a solid stand/vice for the gun.

Also, follow some of the older links by Cass in the above link as he has some good methods that do not require any special tools to setup the scope.

cookimonster

Make sure you have a good solid back stop. A fmj .223 will go through a car door and out the passenger one as well, so a good high earthen bank with no stones will be a safe bet.
Get some bread boards and use them for pasting targets.
FISMA, is 100% right but to be on the safe side if your not familiar with zeroing scopes etc I would get on paper at 25 yards, then move back once you have the shots landing vertically in line with the bull.
Bring plenty of paper and ammo, you don't want to run out of either and still not be on Target.
The weather doesn't look good for next few days, either find a sheltered sport or leave it till a calm day to zero.

Best of luck and enjoy.

Cass

One piece of advice i would give, and not being a dick, but if you have no experience bar what you've read or gleamed from others then i would suggest you get someone that is used to rifles to help set it up. They can both explain and show you the process. This way it's done safely, you learn the process, and the rifle is done correctly.

Even if you are not a member of a range i'm sure someone would help you out or invite you along as a guest to set it up for you. There must be someone on here that is close to you that can help out. We all had to start someone, myself included, and this is how i learned.

German pointer

What part of the country are you in if close to me I'll give you a hand and if not I'm sure one of the lads close to you would love to help you set it up properly

Dian Cecht

Don't take this the wrong way. How did you satisfy the "competence" requirement? Did you do a course? Did someone sign you off as competent?

German pointer

He has a shotgun that is good enough for the powers that be

sniperman

like above,some lad will gladly show you the ropes,so just let us know where you are based

Dian Cecht

I am a long, long time shotgun user but when I applied for my .22lr I had to provide proof of competence for a rifle.

The poster is right to look for help. Getting someone who knows what they're doing is always a good start especially with something like a 223.

One shot on kill

First off there a lovely gun well may she ware for you.

First off get your scope on level. If you look on YouTube there are loads of videos. I personally used the national shooting sports foundation ones. John cleckner was the guys name. He takes you from the very start.



Once scope is on you need to bore sight it. That's done by looking up the barrel at a fixed object and adjusting your scope accordingly to the same target.

Then take a say 50 yards this is just to check your on paper. Then move back to 100 and zero it from there.

One bit of advice. Lads say adjust your scope after each bullet and you will use less ammo while zeroing. If your a beginner I wouldn't do that. I group with 3 shots and adjust the whole group. I know when I was starting my grouping wasn't that tight so my fundamentals were off aswell. And you can't compensate for that in the scope therefore I was pulling shots etc.

So you need to get a good tight group and adjust that. But try not get caught up in putting all the rounds in the same hole. Its prob not gonna happen for a while and a couple of hundred rounds later.

jimgoose

The Red Lad wrote: »

...what can I put up to hit to break the bullet and how far away should this be 100 yards or more or less...

A .223 centrefire rifle is about the most insanely dangerous weapon a civilian could have, shy of a 300 WinMag or something! Bear in mind that it'll kill anything it hits out to about 500 yards, so a good solid ditch is desirable.

One shot on kill

jimgoose wrote: »

A .223 centrefire rifle is about the most insanely dangerous weapon a civilian could have, shy of a 300 WinMag or something! Bear in mind that it'll kill anything it hits out to about 500 yards, so a good solid ditch is desirable.

That's a subjective statement.

Kinzig

One shot on kill wrote: »

That's a subjective statement.

more ridiculous if anything!

valerossi

jimgoose wrote: »

A .223 centrefire rifle is about the most insanely dangerous weapon a civilian could have, shy of a 300 WinMag or something! Bear in mind that it'll kill anything it hits out to about 500 yards, so a good solid ditch is desirable.

I get what your trying to say but .223 is about as dangerous as a butter knife in safe hands.

Dian Cecht

jimgoose wrote: »

A .223 centrefire rifle is about the most insanely dangerous weapon a civilian could have, shy of a 300 WinMag or something! Bear in mind that it'll kill anything it hits out to about 500 yards, so a good solid ditch is desirable.

If a Garda said that I'd not be surprised.

Surely any rifle calibre is dangerous is used incorrectly.

I reckon this poster is either Garda or Army ?

hiddenmongoose

jimgoose wrote: »

A .223 centrefire rifle is about the most insanely dangerous weapon a civilian could have, shy of a 300 WinMag or something! Bear in mind that it'll kill anything it hits out to about 500 yards, so a good solid ditch is desirable.

most stupid statement Iv read here in a long long time. And your first ever in the shooting forum.good start.

jimgoose

hiddenmongoose wrote: »

most stupid statement Iv read here in a long long time. And your first ever in the shooting forum.good start.

As you wish. :cool:

Nekarsulm

Need a good earthen bank as backdrop. Ideally shooting downhill towards it. If this is your first rifle, get yourself into the habit of always checking and rechecking the safety catch. Don't put a finger near the trigger till you are sighted on the target. Too easy to touch the trigger while getting into position, and if the safety is off you could have a round screaming away over the horizon. It takes time to familiarize your self to any new situation. Be carefull, and have fun.

Cass

jimgoose wrote: »

A .223 centrefire rifle is about the most insanely dangerous weapon a civilian could have, shy of a 300 WinMag or something!

.243, 6mmbr, 6.5x47, 6.5x55, 6.5x284, 7mm, 7mm08, 7mm300wsm, .308, .303, 30-06, etc, etc. All larger, balistically superior, longer ranged, better penetrating and harder hitting rounds than a .223.

It's the reason a .223 is classed as a vermin FIREARM. There are no weapons in civilian hands, and we do not use the term. Perhaps you are confusing it with the Military 5.56 which is a different animal altogether. We have sporting firearms. We also enjoy the safest safety record of most any sport, the longest history (dates back to 1870, before the GAA), and all of it self imposed.

By all means stress the importance of safety but such a broad sweeping, and highly inaccurate statement in a forum designed for the discussion of firearms and shooting serves only to infuriate the regulars, and cause a row for no reason whatsoever.

As was pointed out above as it's your first post you can see why people would assume you are trolling, but in the interest of fair and open discussion you need to be better informed before posting what comes across as inflammatory comments.

Bear in mind that it'll kill anything it hits out to about 500 yards, so a good solid ditch is desirable.

That, in the sporting world, is short range. However your point about a good. solid backstop is completely right.

jimgoose

Cass wrote: »

...

Right you be guv'nor. I do apologise, to you and all the regulars. It certainly was not my intention to "troll", or to upset anyone. I was just trying to make the point that firing a centrefire rifle has farther-reaching consequences than a shotgun, or a .22LR. Sorry again for overdoing it. :cool:

Cass

To be clear unless i post in bold what i say, or any moderator for that matter, is a personal view so it is not a chastisation or search for an apology. So while not needed an apology is appreciated.

meathstevie

jimgoose wrote: »

Right you be guv'nor. I do apologise, to you and all the regulars. It certainly was not my intention to "troll", or to upset anyone. I was just trying to make the point that firing a centrefire rifle has farther-reaching consequences than a shotgun, or a .22LR. Sorry again for overdoing it. :cool:

Jim, your opening post may have been a bit unfortunately phrased. If you're saying that people need to be cautious using centerfire rifles, any rifles for that matter, and always be aware what's behind their shot and that back stops are essential I'm with you.

A dangerous firearm though is a badly maintained and erratically functioning one. A bit like a blunt knife if you like, you can bet your last penny it'll cut like hell when it slips into your hand.

My personal view on centerfire calibers in the field is that they're actually safer than rimfires because of the simple fact that due to bullet wheights and velocities their tendency to ricochet in my experience is far lower than rimfires.

meathstevie

The Red Lad wrote: »

Well lads collecting my new rifle on weekend .223 savage axis I'm handy with a shotgun but a rifle is a different ball game altogether when it comes to safety just on a matter of getting use to it and target practise on day one the fact the scope will be off too and il have to line that also what can I put up to hit to break the bullet and how far away should this be 100 yards or more or less thanks in advance lads don't want to assinate some farmers bullolk :P was thinking the bog would be ideal for getting use to it nice and remote what yee reckon ?

A grand soft high bank of a bog will stop anything you'll ever fire at it, and a lot bigger as well, any day every day and if you can use a spread bank with a line of trees/shrubs on both sides perpendicular to the high bank you've a lovely windbreaker as well. Next thing is maximum stability for zeroing; on your belly, rifle solidly mounted and supported at the front with something the likes of a backpack will do a grand job.

garv123

Set up somewhere with the target as low to the ground as possible and shoot from a slight incline so the bullet will be heading into the ground. Avoid using a ditch or forest as a background you never know where the bullet could end up.

when you look through the scope you want to be able to see where the bullet is going to hit after it goes through the target.

djflawless

I do set a ruger 223 mk2 for a mate every 6 months.
Set at 100 yards
I do use a 4x4 foot piece of plywood with a 1 inch grid drawn on
2 inch by 2 inch diamond in the middle
Most rifles I've encountered are 1 click = 1/4 inch @ 100yards so its very easy to correct the difference in the shot
That's just my experience and opinion