GSG Firearms and the like.

BigCIllAodain

Hello all,

I am just wondering about the possibilities of acquiring one of the Kalashnikov replicas that GSG or German Sport Guns have available. I have seen a couple of .22 AR-15 styled firearms in circulation though i am not sure of the brand. I know it would be rather difficult to begin with because of the actual name "AK-47" but I believe as i have access to a shooting range and I have multiple other licenses that should give me a boost so to speak.

So what would be the general consensus on this?

LIFFY FISHING

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

Hello all,

I am just wondering about the possibilities of acquiring one of the Kalashnikov replicas that GSG or German Sport Guns have available. I have seen a couple of .22 AR-15 styled firearms in circulation though i am not sure of the brand. I know it would be rather difficult to begin with because of the actual name "AK-47" but I believe as i have access to a shooting range and I have multiple other licenses that should give me a boost so to speak.

So what would be the general consensus on this?

A few of them are around...have seen them on our range, they are still only an unrestricted .22lr ...all down to your Local Super.
There is a AR15 for sale in Cill Dara Hunting...check out the FB page its listed there.

BigCIllAodain

LIFFY FISHING wrote: »

A few of them are around...have seen them on our range, they are still only an unrestricted .22lr ...all down to your Local Super.
There is a AR15 for sale in Cill Dara Hunting...check out the FB page its listed there.

Wow I thought it would've been rather difficult to get. Any ideas on the likes of a glock or one of Walthers handguns?

BattleCorp

The only handguns you can licence here in Ireland are .22lr that are restricted to 5 rounds. If you can get a Glock or a Walther in that calibre with the magazines blocked or it only has a mag capacity of 5 rounds, then it should be ok. You have to be a member of a range too as you need to prove that you need the gun for target shooting.

solarwinds

You would also need to show you have a legitimate use for such a gun and prove that one of the "multiple firearms" you have already licenced could not do the same job as to what you are after.
Out of curiosity would that be a Glock 18 for full on Zombie apocalypse or a Walther PPK for full on James Bond.
Anything other than .22 forget about it.

BigCIllAodain

solarwinds wrote: »

You would also need to show you have a legitimate use for such a gun and prove that one of the "multiple firearms" you have already licenced could not do the same job as to what you are after.
Out of curiosity would that be a Glock 18 for full on Zombie apocalypse or a Walther PPK for full on James Bond.
Anything other than .22 forget about it.

Of course I know any and all handguns have to be .22lr. Quite honestly i'd love the glock for its aesthetics and apparent general reliability, whatever about its actual shooting properties. I'd say it would be a great plinker at the range. Sure i mean what other legitimate reason for having it is there apart from target shooting since you obviously cant use a handgun outside of ranges

LIFFY FISHING

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

Of course I know any and all handguns have to be .22lr. Quite honestly i'd love the glock for its aesthetics and apparent general reliability, whatever about its actual shooting properties. I'd say it would be a great plinker at the range. Sure i mean what other legitimate reason for having it is there apart from target shooting since you obviously cant use a handgun outside of ranges

You can get a .22lr conversion kit for 9mm Glocks and once the mags are restricted to 5 rounds they are the same catagory as any other non restricted pistol.
Walthers and other full fame pistols are also available such as Sig, Tanfoglio etc.
Glock is just a buzz word that puts the ****s up some FAO's ...but they are exactly the same as having yer Hammerli ...and the same application process

Grizzly 45

LIFFY FISHING wrote: »

You can get a .22lr conversion kit for 9mm Glocks and once the mags are restricted to 5 rounds they are the same catagory as any other non restricted pistol

.

Unless it is a permanent conversion,you will not get.
I tried liscensing a 1911 former 45 ACP with a .22 kit on it.The Supers 1st question to the dealer was.Can this be reconverted to 45ACP?The dealer said IF there were parts available like a slide,barrel,mag, bushing,then yes. Nope says the Super to me,as the risk of this is too great that a common or garden Irish criminal,just happens to have such parts lying about and just needs a 1911 lower to reactivate a 1911.45 ACP.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
In fairness he liscensed me on a Ruger Mk 2 right away.:rolleyes:

Also, in one of the Oct 2014 DC Limerick DC cases ,othis question came up,as one plantif was trying to liscense a Glock17 and a .22 conversion kit.He got the 9mm liscense,but a famous Dublin solicitor much known for his firearms activity,won the arguement but talked the Judge out of granting the .22 liscense as there is total ambiguity,or not mentioned at all in the Irish legislation on how to liscense multi caliber firearms here.

GSG AK.22...Hmmm to Meh! IMHO. It is doesnt strip like an AK,About the only thing is the dust cover that comes off AK style.The rest is a screwdriver and Allen key strip job.AFAICS all the GSG guns are the same,a blowback.22 in a clam shell to reperesnt whatever gun. Thet are fun guns designed for the US market,where iif they break,its no biggie to get fixed/replaced.Here,with our laws,it would be an absolute PITH to get it back to Germany or the UK for repairs.:(
IF you really want an AK.22. that works and strips and feels like an AK...Keep an eye out for a Phillipine Squires Bingham AK .22.Not made anymore,but there are some in Ireland and the UK. All metal and wood construction that actually worked.

BigCIllAodain

Another iconic handgun i'd love to get my hands on is a P226 or one of those Beretta M9s!
Though I'd kill for those AX308s from AI

shootemall

Just a thought but Perhaps it’s best not to put “ I’d kill for one of those” down on the application

cookimonster

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

Another iconic handgun i'd love to get my hands on is a P226 or one of those Beretta M9s!
Though I'd kill for those AX308s from AI

Both pistols available in .22LR.

If the AX308 floats your boat then why not make it simpler and buy a RUGER PRECISION® RIMFIRE.

https://ruger.com/products/precisionRimfire/models.html

BigCIllAodain

shootemall wrote: »

Just a thought but Perhaps it’s best not to put “ I’d kill for one of those” down on the application

I was going to write excuse the pun

The Ruger precision is only listed as .22?

Out of the Sig, Glock, Beretta and Walther, which would be the best option?

BattleCorp

Do you want a cool looking handgun or do you want something that will be good for competitions?

I'd recommend getting a gun that is good for target shooting because the novelty of a cool looking gun will wear off and you could well realise that your cool looking gun isn't worth a sh1te for target shooting.

While plinking is fun, I think you'd soon tire of it and want a bit of a challenge.

I'm not knocking your choices by the way, I'm just letting you know that not many competitions are won by lads with Sig or Glock conversions.

BigCIllAodain

At the moment i'm not really all that interested in competitions though in the future I might enter some but i'll need plenty of practice first though
Personally, and i'm really not sure why, but I dislike the actual look and feel of some Olympic firearms as well as the likes of that MkIV from Ruger. Sure the real fun of the competitions (aside from winning obviously) is meeting new people and learning different techniques from them?

BattleCorp

Don't rush into buying a pistol. Buy right and you only buy once.

I know you aren't interested in competitions at the moment but it's worth planning ahead. Decide that if you were to do competitions, what kind would you want to do? Olympic/Gallery/other?

That will dictate the best type of pistol for whatever disciplines you want to do as pretty much no guns are suitable for all types of disciplines.

The Ruger MkIV is a nice accurate pistol for Gallery but I found them a bit heavy. And they are a ba5tard to clean. It wouldn't be suitable if you wanted to do Olympic style shooting. Similarly a Walther SSP is great for Olympic style shooting but pretty much unusable for Gallery.

cookimonster

What range are you a member of?

Try before you buy, cosy up to some one and get a feel for a model/style. Like many other firearms pistols can have that tactile appeal or dislike. The size of the frame in your hand, the operation / position of safety, magazine release, slide lock or take down can be a selling point or a deal breaker.

BigCIllAodain

cookimonster wrote: »

What range are you a member of?

Try before you buy, cosy up to some one and get a feel for a model/style. Like many other firearms pistols can have that tactile appeal or dislike. The size of the frame in your hand, the operation / position of safety, magazine release, slide lock or take down can be a selling point or a deal breaker.

I'm not a fan of that type of thing because I wouldn't want to damage their firearm and I'd feel like a bit of a twerp but yeah that would be a good way to find out what suits.

BattleCorp

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

I'm not a fan of that type of thing because I wouldn't want to damage their firearm and I'd feel like a bit of a twerp but yeah that would be a good way to find out what suits.

You'd be pointing at the target and pulling the trigger and looking at it and talking to the owner. You wouldn't be hopping concrete blocks off of it.

BigCIllAodain

BattleCorp wrote: »

Don't rush into buying a pistol. Buy right and you only buy once.

I know you aren't interested in competitions at the moment but it's worth planning ahead. Decide that if you were to do competitions, what kind would you want to do? Olympic/Gallery/other?

That will dictate the best type of pistol for whatever disciplines you want to do as pretty much no guns are suitable for all types of disciplines.

The Ruger MkIV is a nice accurate pistol for Gallery but I found them a bit heavy. And they are a ba5tard to clean. It wouldn't be suitable if you wanted to do Olympic style shooting. Similarly a Walther SSP is great for Olympic style shooting but pretty much unusable for Gallery.

I wish gun owners were allowed to set up small ranges on their own property say for instance theres a little valley indent area on my property that would be perfect for hanging different targets and I have wide stretched out area that would be perfect for long range with my rifles but sadly I can't make use of them I had great fun shooting crows but clay would be a bit more challenging i'd say. I'm not sure what type of shooting you would classify normal distance target shooting as but I definitely have an interest in that!

BigCIllAodain

BattleCorp wrote: »

You'd be pointing at the target and pulling the trigger and looking at it and talking to the owner. You wouldn't be hopping concrete blocks off of it.

Ara I know that's why it feels stupid to have an irk like that

BattleCorp

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

Ara I know that's why it feels stupid to have an irk like that

That's how most of us decided what pistol to buy. We yapped with guys on the line, talked about the pros and cons of their pistol, tried it out to see if we liked it, if it suited us etc.

I've no problem letting someone try out my pistol at the range. Nearly everybody else I know doesn't have a problem helping a newbie either.

Ask away and lads will be happy to help.

cookimonster

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

I'm not sure what type of shooting you would classify normal distance target shooting as but I definitely have an interest in that!

Does your range not hold / orgainse shooting competions?
Ranges for rimfires will vary depending on the event but most clubs will average out a max of 100 yards / meters.

Plenty of lads here, especially in the target section, can direct /advise you to the various disciplines and thier requirments out there for target shooting.

What rifles / firearms do you have?, knowing this can help others advise you as to what suitable route to take.

BigCIllAodain

cookimonster wrote: »

Does your range not hold / orgainse shooting competions?
Ranges for rimfires will vary depending on the event but most clubs will average out a max of 100 yards / meters.

Plenty of lads here, especially in the target section, can direct /advise you to the various disciplines and thier requirments out there for target shooting.

What rifles / firearms do you have?, knowing this can help others advise you as to what suitable route to take.

Myself and a friend co-own a Marlin goosegun i think its called, the huge bolt action shotgun
Benelli M4
Tikka T3
and I did have a remmington 700 in one of those super nice AICS.

cookimonster

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

Myself and a friend co-own a Marlin goosegun i think its called, the huge bolt action shotgun
Benelli M4
Tikka T3
and I did have a remmington 700 in one of those super nice AICS.

Cool, I've never fired a bolt action shotgun, a friend has one in his collection I must get him to dig it out and have a go.

The M4, wow, nice, I've a liking for semi auto Benellis but will have to wait for the retirement present , I won't be going down the restricted route that the M4 dictates.

What calibres are you shooting in the rifles?, my mate has an almost fetish for Remingtons but he made a wise decision by not going down the AI stock route after a day on the hill with another lads one. 'Fecking Railway Sleeper' was his discription.

BattleCorp

cookimonster wrote: »

The M4, wow, nice, I've a liking for semi auto Benellis but will have to wait for the retirement present , I won't be going down the restricted route that the M4 dictates.

I don't see why people are afraid to apply for restricted firearms. I've 3 restricted firearms. As long as you have good reason for applying for them, the application process is the same. You just tick a different box on the application form.

BigCIllAodain

Its a pure dirty yoke to handle because of its length but overall its a lot of fun to use if you classify fun as a sore shoulder
The 700 as far as I remember was .308, a very tidy balanced firearm for deer in my experience.
The tikka is .223, again a beautiful piece of art which has made culling the foxes an absolute dream.
The Benelli I found to be a tiny bit unbalanced sort of front heavy making it a bit dodgy when getting a fast acquisition on crows when coming out of a blind, but again it was and will continue to be a good investment

Overall a rather expensive collection but "its not stupid if it makes you happy"
What firearms do you have yourself?

BigCIllAodain

BattleCorp wrote: »

I don't see why people are afraid to apply for restricted firearms. I've 3 restricted firearms. As long as you have good reason for applying for them, the application process is the same. You just tick a different box on the application form.

Probably because they think they'll get interrogated , at least thats what i thought would happen for my first!

BigCIllAodain

cookimonster wrote: »

Ammo wise nothing unusual, a good few .22LR in dedicated semi autos, .22 Clones (1911) and a few centre fires with rim fire convertion kit add ons. Centre fires were all 9mm- Browning Automatic Pistol (nasty little jumpy sh1t), Beretta M9 (too big for my small hands) and the HK USP ( nice piece of kit)......
.....but the most exotic handgun I've fired is an WWII issued Pistole Parabellum 9mm Lugar. That was the dogs' to fire, it was snappy in the hand but the fit and feel was beautiful.

Oh my lord please tell me you can get a USP converted here :eek:

cookimonster

BattleCorp wrote: »

I don't see why people are afraid to apply for restricted firearms. I've 3 restricted firearms. As long as you have good reason for applying for them, the application process is the same. You just tick a different box on the application form.

I suppose it could be more to do with the up grade in security then anything else.
If I was to go down the restricted route I'd be more interested in calibre or function such as a semi auto sporting rifle, tough not the AR style. IMO, unless your going to go into competition the need for extended mag capacity, collapsible stocks and pistol grips are fairly low down my list of must have for hunting. My bog standard semi (Baikel MP153) serves me well for pigeon / duck and odd vermin.
With the more recent and logical approach (some would say not) to licensing we might see larger rifle calibres being catered for here. But on the other hand if your not able to get ammo then its a mute point. I would love a 7×57mm Mauser or  .275 Rigby but I'm not seeing ammo for it here!, so there's little chance of seeing a supply of 9.3x64 or 9.3x7 (unless some one here knows better).
At the moment pistol ownership doesn't interest me, altough I enjoy shooting them from time to time, I'm more interested in field shooting then range work. Now if I had more time and money to burn then I may change my tune.
My current stable of .270 and 30-06 fulfills my current desires and uses when it comes to centrefires rifles, I do indeed have a bucket list of rifles and shotguns I subscribe to but as I said my retirement package will be funding at least two of these.

.....I hope the other half still hasn't figured out my Borads pseudonym!

cookimonster

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

Oh my lord please tell me you can get a USP converted here :eek:

Haven't a clue, I only shoot them in 9mm.

BigCIllAodain

cookimonster wrote: »

Haven't a clue, I only shoot them in 9mm.

Surely not the 9mm here though? Unless you're in the Defence Forces?

cookimonster

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

Surely not the 9mm here though? Unless you're in the Defence Forces?

....and why not?, they date back to 1993 and if I'm correct the current ban on centre fire pistols came in around 2009 (clarification please), so there should / could be a few knocking around with the other various centre fire pistols of multiple calibres out there.

Yep, I'm one of the lucky ones who gets one free ....
..... they soon lose thier novelty when you have one stuck to your hip for 24 hours.

BigCIllAodain

cookimonster wrote: »

....and why not?, they date back to 1993 and if I'm correct the current ban on centre fire pistols came in around 2009 (clarification please), so there should / could be a few knocking around with the other various centre fire pistols of multiple calibres out there.

Yep, I'm one of the lucky ones who gets one free ....
..... they soon lose thier novelty when you have one stuck to your hip for 24 hours.

My good god, please oh please can i someday shoot that?

Grizzly 45

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

Oh my lord please tell me you can get a USP converted here :eek:

Unless you had BOTH a 9mm and the .22 conversion kit liscensed Pre Nov 2008,[did a bit of checking on this today post my other post on this thread].Its not going to happen...Sorry:(. It would be a unicorn if there is one of this type of lic already out there,and for a HK,you would be looking for a crosseyed,piebald unicorn.:(:(

BigCIllAodain

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Unless you had BOTH a 9mm and the .22 conversion kit liscensed Pre Nov 2008,[did a bit of checking on this today post my other post on this thread].Its not going to happen...Sorry:(. It would be a unicorn if there is one of this type of lic already out there,and for a HK,you would be looking for a crosseyed,piebald unicorn.:(:(

Dreams shattered Guess my only hope is to join the Defence Forces

tac foley

BigCIllAodain wrote: »

Dreams shattered Guess my only hope is to join the Defence Forces

Joining the PDF just so that you could shoot something seems like a pretty dumb reason to me. But, hey, go for it.

BattleCorp

tac foley wrote: »

Joining the PDF just so that you could shoot something seems like a pretty dumb reason to me. But, hey, go for it.

I stand to be corrected but I hear from some of my army buds that they are only required to go to the range twice a year.

I suppose it depends on which area of the army that they are in.

cookimonster

Twice would be pushing it for most. Even the selection of firearms would be severely limited and based on your routine occupation.

Going to the range is a 'load of boll#cks' to put it mildly in most guys mindset. As I said HK's, Styers and GPMGs may look the dogs but you'll soon tire of them when you have to carry them.

BattleCorp

cookimonster wrote: »

Twice would be pushing it for most. Even the selection of firearms would be severely limited and based on your routine occupation.

Going to the range is a 'load of boll#cks' to put it mildly in most guys mindset. As I said HK's, Styers and GPMGs may look the dogs but you'll soon tire of them when you have to carry them.

Yeah, I found the attitude strange. I spend a fortune to go to the range and I go as often as I can spare the time and the army guys I know give out about having to go to the range twice a year.

tac foley

When I was in the Army I was very lucky - I had the use of the range whenever I could cajole somebody else to come with me, AND unlimited amounts of ammunition, whenever I felt like it. Wednesday afternoons were real fun days - I used to take a few of the staff and students along and we used to shoot my stuff till the barrels glowed. As I had a lot of different 9mm pistols, and 27,000 rounds of my own unit issue ammunition to get rid of, it was no hardship.

Being a minor unit all by myself had some real advantages, obviously.

Grizzly 45

cookimonster wrote: »

Twice would be pushing it for most. Even the selection of firearms would be severely limited and based on your routine occupation.

Going to the range is a 'load of boll#cks' to put it mildly in most guys mindset. As I said HK's, Styers and GPMGs may look the dogs but you'll soon tire of them when you have to carry them.

What soilder anywhere or anytime in any phase of history,or from any country has not bitched&moaned about humping gear and his rifle about the place??:D:D It's as a common complaint since the cavemen got themselves organised and will be when we are Starship troopers. All part of the deal when you sign on the line in the recruitement office.:)

BigCIllAodain

tac foley wrote: »

Joining the PDF just so that you could shoot something seems like a pretty dumb reason to me. But, hey, go for it.

Trust me I have plenty of other personal reasons some may be classified as "cringy"