is it too late?

sniperman

hi folks,the following questions have probably been asked and answered 1000 times,so go easy on me.was doing a paint job for a farmer last week,and the subject of shooting came up,seen a load of bunnies in his field,asked him if anyone shoots around here,he said not really,so i got the go ahead,he also asked me do i shoot deer,i said no but always had the interest,he said he knows a few farmers wanting a few shot,so i guess id get the permissions,so is it to late now to apply for a licence for this season?will i have do do a safety course etc,thanks

Cass

No, not too late. You can apply year round. I know a chap that doesn't apply until about Sept, and only heads out after November.

They ask people to apply early so those wanting to have their licenses for the 1st will have them.

cookimonster

Even if you don't get a chance to stalk this year apply for your license now.
Although I am an advocate for courses I would encourage people to get thier foot in the door, license wise and then do any courses at thier convenience. Some thing tells me that course prices may increase when they become mandatory.

sniperman

cookimonster wrote: »

Even if you don't get a chance to stalk this year apply for your license now.
Although I am an advocate for courses I would encourage people to get thier foot in the door, license wise and then do any courses at thier convenience. Some thing tells me that course prices may increase when they become mandatory.

so i dont have to do the hcap cource then?just put a deposit on a 243.get the permissions. and apply for license,is that it??

cookimonster

Bugger that.... just get your land permissions in and apply for the deer hunting licence now, use the detail from a friends rifle, 100 gr bullets etc. You can apply for the license without having the rifle if you are not ready to get a deer calibre.

Now for the biggggggg can of worms!!!! .....

I started off with a .243 (shot Fox, Roe, Sika, Fallow and Red deer) but I would highly recommend something else :

If you don't want to go the .30 cal route I would recommend a 6.5 (not personally used one but I like the bullet weights available) or a .270 - I do own and use one and have shot Fox, Roe Deer, Sika / Fallow/ Reds and Boar with it. It's an old calibre that just won't die, modern ammo and moderators keep it relevant into days world. Having said that I hunt mine as a feather weight, no mod, no bipod and chucking 130 grain bullets across the hillside.

If you go the .30 cal choice then the 308 is a no brainer. Great choice of ammo and capable of dealing with most big game from Europe and Africa. If you want to add a bit of oomph you can stick the same bullet on a '06 case. The 30-06 will give you a good edge over the 308 ammo is not as versatile but 150 /180 grains are classic and extremely efficient bullet weights for the '06. I've taken all three species of deer as well as foxs here with mine using 150 gr soft points, a great all rounder for woodland and open hill.

sniperman

thanks lads for the info,i thought the hcap course was manatory for first timers,?

Cass

sniperman wrote: »

so i dont have to do the hcap cource then?

sniperman wrote: »

i thought the hcap course was manatory for first timers,?

The hcap is only one course. There are a couple of others you can do instead of it.

The mandatory course for first time applicants was deferred due to covid. It will be introduced once they are able to run the courses again, but for this year, so far, its not mandatory. Hence the comment above about getting in now.

Minister's statement from March wrote:

“My Department is committed to introducing mandatory certification training for first-time hunters. It had been intended to introduce it for the 2021/22 season but unfortunately, this project, like so many others across all sectors of society, has had to be deferred due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Much work has gone on behind the scenes to put the foundations in place for this project and this requirement will be introduced once it is viable and safe to do so for all concerned, and my Department will make sure it is delivered to the highest standard possible.”

sniperman

thanks all for your help.im just throwing this out there now for answers,a lad has a Remington .17 i think it is,he says he cant get the ammo anymore,anyway he said i could have it as part payment for a job im doing,he said i could get it re barreled to 243 and use it for deer,can that be done?and would it be cause any problems licencing it for such? i seen the gun,its in lovely condition,pity about the ammo,anyway any thoughts??thanks

cookimonster

OK, I could be off a mile here but let's start at the beginning and work back ward. The 17 Remington has a parent case of the. 222 Magnum whose parent was the .222 Rem - the forerunner to the .223 Rem. The .243 is a .243 caliber bullet on a necked down 308 case. In order to reconfigure the Remie 700 .17 Rem to .243 that would require a new bolt face (possibly a whole bolt), magazine and barrel. Now unless I'm missing something you'd be better off buying a deer caliber rifle, there are plenty cheep and cheerful that will be very accurate or you can spend a bit of decent cash and buy up market, just remember to keep some cash for the scope.

Cass

sniperman wrote: »

a lad has a Remington .17 i think it is ........................... he said i could get it re barreled to 243 and use it for deer

It could be rebarreled but I'm not sure about the action and bolt face.

,can that be done?

While they're both short action calibers, the 17 Remington is based off the 222. It has a smaller base meaning if you rebarreled it the bolt would/may not work on a 243 (the case is larger by an 1/8" or 3+mm).

Now I'm no gunsmith so perhaps it can be done and work, but if not it means if you rebarrel it you may need a new bolt as I'm not familiar with opening a bolt face with a lathe or similar to make it work.

and would it be cause any problems licencing it for such?

It would take some explaining to your FO and you wouldn't be able to own the 17 unlesss you license it first then seek a sub or new license for the 243, but yeah it could work.

If it can be done then its a donor gun, but may work out more expensive than simply buying a ready to shoot rifle.


EDIT - Cookimonster beat me to it.

cookimonster

Re the market -

Google search - 2nd hand .243 for sale Ireland -

First Web site -

Remington. 270 €399.00

CZ .243 €595.00

Sako 6.5 x 55 €599.00

CZ 550 .243 €650.00

Marlin X7VH .308 €700.00

CZ 550 .243 Bolt Action with Mod €750.00

Sako 85 .243 €799.00

SHR 970 .270 with Scope / Mod €850.00

I'll stop below a thousand, that's only one web site- several .243s and a range of other calibres and makes.

If you do go down the re-barreled root then do a value / cost comparison. If this was a family heirloom then I would suggest you consider it, but with no connections and sentimentality then no it may be come a money pit.

Cass

One thing, steer clear of the CZ's. Not sure about all models but iirc the 550 has a "sweated" fit barrel (soldered basically). Nightmare to rebarrel. Some Sako's have similar issues where the gunsmith has to leave 3 to 4 inches of the existing barrel (chamber and some barrel) then thread the new one onto it. Sako TRG I think it was I seen it on.

Best rifles for working on are Remmie, or rather the easiest.

Grizzly 45

sniperman wrote: »

thanks all for your help.im just throwing this out there now for answers,a lad has a Remington .17 i think it is,he says he cant get the ammo anymore,anyway he said i could have it as part payment for a job im doing,he said i could get it re barreled to 243 and use it for deer,can that be done?and would it be cause any problems licencing it for such? i seen the gun,its in lovely condition,pity about the ammo,anyway any thoughts??thanks

He's pulling dangly bits of your anatomy with that!
Can't get ammo for a .17??? Cmon man!. That's already setting off alarms.

In THEORY, I'm sure it could be done with a wad of cash, and a competent gunsmith who is into masochism and has nothing else to do for a few months.:pac: In practice,it would be better to just go and fork out half that money for a good 2nd hand 243 if you want that.


The compatible cals to bolt face size are 243,25/06 and .308 .17 is not one of them. IOW these are the easier cals to re barrel rather than have to go change the entire bolt/barrel set up.