BoatMad wrote: »

Would you reccomend staying with .22 rimfire or what. What types of traget shooting should a novice aim for etc.

There is sporting rifle, benchrest, 3P, PR60 to mention a few. The .22 will be grand for them and as mentioned a good learning tool to get you used to rifle handling and usage. There is a world of difference between rimfire rifles and centrefires, and even some centrefires to other centrefires. As in a .223 will be smaller and less kick than a .308.

If you have no rifle experience stay with the .22 for a while and join a range. You need to brush up or learn range commands and protocol. There are many safety issues with shooting on a range as it contains many shooters firing in close proximity so there is no room for mishaps and lapses in judgements. You'll learn this as you go.

Are there any long distance ranges near dublin/wicklow?

None. The Midlands (MNSCI) is the only long range target club in the country. The membership is €600 for the first year and €285 per year after that. They have.............

10 - 25 yard pistol range,
Clay pigeon range
50 mtr Benchrest/PR60/3P range,
50 mtr Sporting .22 range
100 - 300 yard sheltered range
100 - 600 yard Windmill (outside) range
800 - 1,200 yard Windmill range.

If you intend to shoot long range then the Midlands is the only club you can do so at. 100 - 500 yards would be classed as short range, 600 - 800 medium range, and 900 - 1,200 yards long range in competition terms. If nothing else its worth a drive down to for a look.

However if you plan to stay with the rimfire there are numerous ranges in and around Dublin that would suffice. A partial list of ranges can be found here.

No problem. As well as the MNSCI website check out the NRAI website and the ICFRA webiste.

The NRAI are the Natonal Governing Body for F-Class, TR, Match rifle, Benchrest in Ireland. They work out of the midlands range in Tullamore. Membership of the MNSCI gives you membership of the NRAI.

ICFRA is a confederation of NGBs for fullbore rifle shooting. They set the rules and conditions that all comps. are run by.

A quick rundown of the 2 most popular forms of long range target shooting.

F-Open - This is shooting done with a rifle, scope, front rest and back bag. Typical calibers include, 7mm, 6.5x284, but any caliber is allowed. It would be unusual, but not unheard off to use another caliber simply because these seem to be the tried and tested ones. The rifle cannot exceed 22lbs in weight. This includes rifle, scope, mounts, bolt. The front rest can be of any size and make, but must have a sand bag between the forestock of the rifle and the rest. The back back must also be of "simple" design and have sand between butt stock and rest/bag. Any power scope can be used.



FTR - This is shooting also done with a rifle, and scope, but has a bipod instead of a rest and a rear sandbag as with F-Open. The discipline is limited to .223, and .308 caliber rifles ONLY. The distances vary between 600 yards to a max of 1,000 yards. The setup for FTR shooting is usually cheaper than F-Open, but depending on your taste and customising of your rifle can be more expensive. The majority (if not all) of shooters use .308 caliber rifles. The vary from TRGs, Remingtons to the popular Savage. Thereason for them being so popular is they have excellent accuracy, but come in (price wise) cheaper than most/all factory rifles but is able to outshoot them from the off requiring no modifications.



The only limit in either class is the size of your wallet. . For €3,500 you could have a brand new rifle, scope and all gear for FTR. The F-open would be slightly more expensive, but not by enough to put you off and all setups could be got second hand.

The other three disciplines are Benchrest, Target rifle, and Match rifle.

TR shooting is open/aperture sight shooting. Done from 300 yards out to 1,000 it requires a good degree of skill and is a great sport. Your have rifle, sights, sling, jacket. No rests, bags or bipods.



Benchrest. This is shooting done with a rifle, scope, front rest and back bag all done in a seated position of a Bench. The rifles have over time become bigger, and more highly tuned than most things you would see on an average range. Have a look at this to see how it goes.



Match Rifle. This shooting done with a .308 caliber rifle at distances of 1,000 / 1,100 / 1,200 yards. In other words where normal F-Class shooting stops. The shooter can use a front rest but no back bag. It is generally shot from the prone position but can also be done "back gunning".