The firearm thread

[jono035]

Yeah, very true scumdog, although I haven't found that to be too much of an issue with mine. Maybe more of an issue with cartridges with a bit more grunt behind them? That said, there have only been a few times where I've been gung-ho enough to put enough rounds through the barrel to get it seriously hot, and I doubt I was paying that much attention to the accuracy at that point...

[wbks]

Sounds fair enough. Hey, I was just looking and there are a few new $500 pistol's and the ammo being cheaper than 223 and regular indoor ranges that might be a good idea. But do you know how old you have to be, or how long you are supposed to have your a cat before you apply for a pistol endorsement?
I've only really seen 9mm pistols on gun city, no .22's

[jono035]

Guncity has a heap of .22 pistols, including a couple that are pretty much identical to mine.

For a B cat endorsement (pistols) you need to have an A category license, become a member of Pistol NZ and an approved gun club then complete 12 visitor shoots in 6 months. Once you've done that you're then allowed to apply for the endorsement, which consists of getting a gun safe (costs about $300-400 for a pistol safe and needs to be bolted to the floor and hidden) and passing a stricter background check, with more/different character references. A lot of people do their E-cat endorsement (MSSA weapons) at the same time, as the background check is identical as far as I know, it doesn't cost any extra to apply but you do need a full size gun safe (which is why I couldn't do it, stupid rental property) which will cost you a good few hundred more than a pistol safe. Don't know if there are any specific age requirements... arms code may mention it?

Pistol NZ website has a list of ranges, maybe there is one nearby? And pistol shooting is a hell of a challenge. Beware though, the ammo may be cheaper, but you use a hell of a lot more of it. Standard trip to the range is maybe 25x 9mm and 100 .22, but that is mostly because I prefer to take my time. Plenty of guys there who go through 50-100 of the big rounds.

[jono035]

Ahhh, guncity don't have any new .22 pistols listed on their website (they'd have some somewhere no doubt) but do have quite a few listed as second hand.

http://www.guncity.co.nz/semi-auto-xidg10573.html is the second hand pistols page.

http://www.guncity.co.nz/22-ruger-mk...idp159121.html and http://www.guncity.co.nz/9mm-beretta...idp166091.html are pretty much the same as the 2 pistols I have.

[wbks]

Challenge is fine! So visitor shoots are shooting club supplied pistols? Sounds pretty pricey signing up to all those clubs and stuff though, so might pass the point of price when I just want to get out and shoot with something. Plus the ammo, like you said.

[jono035]

Yeah, visitors can use the club supplied pistols, although I don't think you actually have to shoot pistols to get your license, just show up to the club shoots. If you know someone who attends the same shoots you do regularly and has a B-cat license, it is perfectly fine for you to have them buy the gun and hold onto it until you have your B-cat. That's what I did with my 9mm, bought it from one of the range officers who was there every week and just got him to cart it around for the few months it took to get my license.

It can get expensive quick, but if the range is like CSI then there will be a yearly membership and thats all you need to pay, I think it is around $200 a year? Also pistol NZ membership is $70 a year. Apart from that, gun price/ammo quantity is pretty much up to what you want to achieve with it, as per usual.

Now that I think about it, pistol shooting is pretty bloody pricey... I guess you just have to set a target price, weigh up your options and think about what will get you the most enjoyment, big pistol/rifle and fewer rounds or small pistol/rifle and lots of rounds..

Btw, with that gun you were looking at before, also don't forget to factor in cost of scope+rings... You should really be spending at least half what the gun is worth on the scope for target shooting...

[wbks]

You mean the savage? It was with a gun city scope with that price but I figured I would just leave it as it was for at least a while. Actually, I just saw this, looks like a pretty target dedicated rifle for quite cheap. But does the single shot matter much? http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunt...-223978840.htm

[jono035]

Single shot is fine... Can be a bit of a pain for hunting where sometimes a quick follow-up shot is useful... Nice looking gun. Was going to ask if you were looking at trademe, you can get some really good bargains there from people who just don't use their rifles anymore and are looking for some quick cash...

There were a few 7mm08 and .243 rifles on there which may be better for targets? They're the same case as the .308 but necked down for smaller calibre so faster projectile, flatter trajectory. Recoil would be a bit lighter, but still in the same ballpark as a .308 I saw somewhere that those 2 cartridges are good ones to reload too because they're not as hard on the brass, meaning your brass lasts longer and therefore reloads are cheaper... Of course, all that is just from looking around at forums and stuff, anyone out there have much experience with reloading those rounds?

[wbks]

Yea have seen a few 7mm on there and 243 but they're still atleast a grand without a scope, and at model 44 is only 750 so I figured that leaves a couple hundred for a scope. Whats the deal with scopes? Just buy the biggest scope that can be mounted to your rifle?

[jono035]

Scopes are a bit of a curly one really. You do get what you pay for, and sometimes a better quality lower magnification scope will be better than a cheaper scope with bigger numbers (magnification, objective lens size)...

If you're buying a 2nd hand rifle, most of the time it'll have a scope on it... Get used to shooting that first and decide where to go from there... More expensive scope will have clearer optics, bigger objective will be better in lower light conditions, more magnification will be better at longer ranges and adjustable objective will be good on higher magnification scopes... You're better off having used one for a bit as a base line I'd guess... At a rough guess I'd say something along the lines of a max of 12x magnification, 50mm objective and costing around $300-400? Adjustable objective is nice if you can find one in your price range that wouldn't seem too much of a quality trade-off. Get steel rings (not alloy). Stay away from anything that isn't a name-brand scope on trademe unless you can test it first, I've seen some shockers. Also stay away from anything with an illuminated reticle, it's pretty much a gimmick.

[geoffm]

As for breaking it down it is pretty gun-dependent, but most you can remove the bolt without any tools at all which is usually good enough for routine maintenance. Can be a bit trickier if you want to pull the trigger and bolt completely to pieces, but normally possible with a minimum set of tools. Screwdrivers and allen keys are really the extent of it, and those are things you should have anyway! Either way, if you're dropping the best part of a k on the gun, the tools to maintain it won't make a difference. Don't forget to budget for a gun bag or hard case as well as a cleaning kit (solvent/oil/rod/cloth patches). Should be about an extra $100 for all that.

I have a Norinco copy of the Browning takedown 22 rifles - the original Brownings are better made but they cost real money too.
It is a bit fussy on ammo, but otherwise ok - and it breaks in half with a half turn on the barrel and fitted into the BMW panniers. Not super accurate - my bolt action will shoot rings around it.
Guncity had some in stock.

[wbks]

Will one scope fit all rifles? Like this? http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunt...-223388812.htm

[Indiana_Jones]

Will one scope fit all rifles?

Depends on the mounts really, normally yes

-Indy

[jono035]

Generally, yeah. All the scopes you'll be looking at are 1" wide across the middle section of the tube, which is where you clamp the scope to the gun. The clamps are the 'rings' which fit into grooves either in the top of the receiver (part that houses the bolt) or a mounting rail bolted to the top of the receiver.

The only tricks are making sure the rings match the type of rail they're mounting to (weaver rail, dovetail grooves etc.) and that the mounts are high enough so that the far end of your scope doesn't bottom out on the barrel (only a problem with scopes with large objective lenses, i.e. the ones with the big forward-ends)

[jono035]

Tasco is one of the decent budget brands of scope, that's a pretty well specced scope for the money, to be sure. Pays to know whether your rifle is going to have a scope with it or not though lol