The firearm thread

[Swoop]

OK.
Where has the Sunnybrae Rd gunshop gone?

What have you lot done with it?

[The Pastor]

wills is now on wairau road mate

[Swoop]

wills is now on wairau road mate

Ta.
When did they move there? I would have thought the rents would be much worse on the main road.

[The Pastor]

Ta.
When did they move there? I would have thought the rents would be much worse on the main road.

Maybe a month ago, pretty recent, new store is bigger i think (havn't been inside) much bigger road view profile and new updated signs etc.

[frogfeaturesFZR]

Needed to compete with Guncity out Mt Roskill.
More clothing, fishing stuff than before, about the
Same firearms stuff.

[The Pastor]

going on a hunt again soon, once i figure out how to hunt i'll organise a kb hunt if anyone is keen.

[avgas]

Am I legally allowed for fire a slug gun in my back yard?
I am planning to ask the neighbors. But would be good to know before hand.

If I can't shoot it in the back yard - where can I in Auckland? Would feel kinda shit taking it to a gun club as its a break barrel, so not exactly as accurate as an Anshulz lol

Also someone said to me rules have changed for firearms license? Anything major?
Was planning to go for it in Dec - as I have 4 rifles (all bolt action) that have not been shot in since I left home.

[Swoop]

21 September, 2010: The U.S. Army and Marine Corps have parted company on the issue of what kind of rifle ammo is best for the troops. The army began to ship lead-free M855A1 5.56mm bullets to its troops over the Summer. The marines went with a slightly more expensive Mk308 (or SOST) round, that SOCOM (Special Operations Command) recently developed. SOST contains lead, but SOCOM considers it more effective in combat than any other 5.56mm round.
All this came about because of years of political pressure on the army to use non-lead bullets. That's because training and combat use of army 5.56mm weapons puts 2,000 tons of lead back into the environment each year. This lead was originally taken out of the environment to be temporarily stored in the form of bullets.

While this non-lead policy burnishes the army's image and environmental cred, it also provides troops with an inferior bullet; the M855A1 copper alloy slug. But inferior to what? Well to a another new bullet. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) has developed a new 5.56mm bullet, the SOST (Special Operations Science and Technology) round. The SOST bullet solves a problem the M855 has long had, the inability to penetrate things like automobile windshields. SOST uses lead, and also has more killing power than the M855 (that did not inflict as much internal damage, and bleeding, as 7.62mm and 9mm rounds.) The M855A1 didn't solve these problems, but it was "green" (less polluting).

The U.S. Marine Corps was going to switch to the M855A1, but changed their minds when they found out about the SOST round. Army troops would like a heavier M855A1 bullet, not really caring if it’s made of lead or copper. Soldiers would like the SOST round, but the only army personnel getting that are Special Forces troops. The army has spent over $32 million developing the M855A1. SOCOM spent a lot less developing SOST, which has a bullet that weighs as much as the M855A1 slug, but is based on a popular hunting bullet design (the Federal Trophy Bonded Bear Claw). SOST is more accurate than the M855A1, as well as being deadlier and having greater penetrating power.

The army is still working on an environmentally correct 7.62mm round, and ignoring troop requests for the SOST round. There have not been a lot of complaints from troops about the M855A1 round. That's because the times that the older M855 round caused problems were few. Moreover, the M855A1 was specifically designed for the shorter barreled M4 rifle that most army troops carry. Most marines carry the longer (by about 100mm/4 inches) barreled M-16. But for the moment, the marines and SOCOM troops have a more polluting round that is more problem free, which can save a few American lives over time. The enemy, of course, has no lead-free rounds at all.

[The Pastor]

Am I legally allowed for fire a slug gun in my back yard?
I am planning to ask the neighbors. But would be good to know before hand.

If I can't shoot it in the back yard - where can I in Auckland? Would feel kinda shit taking it to a gun club as its a break barrel, so not exactly as accurate as an Anshulz lol

Also someone said to me rules have changed for firearms license? Anything major?
Was planning to go for it in Dec - as I have 4 rifles (all bolt action) that have not been shot in since I left home.

if your neighbours are all good in the hood with it then yeah no problems. Just make sure no one can see / hear or that kids are playing over the fence.

might be worth ringing the arms officer and checking if its ok with him.

[scumdog]

Yes, twice. I'll give it till next week and if I haven't heard anything I'll pop into the station and ask what the hold up is.

There is probably a minimum hight requirement for firearm ownership.. yeah, that'll be it, a minimum hight restriction...get taller and you'll get you gun licence..

[SMOKEU]

Am I legally allowed for fire a slug gun in my back yard?

You can legally use an airgun in your back yard as long as you have a solid back stop and aren't doing anything reckless with it, such as taking pot shots at the neighbours cat.

[jono035]

Well, quiet few weeks, eh?

Only just got back into the country this morning so didn't get to go to the arms fair, who went and how was it? Gutted that I missed it.

Saw a few interesting sights while away. Went to the Beretta gunshop in central London, mostly shotguns though so not really my cup of tea, although looking at a GBP100k u/o 12 gauge was interesting. Had a look through my uncles gun collection and there were a few interesting little things in there... A 9mm rimfire bolt action 'garden gun', fires all-brass 9mm shot-shells. Also a cartridge collection with a couple of 4 gauge and 10 gauge cardboard shells, some pinfire shells, a diesel engine starting blank (wtf??) among other things. Neat stuff.

[frogfeaturesFZR]

Bigger floor area than out west. Usual assortment of toys.
Spent too much- as usual !

[The Pastor]

Hi all,

Ive found a meet hunt on http://www.fishnhunt.co.nz/forum/YaB...num=1285659250

This looks like a very easy way to full the freezer. ( farm land, and don't even have to carry it out!)

The details are below, if you wanna go tell me ASAP, I think its going to full fast Date is Nov 26/27/28.

Details as before
Arrive Fri PM and Depart Sun PM
Hunting Sat and Sun until midday as required.
Accom in shearers quarters, hot showers, toilet etc.
Meals provided incl Fri Supper, Sat Brkfst, packed lunch and dinner incl wines. Sun Brkfst and lite lunch.
Deer collected by 4x4 and use of killing shed to dress out kills.
Guiding , insruction and hints on dressing out as required.
Rifle avail if required.
300m range avail if you need to check rifle.

Shooting of free range Fallow is over open hillcountry with pockets of bush.
Price is $250 pp which includes 1 deer. Additional deer @ $100 each.

[Swoop]

7 October, 2010: The U.S. Army has ordered 3,600 upgrade kits for its M24 bolt-action sniper rifles, which will convert them to the M24E1. This will turn the existing 7.62mm M24 rifles into ones capable of firing the .300 Winchester magnum (7.62x67) round. This is a more powerful round than the NATO 7.62x51 round currently used in the M24. The conversion kit includes a new receiver and barrel, a new scope, a new flash suppressor and a folding buttstock. The conversion will take five years and will cost about $7,800 per rifle.
Last year, the army ordered 38.4 million rounds of .300 Winchester magnum ammunition for its newly modified M-24 sniper rifles, as well as similar SOCOMs Mk13 models. The new ammo costs about $1.30 per round. The .300 Winchester magnum ammo is ordered in minimum lots of 56,160 rounds (117 boxes of 480 rounds each). The entire 38.4 million rounds will last a while.

All this is in response to requests from snipers for a longer range weapon, but not one as bulky and heavy as the 13.6 kg (30 pound) .50 caliber/12.7mm rifle (which is good to about 2,000 meters). Thus the army is modifying existing M24 rifles to fire the more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum round. It was felt that this gave the snipers all the additional range they needed, without requiring a much heavier rifle. SOCOM has been using this approach since the early 1990s.

The calls were loudest from snipers operating in Afghanistan, where U.S. Army and Marine Corps shooters wanted a sniper rifle that can consistently get kills out to 1,800 meters. The current 7.62mm round was good only to about 800 meters. The 300 Winchester magnum is a more powerful, but not much larger, round than the current 7.62mm one. An improved version of the magnum round is expected to extend that range another 200 meters or so.

There was another option, and that was to replace the barrel and receiver of the M24 sniper rifles to handle the .338 (8.6mm) Lapua Magnum round. Thus you still have a 17 pound sniper rifle, but with a round that can hit effectively out to 1,600 meters or more. British snipers in Iraq, and especially Afghanistan, have found the Lapua Magnum round does the job at twice the range of the standard 7.62x51mm round. The 8.6mm round entered use in the early 1990s, and became increasingly popular with police and military snipers. Dutch snipers have used this round in Afghanistan with much success, and have a decade of experience with these larger caliber rifles. British snipers in Afghanistan are also using the new round, having converted many of their 7.62mm sniper rifles. Recognizing the popularity of the 8.6mm round, Barrett, the pioneer in 12.7mm sniper rifles, came out with a 15.5 pound version of its rifle, chambered for the 8.6mm. But the U.S. preferred the lighter .300 Winchester magnum solution.

This is not the first time the U.S. Army has quickly responded to sniper needs. Two years ago, in response to requests from snipers operating in urban areas of Iraq, the U.S. Army began issuing the M110 SASS (Semi-Automatic Sniper System). Urban snipers often have multiple targets, at relatively short ranges. They needed a semiautomatic rifle. Previously, many snipers have had success using tuned up M-14s (from the 1960s) as sniper rifles. While semi-automatic and rugged, the M-14 wasn't designed to be a sniper rifle. The M110 was a better semi-automatic sniper rifle, since it is inherently more reliable and accurate. As far back as World War II, it was known that there were many situations where a semi-automatic sniper rifle would come in handy. But it's taken over half a century to solve the reliability and accuracy problems.

The M110 is a based on the AR-10 rifle. The U.S. Navy has been buying a similar weapon, the SR25. This is also known as the Mk11 Sniper Rifle System (SRS). These new semi-automatic sniper rifles are 7.62mm weapons based on the designs of M-16 creator, Gene Stoner. The basis for the M-16 was the AR-15, and a 7.62mm version of that weapon was called the AR-10. About half the parts in the SR25 are interchangeable with those in the M-16. The Stoner sniper rifles achieved its high accuracy partly by using a 20 inch heavy floating barrel. The "floating" means that the barrel is attached only to the main body of the rifle to reduce resonance (which throws off accuracy.)

The M110 weighs 7.9 kg (17.3 pounds) in combat, and about 32 kg (70 pounds) with all components of the system. The M110 can use a ten or twenty round magazine. The 128 cm (40.5 inch) long rifle can have a 15 cm (six inch) tube attached to the barrel, which reduces the noise and flash made when the rifle fires, and largely eliminates nearby dust rising into the air, which often gives away the snipers position.

The M110 will gradually replace many of the bolt-action M24s, while the remaining M24s will be converted to fire the .300 Winchester Magnum, for those snipers working somewhere, like Afghanistan, where more range is needed.