The firearm thread

[Smokin]

The primer to ignite the powder in made into the rim of the cartridge.
Centre fire has the primer in the centre of the cartridge.

[jrandom]

next question... what is rimfire?

That's when the primer is spun into the rim of the base of the cartridge, and the firing pin hits that rim to set it off and start the propellant burning.

You'll see, on a .22LR, that the mark from the firing pin on ejected cartridges is on the rim.

Larger calibres tend to be centerfire; the primer sits in a separate little cup in the middle of the base of the cartridge, and the firing pin hits it in the middle.

Centerfire cartridges are handy, because once you've fired one, you can keep the empty brass, pull the used primer cup out and chuck in a new one, then fill it with propellant and crimp a new bullet in. Saves lots of money. That's what people mean when they talk about 'reloading'.

Rimfire cartridges are way cheaper to manufacture first off, though, which is why .22LR only costs about 2 cents a round to shoot.

[The Pastor]

im such a noob

[Wolf]

Isn't the old .22 Magnum also a rimfire cartridge?

[deanohit]

Isn't the old .22 Magnum also a rimfire cartridge?

Yep, got some good knockdown power too, I think it's got the same power at 100yds as the .22LR has at the muzzle. Not too sure though, some one correct me if I'm wrong.

.22mag is way more expensive though, it's like $15-$20 for a 50 pack while the .22LR is $5-$7 for a 50 pack.

[Indiana_Jones]

im such a noob

Well everyone was nice a noob Scott, so don't worry.

I'm a noob too when it comes to firearms, but I'm slowly learning

Paid my $123.75 too!

-Indy

[Wolf]

im such a noob

Everyone is at some stage. I got my noob status with rifles out of the way when I was a tiny tot but I was fortunate enough to be raised on farms where there was always at least a .22lr and usually a "cut down" or "sporterised" .303 SMLE (Short Magazine Lee Enfield, an old military bolt action) or a double-barrelled shotgun lurking around somewhere.

Don't worry, after a while it'll all come "naturally". Depending on the path your experiences lead you down, you may learn a little or a lot.

Good on you for asking the questions and getting the advice of those who've gone before.

You will find a .22 bolt action a great starting point and will most likely find you'll keep it unless you find another .22 that better suits your (future) needs - any larger calibre weapons you get are likely to be additions to your "arsenal" - for the times when the .22lr is not suitable. In the meantime you'll learn a lot about accuracy and weapon-handling that will stand you in excellent stead for any calibre weapon (at minimal initial outlay and minimal ammo cost.)

You're taking the course that will maximise your enjoyment of the sport by enabling you to get a feel for it and gain the skills without breaking the bank or becoming frustrated in the process.

There was a bloke I knew who was always wanting a "more powerful" weapon - bow, rifle etc - in order to "hit the target" - when he could not even fire a .22lr or a 30-lb bow accurately (there was a woman at the archery club who had difficulty managing the draw weight of a 30-lb bow and was shifted to a 15-lb bow then promptly caught up with, and surpassed, the rest of the class who were using the club's 30lb bows). He'd be the sort of person to go out and buy several thousand dollars worth of .300 Winchester Magnum rifle and then bitch and whinge that it's not "powerful enough" to hit the target accurately - because he'd never pay out for enough .300WM ammo to get accurate with the brute.

Meanwhile a "noob" like you with a cheap Norinco Brno-clone and a couple of bricks* of .22lr hollowpoint will be well on your way towards shooting the pips out of raspberries at 25 yards. And a few months down the track you could pick up a .300WM and show that other bloke exactly how accurate it can be - it'd take very little to "cross over".

* Brick = 10 boxes of .22lr ammo bundled together = 500 rounds.

[The Pastor]

I found this page http://www.outdoorsupplies.co.nz/Rimfire.html#Norinco

There is the JW-15A .22 bolt action Package Deal Only $276

But then i saw down a little bit, JW-23 .22Mag Bolt action $270

It says the 23 is more suited to longer distances, I think I might go for that one. The prices look to me to be very good!

[jrandom]

But then i saw down a little bit, JW-23 .22Mag Bolt action $270

It says the 23 is more suited to longer distances, I think I might go for that one. The prices look to me to be very good!

My advice would be, stick with a .22LR.

I've shot the JW23 (a friend has one). Nice little rifle, but trust me, you don't want the magnum to start with, you want a standard .22LR. The magnum rimfire round is louder (a LOT louder), more expensive to feed, and has a reputation for inferior accuracy (although I haven't observed that personally - it's probably just an urban legend borne of the fact that .22 Magnum rifles tend to be cheap plinkers).

Don't ignore the huge advantage of being able to slap on a suppressor on a .22LR and shoot subsonic ammunition absolutely silently in your backyard - you'll never manage that with a .22 Magnum.

[scumdog]

I found this page http://www.outdoorsupplies.co.nz/Rimfire.html#Norinco

There is the JW-15A .22 bolt action Package Deal Only $276

But then i saw down a little bit, JW-23 .22Mag Bolt action $270

It says the 23 is more suited to longer distances, I think I might go for that one. The prices look to me to be very good!

True re the distance thing- but how often do you really need that extra distance? and do a cost comparison for the ammo.
The 15A would be my choice for a first rifle, accurate enough and affordable to run - especially if you want to do a lot of target/practice shooting.

[Indiana_Jones]

I too shall have to get a .22.

Lever or Bolt action.

Lever looks cool lol

Too many Westerns for Indy

-Indy

[The Pastor]

I Could actually get both and only (just) be over my budget....

being the noob i'll take ur advice and get the jw15

[Mr Merde]

'Long Rifle'.

......Rimfire type cartridges used to be much more prevalent back in the Good Old Days. There were some seriously fat rimfire calibres. I suspect Mr Merde or one of the other history buffs will be able to add some detail to that comment.

Unfortunately, most of those calibres have fallen by the wayside, leaving .22 Long Rifle as the only common rimfire calibre, along with new designs like the .17HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire).

I thank you for your confidence.

For anyone interested the .22 was the first round developed as a cartridge.

About 1850 by Messers Smith and Wesson.

There have been many calibers since and most of them have gone the way of the dinosaurs.

I have a rifle in my collection that is .56 rimfire.

Just another little piece of infomation. If you look at the headstamp of a .22 and it has a letter H on the back this is n honour of Henry B Tyler.

As another note. I notice a little way back people were talking about hunting possums at night. You were talking about spotlighting for them and firing multiple shots.

Go back to the Firearms Code book and the rules for attaining a rifle licence in NZ.

Note that it states specifically that it is against the law to fire a gun at night time. How does that fit in with possum hunting?
How many of you have broken the law by taking bunnies etc at night. Never really been explained to me.

[doc]

As another note. I notice a little way back people were talking about hunting possums at night. You were talking about spotlighting for them and firing multiple shots.

Go back to the Firearms Code book and the rules for attaining a rifle licence in NZ.

Note that it states specifically that it is against the law to fire a gun at night time. How does that fit in with possum hunting?
How many of you have broken the law by taking bunnies etc at night. Never really been explained to me.

It was self defence

[Mr Merde]

In response to RM and all you others I would definitely go for the JW15.

I have one and it shoots remarkably well. Fit a decent suppressor and you have a real quiet bunny or possum buster.

Sighted it in for 25 meters and can take beer cans at 100 meters everytime.

Taken its fair share of possums etc as well as a turkey or two as well.

Problem is I dropped the damm thing and the cheap woodwork split . I need to glue and pin it to make it a shooter again.