The firearm thread

**BornAgainBiker** · 30th May 2011, 23:33

Originally Posted by stifmyster1

what type of triggers are the single or 2 stage. ive found i prefer two stae because i pout the trigger to its first stage. then perform my final breath out as i squeeze the trigger. single stages i found it took longer for me to realise when the shot would happen so my breathing was off.

XBolt is single stage but the factory adjustment would only adjust down to around 3 lb which I found still to high now its down to 1 1/2 lb and so much more crisper, but I can still adjust it back up to a heaver setting if wanted.

**Drunken Monkey** · 11th June 2011, 14:25

new toy...

**scumdog** · 11th June 2011, 14:31

Originally Posted by Drunken Monkey

new toy...

Hmm, the old man has a Belgian one in 30-06, complete with bayonet.

**Drunken Monkey** · 11th June 2011, 14:44

Ah, upon closer inspection you may actually notice this is a .22 calibre version - in fact, the Norinco JW-25A copy of the Mauser KKW!

Looks the part, although I cheated by not including something to give the scale away...

**Wolf** · 11th June 2011, 18:58

You're a shit, DM.

Seriously aching to do some shooting. Just spent the day cleaning the "toys" (they get rusty just sitting around in the miserable Waikato climate) and wishing I had some place to blast off a few rounds.

**Mr Merde** · 11th June 2011, 22:49

Very nice but I thought you were a committed .308 person.

BTW I have cleaned up the 243. Got rid of most of the surface rust and a lot of muck down the barrel. Some of the ammo you left is .308

Itching to pull the trigger on it.

Chris

**Drunken Monkey** · 11th June 2011, 23:48

lol, I didn't say .308 was the only calibre I was going to use, just the only centrefire one I want. Ammo type consolidation mate, which is why the .22 magnum had to go. The mauser copy uses the same ammo as the 10/22, so it's all good

The goal is 6 firearms and only 3 ammo types. Got 2 x .22's, 2 x 12 gauges and 1 x .308, so just need to sort out the .308 bolt action eventually and I'm a happy man.

RE: the .308 ammo that got mixed in, put it aside with the scope you're not using and I'll collect next time we meet up.

Sounds like we're all overdue for another shoot - we need to organise something, even if it's getting off our arses and arranging a group hire of one of the club ranges.

**Wolf** · 12th June 2011, 00:24

Originally Posted by Drunken Monkey

Sounds like we're all overdue for another shoot - we need to organise something, even if it's getting off our arses and arranging a group hire of one of the club ranges.

I'm up for that if it's on a kid-free weekend. Ideally some place with a 25m and 200m range so I can do some sighting in before dealing to some ammo.

How's the "new range" plan going, Chris?

**Beren** · 30th June 2011, 11:35

I will be sifting through the thread to see if this has come up much before... but after 9 months living up in kaukapakapa a rifle is very high on my wish list and thought you guys might have some recommendations...

Currently we have a .177 air rifle which is fine for pinging cans etc. But we have quite a few bunnies and pheasants that I would deeply like to put in the pot and it just doesn't have any stopping power at all.

The neighbours have also said that we get a few deer in the valley below us so I might want to be able to take down some mid sized game as well as small animals.

It also needs to be a rifle that my reasonably small fiance can fire without massive recoil issues.

So ideal situation -
Probably something .22 calibre, potentially slightly larger but certainly not .303
Preferably something scoped - I am only barely OK over open sights
Potentially something with some supression? I have seen multiple targets several times...
If supression then I guess semi-automatic would also be good.

There are lots of random brands I know nothing about on TradeMe and some guidance would be gratefully recieved!

**Beren** · 30th June 2011, 12:09

Hope it's not bad etiquette but just thought - If people are stuck for somewhere to fire guns I have 4 acres of native bush in a very nice gully (So unless you are going to fire into the air it's gauranteed dead ground.) If it gave me the opportunity to test fire a few different firearms I am sure I could be tempted into cutting torsos out of the 20 odd boxes left over from moving to make an interesting walk through target shoot.

The only issue is that KKK is a bit of a ways north for you Auckland peeps - We are on the awesome SH16 if people wanted to combine ride and shoot... though I guess carrying rifles on a bike could be a little um frowned upon by the fuzz.

**jono035** · 30th June 2011, 12:09

Originally Posted by Beren

I will be sifting through the thread to see if this has come up much before... but after 9 months living up in kaukapakapa a rifle is very high on my wish list and thought you guys might have some recommendations...

Currently we have a .177 air rifle which is fine for pinging cans etc. But we have quite a few bunnies and pheasants that I would deeply like to put in the pot and it just doesn't have any stopping power at all.

The neighbours have also said that we get a few deer in the valley below us so I might want to be able to take down some mid sized game as well as small animals.

It also needs to be a rifle that my reasonably small fiance can fire without massive recoil issues.

So ideal situation -
Probably something .22 calibre, potentially slightly larger but certainly not .303
Preferably something scoped - I am only barely OK over open sights
Potentially something with some supression? I have seen multiple targets several times...
If supression then I guess semi-automatic would also be good.

There are lots of random brands I know nothing about on TradeMe and some guidance would be gratefully recieved!

It all depends on what you want to spend, and what your tolerance is for buying 2nd hand.

This is basically the process I followed:

First things first: Get the firearms license process started if you haven't already. It can sometimes take a good while and there is nothing more frustrating than finding the perfect bargain on TradeMe and not having the license to buy it with. For storage, a $50 2 or 3 gun wallmount rack with a padlock is fine.

For the rifles, I'd say avoid trying to do too many things with the same rifle. You'll be much happier (and probably save money) buying a selection of rifles that do their job well than trying to do it all with one.

For bunnies, I'd get a cheap .22LR bolt action. You can often pick them up on trademe around $500 with a bag, suppressor and maybe an extra mag. A cheapie 3-9x40 or 4x32 scope will be perfectly adequate out to 50m. If you're keen, a 10/22 in stainless with a synthetic stock is good here, but I always recommend for people to start with a bolt action, it gets you into better safety habits. Probably $500 to $1500 depending on age/quality/extras.

I'm not sure about the pheasants, someone with more shotgun experience can chime in here, but there are plenty of decent single/double barrel 12 or 20 gauges on trademe for not much money, just make sure it can fire steel shot. Probably $3-400 second hand?

For deer, I'd say wait a while and see how it goes. If it's something that you're not likely to do all that often, see if you can find someone with a rifle you can borrow in exchange for a few beers or what have you. Another consideration is if you've got somewhere to shoot and sight-in the rifle at the ranges you're likely to want to use it at. A bolt action .243 would be my choice here as they're cheap, common, low recoil and enough rifle for pretty much anything you're likely to get in NZ. They suppress nicely, too, although the suppressors aren't cheap. Probably $1000 for a bargain with an average scope, $2k for a good used rifle or cheap new rifle with scope and suppressor.

General other notes:

Scopes - In my experience, a good scope on an average rifle will outshoot a good rifle with a cheap scope. Figure out how much you're happy to spend on the entire rifle (as a package with scope/mags/carry bags, cleaning gear etc.) and then budget to spend half of that on the rifle and split the rest among scope and extras.

**jono035** · 30th June 2011, 12:13

Originally Posted by Beren

Hope it's not bad etiquette but just thought - If people are stuck for somewhere to fire guns I have 4 acres of native bush in a very nice gully (So unless you are going to fire into the air it's gauranteed dead ground.) If it gave me the opportunity to test fire a few different firearms I am sure I could be tempted into cutting torsos out of the 20 odd boxes left over from moving to make an interesting walk through target shoot.

The only issue is that KKK is a bit of a ways north for you Auckland peeps - We are on the awesome SH16 if people wanted to combine ride and shoot... though I guess carrying rifles on a bike could be a little um frowned upon by the fuzz.

The offer is all good, I'm sure there will be a few of us Aucklanders considering it.

I assume you mean torso targets of animals, such as deer/pigs, right? Obviously human torso targets are likely to be frowned upon, as we New Zealanders are only allowed firearms for sporting purposes, and do not own weapons for defensive reasons... (cough...)

**Indiana_Jones** · 30th June 2011, 12:22

If you're after a semi .22, I reckon a Ruger 10/22 would be great.

If you're after a bolt action, lots of people stand by the Norinco ones

Can scope both of those, 4x32 scope would be more than enough.

*Waits for Chris to correct me lol*

Edit: I see Jono got there before I lol

-Indy

**jono035** · 30th June 2011, 12:26

Originally Posted by Indiana_Jones

If you're after a semi .22, I reckon a Ruger 10/22 would be great.

If you're after a bolt action, lots of people stand by the Norinco ones

Can scope both of those, 4x32 scope would be more than enough.

*Waits for Chris to correct me lol*

Edit: I see Jono got there before I lol

-Indy

All good, yours was far more succint

**Beren** · 30th June 2011, 12:37

Originally Posted by jono035

It all depends on what you want to spend, and what your tolerance is for buying 2nd hand.

Oops forgot that bit - I think $3-500 is about my budget - It's birthday time in August... so will combine presents from different people for rifle bags etc...

First things first: Get the firearms license process started if you haven't already. It can sometimes take a good while and there is nothing more frustrating than finding the perfect bargain on TradeMe and not having the license to buy it with. For storage, a $50 2 or 3 gun wallmount rack with a padlock is fine.

Cool was wondering about storage - I can set that up in a lockable area in the shed for slightly more security.

I'm not sure about the pheasants, someone with more shotgun experience can chime in here...

Ahh I can see them feeding on the ground so will be taking them with the same rifle... I can get to 25m from them and will be very dissapointed if I can't headshot a bird from that range!

For deer, I'd say wait a while and see how it goes. If it's something that you're not likely to do all that often, see if you can find someone with a rifle you can borrow in exchange for a few beers or what have you. Another consideration is if you've got somewhere to shoot and sight-in the rifle at the ranges you're likely to want to use it at. A bolt action .243 would be my choice here as they're cheap, common, low recoil and enough rifle for pretty much anything you're likely to get in NZ. They suppress nicely, too, although the suppressors aren't cheap. Probably $1000 for a bargain with an average scope, $2k for a good used rifle or cheap new rifle with scope and suppressor.

So potentially a .22 or a .243 if I can get one? Is the ammunition vastly different in price? .22 seems pretty cheap...

Scopes - In my experience, a good scope on an average rifle will outshoot a good rifle with a cheap scope. Figure out how much you're happy to spend on the entire rifle (as a package with scope/mags/carry bags, cleaning gear etc.) and then budget to spend half of that on the rifle and split the rest among scope and extras.

We have a pretty damn good scope on the .177 (No idea quite why!) certainly good enough for shooting out to 100+ Yards and would be rather depressed if even a cheap rifle wasn't accurate to within an inch at that short a range. (Not the marksman mind you... I'm not bad but I am a LONG way from good!)