PoltegIce
Shared on Sun, 08/19/2012 - 11:37So I need a new hobby, something that gets me out of the house and hopefully gives me the chance to make some new friends. I have decided to join a gun club and start doing some target shooting. There is a gun club here in the city I live in and I sent an email to fella the website tells me to get in contact with. Unfortunately he hasn't sent me an email back yet and its been almost 3 weeks. He could be on vacation but I thought might as well send another email to one of the other guys. Who knows maybe this guy is in jail and they just haven't updated the website yet. Anyways while I am waiting for more info I thought I would throw this question out there for the gun nuts who might be perusing this entry.
What kind of firearm should I purchase first? its not something I will be doing soon. I think the rules up here in Canada are a little stricter then you fellas down south and I have training and applications I have to complete and receive back before I can own one. But back to the question at hand which I suppose raises many questions for me. Well first off I am a complete newb at this. Second; money is an issue. I doubt I will go to far over a grand in purchase price but ideally I am looking for something half that. Cut that price down by a third if the wife decides she is gonna get in on it as well. I will not be doing any hunting. This is strictly for targets and fun. I am by no means a flashy guy. Reliability and performance are what I value beyond what has been made popular in movies or how many different finishes a weapon may come in. That being said I do have a soft spot for those old repeater type rifles made popular by Clint Eastwood in old westerns. Way to contradict yourself polteg! I know I know.... Actually I can't say there is any one type of weapon I prefer. At some point I wouldn't mind owning a variety of different types of guns.
So there ya have it. I need something a beginner can learn on, and is reliable for target shooting on a range. I am sure once I join I will get some experience firing a few types of weapons and get a better feeling of what I enjoy but for now I thought it would be interesting to hear what yall might have to say. Here is a link to the types of shooting the club is suited to. http://www.frsa.ca/services.html
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Comments
Submitted by Nochnoi-Dozor on Sun, 08/19/2012 - 12:00
Probably the first thing you need to decide is what you want, i.e. hand gun (restricted fire arms) or rifle. Each will require its own course if I remember correctly, I was able to get the last free course in the Yukon, that covered both, before they divided it, that was about 15 years ago.
Submitted by PoltegIce on Mon, 08/27/2012 - 10:34
Ya going rife. I wonder if I still have to register it? Its not semi in any shape way or form. Casings have to be maually ejected and bullets hand fed one at a time.
Submitted by LocGaw on Sun, 08/19/2012 - 13:34
That club does not offer skeet, trap or sporting clays. Shotgunning is the best place to start for shooting sports. People may disagree but I have people come out to my parents farm to try shooting for the first time and they break clays usually after a couple shots... Over unders and side by sides can be colectable and quite possibly would appriciate in value(depending on purchase type and how well you take care of it). Also, all double barel shot guns and inertia driven automatics are very easy to maintain and care for.
22 caliber rifles are probably the next thing I would pick. I doubt you are going to want something out of the Anschutz stable but here is a link:
http://www.anschuetz-sport.com/
Something a bit more reasonable will be something from CZ:
http://www.cz-usa.com/
I have both. The CZ rifles have alot of nice features for the money you spend. They are nice accurate rifles. One thing that CZ has redily available is something called a single set trigger. That is a fantastic feature... My little 22 from anschuetz however has been divine over the years. It has gone on countless hunting trips and had more rimfire go through it than I can count.
If you want to go with a larger rifle, go with a CZ or with something from Tika:
http://www.cabelas.com/bolt-action-tikka-t3-lite-bolt-action-rifles-150-stainless-steel-barrels-3.shtml
Stick with a common caliber. I prefer 30-06 due to the sheer availabilty and types of ammo. That may recoil too much for you though and a better choice would be .223. One thing you also need to consider about rifle purchases are the need for a scope. The further you shoot, the better optics you need. For a .22lr or .223 I dont spend a fortune. But on my 30-06 my scope cost more than the rifle itself. A multi reticle distance scope from quality manufacuter is not going to be cheap.
Submitted by PoltegIce on Mon, 08/27/2012 - 10:25
I just found out there is a club here with skeet and trap shooting. But then thats all then do....
Oh well. Gonna check out the firsst place and see how it feels. I am getting 2 rifles from my father. I've never seen them before but he has them. So since I am gettting 2 rifles the shotgun place is on the back burner. Its interesting, one of the rifles was my grandfathers and according to my father is near 100 years old. I hope its still in working order. My father is meticulous in the way he cares and upkeeps his possesions but it is 100 years old lol. I can't remeber what caliber he said it was except it had a 6 in it somewhere. And its from france which is cool. The other is a 22 and my father bought it when he was a young man for $19 at a corner store. lol
Submitted by Habu06 on Sun, 08/19/2012 - 16:27
First choice for someone in your position is one of my favorite rifles, the Ruger 10-22. Here's why :
Inexpensive - yet good quality retail about $250 -275 U.S- even sometimes less (sorry,don't know how much in Canada)
Shoots inexpensive .22 ammo you buy .22 just about anywhere that sells ammo
Easy to shoot - low recoil, simple operation, decent accuracy - your wife will probably like to shoot it too.
doesn't look like a scary "assault rifle" which might upset the Canadian authorities
Has a lot of accessories you can buy to pimp it up - even make it look like an above mentioned scary rifle. Repair parts if ever needed, are plentiful. A very easy rifle to upgrade with target barrels. sights, stocks, ect.
You can use it for hunting, target shooting and if absolutely necessary, home defense.
Holds it value well
I have all kinds of firearms but one of my favorite "fun guns" is a 10-22 (I have a couple set up in different configurations)
Submitted by PoltegIce on Mon, 08/27/2012 - 10:27
Thankyou. That definetly peaked my interest.
Submitted by docglock86 on Mon, 08/20/2012 - 03:44
I've been in the gun hobby for a while now and I love it!! Now I have a couple questions for ya before I give you my 2-cents.
What are the gun law/restrictions like up there? Are you able to get both handguns and rifles?
Is there a preference on what you want handgun vs. rifle?
Are you just going to use your gun for plinkering or do you plan on using it for hunting or defense carry (if it's allowed up there)?
Submitted by PoltegIce on Mon, 08/27/2012 - 10:31
More likely to go with rifle for now then handgun