M ROBSON Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Frank, I'm in bonnie SCOTLAND and wouldn't wish to be anywhere else. Except maybe goose shooting in Canada. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted June 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Sorry Mark, I forgot your in Scotland. :*) . Your one lucky man. Is the firearms laws stricter up their than England, or the same? Over here in Ireland they make it up as they go along!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 The law is different in a lot of ways to England, many of them for the better! Although they can shoot Wildfowl on a Sunday and we can't but we can shoot game on a Sunday (although it's custom not to) and they can't in England, there are a lot of silly differences. We have our open licence issued by SEERAD not DEFRA so there are a few differences there and non of the carry on they saw earlier in the year. We certainly got a better deal with the lead shot ban over wetlands too. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dog Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 I can't speak for the south of Ireland but in the north any centre fire is difficult to get on. You main land guy go out to shoot on a patch of ground, 3 large fields with back drop. We in N. Ireland go shooting on the east coast on a 3 field patch of ground which if it is facing west, we have no back drop, just the west coast.... :( Ok thats a joke . But we do have smaller farms and population is tighter. Plus the past legacy of the troubles have not helped. What I do know, as I hope to go for a .222 later this year, is that to get a centrefire on you must have hilly land; lots of hills; to give back drop. I have been told that a 22 Hornet is a bit easier and someetime when a 222 application is refused and 22 Hornet is ofered in stead; you can appeal. If you are in a club then things get easier, but we have few of then. I believe N. Ireland has the strictest licenses system anywhere. The police will visit each piece of land you have promission to shoot on to determine if it suits the caliber your are applying for. Personally I think this is wrong. All rifles should be treated the same; if you don't have back drop, don't shoot. Therefore, the police time should focus on the suitablility of individuals to determine if they are safe to own any rifle. If they are then caliber size 'V' type of land etc should be less an issue. I would also welcome rifle safety certification being part of the system. It would cost a bit but I feel you would get a lot back from all others involved and a good general saftey health check. Lets face it you need to demonstrate a basic road/car/safety knowledge to drive a car which is designed for transport, not for killing. My approach is strategy; good forward planning, get a many farmer in a hilly area to give you their land to shoot. If you have plenty of hillyland to shoot on, and can give could justification for owning a centrefire it can be obtained. Ok so I got of track a bit but hornets and 222 can be got on permit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted June 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Its less hassell usualy down south to get a centerfire reifle, that is if it is classed as a .220. All rifles from .22lr to the mighty .220 Swift are classed as .220, centerfire or rimfire. Anything above .220 is classed as high power and their for harder to get unless you have a very good reason, example: Deer Stalking or competitive target shooting . All .220 rifles are classed as vermin rifles and if you have permision to shoot from farmers for vermin then you can get a permit for any .220 when your background has been checked out.( For, Foxes, rabbits, feral goats, ect.) Its a strange state of affairs, but thats the way they do it down here in the south of Ireland. . So thats why my mate is going for the swift instead, even though the .22-250 is very similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Handguns are still legally held in N.I., I believe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted June 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Yes they are Rimmer. They are slowly getting licenced down here in the south aswell, but ONLY in certain areas. It all depends on how you know your local police. Some parts of the country, they are getting licenced within a week, other parts they are not getting licenced at all. Its a crazy situatuion at present. .223s and .222s are also slowly starting to get lisenced but the situation is the same as handguns. Thats why I have a .204 for foxes. I did apply for a .223 but was refused by my local superintendent on the grounds of it being a military caliber. So my firearms dealer offerd the new .204, I was coutious at first, but now that I have had the caliber for the past 6 months and seen from experience what it can do, I would not part from it, not even for a .223. The fellas that have the .223s in this country are finding it hard to get ammo for them. We cant reload down south ( you can in the north) so ammo is limited in the .223 and is just as expensive as the .204 ammo, except for the FMJ stuff. Cant hunt with FMJ bullets though. Infact my dealer is getting the .204 stuff for me cheaper than the .223 ammo, at present. I have the Hornady 40 grain v.max factory for foxes and the Winchester 34 grain hallow points factory for Goats and feral dogs that are killing sheep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 I know I keep on about it, but tell your mates with the .223s to try to get hold of some Samson ammo. Have a look at the prices here: http://www.gunshop-eb.co.uk/CF.Ammo.htm If the round suits their barrels, they won't go wrong on price. If you are not allowed to reload, would you be allowed to draw a FMJ bullet from a cheap military round and replace it with a soft nose type? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 (edited) Isn’t that the same as making your own ammo? Or at least could it be interpreted as such. Anyway, to pull a FMJ and then replace it with a HP would require the case to be re-neck sized, which would mean popping out the live primer and then replacing it etc, etc ,etc. so in effect you would actually be reloading your own. And if reloading is forbidden in Ireland, then where would he get the HP bullets from. Or the loading press, dies......... G.M. Edited June 5, 2005 by Gemini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted June 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Thats right Gemini, you have it, reloading is not allowed full stop. The only .223 factory ammo available at present for the .223 is Fedarel 55 grain soft point, which has just only sold out and Remington 55 grain FMJ. They are licencing the odd .223 but are ristricting .223 ammo from getting imported . Basiclay playing silly bugers . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dog Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 Your right rjimmer. You can get a hand gun in N.I.. To the best of my knowledge you must be in a pistol club. There is one 5 mins from my house in Co. Down. They have told me that you need to be in the club about a year b4 you can apply for your own pistol. This is to give you the time to get used to the firearm type and go through the hand gun safety course. On completion you are certified, send this to the police with your application, and I am told thats it. Membership is £250 for the first year and £100 per year after. I would must rather join a rifle club but can't find one close. If any of you guys have knowledge of one let me know. I am going to phone a guy tonight who is in a club somewhere about N. Down but it isn't close and I dont know if they have a rifle range. I post it once I know. It looks like its easier in the South to get a centefire. I will still try for a .222 when my permits up in Jan 06. That give me time to build relations with land owners. Take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dog Posted June 7, 2005 Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 Phone the guy last night about the gun club. £250 per yr, 120 members, shoot clays, pistols and rifles. The bad news is rifle range only 50 yrs. What size of ranges do you guys have out there?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunganick Posted June 7, 2005 Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 im in england, down in bisley (where i most regually shoot) its 50,100,200,300,400,600,1000 yrds i think minsterly ranges has even larger ranges, there might even be a 1200 range on bisley, not certain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted June 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 My local Range is 100yds at the moment, but is going to be extended to 200 soon. There's 50 too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dog Posted June 13, 2005 Report Share Posted June 13, 2005 You guys are lucky. What sort of cost is membership for a year?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted June 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2005 My local Range is 150 Uro a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunganick Posted June 13, 2005 Report Share Posted June 13, 2005 im a member of a club, thats £25 a year plus 10 range fee's each meeting or you can book your own lanes for 45 per half day as long as you are an NRA member Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dog Posted June 17, 2005 Report Share Posted June 17, 2005 Just stated this else where but today I make a positive contact with a club that shoots for a military range. The range is from 10yrs (pistols) stepped out to 600 metres. It is 30mins from my house but the silly thing is that up until last Christmas, I lived 10 mins from it for 14 years. I never new civilian used it. It £100 one of registration and £40 per year. I hope to be going up to meet the guy soon and visit the range. I tell you I am very please about this. I dont have any shooting friend here other than one clay guy but we live miles any from each other. So it will be great to have people to talk gun with as well as shoot. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargeant Bang Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 I'm off to Minsterley Range tomorrow (my 4th visit). They have 50 and 100yd ranges at the site that everyone knows but I believe Mr Ryan who owns the place has aquired or is aquiring another site to the west of the current one, over towards Wales. This is an ex-military range cleared for up to 1000+ yds!! ie, suitable for .50BMG shooters. Far as I know their current site has rifle ranges of 50 & 100 yds. I'm not aware of anything alse. However, you can train/stalk there so they must have some serious plots of land also. No membership required but it is available for about £250 per year (resulting in £10 range fee's I think). Normal range fee's are £25 a go (non-members) and they're open 364 days a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 If you are talking about the “Radnor ranges” then forget it…..he just sold them for @ £750,000. G.M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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