newbie gun questions

[Mongoose]

Mornin all,
Please excuse the newbiness of the questions but I've not done any hunting before, used to target shoot alot when I was younger so I can shoot but never shot anything alive.

I'm moving up north to Takaka area and want to be able to live off the land a bit more, fishing, growing veg and if possible some hunting too. Initially keen to go for rabbits and hares and possibly moving up to bigger critters if I'm happy about dealing with the furry dead bodies and making them into dinner. I've read through a few threads on the various weapons but have a few questions:

I'd thought to go for an air rifle initially, no gun license, cheaper ammo being the main drive until I see whether hunting is for me. Would you guys say this is a decent idea and if so what is the reason to choose between .177 and .22 as they both seem to come in the same kind of fps ratings. Otherwise would you say it'd be better to just go down the route of getting a license and a "proper" .22? If so I'd probably go for one of the chinese guns mentioned in another recent thread. Over .50c a round sounds quite expensive to me especially if I am going to need a bit of practice to get my eye back in.

Any advice gratefully received.
Cheers.

[SMOKEY]

I will keep this brief as I am typing on an iPad, .22 rim fire and firearm licence, to get a air rifle that would handle hares you will be spending big money and still need a licence, I envey the lifestyle change and love Golden Bay. As for killing animals the maturing years makes me look at all life differently . In saying that I am off to Stewart Island next week,

WILL TAKE THE RIFLE FOR A WALK,

FITZY.

[Mongoose]

Thanks Fitzy, I've been doing a bit more reading and sounds like good advice if I'm going to get into anything other than popping the odd rabbit at close range. Will look at one of those chinese models I think but looking at the police website I'll need to sort the license first.

I know what you mean about taking the life but if you're going to eat meat it's a more honest way to do it than the anonymous blue plastic container from the supermarket where you don't need to think about it..
Yup I'm stoked about the move away from shakey old CHCH up to the Bay, it's a beautiful spot. No idea where I'm going to live or what I"ll do for a living but I'm sure all that will work out.

Cheers fella. Have fun down on Stewart Island, I was down there for a week a couple of months ago for a fishing/chilling trip and had a great time.

[cbfb]

Get a firearms licence, like Smokey says a rimfire and rabbit/hare is the way to get into it. Trust me if you buy an air rifle you'll get bored after 6 months and get a FAL anyway. I know from experience!

If you can, get a mate to take you out to have a crack before you apply for your licence, make sure you like it first.

The blood and guts isn't for everyone but stick with it, you get used to it after a while and anyway humanely hunting wild animals is a lot nicer than eating farmed animals that are treated as a resource, shipped around in crowded lorries then go through the stress of a slaughterhouse. In wild hunting the animal has a good natural life and if you can shoot straight it's BOOM and over before they know what's happened. I don't have a lot of respect for people who have a go at me for hunting but will happily tuck into a supermarket steak. Also if you want to live off the land, I've done a fair bit of possuming (saving the fur to sell) and have tanned rabbit skins successfully. Possuming can be quite lucrative in the right area. In winter round here you can make a tidy amount for an evening's strolling around a farm.

Have a look at the Norinco JW-15A (22LR) for a first rifle, I rate them. Bolt action so will get you used to it for when you move up to a bigger gun if you want to go after pigs or deer. Goats are also reasonably tasty or great for dog tucker if you've got a hound. You've also got Thar you lucky buggers down there! I personally use a 7mm-08 but 270s are more popular down there. It's a huge debate on calibre but in the end I don't think it makes a hell of a difference for bush hunting. Over long range maybe. I've got a modified rifle with a match barrel and I can't shoot for shit but I've met some people with old 303s etc and open sights who are great shots.

However if you want to hunt on DOC land you can't use rimfire or shotguns (with a few exceptions). But if you go door knocking there'll be cockys who let you shoot on their land. I used to do a fair bit of bunny busting down in central otago. Could get a dozen in an hour in my regular spots. Not so many of them up here.

Get into it mate, you'll have some great times and meet some good people too.

[sig]

you wont find any rabbits over the hill only hares

[JR]

get your licence before you go up, just did mine in chch,6weeks max from paying the money to geting licence in the mail,have heard other people waiting up to 5 months.

[vvilly]

get your licence before you go up, just did mine in chch,6weeks max from paying the money to geting licence in the mail,have heard other people waiting up to 5 months.

3 weeks from paying to having Jim coming round to interview me haha

[pressy]

get your licence before you go up, just did mine in chch,6weeks max from paying the money to geting licence in the mail,have heard other people waiting up to 5 months.

3 weeks from paying to having Jim coming round to interview me haha

3 weeks for me from jim for interveiw. lol -2 day for safety course. licence arrived 3-4 weeks later.

[oljamesyboy]

the longest bit is waiting for it in mail jim rang me 2days after paying to sort interview

[Mud Hog]

Over 50c per round? More like 20c ,$10 for a box of high velocity 22 rounds. As said go for a 22 for a first gun cheap to run versitile. And definetly bolt action. The compound or cross bows are another fun option big range of game no liecense.

[meece4x4]

what he (they) said, I have hunted for a long time with air rifles, trouble is to get a decent air rifle capable of dispatching possums and rabbits/hares your looking at $300-400+ new, (second hand you can get some bargains) but even then your limited to range, my X20 .22 Stoeger is my Air rifle of choice for possums with over 750fps (chronied) with a 16gr pellet it will dispatch a head shot possum no problems out to about 35 meters only problem though is the power of the light slug drops off very very quickly after 40 meters or so, ok a kill shot on a rabbit is possible with the x20 at 50 meters but a Hare will just shake his head .. laugh at you and hop off or worse you will wound the animal and it will run off.

I bit the bullet and recently treated myself to my FAL .. took just over 2 months from start to FAL arriving admittedly 1 month of that was waiting for the next Firearms safety course to come up, from the Arms Officer turning up to my Fal arriving in the mail was exactly 3 weeks to the day (he said 3 weeks too) my advice is be organized, have your security done, talk to the Arms offers before he comes around so he has an idea of what you have, organize your references so he/she doesn't have to do follow up visits .. it really pi$$es them off having to come back

once you have your FAL a perfect starting gun is the Norinco JW15A with scope and suppressor, these guys know what they are talking about when they say it's a real diamond in the rough and can be had for as little as $120 off tardme, course I didn't listen to them and ended up getting a Norinco Jw27, basically the same gun but for me a purrtyer looking stock. picked it up off tardme for $200 with scope, suppressor, bipod and gun bag.

I can now pot bunnies out to around 100 meters with a $200 rifle compared 35-40 meters with $350 air rifle

cheers Meece

[pruggerdore]

hi guys. how hard was it to get police clearance. I have had assault charges in the past and kind off figure that would rule me out ???

[Swamped]

I think its convictions of violent crime and domestics along with gang affiliation that will stop an applicant. If it was just charges that were later dropped, there will still be a flag by your name but I think you can still apply. Just give a police arms officer a ring and see what the deal would be.

[Sadam_Husain]

hi guys. how hard was it to get police clearance. I have had assault charges in the past and kind off figure that would rule me out ???

depends on the circumstances, number of convictions, frequency, how recent etc Clive, I got licenced in 1983 or 84 when I was 16 and already had a conviction for something I did against the police (young dumb and stupid) and picked up another one very soon after I was licenced, when they brought out the current licencing system in the early/mid 1990's I asked them about it and they said it was all historical and I've never come back to police attention since and they wernt worried about it and they have never raised it with any relicencing. If they dumped all the people with convictions off the licencing system there probably wouldnt be too many licenced firearms holder left

Like swamped says have a talk to them first and that will probably go a long way

[rangimotors]

hi guys. how hard was it to get police clearance. I have had assault charges in the past and kind off figure that would rule me out ???

depends on the circumstances, number of convictions, frequency, how recent etc Clive, I got licenced in 1983 or 84 when I was 16 and had a conviction for something I did against the police (young dumb and stupid) and picked up another one very soon after I was licenced, when they brought out the current licencing system in the early/mid 1990's I asked them about it and they said it was all historical and I've never come back to police attention since and they wernt worried about it and they have never raised it with any relicencing. If they dumped all the people with convictions off the licencing system there probably wouldnt be too many licenced firearms holder left

Like swamped says have a talk to them first and that will probably go a long way

yea give them a bell first before ya pay the money. The cops at the arms department have always been pretty helpful.

[Mongoose]

Awesome advice guys thanks so much, I've looked into the license thing on the police website so I'll get started on that before we head up then keep an eye out on TM for a Norinco.

So no rabbits over the Takaka hill eh? Wonder what that's about, will need to get in with some guys up there who know where to look for some tucker.

Cheers all

[meece4x4]

so I'll get started on that before we head up then keep an eye out on TM for a Norinco.

Cheers all

With the Norinco, two pieces of advice that where past on to me as a newbie rimfire owner by the good folks here and on NZrimfire.com

Dont get one of the new synthetic stocked ones, they are prone to cracking and breaking, go for the older wood stocked version, and stay well away from the Norinco 9 shot mags, the JW15 comes out with 5 shot mags as standard, if you want to get extra mags DONT buy the 9 shot ones, everyone (myself included) that has 9 shot mags has feed issues with them, I was lucky enough to be given a second hand 5 shot Brno mag on the weekend, boy what a difference, I cycled the bolt as fast as i could for 10 reloads of the mag and not once did I have a jam , my 9 shot jammed 80% of the time on the last 2 shots and any time you worked the bolt that smigen too fast.

[T-Boon]

Pretty good advice so far.

Have never had a norinco .22, but have heard good things. I have a ruger 10/22 and it is amazing.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunting ... 791551.htm

The next step up from one of them would be the JW-105
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunting ... 330937.htm
Or even the SKS if your after a semi
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunting ... 380725.htm]

I have a SKS among other rifles, and they are awesome as a bush gun. and at 3-500 bucks not the end of the world if you trash them. you can also get really cheap chinese tracer ammo for practising with (not too sure how it would go actually hunting with it:?)
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunting ... 521848.htm
And Barnull steel cased ammo is pretty cheap.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunting ... 160427.htm
After that you could also look at the .308 M14 clone for the larger animals.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunting ... 141421.htm

Depends how far you want to go really. Start with a .22 and go from there.

[Heath]

I see no one has mentioned a 17HMR yet. Great little calibre but perhaps too light for hares.

Definately get a .22 package (suppressed if you can) and with subs you can hunt in more places without annoying stock etc. I have an old stirling bolt action 22 and would never trade it. Not worth much now but it never failed me (touch wood). For bigger game like goats the cheaper sks and saiga's are okay but be wary of the sks bolts and their occasional bump fire (firing pin jams forward and you end up with an auto until the mag is empty - scares the shit out of ya). Of the two I would go saiga (ak action and is bullet proof) and ammo is cheap too (soft point stuff is a little more expensive) with the military ball rounds being fine for goats.

Depends on what you want to hunt but a 22 is definately a good starting point.

[vvilly]

what about a WMR or magnum what ever ya wanna call it lol
i picked up one of these the other day

and since then my fully suppressed ruger has not left the cabinet i love it

[Mongoose]

Thanks guys,

Meece - Cheers for that, I was hoping to get the wood stock one anyways as I prefer the look but it's good to have the heads up to avoid the synthetic one anyway and also the 9 shot mags.

T-Boon, thanks for the list of links, will probably stick with the Norinco but that Ruger looks nice for the money with the scope and suppressor. Ammo looks a reasonable price, not sure why the initial price i got was so high...

vvilly, wtf is that? It looks like it belongs in BattleStar Gallactica

Cheers all. I'll post up some photos when I'm able to buy something.
Mongoose.

[keithal]

this is where i got my jw15 a norinco from

[vvilly]

vvilly, wtf is that? It looks like it belongs in BattleStar Gallactica

its a savage .22 magnum or WMR

drops bunnies out to 150 yards easy