If Farmer John is ever going to come back from tailing the lambs he has got some reading to do.
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If Farmer John is ever going to come back from tailing the lambs he has got some reading to do.
Because somebody will confuse a once fired case with a live round and kill his neighbour.
Dry fire practice is only ever done with snap caps, that are of non-brass colour (most often red), or nothing at all, depending on the rifle model (most centrefire rifles are perfectly fine to dry fire)
also, rule number ( I forget which) ALWAYS point your gun in a safe direction and lets not forget NEVER point your gun at ANYONE.....both of which preclude someone dying because an idiot didn't know the difference between a fired and live round.......then again, do idiots know the rules?
I'm far from experienced nor an expert . I have however just jumped on the hunting wagon within the last 12 months. ANd whilst the collective wisdom in here is a very awesome font of knowledge, I can't help but think that many of the greybeards have forgotten quite what it's like to be "new" to hunting, seeing as they were "new": around the time that Adam was getting refused service at the local. :D
So from one newbie to another, this is what has worked for me.
Firstly, I spent a few months limbering up with a scoped Rossi semi auto .22. Cheap as chips to buy (new ones go for around $400 with a scope, from memory) and cheeeeep as chips to run (ammo is about 33 cents a round) This is important because of the following:
If you're new to firearms, you need to get adept at handling them safely, shooting them safely and just generally being safe around them.
To achieve this, you'll want to spend plenty of time (as I did) shooting vermin (possums, rabbits, magpies etc) This gives you experience in managing your firearm, ensuring your shooting safely (what's around you, what else is in the direction your aiming (houses, vehicles, other people etc) have you got a good backstop? (this is the landscape that catches your round when you miss whatever you're trying to shoot(this happens a lot in the beginning btw))
Whilst shooting your .22 you can practice position, technique, breathing, trigger pull and everything else involved in being a proficient and safe shooter/hunter AND MOST IMPORTANTLY (in my humble opinion) you'll learn great shot placement (because ethical hunting is all about minimal suffering of the prey imo) and it'll be cheap (for comparison, my Franchi .243 costs 3 buck 60 per round. I couldn't afford to "learn the basics" at that rate) and dare I say it, an "accident" would be less catastrophic with a small calibre because you've got a much shorter effective range (that last is my own personal opinion which others may differ on)
Whilst you're practicing with your .22 number of things will occur. You'll get comfortable with what you're doing and won't have to think so much (you've still got to be sharp but your brain won't have to work so hard, this in turn allows you to relax a touch) you'll get comfortable with your gun, with handling it, reloading it and most importantly, you'll get comfortable shooting it (nothing stuffs up a well aimed shot quite like a flinch)
The payoff with all of the above (as I discovered) is that when you move onto a larger (deer killing) caliber (in my case the afore mentioned Franchi .243 Win Horizon, bolt action) you'll be comfortable with what you're doing and will be able to focus on getting to know how the new rifle shoots and then shooting some veni! Cos thats what we're here for right?
My experience has been that having followed the process above and got comfortable handling and shooting with the .22 , going out with the .243 I'm getting one wallaby 1 round out to just over 200m (the effective range on the Franchi with the 95g projectiles is a shade over 230 metres) I should add that bar a few clay pigeon shoots and an air rifle as a kid, my shooting experience was zero before I got started.
There's a lot to learn and the good buggers in here are a wealth of mostly useful information (and opinionated!) and if you ask questions....you'll get someone who will point you in the right direction.
My next is to join the Deerstalkers and then do the HUNTS course, it seems like a logical next step :thumbsup:
In theory a real primer will soon get dented in and not cushion the firing pin. Supposedly, commercial snap caps have rubber or spring loaded “primers”.
Snap caps are also useful for practising feed, bolt running, reloading the mag etc which I do in the dark, by feel.
I make it a rule to never have both live ammo and the red snap caps out at the same time.
if a spent primer is good for say 3 other pings..a box of 20 will let you ping 60 times..... if you cant tell difference between a spent case and a loaded one...you shouldnt be near a firearm.....
no different to 5 sandfilled shotgun cases to practice shucking the pump quickly.....
and I did say in a pinch.........
I use a spent cases in the rimfire for dry fire practice.
Rimfire practice rounds are not meant to be struck by the firing pin! Go figure.
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Good post by Zed on the importance of getting a .22lr to start with and build shooting skills. I’d go one step further and say a good bolt action .22lr.
Cz, Brno tikka etc that you can tune up to perform well. It improve your shooting so much particularly when you reach for the center fire
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What about the lack of pointy thing sticking out of the case mouth? Iv trained all my dogs with shot gun round cut in half and all the good stuff tipped out so they just get the primer ignition crack and even so always pointed at the ground safe practice starts well before you chamber a round mate and we’ll after for that matter
When checking whether a firearm is loaded you do not see the pointy thing.
It also conditions your brain to not immediately associate brass in there as a live round.
Its piss poor gun safety practice, that greatly increases the chances of a negligent discharge Just because some people are too cheap to spend 20 bucks.
Most 22s of reasonable quality manufactured after the 1960s or so are fine to dry fire, Tikka T1x's being an exception!
Man poor bugga asked about a gun and caliber and got pages of push/control feed and the use of empty shell vs snap caps, try keep on topic it is more useful and helpful
My advice is go to gun city or hunting and fishing you will get better advice then the shit written in this thread.
Weight and balance make a big difference when carrying all day. A well-fitted stock helps with accuracy too. Finding a rifle that feels right in your hands is just as important.
Some excellent buying at the present, seeing secondhand Sako 75 / 85 at decent prices. Thought about selling mine but No.
Does anyone rate a Howa? They are what I'm leaning towards. Being a female, they feel better for me, size wise, but what would be a lighter weight option?
Friends of mine like the Howa 6.5 Grendel nice and light very accurate and all the power you need, Broncos in Tauranga usually have some in stock
Nothing wrong with Howas, they are a copy of earlier Sako actions - very underrated!
(However, their stainless steel versions seem to have more rust problems than the blued ones).
+1.
I love the Howa mini action. I have 1 in 300 BLK and I've always thought of adding a 6.5 Grendel to the mix.
I know Stainless Steel is just rust resistant, not rust proof, but the M1500 I had showed rust spots after every wet trip, whereas my Savage never did.
A good bolt-action in .308 is a solid choice, but don’t overlook other options if they suit your style better. If you’re into classic designs, exploring lever action rifle parts can help fine-tune or customize a setup for quick follow-up shots.
Hi Kev, welcome to the forum. You'd best go to the intro's page and tell us a little about you, or @Admin might think you're a scammer... especially posting embedded links that. You're best to show the actual link text, like: https://everygunpart.com/long-guns-k...er-action.html, but best to make sure it's relevant to the topic. Cheers.