Thread: Sighting in area - Birdlings Flat area

Originally Posted by Juicy

Don't go to these places. Just use the local ranges for sighting in such as the handloaders. You will prob spend just as much in petrol getting out there as for range fees and the local ranges are really well set up with rests, bags and spotting scopes at set ranges so will save you time too. At least, you risk losing your license if some locals get fed up and the cops end up cornering you, at worst you risk an accident. No need to draw any more negative attention to firearms owners.

If you really must perhaps go to the Lake Lyndon area where it is at least DOC hunting land, then again I don't really think people should be doing this either, it's obviously not hunting and DOC may get fed up with this sort of behavior too and impose restrictions. It's also an accident/near miss waiting to happen in my opinion, being fairly easily accessible, other recreational users are floating around the area. It only takes one irate tramper to complain to the media that they got shot at.

If you want to practice long-range, get all set up at a local range. Hire a chrono (gunworks for example) get all your speeds and bullet data, calculate all your trajectories (from my experience this usually gets you pretty spot on). There are various clubs around that do longer range stuff in canterbury. Im sure you could go along to one of those to verify your distance calcs.

Not trying to target you specifically, I used to do stuff like this in my younger days, I guess gumpy old bastarditis is setting in!

I believe the areas around Lake Lyndon that were generally used for sighting in have been changed from being part of the open hunting areas to stop this. Best to play it safe and use one of ranges.