Beginners Advice

[The_Oakster 2]

'Morning,

 

I am new to shooting and looking for some lots of advice. Here goes:

 

1) Land permission already sorted with letters from landowners. I have access to two sites. The first is three paddocks with rabbits and the second is a small arable farm. The paddocks are next to each other and surrounded by sandy berms with hedgerows along them, one edge is against a small wood and the another is against a road. The farm is 300 acres with rabbits and pigeons. The rabbits are concentrated under a 50yd x 30yd gorse growth. I have been to both and although there are a lot of holes there doesn't appear to be lots of rabbits.

 

2) Guns - 12lb/ft air rifle already purchased. Its a Norica Marvic Gold .177 with a 3-9 x 50 scope. - Its only going to be used whilst awaiting my certificates, then it will be traded back to the shop. The first bit of advice is for shotguns and firearms. I will be using the shotgun for the pigeons and any other valid targets that appear and a rifle for the rabbits - my budget is low so any advice on what to look out for and what not to compromise on with budget second hand shotguns and rifles would be appreciated. What should I add to my FA cert application in the intend to buy section to cover what I may need?

 

3) Kit - I am looking for lamping kits, shoe string budget again. One that can be used for the air rifle but will also be useful on the future rifle too. I have seen some x-verminator lamps on ebay for about £40 would these suffice?

 

4) Tactics - I have zeroed the air rifle to 30yds and I have been twice but with no results. I went to the paddocks first in the afternoon and only had 2 shots. Both missed although they were over 30yds away and I didn't judge the mil dots right, Completely my sault, I got excited as the first came out and I should have waited until it moved closer but.... However, as the light faded the rabbits came out from the wood in bigger numbers but with no lamp the scope was no good. I then went to the farm in the morning before dawn and had no shots. The rabbits didn't leave the gorse bush, although they were active enough as I could hear them moving around under the gorse. The advice I need is for the waiting side. Do I pick a spot, get there as quiet as possible and then just wait in that spot for as long as I can stand it, with the hope that a rabbit moves in range? Do I wait for a certain amount of time and then move? When the rabbits do come out, do I shoot them as they appear or do I wait for some more to come out? A good overview would be appreciated.

 

=== EDIT ===

 

This is my local gun shop where I will be buying anything from:

 

http://southertonguns.com/

Edited March 24, 2011 by The_Oakster

[dadioles 68]

Hello Oakster

 

I cannot help you with shotguns but it seems that your choice of firearm is really obvious - .22LR with moderator using subsonic ammo. That gives you headshot rabbits out to about 100 yards or a little more (120+) with practice and not much more noise than an air rifle. The ammunition is not expensive so you will be able to put a couple of hundred shots through practising on targets to learn how the bullet falls over distance. Add a reasonable quality scope with side focus and up to about 16x magnification.

 

When rabbit shooting with an air rifle I tend to settle into a nice spot close to the burrow with the bipod and just wait for them to come out, often for half hour or more. A bit of camo netting on sticks can be handy otherwise just tuck under the hedge. Again, I hope you have fired lots of shots at targets so you know exactly how the pellet falls at different distances. Shot placement with an air rifle is also critical, straight into the brain please.

 

Judging distance can be extremely difficult and at the same time absolutely critical given the very loopy trajectory of both bullet and pellet, a laser rangefinder is quite expensive but once you have one you will wonder how you managed without.

 

At night distances are even more deceptive but there is no need to shoot rabbits further than about 50-60 yards as with care you can get much closer to them than in daylight. A .22LR zeroed at 50 yards will shoot "flat" from about 15 yards to about 55 yards, by that I mean no holdover or holdunder as the bullet will land within about a half inch circle (killzone) over that whole range when centred on the crosshairs. At 60 yards and beyond the bullet falls quite rapidly so you will need to compensate and it is different for every gun/ammo combination, you will need to experiment.

 

Don't be persuaded to get a .17HMR at this stage. I love mine and use it a lot but for you it would be too noisy and expensive on ammo with few benefits. Once you have more experience and perhaps more land you can add other guns to your licence, subject of course to police approval, but I think you have enough to keep you busy with the .22LR.

 

As far as "make" is concerned, I have an Anschutz and a couple of CZ's, they are all good. Stick to bolt action and see what is available. When you get your gun, buy a box each of several makes of ammo and see what groups best then stick to that one type. You will be surprised how a gun "likes" certain types.

 

Good luck, you are in for some enjoyable shooting. Do spend plenty of time shooting targets.

[The_Oakster 2]

Thanks for the reply Dadioles, I appreciate the advice. My nearest gun shop has two second hand FAC .22's - an Air Arms Air Rifle and a Shin Sung Career Air Rifle - neither seem very good or receive many good reviews on-line so I'll be looking further afield for one.

 

For my current air rifle, I have been target shooting too and getting good groupings at 30yds of about an inch spread. I'll keep going but I find the target shooting boring to be honest although I do understand the benefits of it in the long term. As for range finding, the gorse patch at the farm is next to the hedgerow and there is a bit that has been flattened by the farm for dumping of bedding from stables, the flat bit is just over 30yds long and about 6 yards wide so as long as a rabbit appears in that stretch then I know its with in the 30yds if I lay at the bottom.

 

 

The red section is the flattened area and the hedge area and x is where I normally tuck my self away. 30 yds from the entrance to the gorse patch.

 

 

I think at the moment my biggest learning curve is going to be patience and maintaining concentration!

[Colster 1]

Pretty much agree with dadioles although I don't see the need for 16x on a 100yard gun. All mine (with the exception of the HMR) are fixed 6x - that's FAC Air, .22LR and .243

 

Tactically speaking have a walk along the gorse during the day, you'll soon be able to work out which holes are actually in use and not abandoned/nest holes by signs of scraping nearby and droppings. If you're feeling energetic, take a small spade and fill them in, when you go back the following day you'll know exactly which ones are in use.

 

Then find your spot where you can lay up and you're sure of the range to the active holes but let the rabbits come away from the holes before shooting if possible. Headshot rabbits are very adept at kicking their way back down their holes post mortem.

 

Your position is important to acheive some concealment but don't be too concerned about keeping perfectly still, staying downwind etc. Rabbits need to feed and will react to sudden changes but if you have a decent hedge behind you, reasonable camo and don't smell like a tart's boudoir they will come out... you just need patience. I have to say though that's never been an issue for me, I can lay there quite happily for hours for some reason. One important but probably obvious tip.... once you've shot a rabbit, leave it there. Don't give up your position to collect them one by one. The other rabbits will not be put off feeding next to their dead mate and even gutting can be put off for an hour or so when you're shooting in the evening.

 

Gun wise, shotguns are plentiful for around £100 and will probably last a lifetime if they're looked after. Just make sure it fits you.

 

For the rifle - .22LR all day long. A CZ or Brno bolt action with a SAK mod is all you need. FAC Air rifles are a bit of a luxury really, the LR is the ultimate bunny gun. A FAC Air has it's uses but it's not as versatile as an LR.

 

I'd avoid the Verminator, have a look on dealextreme.com. You can kit yourself out with a small but powerful torch, mounts and pressure switch for about £15 which will outshine a verminator easily.

 

If you want something bigger, look at a Tracer Mini Pro, you can sometimes pick them up second hand for around your budget.

[dadioles 68]

I am not too sure why you mention FAC air rifles. That is about the last thing you should consider. They really do not have a lot going for them outside a narrow area of specialist use.

A 1 inch spread at 30 yards is pretty good, you are doing well. I use a .177 Theoben Rapid PCP which makes life easier and would expect all my pellets to fall inside 0.5cm but please do not take that as criticism. If you have not already done so, try some different pellets, domed heads but light as well as heavy, Bisley Magnum and Daystate FT Heavy (both heavy) workes well for me but every gun is different.

Presumably you know where the pellets land at 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 yards as there can be a bit of a curve.

The crops look a bit thin in the field at the top of the copse and I wonder if that is a favourite feeding area for rabbits. I look forward to warm summer evenings. A nice spot that you have permission to shoot on. As I said before, perfect land for a .22LR (proper bullets not air). The impact of a 40 grain bullet at 90 ft lbs is rather greater than a 10 grain pellet at 8ft lbs.

[matt_hooks 188]

As Dadio says, forget the FAC air rifle. You will get a .22LR issued as easily as the FAC air, and the LR has better range and much more impact. It's also FAR cheaper to set up. A reasonable second hand rifle can be had for under £200. My main tool is a Voere semi-auto which set me back £90 with a scope and moderator, and will put ten out of ten in the 1 inch kill zone at 100 yards when I do my bit right. It's far more accurate than I am!

 

As for your target shooting, you need to mix it up a bit. Your rifle may be zeroed at 30 yards, but do you know what the pellet is doing at 10 yards, or 15 yards? Set out targets at different measured distances, and then work out how much the pellet rises above the sightline/drops below it at the ranges you choose. A 1" group at 30 yards is perfectly fine for hunting, but buggs rarely obliges by sitting at exactly 30 yards. You need to be able to estimate the range, and then apply the proper correction to keep the fall of shot in the kill zone.

[The_Oakster 2]

The mention of FAC was my mistake caused by my lack of knowledge but I get it now

 

So what do I put on my FA application - .22lr? .22rf?

[Colster 1]

The mention of FAC was my mistake caused by my lack of knowledge but I get it now

 

So what do I put on my FA application - .22lr? .22rf?

 

Doesn't matter really, I put in for lr but my fac says rf

[The_Oakster 2]

So that's the type of rifle to get sorted out for now. I'll ask more specifics nearer the time.

 

I've been looking on extremedeals for lamp options but I'm not sure of what to look for. I'll repost the question in the correct forum.

 

Are there any suggestions for shotguns, specifically types, barrel sizes, bore sizes etc?

[dadioles 68]

RF or LR

It is better to put .22rf which is "rimfire" as .22LR is a specific bullet size (long rifle). Theoretically .22rf gives you a wider choice .22 short, .22wrf, .22wmr etc. but in practice you will buy .22LR so it all becomes a bit academic. Try and keep things as "broad" as possible in the paperwork. Expect to be able to "hold" 600 rounds and "purchase" 500 rounds. It does not hurt to try your luck and double those numbers. When you purchase a moderator have it entered as "no serial" and "make unknown", again it keeps things flexible. Buy a gun with a short barrel (14" or 16") as it is lighter, just as accurate and a lot more convenient.

Colster has better eyes than me. I like to zoom in on the target but he does have a point. Fixed lower mag scopes can appear sharper and brighter. I still like side focus (parallax) though. We all have our own preferences.

[Colster 1]

Go 12 bore its cheaper to shoot and will do everything and you will probably find more choice second hand.

 

As for type again it doesn't make too much difference if you're on a budget, focus on fit over everything else

[matt_hooks 188]

Go 12 bore its cheaper to shoot and will do everything and you will probably find more choice second hand.

 

Cheaper to shoot?

 

Where do you buy your cartridges?

 

Round here a decent hunting cartridge, say 30 gram 6's, runs out at about £6 for 25, whereas the .22LR runs out at about £6 for 50.

 

Also the shotgun is hardly a subtle, or quiet tool. It has it's place, I use mine a fair bit, but it's not a substitute or replacement for a .22LR!

[The_Oakster 2]

Haha Matt I was asking about shotguns as well as the .22 so I figured his reply was for the shotgun question not as an alternative to the .22

[Colster 1]

Yes sorry I meant cheaper as opposed to 20 bore

[markha 99]

Oakster - For full information on filling out application forms look in the 2 sticky topics in this section, one is for FAC applications and one is for Shotgun Applications.

 

All the info is on there.