Thread: New boy needing advice!!

Hi all,
I've recently moved to NZ from the UK and am now living in Christchurch. I'm applying for my firearms license next week and I'm basically looking for some general advice. I want to take part in target shooting and would love to go hunting but I have no idea what to hunt, where to hunt or what would be the right type of rifle for me to start off with. any help or friendly advice would be massively appreciated.
Thanks

join your local branch of the new Zealand deerstalkers association. they will have club hunts, and target shooting. they will help you.

Originally Posted by sakokid

join your local branch of the new Zealand deerstalkers association. they will have club hunts, and target shooting. they will help you.

thanks man.

there will be heaps of helpful people there to share their knowledge

Welcome to the forum, may I suggest a tikka 7mm-08

7mm08? i'm sure he said CHCH not Dorkland

Welcome

Plenty of hunting in CHCH

DOC (Department Of commercialised Conservation) can be a good place to find hunting areas. Lots of info on the website to give you an idea of where to start. Although I’m sure someone will take you under their wing and show you around.

Hi mate, welcome! Do you have any firearm experience? If not, i would suggest joining deerstalkers and going along and meeting them and getting to grips with their firearm ettiquette (did i spell that right?) Nothing worse for both parties than a beginner turning up with a rifle and start waving it around! I am sure they would let you have a go with some of their toys and you can decide on your preferences.

You will also meet some people who can point you in yhe right direction for hunting.

May i suggest your first purchase is a bolt action .22, you can practise heaps cheaply and get good at shooting, it also gives you some time to decide if/what centrefire you want. It doesn't have to be an expensive 22 but it must be a bolt action, you can get a semi later once you have learned some good habits!

Most calibres work just find for NZ hunting, i would suggest .243 or bigger for someone starting out, smaller and your margin for error is very small, but not so big you are scared of the recoil. The rest is really personal preference and dictated by the type of hunting you will do eg bush or tops hunting. I suggest reading heaps, these forums are really good, go into gunshops and handle as many as you can, decide what you like and form your own opinion, everyone will tell you to buy what they like, really any rifle over about $800 will be fine! Just don't buy a remington 770!

Originally Posted by Spudattack

Hi mate, welcome! Do you have any firearm experience? If not, i would suggest joining deerstalkers and going along and meeting them and getting to grips with their firearm ettiquette (did i spell that right?) Nothing worse for both parties than a beginner turning up with a rifle and start waving it around! I am sure they would let you have a go with some of their toys and you can decide on your preferences.

You will also meet some people who can point you in yhe right direction for hunting.

May i suggest your first purchase is a bolt action .22, you can practise heaps cheaply and get good at shooting, it also gives you some time to decide if/what centrefire you want. It doesn't have to be an expensive 22 but it must be a bolt action, you can get a semi later once you have learned some good habits!

Most calibres work just find for NZ hunting, i would suggest .243 or bigger for someone starting out, smaller and your margin for error is very small, but not so big you are scared of the recoil. The rest is really personal preference and dictated by the type of hunting you will do eg bush or tops hunting. I suggest reading heaps, these forums are really good, go into gunshops and handle as many as you can, decide what you like and form your own opinion, everyone will tell you to buy what they like, really any rifle over about $800 will be fine! Just don't buy a remington 770!

Good advise above:thumbup:

Welcome.

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

Welcome to the forum OliSelby

Originally Posted by lostlegend

7mm08? i'm sure he said CHCH not Dorkland

Exactly ! 270w or 308 & a Browning not 1 of the cheap copies .There's lots around so be careful.

Welcome.

Originally Posted by OliSelby

Hi all,
I've recently moved to NZ from the UK and am now living in Christchurch. I'm applying for my firearms license next week and I'm basically looking for some general advice. I want to take part in target shooting and would love to go hunting but I have no idea what to hunt, where to hunt or what would be the right type of rifle for me to start off with. any help or friendly advice would be massively appreciated.
Thanks

Welcome!

Where in the UK are you from?

I'm just finishing up here in Notts and heading home again soon.

The .22 idea is great as it helps if you have not had much practise and well, everyone should have a Rabbit plinker anyhow!

Ignore any stereo types associated with calibre and go for what you think will suit you best. As mentioned before, the .243 is pretty well suited here in NZ to most Game but that is a bit light for the Bigger boys unless you are going to reload and have decent knowledge on projectiles and re-loading.

Pretty Hard to go past the .270 but again, it depends on your experience and please go into the bush with someone who has a heap of experience... the NZ Scenery is amazing but boy, it can really turn on you fast!

As far as brands go, well that depends on your taste and not someone else's ... TIKA, Remington, Savage and Howa are all readily available and have a Rifle for everyone's needs.. I would suggest a Second Hand rifle that already has a Suppressor fitted as it is a niggly waiting game when you just want to have a shoot and you are waiting for bits to be fitted/threaded... and well it costs less when someone has already done it for you!

Scope's are gonna be your next issue. Again these are dependant on your usage. But hey, by that time you will have changed your mind 1000 times anyway so start a thread and list your wants/needs and we'll try to help you out.


Until then, good luck with the Arms officer. They tend not to have a sense of humour so don't even go there.

Slimy

Originally Posted by sakokid

join your local branch of the new Zealand deerstalkers association. they will have club hunts, and target shooting. they will help you.

What sakokid said , PLUS , NZDA run a course called the HUNTS course.

Get your arse on one !!! Even experienced hunters learn something from it ... But probably the best thing you can get from it is a bunch of guys to go hunting with !!

http://www.deerstalkers.org.nz/hunts/

Regards


Tim

Welcome to you as well Slimy