Newbie on the forum

Hi All,

I have just moved to NZ from the UK and ended up in Lake Taupo. As I enjoy the outdoors with my kids this seems like a good place to live.

I am just applying for my firearms licence at the moment and am currently plinking away at bunnies with a 22 air rifle until this comes through.

My question to all the experienced guys (and girls) is as follows:

I am buying a house at the moment so only have limited funds to buy a rifle / scope etc, my budget is going to be $550.00. I would like a .223 or a .22, we will be going shooting further afield in the future, but for now we will only be on local farms etc shooting bunnies and other small game. Would this be a good choice for us to start with.

Thanks

Hiya and welcome!

.22 would be my pick for a start. Ammo goes a LONG way for the $$, and $550 should see you into a pretty nice setup.

Stick the $$ from a coffee or 2 a week into a tin, and in no time you'll be into a 223 also :thumbsup:

welcome Bunnypie, (to the forum and the country)

Like Spanners says, I would suggest getting a 22 first for the bunnies. And there are some good deals on decent 22 ammo also.
From memory you could get a Ruger 10/22 for around $500 semi auto, or I'm sure you could get a bolt action 22 of good quality for that money also. $50 for some ammo and that will keep you sorted for a few days.

Once again welcome

puku

Welcome Bpie & yeah like the other guys have said a nice bolt action 22 would be a great rifle to get your eye in put a nice compact scope ( someone on here probably has a good 2nd hand one that they would sell for a reasonable price )


We are having a forum steel target shoot just down the road in Ohakune on Saturday the 3rd if you wanted to come down and meet some of the guys & have a shoot of a couple of center fires, just let me know if ya interested & I'll PM you the details :)

Welcome.

Definitely a .22lr.

Try find something like a norinco EM332, they can be had around the $350 mark if you look hard.

Or something old but nice like a brno, but they can sometimes be over the $550 mark. The norinco jw15 is a copy of the brno, if you can find the wooden stocked one, they are great, and only $300ish new.

I also rate sportco rifles. Made in australia by the father? of the guy who started kimber.

Actually if your interested, I have a rifle I am thinking about selling, it was my first rifle, a .22lr winchester 320. Heres my thread when I bought it nzrimfire.com • View topic - My First Rifle: 1972-4 Winchester 320 .22lr

Also has the price I paid for it in the thread, which is what id want back for it, no pressure, I don't really want to sell it, but I haven't shot it for a very long time, and its too nice to be a safe queen.

That forums is good for rimfires too btw.

Chris

Gidday Bunnypie, like the name, and welcome.

As mentioned above keep an eye out for a norinco JW15, cheap as chips and accurate as you'll need in a first .22. Often see them go for around the $200 mark. They are a copy of the early BRNOs with a better quality barrel, put in a god-awful balsa wood stock :P Great for the Rabbi