Thread: Hunting Rifle

Originally Posted by Zedrex

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.

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

You live in rhe right area to shoot a few thousand roos over there.Seen 4 on the side of the road in the long grass just pass Dobson the other night on sun set.A big buck and 3 small roos.