Cost & Time to start

Hi Guys

With my time to travel to rifle ranges, and time to load precision ammo etc basically being taken up by Kids and Hunting (not a bad thing) i don't really do much target shooting anymore, but i know there are a couple pistol clubs around Hamilton.
I was thinking maybe having a crack as pistol shooting as it would be easier to get to etc and i did used to like it (i used to do pistol shooting before moving to NZ some years ago).

Question is, what sort of cost is involved annually for example, and how long does it take to get to the point where you can just head down the range whenever its open and have a shoot as I'm not hugely interested in say doing IPSC or similar, more just a bit of fun for me. but i understand there are some shoots you have to attend to keep your license.

Cheers

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Originally Posted by NewbieZAR

Hi Guys

With my time to travel to rifle ranges, and time to load precision ammo etc basically being taken up by Kids and Hunting (not a bad thing) i don't really do much target shooting anymore, but i know there are a couple pistol clubs around Hamilton.
I was thinking maybe having a crack as pistol shooting as it would be easier to get to etc and i did used to like it (i used to do pistol shooting before moving to NZ some years ago).

Question is, what sort of cost is involved annually for example, and how long does it take to get to the point where you can just head down the range whenever its open and have a shoot as I'm not hugely interested in say doing IPSC or similar, more just a bit of fun for me. but i understand there are some shoots you have to attend to keep your license.

Cheers

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Depends on the club for subs, they generally seem to range from $200-500 a year. How long things can take can also vary, regardless of the club you join, you will have a 6 month probation before you can apply for a B endorsement, and you will have to attend at least 12 times.

After you gain your B you still need to attend 12 club days a year.

For what it's worth, pretty much anyone I have met who doesn't take up one of the competitive disciplines tends to lose interest fairly quick. There's only so many times you can go and fire off rounds without purpose before it loses it's appeal. But on the plus side, there are usually a handful of decent guns up for sale regularly from these people as they quit.

Gear cost will depend on what you are interested in, a glock can be had for around $1k, and you can go as far as you like, I've seen custom 2011s worth more than $20k floating around.

I'm going down this road currently. On probation.
My advice is to definitely get your feet wet and aim to join a discipline.
I've found that joining a club is something earned, mucking in on setup, patching targets etc.
Buying factory 9mm currently is cost and time effective.
Good luck

Hamilton pistol club opposite the airport access road, you’ll see a gate in the wooden fence with red flag flying, drive down to the car park. Club night every Wednesday from 6pm. Can just go along one night and join in, report to the office inside the main building. Process and cost as described by others, training for probationers is also on club nights. Once you get about halfway through you can start attending matches at the weekend using club guns. Club has great facilities and ranges, like most clubs there are a range of people but there are some really good folk there who are enthusiastic and helpful. Flick me a pm if you have any queries.

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Originally Posted by Ozzy

Depends on the club for subs, they generally seem to range from $200-500 a year. How long things can take can also vary, regardless of the club you join, you will have a 6 month probation before you can apply for a B endorsement, and you will have to attend at least 12 times.

After you gain your B you still need to attend 12 club days a year.

For what it's worth, pretty much anyone I have met who doesn't take up one of the competitive disciplines tends to lose interest fairly quick. There's only so many times you can go and fire off rounds without purpose before it loses it's appeal. But on the plus side, there are usually a handful of decent guns up for sale regularly from these people as they quit.

Gear cost will depend on what you are interested in, a glock can be had for around $1k, and you can go as far as you like, I've seen custom 2011s worth more than $20k floating around.

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Thank you for all these words. I have planned to join pistol shooting since day one when I have my FAL. How long it will take now to apply for B endorsement? And, how they will calculate my FAL duration after I obtained B? For example, my FAL still have few years left, and then I have my B endorsement, so another 10 years or 5, or they will calculate separately?

got to be a member of a club for 6 months and have done 12 shoots in order to apply for b cat, apart from that very similar procedure to applying for standard license except with a stricter requirements on safes. In order to retain b cat need to attend 12 shoots a year, for my club that has to be 12 club shoots i believe for some clubs non "club days" count as attendance? you dont have to shoot compeditively but you will most likely have to shoot something graded such as action or speed steel, these unlike ipsc to a certain degree will be non compeditive if you wish. A gun will likely cost $1-3k for a production class gun, ammo minimum 50 rds a week, if you can find primers worth getting into reloading but at the moment i rekon shooting factory isnt much different. Flick me a pm if you have any questions, cheers

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Originally Posted by Black Rabbit

Thank you for all these words. I have planned to join pistol shooting since day one when I have my FAL. How long it will take now to apply for B endorsement? And, how they will calculate my FAL duration after I obtained B? For example, my FAL still have few years left, and then I have my B endorsement, so another 10 years or 5, or they will calculate separately?

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Pretty sure a new endorsement will only be valid until your original firearms licence expires, so in your case would expire in 5 years time...well thats whats happened whenever I've got another endorsement. Also if you want other endorsements best to apply for them all at the same time, then you just have the one application fee.

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Originally Posted by NZShoota

Pretty sure a new endorsement will only be valid until your original firearms licence expires, so in your case would expire in 5 years time...well thats whats happened whenever I've got another endorsement. Also if you want other endorsements best to apply for them all at the same time, then you just have the one application fee.

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Thank you.

If you want to see fun pistol action in Christchurch, the Cowboy Action Shooting Nationals are on from tomorrow. On macleans island rd.