Where to buy weapons?

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

Safer to refer to them as a firearm then a weapon.  Has a massively different connotation when getting a gun license...

When on the farm I used to use a .303 when shooting pigs, and my every day farm rifle was a .223 ... I found that a .223 didn't always put a pig down, and they get massively pissed off when not killed first time.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I'd be on Drew's side here too.
303 or 308/7.62Win. for pigs, and you don't have to be real close, unlike a shotgun.
You'd have to be shooting into a gully with them though, they carry a fair bit if you miss.

[corndog]

Don't know much about firearms but think the word weapons puts a different slant on it.

[speewa158]

Just what are you trying to protect yourself from , assuring that is the case   

[OldPaj]

Drummonds Golf World, they have a huge variety of "weapons". How LAFO in QLD allowed their department to be called the weapons branch rather than firearms has me beat.

Even the Department of Defence defines them differently!!!!

To me you cannot really go past the mid range calibres eg. 243 for controlling most ferals, however the 223Rem and 308W are simply cheaper, particularly if you are only firing a few shots and not reloading. Commercial ammunition is readily available and some of the Australian manufactured stuff is among the best.

[edz]

Expensive but would be nice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7FbkI9916k , Might have to ask the nephew what night scope he's using .

[prodigyrf]

Don't know much about firearms but think the word weapons puts a different slant on it.

It's a different outlook. Recall picking up another tradey's Hilti tek gun for the first time and commenting what a weapon just as I'd consider rodent wax blocks top weapons. Clearly some folks have different images in their minds like asking the young chick at Bunnings where's the machetes hiding. Welcome to being looked at as an axe murderer and silly me as they no longer stock them. Trust me a chain saw doesn't work well on fibrous date palms apart from cutting the fronds off at their compact green bases but then I remembered I had inherited the old man's long handled slasher so out with the oilstone and all gone in the green bin over a number of collection weeks.

[Mitch92]

Shotguns look at Adler, Pardus, Uzkon for lever, or akkar, ATA, uzkon for over under.

223 is good on dogs, not so much pigs.
308 is a bit overkill.
243 will do both.

OR

Go different and get something like .300 Blackout - good small block trajectory, drops pigs no worries, can be loaded sub or supersonic.

[terravista]

Shotguns look at Adler, Pardus, Uzkon for lever, or akkar, ATA, uzkon for over under.

223 is good on dogs, not so much pigs.
308 is a bit overkill.
243 will do both.

OR

Go different and get something like .300 Blackout - good small block trajectory, drops pigs no worries, can be loaded sub or supersonic.

Thanks for the info, but I think the .300 Black can wait until I move to the USA

[Mitch92]

Thanks for the info, but I think the .300 Black can wait until I move to the USA

Not a fan of it i take it?

[terravista]

OK, I have read and followed many of the suggestions on here and have been offered a .243 as a replacement for the .223  weapon/rifle/firearm which is an extremely good price BUT the last 45 to 50mm of the barrel is stuffed, almost like it was left standing upside down in a bucket part filled with salt water.
The gunshop is suggesting getting the damaged area re-bored larger so the corrosion is cleaned out and is saying this would not affect the accuracy or usability unless target shooting over 200 metres was the intended use. (which it isn't)
If this was realistic it would mean a .243 bolt action repeater with open sights for $250 about $250 less that similar rifles.
I am willing to listen to any reasons that this a good or bad idea so any suggestions will be appreciated.
Cheers
Ian

[edz]

Have the gunsmith shorten the barrel and fit a Flash suppressor if there concerns over length legalities, might be a good idea anyway  .. Having a shorter carbine length barrel wouldnt affect its accuracy over the ranges you would be firing at, if anything it would handle better ..
Boring the last 50mm oversize shouldnt cause issues, I doubt it would be a laminated barrel with a liner [ From memory like our GPMG M-60'S had ] that may come loose .
My  .2c worth . Its a nice find / price if everything else checks out condition wise . See if you could get the extra done at that  price.. Also look at having a sling and swivels  fitted at the same time if it doesn't have any  .
I would also look at  getting  an Occluded eye  dot gun sight, they are great as you shoot with both eyes open and keep your peripheral vision .. Ideal  for fast moving on  target shooting .. http://www.armsonusa.com/armsonoeg.html Ive used this sight  way back in the Army days and up in the Kimberley knocking feral Donkeys  [ Pre Port Arthur ] .. Allowed you the abillity to be on the move through rough terrain and quickly double tap [ granted with a semi auto ] multiple moving targets easily ..
Hold one finger up about 8" in front of your face and look through / past it to an object  with both eyes open and you realise you are seeing the object through your upheld finger and can see everything around you as normal [ your finger is the red or green dot of the sight ] quickly move around and place that finger / dot on moving things like people animals or cars  and bang " see how quick it it is to be on target ' .
Now close your non master eye and look out through your fingers curled into an O and place your hand up to your sighting eye as in telescopic / or open sights and move around to find a target and concentrate on the sight picture as you would [ aprox 5 seconds ] then bang  .. Big difference .. in things you DONT SEE ..

[britts]

As edz said re the .243, better off shortening the barrel and recrowning,
If you are after a good forum for hunting and firearm information have a look at Australian Hunting Network

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[terravista]

I would also look at  getting  an Occluded eye  dot gun sight, they are great as you shoot with both eyes open and keep your peripheral vision .. Ideal  for fast moving on  target shooting .. http://www.armsonusa.com/armsonoeg.html

These sights look pretty handy, it just seems a shame to spend nearly as much on a set of sights as the whole rifle costs.
Cheers

[paul.o]

As mentioned, have the barrel shortened and re-crowned, not bore out the damaged part and leave the barrel the original length. Accuracy shouldn't be affected at all.

[IanS]

The practice of Deep Hole Crowning which is what has been suggested by the gunsmith is very common on target rifles and will have absolutely no effect on the accuracy of the rifle. There may be other reasons that the gunsmith has recommended doing this such as maintaining the original look of the rifle or it may have a foresight fitted that would need to be moved.

[paul.o]

All good IanS!

I have learnt a little of info from the target rifle fraternity. Thanks. 

Paul

[speewa158]

ls the carpark of the pub after dark ,,, out of the question           

[listo]

+1 for Cleaver Firearms at Redcliffe. I’ve got their site saved to the home screen on my phone. Their ammo specials are great & the rifle deals kill any shop we have out here.
For a 223, I got a Howa to get me going until I could afford a top quality brand. Now I’m used to it, it’s a great gun to use & I’m thinking of like for liking my 250 from a Remington to a Howa. Cleaver have unreal specials on this brand all the time.
As for calibres, I’m not here to tell you what’s best as guns are like boats, if you had one for all occasions, you’d have a yard full of them. But on a small block like that, with a long range rifle, remember what your neighbors could be doing in the background if you miss. I’d rather see a pig doing backflips & donuts for a second shot rather than have that in the back of my mind.
As for the shottie, I’ve got a .45/.410 Circuit Judge, a 5 shot revolver rifle. Good for snakes around the house and pigs up close. I like mine, if you can find one they aren’t bad. I could probably bring mine with me next time I go the Brisbane for you to have a go at if you can wait that long.
Anyway, best of luck mate, if you get something that isn’t quite right, you can always start a collection as it may come in handy at a later date 
Listo

[petrolburner]

I do a lot of long range target shooting with rifles that cost more than an imported camper. I call them a firearm not a ‘weapon’ though.

I also like to do the odd spot of pig and fox shooting.

For what you want to do a cheap but still decent quality rifle like a Howa 1500 is all you need chambered in 243win. Flat shooting so good for foxes etc under light but still adequate knockdown for pigs.

Personally I find shotguns not that useful for pig shooting. I prefer to use a 270win for the pigs and a 204r for foxes. My 270win in just a light barreled Howa with a $350 bush bell scoop, does the job very nicely.
I would take the venerable old lever action in 30/30 or 44mag over a shotgun.

Edit: just seen your on a small property. Maybe shotgun is a good idea, 243/308/270 can travel a looong way!!!

[GBC]

Drummonds Golf World, they have a huge variety of "weapons". How LAFO in QLD allowed their department to be called the weapons branch rather than firearms has me beat.

Even the Department of Defence defines them differently!!!!

To me you cannot really go past the mid range calibres eg. 243 for controlling most ferals, however the 223Rem and 308W are simply cheaper, particularly if you are only firing a few shots and not reloading. Commercial ammunition is readily available and some of the Australian manufactured stuff is among the best.

Simple. Weapons branch is just that. Firearms is only a very small portion of what they do. Try importing a flick knife, shanghai, shuriken, knuckle dusters, trident, tanerite, crossbow and about a thousand other items and guess who knocks on your door

[OldPaj]

Simple. Weapons branch is just that. Firearms is only a very small portion of what they do. Try importing a flick knife, shanghai, shuriken, knuckle dusters, trident, tanerite, crossbow and about a thousand other items and guess who knocks on your door

Maybe so but unlike the QLDers we were smart enough in Vic to ensure ALL that function went to a "Firearms Branch".

[GBC]

I can see how you would be proud of that now. 

[terravista]

After all this, I went for the Winchester 670 .243 which is being shortened, re-crowned and fitted with a scope, all for $350. This follows the Mossberg 12 gauge bolt action I paid for a week ago.
Just have to wait a couple of weeks for the PTA's and then I can go and hope it doesn't blow up in my face.
Thanks for all the help, it's been much appreciated.
Cheers

[richo9923]

I dont want to come across as condescending or anything but are the horses on the property used to gunfire? 150 acres is not a huge block of land, a .243 with a shortened barrel is going to be bloody loud, last time I heard of someone shooting on a small horse property it got costly in vet bills as fences and horse flesh dont go well together, I'd also be wary of what happens when a projectile goes straight through a soft spot of a dog and keeps on going, baring in mind a .243 is still breaking the sound barrier at 800 meters it keeps going for a lot longer, do you have a bit of high ground or a tree hide to shoot from to ensure a downwards shot?

You also mention that the neighbours are happy/not fazed with the feral animal problem? have you spoken to them about your intention to deal with the issue?  do they also have livestock that could be spooked by the sound of gun fire? are they the sort of people that are going to call the police and say that your shots were "wizzing past their house", I know it sounds silly but it happened to a mate of mine who was shooting Indian minor birds and rabbits with an air rifle on his 50 acre property and the police came to check,

Don't get me wrong, I have my licence and own a few bang sticks, I'm ex military myself and more than happy to go away shooting pests and dabble with the long range target shooting, but as the climate around Firearms gets hotter I hate to see people get into trouble needlessly, even if its short lived and get cleared of any wrong doing,

If your really set on shooting on the property then  the suggestion of .300 blk wasn't a bad one in my opinion, there are not a huge amount of calibers that you can buy factory subsonic ammunition for and it makes a huge difference in noise levels, if your getting a .22 or know someone with one, go buy some subs, standard velocity and high velocity ammunition, compare the difference in loudness and then think what its going to be magnified by 20 for your .243, also shoot the .22 close to the horses and see how they react to that before letting a 12g or 243 off around them.

the other option is find a licensed pest controller that can use suppressed firearms and get them out to deal with the pests.

[terravista]

I dont want to come across as condescending you are notor anything but are the horses on the property used to gunfire?No, but the shooting is over a hill and the horses would be in a round yard or stables when the shooting was underway 150 acres is not a huge block of land, a .243 with a shortened barrel is going to be bloody loud, last time I heard of someone shooting on a small horse property it got costly in vet bills as fences and horse flesh dont go well together, I'd also be wary of what happens when a projectile goes straight through a soft spot of a dog always concerned aboout backdropsand keeps on going, baring in mind a .243 is still breaking the sound barrier at 800 meters it keeps going for a lot longer, do you have a bit of high ground or a tree hide to shoot from to ensure a downwards shot?

You also mention that the neighbours are happy/not fazed with the feral animal problem? have you spoken to them about your intention to deal with the issue? happy is probably the wrong word...accepting more like it, but they would be happier without pests. do they also have livestock that could be spooked by the sound of gun fire? are they the sort of people that are going to call the police and say that your shots were "wizzing past their house",No I know it sounds silly but it happened to a mate of mine who was shooting Indian minor birds and rabbits with an air rifle on his 50 acre property and the police came to check,

Don't get me wrong, I have my licence and own a few bang sticks, I'm ex military myself and more than happy to go away shooting pests and dabble with the long range target shooting, but as the climate around Firearms gets hotter I hate to see people get into trouble needlessly, even if its short lived and get cleared of any wrong doing,

If your really set on shooting on the property then  the suggestion of .300 blk wasn't a bad one in my opinion, there are not a huge amount of calibers that you can buy factory subsonic ammunition for and it makes a huge difference in noise levels, if your getting a .22 or know someone with one, go buy some subsmy .22 is very very quiet with subsonics, standard velocity and high velocity ammunition, compare the difference in loudness and then think what its going to be magnified by 20 for your .243, also shoot the .22 close to the horses and see how they react to that before letting a 12g or 243 off around them. Thanks, planned on doing that

the other option is find a licensed pest controller that can use suppressed firearms and get them out to deal with the pests.