New to guns, my thread for rambling and posting pics!

[Fozzy]

Hey all

Perth Shooter here! Used to shoot/hunt quite a bit as a kid in the south west/great southern of WA. But as I grew up and moved out of home etc the opportunities dried up.

Recently took up IPSC and shoot at PVPC and have a CZ SP01 for that.

Had a chance to go out and do some vermin control recently and reminded me how good it was to get out there with a spotlight and help some farmers out! So I got called in some favours from old contacts and managed to get a property letter for 2000 Hectares in the Great Southern the property is a grain and stock operation and has problems with rabbits, foxes, feral cats/dogs and deer. The owner has advised he is happy for any calibre .17 - 300wm including 12g to be used which is on the letter.

I am now in the situation where I want to purchase a few rifles and save on the application fees etc..

Thinking of to start

.22lr (who doesnt need a .22 plus the missus can shoot it)
.223 for the smaller ferals
.308 for everything else.

Now Im not made of money and obviously 3 guns and 3 Scopes and all the other guff is going to be a hard hit. Im thinking of getting a cheapish .22 combo and im deciding wether to spend good money on the .308 or the .223 and get a cheaper one of the other. Leaning towards the .223 but thinking realistically I may get more use of the .308 for goats etc up north..

So I have come to the following

.22lr Savage/Marlin etc combo offered by most LGS (500-600)
.223 Howa 1500 of some description or maybe even a Tikka Lite (800-1100)
.308 Tikka T3 Super Varmint (1500-1800)

Haven't thought a lot about optics yet but will probably have to wait a bit to purchase those ( once the approval goes though I should have the cash)

Prefer to buy new so not really looking at second hand stuff.

What are peoples thoughts and or recommendations

Thanks in advance
S.

[cruze82]

hate to break the news to you but getting 3 guns all at once wont save you any money you will need a property letter for each calibre and will still have to pay the $170 for every addition to your licence it sucks

[Fozzy]

Pretty sure you can do up to 10 guns on 1 addition that is of course if they are A/B cat for 1 fee. C/H/E Cat need their own applications and will incur a separate fee I am well aware of that. Its not 170 per gun its 170 per application.

My property letter covers all calibres that I want.. Only time you run into issues with needing more than one letter is generally with the "purchased" letters from shops. Which personally annoys me as there is nothing in the act that really supports this.. However if you want to play the game you have to play their game as they have the ability to hold us to ransom. In any case my owner will happily write more for so its not an issue

I could of course be wrong but this is my understanding of the laws.

From the WAPOL website
Addition to your existing firearms licence

Categories A and B can be submitted on one application. Categories C, H and E applications are required to be submitted separately. Each application will incur a separate fee.

Follow the same process as the above application for an Original Firearm Licence, however you will not be required to abide by the 28 day cooling off period.

[sooey]

G'day Fozzy.

Welcome mate.

[Herdsman]

Nothing wrong with that spread you've got lined up there, funds permitting...

These are my thoughts based on your comment "rabbits, foxes, feral cats/dogs and deer" though...

You mentioned getting a combination shotgun, but you're not after birds so don't specifically need one. For all the ground critters a rifle will obviously do the job as well.

Is that just for fun then? Not having a need for it, I would probably skip the combo and just spend the money on a better rifle.

On subject of the 22LR, obviously that'll do the job for rabbits, cats and foxes at reasonable range. A bit lacking for dog though.

If it were me, I might get just the .223 and .308. Skip the combo and then you don't have to spend good money one one and get a cheap other.

Get a nice, quality .223 and a quality .308 instead.

Ammo for the .223 is more expensive than the 22LR of course, whether that matters is up to you.

My 2c anyway.

[AusC]

.223 Howa 1500 of some description or maybe even a Tikka Lite (800-1100)
.308 Tikka T3 Super Varmint (1500-1800)

You'd want to do that the other way around wouldn't you?

Varmint barrel for the .223 for your pest control.

Lite for the .308 for your stalking/hunting.

P.S. Welcome to the forum.

[brisb]

Welcome Fozzy.

[Grated]

Get a nice, quality .223 and a quality .308 instead.

And/or spend the saved money from the combo on some good quality glass for either of the above.

[Lorgar]

Im thinking of getting a cheapish .22 combo and im deciding wether to spend good money on the .308 or the .223 and get a cheaper one of the other.

Gotta say that I made the mistake of trying to do it cheaply when I started shooting.

In my experience you buy something cheap, you don't really like it and just solider on for a while before selling it and buying the thing you really wanted to start with.

Ends up costing you more in the change over than if you had just bought the better option to start with.

Just my opinion, but if you're set on getting a trio, I'd pace them out so you can get 3 good rigs over time, instead of getting some cheap options now.

Tikka and Howa are both good. Tikka shooter here so that gets my vote of the two.

[greyghost]

G'day Fozzy.

[Hercl]

3 rifles off the bat is a pretty big "start"

I more or less agree with the comments from Herdsman and Lorgar. If you can stretch for something a little better, it will last you longer and serve you better.

Another option would be to skip the .223 to start. Get a quality .308 and 22LR, put some good glass on them, and you've got a rifle for the top and bottom of the scale.

The .308 will obviously be overkill for a lot of the stuff you're shooting, but you'll have a tool to do the job.

Down the road when funds permit slip the .223 into the middle if you still want it.

[Blackened]

Welcome to the forum Fozzy.

[Fozzy]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and the comments so far, they're appreciated.

I have factored glass into my purchases so I know what I am up for there.. I'm not trying to do it too cheaply as someone said but just buy reasonable middle of the road rifles that get the job done which I think I have covered.

At the end of the day they are not going to get used every other day and will often be used bouncing around in a ute so I don't need $3,000 dollar rifles for that.

Main reason for the .22 combo is for the missus to have something to learn to shoot with and bust bunnies with without annoying everyone.

[Lorgar]

At the end of the day they are not going to get used every other day and will often be used bouncing around in a ute so I don't need 3000 dollar rifles for that.

When I was talking about 'cheap' and 'good' I definitely didn't mean there is any need to spend $3k on a rifle.

My Tikka was $1,300 or something from memory... It shoots under 0.4 MOA.

No reason to spend any more than that on a hunting rifle when you're getting that accuracy

[Fozzy]

Yep no worries wasnt aimed at anyone so to speak just saying...

I mentioned I was looking at Howa/Tikka in my first post so yeah that's sorta around my budget area for the 2 centrefires.

[Lorgar]

Yep no worries wasnt aimed at anyone so to speak just saying...

Yeah no worries

Main reason for the .22 combo is for the missus to have something to learn to shoot with and bust bunnies with without annoying everyone.

On the subject of the misses.

I shoot with my GF and used to have a .308 (she had a .243).

I was shooting 150gr loads in my .308 and the recoil was just too much for her and didn't enjoy shooting it.

A little while ago I switch to a 7mm-08 instead of the .308. I used 140gr bullets for game hunting and 120gr for varmints and punching paper.

She can shoot the 120gr load all day no problem (she's only small, about 60kg).

Just a thought for your hunting rifle if you'd like something she can regularly use too.

Good shooting.

[Herdsman]

Main reason for the .22 combo is for the missus to have something to learn to shoot with and bust bunnies with without annoying everyone.

She could learn on the .223 too though surely.

Doesn't get much more recoil friendly than that

[Aster]

G'day and welcome Fozzy.

[Fozzy]

Went shopping today.. Went in and saw Kim at Target Solutions. Who I would highly recommend.

Purchased a .22 Marlin XT with a Burris Scope and a Tikka T3 Varmint .223 in 1:8 twist Havent decided on the glass for it yet but have a budget of around 1k for it.

Decided to wait on the 308 for a bit and decide what I want.

[Lorgar]

For less than $1k I can tell you I love my 4.5-30x Bushnell.

(In my signature)

[headspace]

.223 and .308 will cover all bases mate.

Welcome to the forum.

I'd suggest the 308 in a sporter weight and the 223 in varmint. I prefer the Leopold glass but that's just a preference from me.

[VICHunter]

I'd suggest the 308 in a sporter weight and the 223 in varmint.

Same from me.

Varmint weight in the .308 will be a pain in the ass IMO.

[Fozzy]

So... Im still stuck on Optics decisions..

Leaning towards Vortex at this stage as my LGS deals in them which makes it easier with warranty etc.. They also come highly recommended by my friends that I shoot with.. This will be going on the .223 Varmint.. Mainly used for in the ute and at night. Budget is up to 1k.

Leaning towards the following
Dead Hold BDC recticle
30mm Tube
Capped Turrets
Anywhere between 3-24ish magnification

This leaves me with the

Viper
Viper HS
Viper HS LR
Diamondback HP (1 inch tube)

I guess what I am looking for is reviews on those particular scopes if anyone is using them and even better using them as I described as above and their thoughts on the same.

Not going to lie though.. I still like the idea of a leupold..

Thanks Again

[Mark TAC]

^^^ buy online!

Nice to use the LGS but money talks.......... 4scopes.com or opticsplanet.

[Fozzy]

Would rather support my chosen LGS.. Its nice to be able to walk into a shop and talk to someone if I have an issue or if its damaged out of the box etc.

Reality of it is you still need to buy ammo and things like that..

If you find a good LGS and develop a good relationship with them you might spend a bit more on some things but the more loyalty you develop means it works out in the long run.. In my experience anyway.

[Lorgar]

If you find a good LGS and develop a good relationship with them you might spend a bit more on some things but the more loyalty you develop means it works out in the long run.. In my experience anyway.

I was lucky to build up a relationship with one of the guys at my local.

My .308 Ruger took me aaages to find the right load for it. It shot good when I found it, but it was a real pain in the ass getting there.

I got my 7mm-08 recently and the guy gave me his load data as he shoots the same. Loaded up my first batch of ammo and was shooting 0.4 MOA.

Happy as

[Old Fart]

Dead Hold BDC recticle

Those Dead Hold reticles hardly ever seem to like up with expectations in my experience. Too many variables with ammo...

Dead Hold, DOA 600, whatever the particular brand call their version.

You get a feel for distances and compensating for drop with experience. Not to mention with hunting if you're two or three inches off with estimating drop you're still going to hit your target. For all the fuss people make over it it's not really an exact science.

With a simple cross-hair reticle, there's nothing wrong with Leupold if that's what you like...

[Fozzy]

Ended up buying this for the .223 today

http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vor ... oa-reticle

Hopefully a good choice!

[creet]

+1 for the Viper

I've had mine for a while and love it.

[butiwanna]

Another +1 from me.

Works a treat