Saying hi, learning, looking for mentors...

[juststarting]

Morning all

I thought I would say hi. Hi. I am pretty new (completely new) to the scene. I’ve been quietly reading away since June, but never posted anything until my precious arrived. It arrived.

I haven’t had a chance to go shooting yet, I am hoping to make it to Eagle Park week after next, with wifey’s permission… Ultimate aim is (*gasp*) deer hunting, at some point in the future. For now though, just want to learn how to shoot.

Anyway, unfortunately, nobody that I know shoots or hunts, which make this a new and uncharted territory. I was hoping to find someone to show me the ropes, a mentor of sorts, shooting, hunting, grab a beer or coffee, anything. I am totally new to it all, so I’ll take anything. Hopefully pay it forwards one day.


Cheers
SB

p.s.
I am in Melbourne, south-east.

[sandgroperbill]

g'day sb

Mind if I ask what rifle you got? Have you ever shot before? do you know all your safety and handling principles?

If not, I suggest you start by learning your rifle, learn how to use it safely, before you even put a round in it. LGS or someone at a local range should be able to help here.

Just for starters though:
Your rifle is ALWAYS loaded. doesn't matter whether it is or isn't, always treat it as though it,s loaded.
NEVER point the narrow end at anything you don't want dead or destroyed. Never.
Your rifle is always loaded, even when it's not.
keep your finger off the trigger until after you're ready to take a shot. This means that you have confirmed exactly what it is you,re shooting at, what is behind your target, and where your bullet will hit after exiting your target or if you miss.
Your rifle is always loaded, even if you are sure it isn't.
Keep your chamber empty. Accidents can happen, but if there isn't a round in the chamber when the accident does happen, no harm will come.

Personally, I don't load a round until I'm ready to shoot. and if I don't take a shot, I drop my may and cycle the bolt to make sure the chamber is empty.

People will be more willing you help you out or let you join in if they know you're safe. Safety is the most important thing when handling a firearm.

[bigfellascott]

Welcome to the forum mate, I'd suggest you look up one of the Deer Hunting Associations down that way, they will show you the ropes and usually have access to places to hunt deer etc, that's where I would be looking for help to learn the ropes when it comes to deer hunting.

[Ed9362]

Hey mate, I don't get out too often, ( wife and kids and all) but I would be happy to meet you at eagle park one weekend and show you the Why and whatfor

[bigfellascott]

Hey mate, I don't get out too often, ( wife and kids and all) but I would be happy to meet you at eagle park one weekend and show you the Why and whatfor

Good man

[Shorti85]

Hey mate and welcome
I live around 15min from Eagle Park and would be happy to show what I can. I'm still new to shooting but can pass on what I've learnt so far. I'm normally free Saturday arvos and most Sunday's

[juststarting]

Thanks all. I did email the deer hunting association folks. After handballing me like a pro, I ended up talking to one of the leaders there (over email) was like pulling teeth. Literally, concise direct answers to questions - nothing more. Was told there is a weekend planned and that they would be in touch - nada. Anyway, not a big deal, I'll be right and cross that bridge later.

The "local range" is the only range here. In Victoria, there is only one range you can shoot high power rifles. There is potentially another range in Lilydale, but I haven't been able to get in touch with them, seems like someones block of land to be honest, rather than an actual range where I could annoy people with questions.

@sandgroperbill - I am a stickler for safety. Have I shot before, technically yes. I use shot here pretty loosely, 12 rounds here, a pistol clip there, instructor behind me with an, holding my shoulder in place. So, I have handled live firearms before. But owning a rifle obviously feels completely different, kind of makes you respect it more. Anyway, I do know my safety principles and have (some) braincells not to load until I am ready to fire and to point the pointy bit in a safe direction, etc. That said, one can never have it reiterated enough. Re: rifle, I got a Tikka T3 CTR, .308Win and Vortex scope.

@Ed9362 - I completely understand, I am in the same boat. I am planning to make it down there either next week or the week after. Will definitely let you know in advance. Thank you!


Cheers
sb

[juststarting]

Hey mate and welcome
I live around 15min from Eagle Park and would be happy to show what I can. I'm still new to shooting but can pass on what I've learnt so far. I'm normally free Saturday arvos and most Sunday's

Ha! Sweet, I was saying I am trying to make the time (around family) and make it either next week or the one after. Will PM.

[Shorti85]

Yeah next week or the week after is good

[Shorti85]

Did you buy new or second hand?

[juststarting]

New.

[juststarting]

p.s. cleaned it already

[Shorti85]

There's a 'breaking in' procedure to ensure your barrel is heated properly. I was unaware of this until an hour before I was going to go out shooting.

[Shorti85]

http://www.tikkashooters.com/public_htm ... ak-in-813/

[WildHunter]

Hey mate,

Been shooting over seven years now. As Steve Lee says, "I like guns". I'm SE too

[Oldbloke]

Plenty of reading for you here.
http://ssaa.org.au/stories/stories-home ... b9KDCg_7MI

And welcome to the forum.

[juststarting]

Shorti85, yeah I was going to do that, thank you for the link. I read about barrel run-in a lot, there seems to be as many opinions as links, so I thought I would leave this out of here to avoid flame, but yep... I think there is a pattern amongst the stuff that I read and YouTube (I think this is probably the best explanation that I have found, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=milYu29RlBM), etc.

Pretty much what the first dude on the Tikka forum said:
"on the first five round clean the barrel after every one shot, then every 5 shots until no fouling is present, it could take 10 shots or 25+ shots".

What I am interested in, is, when do you stop. I am not talking about a clean patch running through the barrel after each cleaning cycle, so to speak, rather how many groups do you fire, 1x???, 3x???, 5x???, 10? 20? Etc.

Another thing that I was wondering about, is etiquette, I am just nice... This seems like a time consuming task, probably takes at least an hour, so do I go to the range, occupy a lane and just brush away for an hour or do I go somewhere else, clean, come back, etc. to free up the space for a while?


sb

[sandgroperbill]

Running in a barrel is a grey area. Depending on who you ask, the process, number of shots versus number of cleans, the best cleaning process and even whether or not to run a barrel in varies greatly.

I suggest googling mcmillan barrel run in. You'll find the opinions of Gale McMillan (founder of McMillan Stocks), someone who was heavily involved with firearms and gunsmithing, who actually frequented a few forums.

You may find it interesting and educational. I did.

[juststarting]

Ta, looking.

[Shorti85]

I went into Wombat SF to break mine in. I found a Nice little spot with a good back drop and done all my cleaning and stuff there, then went to the range to site it in. Eagle park has quite a few lanes, so don't stress too much about taking up space.

[WildHunter]

So long as it's not a good day.
I remember two months ago I had a competition (yay private range) and was going to shoot with my mates after the comp who had planned to come up. I arrived half an hour before the comp started and public range opened. The line went well into the car park and by an a couple of hours after open there was a waiting line to shoot. Poor buggers were in it.

[Baldrick314]

Welcome to the forum

[Chickenhawk]

G'day JS

[juststarting]

Hello

[juststarting]

So, after some thinking, REALLY the definition of a first world problem here... I decided to go to Wombat SF to run the barrel in, then to the range the week after. Aren't you glad I've shared this info with you

[sandgroperbill]

Yup. Now we know to stay clear of wombat sf...

[juststarting]

@sandgroperbill, I guess...

[Will]

Aren't you glad I've shared this info with you

Distracted me for 5 seconds at work so that'll do

[juststarting]

Evening all

So the barrel has been run in, shoulder hurts, 80 rounds poorer. I only needed 20 or so for run-in. Rest was just fun. I still haven't sighted it in properly, waiting for the bench rest to get delivered. In the meantime here's my proud moment.

...rest of the groups were a lot more ******, not too bad for me, but probably s**t compared to most jerks here, but I feel proud of myself, for someone who never held a rifle before or shot at anything over 5m.

50m
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8wL0a ... sp=sharing
(top hole and bottom 2 are one group, lol)

100m
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8wL0a ... sp=sharing
(bottom right is the beginning of a really s**t group, just before 'guns down time')

In my pre money wasting excited mood, bosi72 mentioned that EaglePark target stands are s**t, so after some midnight RedBull I decided to manufacture one.
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id= ... sp=sharing

[sandgroperbill]

Thats not too shabby js. Were you shooting off hand or from a makeshift bench?