The introduce yourself thread (combined)

[Baronvonrort]

Spent sometime on the weekend looking @ some Rifles at my local store, they told me that I should be looking at Tikka or a Sako as they would do the job well.

They told me to stay clear of rifles with floor plates and sub /calibers what ever they might be?

I'm sold on buying a 223 of some type with a heavy twist rate
any Ideas

The Tikka and Howa are cheaper than Sako, all 3 will do the job it depends on how much you want to spend,keep in mind a decent scope will add to final cost.
I would get one with a built in Picatinny rail because they make the receiver stiffer and stronger along with making scope mounting easier.

The twist rate is linked to projectiles, the heavier and longer the projectile the faster twist rate is needed, 55 gr Sierra blitzkings will do the job you require so nothing special needed for twist with them,if you are going to use bigger and heavier projectiles then twist will be vital with choice.

Check out the Tikka website for models,i like the T3 super varmint.

The .223 ammo is cheap and easy to find compared to some others which makes it a good choice.

[Herdsman]

I'm sold on buying a 223 of some type with a heavy twist rate
any Ideas

1:12 and 1:9 are the most common .223 Rem twists.

If you want to shoot heavy pills forget the 1:12. Get the 1:9 minimum.

If you're looking at a Tikka their .223 comes in a 1:8 twist which is even better

[tito]

Hi Joy , my first rifle was a 223 weatherby , all very nice , have now two tikkas in 22.250 its my humble advice that its a better caliber and I like to have a rifle with a separate mag , with the correct bullets the 22.250 will drop dogs , pigs etc , in the end its all about shot placement regardless of what type rifle you have , best you buy the 22 and a centrefire rifle, enjoy !

[Prettybird]

have now two tikkas in 22.250

You really like them to have bought 2 of the same.

[Triang]

Gotta keep the safe balanced so it doesn't risk falling over. One for each side

[tito]

have now two tikkas in 22.250

You really like them to have bought 2 of the same.

I run two different night vision scopes on each rifle , pulsar 750 and a photon

[brett1868]

Welcome to the forum Joy, always nice to have another lady on board. Plenty of good advice has already been given but maybe keep a look out for Jennageit as she has travelled the same path you're about to walk down. I'm sure she will be only to happy to provide a few insights on her learning curve with shooting. As for rifle choices, I've very biased towards Sako in .204 & 22-250 but as mentioned they are at the premium end of the price scale and don't necessarily shoot better then rifles half the price. Brand loyalty is a bit like the Holden / Ford rivalry and many are passionate about why their brand rifle is better then the other.

A good 22LR should be your first purchase, you can shoot all day for next to nothing and it'll give you a good grounding on the basics of loading, aiming and firing without the expense, recoil or noise of a centre fire. The .223 is a good place to start the centre fire journey, plenty of ammo available and capable of dispatching most small game at moderate ranges. It's not a 500m round though and probably at best good to 250-300m for ethical kills as anything beyond that it drops off a little too much for my liking. The 22-250 is one of the best all round cartridges on the market but has a distinct crack to it and a sharper recoil profile compared to the .223. If you're looking to mainly shoot foxes and rabbits then consider the .204 Ruger as they are near lazer like in trajectory out to 200m, don't weigh much and negligible recoil but ammo can be expensive. It's a bit of a Pandora's box when it comes to rifle selection, so many choices of rounds coupled with rifle choices, twist rates, scope choices etc etc...
Maybe forget centre fire for the time being, get yourself a 22LR with open sights and put a few thousand rounds through it then revisit the centre fire choices. What does dad shoot?

[Bourt]

It's not a 500m round though and probably at best good to 250-300m for ethical kills as anything beyond that it drops off a little too much for my liking.

Not a 500m cartridge....for power or accuracy are you referring?

I think a lot of people would dispute that with you. In a fast twist .223 with heavy pills at least.

[brett1868]

It's not a 500m round though and probably at best good to 250-300m for ethical kills as anything beyond that it drops off a little too much for my liking.

Not a 500m cartridge....for power or accuracy are you referring?

I think a lot of people would dispute that with you. In a fast twist .223 with heavy pills at least.

Talking ethical kills, and opinion not stating facts.

Did a little math and the ballistics come out as per below

A 69Gr Remington Race Head projectile with a BC of 0.3 departing the muzzle at 2871 fps will require 49 clicks of .25 MOA elevation if the rifle has been zeroed @ 100. Add a minor crosswind of 3kph from the 2 O'clock direction and you'll need 4 clicks of windage or allow for 5" of drift. Not saying it can't be done but definitely requires a significant amount of practice. Even to see a rabbit at 500m needs a good scope which could cost more then the rifle itself or at least a scope with a tactical style reticule.

[Bourt]

Forget it Brett, I've done something stupid.

I got as far as 'not a 500m round' and starting replying

I was thinking accuracy in my mind and missed you did include in your reply 'ethical kills'.

Need to engage the brain before replying in future.

[brett1868]

Forget it Brett, I've done something stupid.

I got as far as 'not a 500m round' and starting replying

I was thinking accuracy in my mind and missed you did include in your reply 'ethical kills'.

Need to engage the brain before replying in future.

All good mate

[aaronjo]

Hi guys,

Intros are in order as I've just purchased a couple of rifles and joining the shooting community.

I'm male, 39, of mixed Asian decent, slim and fit for my age and I like walks by the beach....wait what? You're all not interested in knowing about me you just wanna know about my new rifles?

Fine, be like that!

First off I've purchased a CZ452 Special in 22LR with a Nikon P-Rimfire 2-7x32 scope.

Start small and relearn how to shoot (was in the military a looong time ago, far cry from a M16 with a M203 grenade launcher). Put a couple of hundred rounds through a target to get the basics back and it's off to bunny hunting.

2nd rifle is a Howa 1500 .243 in Hogue with a Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50 PA MILDOT Scope.

Wanted to get a more "quality" rifle but the choice was bewildering so I decided to get the Howa coz it seems to be a good solid rifle at a great price to start shooting the bigger stuff till I learn more about the larger caliber firearms and possible get another in the future.

So that's it from me till I get them in my grubby little hands and start shooting!

Thanks in advance for the lots of questions I'll be asking in the future...

[Aster]

Welcome aaronjo.

This was a hairs breadth from going into the spam filter with that intro of yours before you got to the punchline

[North East]

G'day.

[Hucka]

Hi Aaron,

Welcome.

[subatom]

G'day mate.

[Baldrick314]

Welcome. That's certainly one of the more interesting intro posts I've ever read

[bretty1307]

Hey man welcome.

Sounds like you have purchased a couple of nice toys be sure to firstly be safe and secondly have fun!

[aaronjo]

What's life without a bit of fun and laughter!

At least now I know you guys have a sense of humour too.

Now the next question is how many rifles do you gun freaks end up owning, I'm assuming lots?

I'm asking because I believe I have just taken the first step on a very slippery slope...

[North East]

What's life without a bit of fun and laughter!

At least now I know you guys have a sense of humour too.

Now the next question is how many rifles do you gun freaks end up owning, I'm assuming lots?

I'm asking because I believe I have just taken the first step on a very slippery slope...

Just 3 will do me. One gun for every situation....except a shotgun, no interest in them.

[Berper]

G'day new guys

[jake84]

Hi my names jake from nsw i would like to say G’day.
I’ve been reading some of your posts its helps me out allot so I thought I’d join up

[deye243]

g'day mate and welcome

[jake84]

cheers buddy

[Usurper]

G'day Jake.

What kind of shooting are you into?

[Yelp]

G'day and welcome.

[jake84]

Hi Usurper

Im in to hunting ,clays and well all sorts .

when i dont have the time or land to go out on a hunting trip .
i normaly turn to my locale firing range .

[jake84]

thanks guys

[Yelp]

Hi Mate.

[Chickenhawk]

hi mate