New shooter buying first ever rifle... Now what?

[TheNateOutdoors]

Hey guys!

Finally recieved my license approval from QPS and have now lodged my PTA for my first ever rifle!
I am a completely green shooter, and the first in my family to get into it.... This is all new to me haha.

What i want to ask you experienced fella's is this; What do i need, to get myself started on the right foot?

I don't really want mr Gun Salesman to try and load me up with a heap of stuff i could live without.... Cleaning kit? Wipes/swabs? Ammo containter? Gun case/bag?

What do you think are the essentials for a new target shooter, other than your rifle and ammunition? Not worrying about hunting yet, just purely for trips to the range to get my eye in

Thanks in advance gents! (and ladies)

[Die Judicii]

Hey guys!

Finally recieved my license approval from QPS and have now lodged my PTA for my first ever rifle!
I am a completely green shooter, and the first in my family to get into it.... This is all new to me haha.

What i want to ask you experienced fella's is this; What do i need, to get myself started on the right foot?

I don't really want mr Gun Salesman to try and load me up with a heap of stuff i could live without.... Cleaning kit? Wipes/swabs? Ammo containter? Gun case/bag?

What do you think are the essentials for a new target shooter, other than your rifle and ammunition? Not worrying about hunting yet, just purely for trips to the range to get my eye in

Thanks in advance gents! (and ladies)

You forgot the in betweens,,,,,,, ( (gents / ladies ) LOL
However,,,,,,, as a LONG time shooter that has till now NEVER shot at a "range",,,,,,, I don't know,, maybe targets ? or are they supplied ?
Any hoo,,,, welcome to the world of bang, recoil, and ?confusion.

[TheNateOutdoors]

You forgot the in betweens,,,,,,, ( (gents / ladies ) LOL
However,,,,,,, as a LONG time shooter that has till now NEVER shot at a "range",,,,,,, I don't know,, maybe targets ? or are they supplied ?
Any hoo,,,, welcome to the world of bang, recoil, and ?confusion.

Hahaha what a time to be alive hey!

Appreciate your warm welcome and honesty my friend! Not too worried about the targets themselves as the range i'll be attending will have them supplied...

More so thinking along the lines of your essentials when you shoot a new rifle for the first time.. I have read that some people like to 'break-in' a new rifle with a shoot, clean, shoot method for the first 50 rounds or so...

I know i will need to pickup some ear and eye protection, a case to carry my rifle and ammunitions in, and i guess a cleaning kit with some gun oil and swabs?

[bladeracer]

A lot of your preferences are likely to come down to the sorts of rifles you're using and the type of shooting you're doing. I would suggest attending some shoots at the ranges you want to shoot at, see what people are using, and ask questions.

No experience of rifle ranges so can't comment on what might be required, but perhaps chamber flags, targets and patches, target stands, and probably some sort of bag or case for your rifles. I would think most ranges also require, or suggest, hearing and eye protection. Some clubs might also require you to carry your ammo in a locked box. At a range you will also want binos or a spotting scope so you can see your targets as you probably won't be allowed to go out to look and patch very often. If you don't wear a hat every day anyway put a cap in there in case you ever find yourself shooting into the sun, and be aware that some very annoying ranges don't like you wearing camo clothing (it's very difficult getting them to define what camo clothing is though). A square of carpet can be handy for putting your firearms down on. I would suggest videoing yourself shooting so you can pick up any mistakes you're making, in the fundamentals and regarding safe handling. I watched a video of me yesterday double-loading the muzzleloader (powder, patch, ball, patch, ball) that I was unaware of. We were chatting about whether it was better to have one shooter with somebody else loading rifles for him or to have two shooters shooting more slowly while loading for themselves, I guess I got caught up in the moment Take a notebook and log what you're doing and your progress. I also keep a log of every round fired in each firearm.

I have a backpack set up ready for when I go shooting here. It has blank A4 and A3 paper, a variety of printed targets, a light hammer and drift (for sight adjustment), range finder, a bottle of water, a drop sheet to collect brass, a bag for collected brass (I also have a covert dump pouch on my belt all the time, very handy for picking apples and oranges), a couple of shooting mats, a flexible "octopus" camera tripod that I can hook on trees or the ute, some other bits and pieces I've found useful, and a raincoat. I added earlier this year a very light target frame and reduced-scale IPSC silhouette targets. I've only used it a couple of times because it does take a few minutes to set up and take down, but it is useful in raising the targets above the ground when it's warm. Clipped to the pack I have a separate bag (that I can leave at the targets) that has insulation tape (for making aiming marks and putting targets up) and a variety of patch sizes and colours, as well as a handful of disposable ear plugs (just in case a visitor wants some). In the ute, behind the seat, I keep an old-style IPSC cardboard target on a steel target frame, and a pair of legs for the frame. I can tape a piece of blank paper to this and use black insulation tape for aiming diamonds of various sizes. I keep insulation tape and shears on my belt all the time anyway so am never without targets. I try to remember to keep a 5mm aluminium clearing rod behind the seat as well just in case a squibbed bullet stops in the bore, but they do tend to get bent and need replacing often.

When I go out I grab a pile of loaded mags, and loaded tubes for the .22LR tube mags, as well as additional ammo in case I use all the mags up. I've been using simple plastic hose for loading tubes, but after eight years they're getting old and annoying, they're very stiff in the cold and very flaccid in the hot, making loading a pain, so I made up a pile of aluminium loading tubes last week to replace them (10mm aluminium tube from Bunnings and rubber plugs from Ebay). I prefer the transparent tubes, which are lighter, but the aluminium works so much better. As I only use one type of ammo in each rifle, I don't need to worry about what ammo might be in them. I've made 15rd, 10rd (for Cowboy), and 5rd (for Silhouette) tubes. For the muzzleloader I have a multi-compartment box with dry and lubed patches, different balls and bullets, vials of weighed charges, caps, and a volumetric measure ready to go.

I normally also throw in a pile of steels to shoot at, but they're currently set up semi-permanently in the bush, as a mate has been coming out at least once a week to shoot with me, we just move them about in the same general position. He also supplied a small folding table as he doesn't like having to bend over, so we take that...when we remember. I generally just put the rifles in soft bags. He doesn't like scopes and loves lever-actions so we're only practicing offhand at relatively close range (about 70m max) with iron sights on steels with .22LR and centrefire pistol calibers. He bought a bolt-action .22 yesterday so I'm hoping he'll be up for some longer-range practice now

For cleaning I have large spray cans of solvent, Ballistol, brake cleaner, white lithium grease, a large bottle of oil, a tube of grease, rolls of four-by-two patch material, and rags (especially if you shoot blackpowder). I carry several torches and a pair of magnifying glasses every day but if you don't I would toss a torch in there, very useful for looking into dark places, and some glasses for when you're trying to work on something tiny. I have a variety of jags and nylon brushes from .177" to 12ga. and one-piece stainless rods. Also the basic screwdrivers and allen keys needed to disassemble the rifles for cleaning. I've been using an MTM cleaning box for ten years but it's never been particularly useful. It's too small for the rods and box of jags and brushes, and is too low to stand the cans and bottles in. I really need to make something much better. I'm thinking along the lines of a rifle stand, making it tall enough to hold rods, with a cupboard in the back to store the cleaning gear.

Hey guys!

Finally received my license approval from QPS and have now lodged my PTA for my first ever rifle!
I am a completely green shooter, and the first in my family to get into it.... This is all new to me haha.

What i want to ask you experienced fella's is this; What do i need, to get myself started on the right foot?

I don't really want mr Gun Salesman to try and load me up with a heap of stuff i could live without.... Cleaning kit? Wipes/swabs? Ammo container? Gun case/bag?

What do you think are the essentials for a new target shooter, other than your rifle and ammunition? Not worrying about hunting yet, just purely for trips to the range to get my eye in

Thanks in advance gents! (and ladies)

[bladeracer]

Hahaha what a time to be alive hey!

Appreciate your warm welcome and honesty my friend! Not too worried about the targets themselves as the range i'll be attending will have them supplied...

More so thinking along the lines of your essentials when you shoot a new rifle for the first time.. I have read that some people like to 'break-in' a new rifle with a shoot, clean, shoot method for the first 50 rounds or so...

I know i will need to pickup some ear and eye protection, a case to carry my rifle and ammunitions in, and i guess a cleaning kit with some gun oil and swabs?

What sort of rifles will you be shooting? Scoped or iron sights? Off a bench or from field positions? What distances?

I've never "broken in" any firearm. But I have found numerous times that .22 rifles in particular do tend to shoot better after several hundred rounds have been down the tube. I'm sure part of this improvement comes from the shooter getting the feel of the rifle but I always recommend putting a thousand rounds through it before doing serious ammo testing to see which ammo it prefers.

[Die Judicii]

Yeah that's about the sum of it.
Personally I've always done the shoot/clean/shoot thing but never bothered to go as high as fifty.
Others on here may nitpic and disagree, but all of my longarms shoot fine afterwards,,,, and whether that can be directly contributed to
the procedure or not is open ended as far as I'm concerned.

[Die Judicii]

A lot of your preferences are likely to come down to the sorts of rifles you're using and the type of shooting you're doing. I would suggest attending some shoots at the ranges you want to shoot at, see what people are using, and ask questions.

No experience of rifle ranges so can't comment on what might be required, but perhaps chamber flags, targets and patches, target stands, and probably some sort of bag or case for your rifles. I would think most ranges also require, or suggest, hearing and eye protection. Some clubs might also require you to carry your ammo in a locked box. At a range you will also want binos or a spotting scope so you can see your targets as you probably won't be allowed to go out to look and patch very often. If you don't wear a hat every day anyway put a cap in there in case you ever find yourself shooting into the sun, and be aware that some very annoying ranges don't like you wearing camo clothing (it's very difficult getting them to define what camo clothing is though). A square of carpet can be handy for putting your firearms down on. I would suggest videoing yourself shooting so you can pick up any mistakes you're making, in the fundamentals and regarding safe handling. I watched a video of me yesterday double-loading the muzzleloader (powder, patch, ball, patch, ball) that I was unaware of. We were chatting about whether it was better to have one shooter with somebody else loading rifles for him or to have two shooters shooting more slowly while loading for themselves, I guess I got caught up in the moment Take a notebook and log what you're doing and your progress. I also keep a log of every round fired in each firearm.

I have a backpack set up ready for when I go shooting here. It has blank A4 and A3 paper, a variety of printed targets, a light hammer and drift (for sight adjustment), range finder, a bottle of water, a drop sheet to collect brass, a bag for collected brass (I also have a covert dump pouch on my belt all the time, very handy for picking apples and oranges), a couple of shooting mats, a flexible "octopus" camera tripod that I can hook on trees or the ute, some other bits and pieces I've found useful, and a raincoat. I added earlier this year a very light target frame and reduced-scale IPSC silhouette targets. I've only used it a couple of times because it does take a few minutes to set up and take down, but it is useful in raising the targets above the ground when it's warm. Clipped to the pack I have a separate bag (that I can leave at the targets) that has insulation tape (for making aiming marks and putting targets up) and a variety of patch sizes and colours, as well as a handful of disposable ear plugs (just in case a visitor wants some). In the ute, behind the seat, I keep an old-style IPSC cardboard target on a steel target frame, and a pair of legs for the frame. I can tape a piece of blank paper to this and use black insulation tape for aiming diamonds of various sizes. I keep insulation tape and shears on my belt all the time anyway so am never without targets. I try to remember to keep a 5mm aluminium clearing rod behind the seat as well just in case a squibbed bullet stops in the bore, but they do tend to get bent and need replacing often.

When I go out I grab a pile of loaded mags, and loaded tubes for the .22LR tube mags, as well as additional ammo in case I use all the mags up. I've been using simple plastic hose for loading tubes, but after eight years they're getting old and annoying, they're very stiff in the cold and very flaccid in the hot, making loading a pain, so I made up a pile of aluminium loading tubes last week to replace them (10mm aluminium tube from Bunnings and rubber plugs from Ebay). I prefer the transparent tubes, which are lighter, but the aluminium works so much better. As I only use one type of ammo in each rifle, I don't need to worry about what ammo might be in them. I've made 15rd, 10rd (for Cowboy), and 5rd (for Silhouette) tubes. For the muzzleloader I have a multi-compartment box with dry and lubed patches, different balls and bullets, vials of weighed charges, caps, and a volumetric measure ready to go.

I normally also throw in a pile of steels to shoot at, but they're currently set up semi-permanently in the bush, as a mate has been coming out at least once a week to shoot with me, we just move them about in the same general position. He also supplied a small folding table as he doesn't like having to bend over, so we take that...when we remember. I generally just put the rifles in soft bags. He doesn't like scopes and loves lever-actions so we're only practicing offhand at relatively close range (about 70m max) with iron sights on steels with .22LR and centrefire pistol calibers. He bought a bolt-action .22 yesterday so I'm hoping he'll be up for some longer-range practice now

For cleaning I have large spray cans of solvent, Ballistol, brake cleaner, white lithium grease, a large bottle of oil, a tube of grease, rolls of four-by-two patch material, and rags (especially if you shoot blackpowder). I carry several torches and a pair of magnifying glasses every day but if you don't I would toss a torch in there, very useful for looking into dark places, and some glasses for when you're trying to work on something tiny. I have a variety of jags and nylon brushes from .177" to 12ga. and one-piece stainless rods. Also the basic screwdrivers and allen keys needed to disassemble the rifles for cleaning. I've been using an MTM cleaning box for ten years but it's never been particularly useful. It's too small for the rods and box of jags and brushes, and is too low to stand the cans and bottles in. I really need to make something much better. I'm think along the lines of a rifle stand, making it tall enough to hold rods, with a cupboard in the back to store the cleaning gear.

BLOODY HELL Blade,,,,,,,,, from your past posts I gather you've got a stream on your property.
My advice is,,,,, Make sure you never slip and fall in,,,,,,,,, cos if you do you'll surely drown by not being able to stand up under the weight of your kit.

[Oldbloke]

Hi,
You don't mention what your buying.22lr?


"What do i need, to get myself started on the right foot?"

Basics to get started:
A rifle rest of some sort.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19105
Something to cover the bench, tarp, mat, or old blanket.
Rifle case, probably a soft case. This just arrived today. Very happy with it. Ordered Saturday I think.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/27418625593 ... media=COPY

Red chamber flags,
Hearing protection, class 4 or 5 I'd suggest. Muffs are better than plugs.
Some ranges require a Hi vis vest and safety glasses
Targets, you can make these or print them
Perhaps target frames and hammer
A basic cleaning kit.
Ammo, if it's a 22lr, buy at least 7-8 different brands to try, they can be very fussy.

The above should get you started.

Get a copy of the range rules before you visit and read them.
Perhaps, as mentioned, just go for a visit first, see how they operated and what others are doing.

Good luck.

[bladeracer]

BLOODY HELL Blade,,,,,,,,, from your past posts I gather you've got a stream on your property.
My advice is,,,,, Make sure you never slip and fall in,,,,,,,,, cos if you do you'll surely drown by not being able to stand up under the weight of your kit.

My trousers weigh 9kg with one water bottle on the belt

As a roof carpenter I learned very early to carry everything I might need on me so I didn't have to crawl out of the roof to go and get something to deal with a five-second issue, I've lived the same way ever since. I've always liked being double-redundant and use lanyards to retain things because it's so easy to drop your gear from the roof, but on the farm I prefer triple-redundancy or more, probably because it can be a whole lot further to walk when your gloves get soaked or your torches go flat, or you drop your knife, or you're working with somebody that doesn't have any gear at all. I think the only thing I don't carry spares of are boots, I always have extra gloves and try to have at least a spare ball cap. The old tool pouch on my belt is starting to tear so I'll be replacing it with a different system in the near future. I wear a suspender harness anyway so I'm thinking of replacing the water bottles with a back bladder which will free up space on the belt.

[bigrich]

Hi,
You don't mention what your buying.22lr?


"What do i need, to get myself started on the right foot?"

Basics to get started:
A rifle rest of some sort.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19105
Something to cover the bench, tarp, mat, or old blanket.
Rifle case, probably a soft case. This just arrived today. Very happy with it. Ordered Saturday I think.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/27418625593 ... media=COPY

Red chamber flags,
Hearing protection, class 4 or 5 I'd suggest. Muffs are better than plugs.
Some ranges require a Hi vis vest and safety glasses
Targets, you can make these or print them
Perhaps target frames and hammer
A basic cleaning kit.
Ammo, if it's a 22lr, buy at least 7-8 different brands to try, they can be very fussy.

The above should get you started.

Get a copy of the range rules before you visit and read them.
Perhaps, as mentioned, just go for a visit first, see how they operated and what others are doing.

Good luck.

to the OP, the above advice is sound in my opinion . don't overinvest if your starting out , you might go off shooting or find it's not for you . getting involved in a comp that's a social outlet is good for improving skills and getting advice and making friends with knowledgeable people. having said don't overinvest , don't buy crap either. in my opinion getting yourself a 22lr and a 223 is a great cheap to run starter package . if i was buying rifles to keep, a lithgow 101 in 22lr and a tikka t3 in 223 are quality rifles. top them off with a leupold scope and you've got gear that'll last you for a long time . but those rifles and scopes are probably over 5K all up
i'm not a fan, but a howa 223 package from cleaver firearms is sound. 22lr.....dunno. ruger american are supposed to be very accurate and cheapish . hope my opinions help .

if you want lots of differing opinions you've come to the right forum

[Larry]

Dont go overboard before you have been to the range a few times doing what you want to do and speaking and watch others. For instance you would think a chamber flag is a chamber flag but no. The NRAA ranges insist on using their own special made blue ones. SSAA ranges use a different model and in red or orange. Cleaning gear you will change and modify as you progress so the go slow method is best here too. Even with rests and bipods the options available are numerous but their are certain ones that are better for certain jobs. Good luck with it all and keep us all updated and ask questions. Someone here will have the correct answer the problem is finding out who that person is in each case.

[TheNateOutdoors]

Really appreciate the great responses guys!

I will be getting a .22LR that is correct.

Ive started doing some homework on different bits of kit, but i'm going to attend my local SSCA range next month for the first time, introduce myself and have a chat while I pick their brain a bit

[Bugman]

Yep. Just get what you legally can and that choice makes you happy. For me, many years ago I started out with a single shot .22
Thought I was king of the kids and very happy.