First Qld handgun

[fnq22]

Hi Guys...so i am hoping to receive my Cat H email any day now and can barely wait to get a pistol and not have to feel awkward and obliged at using club guns or borrowing handguns....

Anyway i have shot quite a few different .22 pistol (rugers as well as 1911 types)and revolvers and some 9mm and 38 as well..

Idealy I'd lik a cz shadow 9mm with a 22 conversion kit but I live north of an imaginary line that precludes that option at this stage...

At the range i go too there are a number of fellas that do informal club comps with .22 handguns like service pistol and IPSC which I'd love to have a crack at.....

as i can easily put a few hundred rounds through a session i think the first year that trend will continue as I get the practise in so a .22 makes the most sense...

A 9mm can come later once i get some confidence and consistent accuracy ...past shooting and hunting has mainly been with a scoped rifles and a rest wherever possible.so the handgun and particularly one handed shooting I'm finding a real challenge and to get to where I am happy will undoubtably consume a hell of a lot of rounds..

So I'm thinking of one of the stainless models in Mk iv Ruger but the nice ones I have shot all have the Volquartson trigger kit added which with a couple of extra mags brings up the cost to close to the 2K mark..

Then there is the Volqartson Black Mamba which is already tricked up and looks very nice and with a couple of extra mags is about 3K...

Is the extra grand or so worth it and is there any other suggestions anyone has that I may be overlooking..?

[6mm Remington]

You seem to have done your homework. Get the stainless Ruger target and put the trigger kit in it and you will not be wanting for anything. A member of the club I go to passed hers around the other day and every single person shot well with it. They are accurate enough to be able to consistently hit a 3 inch steel chook at 50 metres. Or you could get a Smith & Wesson model 41. Stay away from the conversion kits because the slides may wear differently on the pistol frame effecting accuracy over time.

[Wapiti]

The Volquartson mate is a gem... there is a reason it is more expensive because their firearms truly are of custom quality... do you need that? No maybe not, but they are worth it IMHO if you like gear made without any cutting corners, and ultra performance.
My wife has one as a PP handgun on the farm, and it has no peers. She also has a Volquartson 22 Magnum "Superlite" rifle (A semi-auto magnum copy of a Ruger 10/22) which is an absolute tackdriver... and takes all the rotary and stick Ruger magazines. The best, most reliable, indestructible magazines ever made
Then, because the two above are so impressive, I tricked out my own10/22 with a Volquartson carbon-fibre barrel like the one on the wife's magnum (except in 22LR), and I can tell you that there aint any CZ or Anshutz that can outshoot it, and it's an autoloader.
If you ever spring for a VolQ. piece of gear after using others, you will not ever regret the extra coin.

[fnq22]

thanks for the advice guys...yeah 6mm, I totally understand the S@W 41 recommendation and it makes a lot of sense as the perfect competition 22...or the Ruger as a good budget alternative....every man and his dog seemingly has one and you rarely hear a complaint...

and i didnt even think about the fact that over time the conversertion kit could create a "sloppy" slide" through wear and heavy use...very interesting..!

wapiti, whenever i see or read a review of the Volquartson, not only do i see nothing but praise but it always seems to come with a smile on the dial..everything from the smooth trigger and bolt to the mag release and of course the accuracy ...

One of the appealing things for me was those 3 customised features as these old hands with carpel tunnel issues do sometimes struggle with pulling back slides or bolts, sloppy triggers and mags is they dont eject forcefully...Though I personally have never handled one, the Black mamba seems to tick all those boxes...

and that sounds like some missus you got there, mate..what a ripper..!..on this end i have to try and justify why i need to spend an extra grand on a gun that essentially does the same job as a cheaper one...

anyway still weighing up the options as I go into week 10 while weapons branch say on the website the current average licence application approval time is now at 8 weeks..might have to ring them this week and and see if there is a problem...

[fnq22]

So licence approval just came through just before the end of week 11..

Now I fear the actual physical licence may get held up over xmas/new year so can i apply now for the PTA..

Will the new licence be the same number as my current A/b and will the expiry just be 10 years from now on the same date which is my birthday..?

[alexjones]

So licence approval just came through just before the end of week 11..

Now I fear the actual physical licence may get held up over xmas/new year so can i apply now for the PTA..

Will the new licence be the same number as my current A/b and will the expiry just be 10 years from now on the same date which is my birthday..?

You could of applied for the firearm PTA when you applied for the licence using the case number as the reference number and the 28 day waiting period will run concurrently whilst you wait for your licence approval.

Now you will have to wait an extra 28 days from the date of application for the cooling off period of your first cat H firearm.

No the licence number will not be the same. It will say concealable firearms licence not firearms licence like your A/B.

Not to sound rude but you paid for it. So you should know how many years you paid for. 5 years is the maximum for Cat H firearms. So did you pay for 1,3 or 5 years?

Use your case ID number and apply for your PTA now so you can start killing that 28 day waiting period.

[fnq22]

mate I have been told that used to be the case with the reference number but that they now will reject it without the actual licence number and expiry..

[alexjones]

mate I have been told that used to be the case with the reference number but that they now will reject it without the actual licence number and expiry..

Well you were told wrong. They won't approve it until your licence is approved but you can still submit it with the case ID number.

Have you got your club letter for the pistol you want? You need this to submit your PTA

[fnq22]

Ok ..I'll get my club letter on monday and submit using only the case ID number.
My licence was approved yesterday but they state 10-14 business days to receive the actual card.

[fnq22]

BTW Admin at Townsville pistol club seems certain that Weapons branch stopped doing it that way after april 2022..I think i may give them a ring....

[alexjones]

Ok ..I'll get my club letter on monday and submit using only the case ID number.
My licence was approved yesterday but they state 10-14 business days to receive the actual card.

Yes they make the card in Victoria and ship it up so 2 weeks max.

My only worry is due to this time of year it may take a bit longer for you to get your card.

[alexjones]

BTW Admin at Townsville pistol club seems certain that Weapons branch stopped doing it that way after april 2022..I think i may give them a ring....

See for yourself mate, from their own website. It just means that they won't action the PTA until your licence is determined.

https://www.police.qld.gov.au/units/weapons-licensing

[fnq22]

yeah well going by that, my licence postion has actually been determined, so a PTA should all be good to go just with the case ID...

However there was also an error on their application form that I pointed out that they knew about but couldnt be bothered fixing so just because it says something doesnt make it so with this department i have found....

Anyway thanks for sharing that and I'll get onto it monday and let you know if it holds true..because as you pointed out getting mail to FNQ this time of year could take ages...

cheers