Target shooting in State Parks

[Billy Hughes]

I live in a Melbournes northern suburb, I think the nearest state park/Forrest I can shoot in is Wombat state Forrest (Lerderderg Forrest).
Can I set up a target there and practice target shooting?
Also is this a park I can shoot in, and do I need a game license even if I'm not shooting any game?

[womble]

Not in state parks.

State forests you can hunt and shoot.

You can sight in a rifle or check your sights in a state forest.

You cannot set up a shooting range in one.

You would be better served visiting a shooting range for target shooting.

You don’t need a game licence.

But if it’s deer habitat which it would be because they’re everywhere now. And you had a game licence and a rifle that wasn’t a legal caliber for deer. Then a ranger might make life difficult for you.

[Billy Hughes]

Thanks Womble. That should be fine for my needs.
I was just wanting to test fire an old military surplus rifle I had transferred to my license Mauser 96 6.5x55.
I want to see that it shoots, and shoots straight. What I'm doing would count as zeroing it in.
I won't get a chance to get to my range for over a month and I have a guy with spare stock and another guy with some reloading parts for it I want to purchase, so I just want to make sure it shoots well enough firs before someone else buys the those things.
I think Lerderderg Forrest, Wombat state Forrest sounds like my best bet

[MG5150]

Womble's given pretty good advice but just to calrify that you can't legally sight-in or do target shooting on public land (e.g. State Forest or Crown land) in Victoria. Under the Firearms Act 1996, target shooting is only permitted at:

Approved shooting ranges (Section 6A & Schedule 3), or

Private property where you're authorised to shoot (Schedule 3 & 4).

There is a grey area where if you knock your rifle while hunting you can check your zero as part of hunting, but to set up a target and spend the afternoon going through the whole process might get you in hot water if caught. Best to check with DEECA or your local police station if you're unsure.

Target shooting on Crown land is not permitted unless part of a lawful hunting activity and you hold the correct genuine reason endorsement (e.g. hunting or pest control).

Even then, Section 6A(1)(b) restricts sport/target shooting to approved clubs and ranges. Public land is only available for hunting pest or game species in designated areas, and paper targets don’t qualify as hunting.

TL;DR: Sighting in = go to a range or private property. Crown land is strictly for actual hunting, not general rifle use.

[Billy Hughes]

Bummer. Better just wait until after I go to the range

[No1Mk3]

Womble's given pretty good advice but just to calrify that you can't legally sight-in or do target shooting on public land (e.g. State Forest or Crown land) in Victoria. Under the Firearms Act 1996, target shooting is only permitted at:

Approved shooting ranges (Section 6A & Schedule 3), or

Private property where you're authorised to shoot (Schedule 3 & 4).

There is a grey area where if you knock your rifle while hunting you can check your zero as part of hunting, but to set up a target and spend the afternoon going through the whole process might get you in hot water if caught. Best to check with DEECA or your local police station if you're unsure.

Target shooting on Crown land is not permitted unless part of a lawful hunting activity and you hold the correct genuine reason endorsement (e.g. hunting or pest control).

Even then, Section 6A(1)(b) restricts sport/target shooting to approved clubs and ranges. Public land is only available for hunting pest or game species in designated areas, and paper targets don’t qualify as hunting.

TL;DR: Sighting in = go to a range or private property. Crown land is strictly for actual hunting, not general rifle use.

This is very hard to understand, what version of which Act are you using? In the most recent Vic Firearms Act, v101, S 6A speaks only of offences to use unregistered firearms, Sch 3 speaks only of exemptions to hold licence, Sch 4 speaks only of Storage.
It is absolutely legal to sight in a rifle on Crown Land ie State Forest (NOT State Parks) in fact the Game Management Authority mentions it in some detail on their website about how to do exactly that.
Target shooting on public land is prohibeted (See Firearms Act 1996 v101 Sch 2 Item 1 para 5A) but sighting in is not, at all.

[womble]

You can sight it in in state forests in Victoria.

You can’t in state forests in NSW

https://ssaavic.com.au/hunting-pest-control/hunting-tips/

[womble]

Womble's given pretty good advice but just to calrify that you can't legally sight-in or do target shooting on public land (e.g. State Forest or Crown land) in Victoria. Under the Firearms Act 1996, target shooting is only permitted at:

Approved shooting ranges (Section 6A & Schedule 3), or

Private property where you're authorised to shoot (Schedule 3 & 4).

There is a grey area where if you knock your rifle while hunting you can check your zero as part of hunting, but to set up a target and spend the afternoon going through the whole process might get you in hot water if caught. Best to check with DEECA or your local police station if you're unsure.

Target shooting on Crown land is not permitted unless part of a lawful hunting activity and you hold the correct genuine reason endorsement (e.g. hunting or pest control).

Even then, Section 6A(1)(b) restricts sport/target shooting to approved clubs and ranges. Public land is only available for hunting pest or game species in designated areas, and paper targets don’t qualify as hunting.

TL;DR: Sighting in = go to a range or private property. Crown land is strictly for actual hunting, not general rifle use.

This is very hard to understand, what version of which Act are you using? In the most recent Vic Firearms Act, v101, S 6A speaks only of offences to use unregistered firearms, Sch 3 speaks only of exemptions to hold licence, Sch 4 speaks only of Storage.
It is absolutely legal to sight in a rifle on Crown Land ie State Forest (NOT State Parks) in fact the Game Management Authority mentions it in some detail on their website about how to do exactly that.
Target shooting on public land is prohibeted (See Firearms Act 1996 v101 Sch 2 Item 1 para 5A) but sighting in is not, at all.

Because it’s not prohibited in the firearms act, or any other Victorian firearms legislation, or conservation forest and lands act or
Forest Recreation regulations.

It’s not illegal in Victoria.

It is illegal in NSW.

[Billy Hughes]

I wasn't planning to do target shooting, just something to aim at least to test the rifle.
It's a 1915 Carl Gustav Mauser 96