Q&A

Q&AThe site statistics show that around about 850-900 people read this site a week, and around 350 more read the rss feed; so I figured, you can’t all be target shooters 😀

So this post is to ask – do you have any questions about target shooting? Post away in the comments section – I’ll answer all I can….

10 thoughts on “Q&A

  • I think your posts are good, keep up the good work.

    Quick question for you based on your posts about Kuortane, can anybody go or is it only international squads ?

    Cheers

    Alex

    • Hi Alex,
      It’s a case of anyone being able to go, but unless you’re at a reasonable standard, you probably won’t get quite as much out of it. I’d be at about the bottom end of things for Kuortane myself – certainly the last few times, I’d be just about able for the first week, but the second week would have left me well outclassed and holding everyone back.

  • I am a German shooter (mostly pistol), and by profession a lawyer, specialized in firearms law. Hence my question: how difficult is it to get pistol permits (.22 or CF or bigbore) in Ireland? The number of ISSF target pistol shooters seems awfully small…

    Thank you,
    Alexander

    • Air or smallbore pistols are obtainable if you are a member of a target shooting club. As to how difficult it is, that is entirely dependant on your local Garda Superintendent. Of the 180-odd of these, most – almost all in fact – have no difficulty in someone taking up target shooting and licencing a pistol. But a small few have decided that they do not want pistols licenced in their districts and have refused licences, sometimes on spurious grounds. As a result, over seventy cases have already been taken to the high court, and 180 more are in the legal diary. The situation is rather messy.

      Centerfire pistols, however, are no longer licencable in Ireland unless you had a licence for one prior to November 2008; and then you may only apply for a licence for your own pistol and some of those applications have been refused (and are now being appealed to the high court).

      And certainly compared to other countries we have very few pistol shooters – but we have just come through a thirty-year ban on pistols and with a not-entirely-clear exit from that ban. For several year after the ban was lifted, few were sure of the law with regard to pistols, so uptake was relatively slow. It will take some time before we build our participation and performance levels up to the standards of other countries again.

      • My local Garda station asked me to write a letter stating why I want the gun I plan to use it for shooting pigeons as it’s a cheap airgun
        What should I write and how long should the letter be

        • You should write that you plan to use it for shooting pigeons. Tell them where, and how you intend to ensure that it’s safe. It doesn’t need to be an essay, just tell them what you want it for and what you’ll do to ensure it will be safe.

  • Hello Mark:
    Congratulations for your blog!

    I have a question:
    i read that you put a MEC trigger in your rifle. I´m thinking on buying one (with Ryan, Intershoot) for my Walther LG300XT, but MEC have two types: one like yours and other with the pyramid face. It´s a lot of money for the little piece of metal, so:
    Is it a good investment?
    Which are the best (in your opinion): The MEC flat, The MEC pyramid, or the TEC-HRO?
    For me is a lot of money to experiment, so you opinion is important to me.
    Thanks in advance and sorry my english.
    Emilio Mendoza
    Mexico City

    • Honestly Emilio, I’ve only ever tried the original MEC Touch. I just didn’t like the look of the TEC-HRO “meat tenderiser”, and I couldn’t see how the new Touch was better than the old Touch. I’d been able to try the original Touch as a few people here had them, but I couldn’t try the others, so I could have been completely wrong about them.

      I can say that the original Touch works very well indeed, once you’ve finished feeling the pain of the price you pay for such a small thing; the rubber o-rings they supply with it give you a very findable point on the trigger shoe, and the range of adjustments is simply wonderful – my trigger finger has a problem at the moment in that the angle it’s at with the rifle is all wrong, but the Touch was adjustable enough that I could still get a reasonable trigger contact with it. Couldn’t do that with the stock Anschutz trigger I had before.

  • I was considering expat’ing to Ireland from the United States where we have significantly more lax gun laws, at least in my state where there are no licenses, no limits on quantity of firearms that you can own, and things of that nature, so going into a legal system like this I have no idea what exactly to expect.

    I have been an avid marksman for quite some time and I would like to keep up my practice while I am in Ireland so that when I return home, I don’t wind up just pissing a bear off instead of killing (which, while I have never personally experienced the company of a pissed of bear I can only assume that it is none to pleasant). So my reason for wanting to have firearms is to continue improving my skills.

    There are three firearms which I would like to bring to practice with are 6 shot 357 magnum revolver, a Saiga 12 Gauge Shotgun, and a 30.06 bolt action rifle.

    I am just wondering if I would be able to get a permit of some kind to bring select firearms with me (or to have them shipped to me). Or if I would be restricted to firearms which I purchased while I was residing within the country, or if I was even legally allowed to get such a permit given that I don’t possess Irish citizenship. I am not sure if it would make any difference but I also possess dual citizenship with another country that is within the European Union.

  • I shoot my brothers rifle occasionally but hopefully ill be getting my first rifle at the end of the summer. At some point along the line i would like to try out the olympic styles of target shooting (like the 50m prone) but i am having trouble finding information on it. I would appreciate any links to information about it in ireland. Its an idea at the moment but i’m truly fascinated by what i have seen and i want to be as well read as possible before i make any decisions.

    I’m hoping to purchase a Ruger American .22LR as my first rifle and join a range and practice as much as i can, i don’t know if this is a good idea or not but i don’t have anyone to ask. I would prefer to join a range that has the best options for shooting as i would love to compete if my level of skill will be acceptable over time.

    I’m glad i found your blog, you seem to passionate about what you’re doing and it’s inspiring.

    P.S. Does my age matter? I’m nearly 25 and it that an issue?

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