Is it worth learning to shoot?

[Dr_zoidberg]

Depends what kind of gun you want.

In the UK it is legal to own an air rifle below the 12ft/lb limit. They are useful for hunting small game and vermin control in a possible SHTF scenario. You can fire it in your back garden provided you have a sufficient back stop and are 18ft from the centre of a public access. Beware of nosy neighbours thinking you're a gun wielding assassin.

Shotguns require a Section 2 firearms certificate. The application for which can be got from your local police station. Providing you have a gun safe and an ammunition safe and you pass back ground checks. From what i understand with shot guns the police don't really have a right to refuse permission except on the grounds of not being a fit person to own one, like being a criminal or unfit through health for example.

Anything bigger is on a section 1 fire arms certificate (Air rifles over 12ft/lbs, .22 rimfire, .22 centerfire, .223, .243, .308 up to .50 calibre). Chances are you will have a small bore rifle club somewhere near you. In order to get a section 1 certificate granted you have to show good reason to have one. You need to be a member of a club and go target shooting. In addition to having a safe to store them and the ammunition you need a monitored alarm.

Best thing to do is see if you can get a provisional membership to your local rifle club and have a go.

[firepower]

I learned to shoot when I was a small boy, I can't imagine a life without guns. All of my kids were taught to shoot at an early age, safety being paramount.

Shooting is a great sport that is overlooked and badly treated by the press. Getting a shotgun is easier than getting your driving licence and to own firearms all that is needed is "good reason" The police are generally quite helpful and are not there to prevent anyone from owning firearms. They just make sure that it is the right type of person applying for the licence.

As a survival tool a rifle is the best option for putting meat on your table. Indeed I have two rabbits in the freezer and one in the pot for dinner tonight at a net cost of a few pennies for the ammunition used.

As others have said "good reason" is being a member of a shooting club, some of these can be a little stuffy but good reason nonetheless. Clay pigeon shooting is sufficient reason to own a shotgun and although you can't eat clays they are very good practice for accurate instinctive shooting. There are clay grounds all over the country. The best reason is hunting or vermin control. If you go that route then you will need to go to all of the farms in the area and ask politely if the farm has any wildlife that needs slotting. It can be daunting but once a farmer says yes then you will have free food


ATB Mick

[avalonadam]

Some really good advice here and so nice to hear good shooting advice rather than the stuff you get from extreme right wing cammo gun nuts you get on the US based sites. For any of you who do take the step to get your FAC (which is the best thing I've done in my opinion) opt to get a .22. Th ereason is that ammo is cheap and easy to carry due to its size, but should you need to make a clean humane kill on an animal it has a very good energy impact mass. Plus shoudl , undisirables threaten your life a .22 is capable of making their lives come to a rapid end.
It is no mistake that many of the US prepping experts recommend a humble .22 as th eultimate survival rifle dispite living in a country where you can buy some serious psudo military weapons.

[jansman]

If you have no family culture around guns, then join a club. The main reason for joining is to learn safety, safety, safety, and more safety. When that is understood, then you learn to shoot. I was once shot by a twat on a pheasant shoot who had never even held a gun before. He had been invited on a Corporate Day. He was manhandled off the shoot by the keeper. He had no idea about the man's lack of ability because he had all the gear and no idea!

People mock health and safety, but where guns are concerned it is paramount.

[scotsman]

if it helps you any

i own a cometa mod300 air rifle with scope most likely not one of the best rifles around but i`m sure in a pinch it would possibly take out a rabbit ect
+ you dont need any certificate so long as it is under 12ff pound but then again in a SHTF scene i dout anyone would care ( not that i advise going over the legal limit without the propper certificate as you will land the wrong side of the fire arms laws if you are in the uk )

[Moony]

I was once shot by a twat on a pheasant shoot who had never even held a gun before. He had been invited on a Corporate Day. He was manhandled off the shoot by the keeper. He had no idea about the man's lack of ability because he had all the gear and no idea!

People mock health and safety, but where guns are concerned it is paramount.

It wasnt Dick Cheney by any chance was it ?

Having full Secret Service and EMT teams on hand makes for a safer shooting experience I'd guess under normal circumstances

[bigdan]

[quote="Dr_zoidberg"]Depends what kind of gun you want.

.

to own a firearm you do not need to be a member of a club or have a monitored alarm !!!! to get a grant for a fire arm you will need land to shoot on and written permision from the owner, you may only have one property to shoot on buts thats ALL you need. once you are in possesion of your air rifle/shotgun ,then try golf course as your first place to shoot. they are often in need of someone to do the pest control. i shoot on several and its well worth dropping in and asking. oh and dont forget to take your shooting insurance paperwork with you.

[Lucky Jim]

I had a .22 air rifle years ago, I only used it for target shooting at model tanks and tin cans at the bottom of the garden but they're definitely not toys and i've no doubt they'd be very useful for shooting pigeons for food, you couldn't miss a pigeon on the ground with a telescopic sight, although trying to hit a flying one would be very difficult.
Is there anything else out there besides pigeons that we could shoot for food with a .22 air rifle?
Some people claim to go out killing rabbits with them.
Hey it might even be possible to shoot fish if they were just below the surface.

[Plymtom]

Rabbits out to a certian distance yes, and that is probably the issue getting close enough, but not fish, even if they were close to the surface , chances are you'd just put a hole in them and they would be on their way, bow fishing perhaps though I bet that's illegal at the moment, I suppose for small game , certainly fish there are many other if not better ways than with a gun of any description.

There are many things activities wise that would probably come in handy from a prepping perspective if times change, I enjoy shooting, so moving up from airguns after all these years is a late but logical progression of a lifelong genuine interest which I am seriously considering, I would say think about it but if it's just for SHTF, then no certainly not the whole hog shotgun or beyond, a cheap air rifle and a load of pellets tried and ferreted away somewhere for £200 or less, may not be out of the way as a just in case thing, but double that or more just to get a foot in the door for something you know you won't do regularly, would be better spent on more food, or making your home more secure?

Perhaps as well as buy what you eat, eat what you buy... we should say do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do.

[tigs]

i remember watching myth buster a while back , they fired a .50 bmg into a swimming pool expecting it to empty the pool, but the round broke up and was useless at a depth of only 3 to 4 feet