3 shoots off applying, trying to get the ball rolling and figure out costs ect so I can begin to save up....
If it's a target set-up you're thinking of, as I said before the likes of .308. .300WSM, 7mmWSM will be ideal for you (read up on them! You WILL need to know). As for cost? Used rifles can be had for as little as a couple of hundred quid, but these are likely to have had a fair few rounds though them. For stalking purposes you don't need long-range accuracy, but if a rifle you pick up second-hand has suffered throat erosion through heavy use it'll never group at longer ranges, so look for something in the £6-700 range like the Remington 700 or similar. Great rifle, and has aftermarket triggers galore (which you WILL end up changing) The .308 is good out to a thousand yards and better, and can be re-barrelled fairly reasonably once it's shot out. If you're regularly target shooting you'll easily get a couple of thousand rounds through it in a few years. You'll need a moderator too (which will completely bugger up that revolver crap, so you'll be hounded off the range from the start anyway if they insist on their use)
The 'scope is just as important as the rifle, and good glass doesn't come cheap! DON'T buy a cheap 'scope with high specification, rather buy a decent scope (S&B, Swarovski, Nightforce, Zeiss, Leupold, etc) and stick with fixed-mag'. Something like an 8x56 will do fine, with a
fine Truplex reticule. Anything else and you'll obscure the target at ranges.
Whatever you do, learn to shoot properly as well. I've seen so many blokes wedge their rifles into those idiotic cradles and then boast about how good their groups are. you might as well poke a pencil through the paper for all the skill that takes
For stalking, £500 will see you right for the rifle set-up. For target-shooting, you may as well triple that figure. And that's just for
one rig.
Gunsafes can be had for under £100, your FAC will be around £60. Make certain you apply for
everything you think you want at the time, as a variation is £26 a pop. Expect to have tight conditions put on your FAC for the use of the rifles, too. For some reason, the English police forces seem to have a hair up their ass about imposing conditions on FAC holders. Join the NRA too. That'll be another few quid a year, but it's worth it as you have access to specialist legal representation if you need it, and 3rd Party liability insurance too . . . . .
OR. You can just join the NRA Shooting Club and hire a rifle
