Hi! I'm new here and looking for some information!

K

Knife

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Hello, everyone!

First off, I've decided to combine my introduction into the post in which I asked the questions to which I most wanted answers. So I'll give a bit of info, what I'm looking for, then ask my questions.

I'm from Ontario, near Toronto. I have a little shooting experience, and I'm interested in doing more. When I was little I was introduced to the air pistol. I guess this is the first thing that sparked my interest. We shot targets and soda cans then. Later I would continue to shoot the paper targets and soda cans whenever I could, but the opportunities were relatively scarce. Eventually I joined Scouts and had one or two opportunities to shoot a real rifle at some targets! That was exciting, but it was many years ago!

I currently own an air pistol (CO2), an AirSoft pistol, and a paintball marker. I do not own a real rifle, and would like to clear up my concerns before further considering acquiring one. I would also like to look into a bow or maybe a crossbow. Yes, I know there's a forum for it... I'll do more reading there after my primary questions are addressed/when I gain greater interest in it.

Anyway... I am considering the possibility of shooting more paper targets and soda cans on private property, with perhaps a .22, which I hear is a good beginner's rifle. I would like to know about the legality and safety of such a thing. Beyond that.... How much space would I need? In which directions? Do I need less space if I have a good backstop? What makes a good backstop?

Also, during my search of the forum, I found this thread: http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=344915&highlight=private+property

What's this "no shooting on Sundays" thing?


Hopefully these are questions which haven't been answered before, because I haven't found them in searching the forum; and hopefully asking these questions will help clear things up for other people too!


Thanks.
 
Find a local shooting range ..try one that sells guns ..go there and try as many guns as you can and as many calibres as posible... 22 is the cheapest ..9mm is a good all around calibre...dont buy it cuz its cheap buy the gun you really want and you will happier in the long run ...dont try and fit into a gun ...buy a gun that fits you !!
 
Nice to have you with us! For sure, get into the .22 as a starter. It'll teach you all the basics; breathing, aiming, sight picture etc. without the flinch that often comes from new shooters leaping right into big bore. When you have your shooting skills practiced sufficiently, go shopping for what suits you best in feel and function, be it handgun or long gun. All the best newbie! I'd be more than happy to share what I've picked up over the years, so feel free to contact me whenever you choose.
 
Welcome :) I know here in Alberta your aloud to shoot on your own property legally, not sure about ontario but im pretty sure you can. Im not sure about shooting restricted firearms on a farm (Pistols mostly), but un-restricted (rifles and shotguns) shouldnt be a problem. As for a backstop its best to shoot into a hill or shoot downhill, just so your bullet goes into the ground. Also check for housing around maybe on another property right behind where your shooting so you dont go shooting your neighbours house lol. Im not too sure about the shooting on sundays either sorry. And yes a .22 is best for you to start out with, its cheap, quiet, and doesnt have much recoil.
 
A range sounds like the place for you until you get more familiar with things. To say you need a certain backstop for shooting is hard to answer because it depends on what's around you. Houses, roads, other private property, calibre you're using etc. Is there a possibility of hikers walking around? All things that need to be considered for safe shooting on private land. As far as shooting on Sundays, municipal laws dictate that you can now shoot in certain municipalities on Sunday.
I second Skullnuts suggestion.
 
If you are "near" Tononto there is little chance of you being able to shoot cans etc on your property.

But I guess it all comes down to the definition of "near".
 
ipscgraz said:
I'm a long way from Ontario but it sounds like the best that could happen is that you hook up up with an experienced shooter and get some pointers on starting off. You might want to transmit your city (not just "near Toronto") for anyone to offer a couple of hours.
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Thanks. Yes, learning from an experienced shooter would definitely be helpful, but I am a little apprehensive about meeting people who I've only started speaking to over the internet.


skullnuts said:
Find a local shooting range ..try one that sells guns ..go there and try as many guns as you can and as many calibres as posible... 22 is the cheapest ..9mm is a good all around calibre...dont buy it cuz its cheap buy the gun you really want and you will happier in the long run ...dont try and fit into a gun ...buy a gun that fits you !!
Click to expand...

I'll definitely keep that in mind, thanks!


LawrenceN said:
Nice to have you with us! For sure, get into the .22 as a starter. It'll teach you all the basics; breathing, aiming, sight picture etc. without the flinch that often comes from new shooters leaping right into big bore. When you have your shooting skills practiced sufficiently, go shopping for what suits you best in feel and function, be it handgun or long gun. All the best newbie! I'd be more than happy to share what I've picked up over the years, so feel free to contact me whenever you choose.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome, advice, and offer of more knowledge.


Dacton said:
Welcome :) I know here in Alberta your aloud to shoot on your own property legally, not sure about ontario but im pretty sure you can. Im not sure about shooting restricted firearms on a farm (Pistols mostly), but un-restricted (rifles and shotguns) shouldnt be a problem. As for a backstop its best to shoot into a hill or shoot downhill, just so your bullet goes into the ground. Also check for housing around maybe on another property right behind where your shooting so you dont go shooting your neighbours house lol. Im not too sure about the shooting on sundays either sorry. And yes a .22 is best for you to start out with, its cheap, quiet, and doesnt have much recoil.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. As far as I understand from reading this website, it is legal to shoot on your own private property, on crown land, and presumably on private property with the permission of the owner. My major concerns then are with safety. From browsing this forum, I believe that I have seen people shoot into hills/berms that are about 8 feet high, even with neighbors nearby. I had the idea in my head that if I could not find a suitable hill, I could build up a big enough pile of dirt to shoot into. Or perhaps even build a wooden wall full of sand, or maybe a wall of sandbags - I'm not sure which would last longer or be more durable. The wonderful thing about this idea, I thought, was that I could build it however I liked, and wherever I liked - assuming that there was enough space behind the stop (I previously didn't know how much was required, if any, and how big the stop had to be).


Yogi05 said:
A range sounds like the place for you until you get more familiar with things. To say you need a certain backstop for shooting is hard to answer because it depends on what's around you. Houses, roads, other private property, calibre you're using etc. Is there a possibility of hikers walking around? All things that need to be considered for safe shooting on private land. As far as shooting on Sundays, municipal laws dictate that you can now shoot in certain municipalities on Sunday.
I second Skullnuts suggestion.
Click to expand...

Again, thanks for the advice. I've already given my basic ideas on a backstop in the above post... But I'll iterate/recap: I was thinking about a wooden wall (plywood/chip wood maybe? What ever I can find that is cheap), filled with sand. I could presumably build this wall to be as thick as necessary. Perhaps 8 feet high? I've heard of people using sandbags also. I'm not sure if sandbags would outlast a wooden wall. Again, I'm also unsure if if that backstop alone would be "safe enough" or if I would require a certain area/distance behind it to be free of housing/trails/anywhere that a person might walk.

I'm not sure of the possibility of hikers in the area. Because I know that there are neighbors, it is entirely possible that they would walk on their own property. I also know that people do hunt in the area, so it makes me unsure of what to think, or how to judge what is acceptable for me to do here.


stormbringer said:
If you are "near" Tononto there is little chance of you being able to shoot cans etc on your property.

But I guess it all comes down to the definition of "near".
Click to expand...

Ah... Your post makes me realise that I might not have been nearly as clear or precise as I had thought I was.

I live "near" Toronto, but the property to which I was referring is about two hours north of Toronto. We have a few neighbors there, and there is crown land nearby. However, the crown land is not adjacent to my (parent's) property at all. As far as I understand, there would be no problems with going to plink in crown land, but I'm certain that being able to shoot on our own property would be much more comfortable. Although now that I think about it, going to crown land would probably be the most simple solution. However, I would still like to know what the possibilities for building a range on the property are.
 
But without the people you're asking actually being able to SEE the area you're talking about, it's hard for someone to say "yeah, that's safe." An experienced shooter could probably look at a lot and say ok, build a berm this size and it'll stop any .22 . Or shoot in that direction and you're good. That's why I was saying experience is key here. I can legally shoot on my property and there's the better part of a 50 acre farm against my back yard, but I don't shoot here because there is always a possibility of someone strolling through a field and a bullet finding it's way through 2 acres of solid trees. As far as how much sand it will go through, probably not much. A couple feet thick sound good?
 
Yogi05 said:
But without the people you're asking actually being able to SEE the area you're talking about, it's hard for someone to say "yeah, that's safe." An experienced shooter could probably look at a lot and say ok, build a berm this size and it'll stop any .22 . Or shoot in that direction and you're good. That's why I was saying experience is key here. I can legally shoot on my property and there's the better part of a 50 acre farm against my back yard, but I don't shoot here because there is always a possibility of someone strolling through a field and a bullet finding it's way through 2 acres of solid trees. As far as how much sand it will go through, probably not much. A couple feet thick sound good?
Click to expand...

Yes, I see what you mean about having an experienced person look at the property and determine the best safe direction to shoot, and how thick the berm should be.
 
Hang around or better still join a gun club and get to know some folks, eventually try some different guns and types of shooting, for instance, alot of clubs will have a "club gun" you can use, usually a shotgun for newbies to try skeet or trap with.
 
Dr.Lector said:
Thanks God you don't want the list of
non-restricted black rifles :rolleyes:
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...Can I have the list of non-restricted black rifles?

Haha, kidding of course. I don't even know what you mean by "black" rifles. Actually, I don't know what they mean by "Green" or "Red" rifles on the front page, either.

I will, however soon be looking into .22 caliber rifles. Some common things I hear are "10/22", "Ruger", "Savage", and one was a "G..."-something... I don't remember what it was, but people were talking about how it can shoot even cheap ammo accurately.


ben hunchak said:
Hang around or better still join a gun club and get to know some folks, eventually try some different guns and types of shooting, for instance, alot of clubs will have a "club gun" you can use, usually a shotgun for newbies to try skeet or trap with.
Click to expand...

Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I'll have to locate the nearest club.


Hm... Thinking back to Yogi05's post, I wonder how much dirt would be required to stop a larger caliber shot... Just a brief consideration for the possibility of future plans.
 
Just bear in mind that although it's a small caliber .22's have a very long range of up to 2.4km. Also remember that when hitting a burn bullets do not always dig in they can sometimes shoot off at all kinds of angles, including straight up. I found this out after shooting tracers.
 
blueskies said:
Just bear in mind that although it's a small caliber .22's have a very long range of up to 2.4km. Also remember that when hitting a burn bullets do not always dig in they can sometimes shoot off at all kinds of angles, including straight up. I found this out after shooting tracers.
Click to expand...

Yes, I read on Wikipedia that the ballistic range of the .22LR is 2,400 meters. It's one of the reasons that I'm so concerned about having a safe environment! I'll have to play with tracers to see just where my shots are going (and hopefully staying). Thanks for the anecdote!

Dr.Lector said:
It was just a joke, not even aimed at you.
Take it step by step, do a lot of reading, and you will learn.

Do you have your PAL????????
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I see.

No, I don't have my PAL. My questions are mostly the things that come to my head when I consider the viability of building a range. If it turns out that it would be unsafe for me to have a range at all, then I am likely to drop the idea of owning a rifle entirely, and instead go with archery. Although... I intend to pursue archery anyway because I believe that it is much safer in terms of knowing where and how far my arrows CAN go.

Say.... Do I need a PAL to own a bow?
 
If you say you are from near To ON, then I believe
building your own range would be a little too much.

You may want to start with a PAL... and maybe with getting
used to gun safety rules, recreational shooting,
meeting people with the same hobby, etc.




For a bow you don't need PAL, unless some by-laws say otherwise.
For a cross-bow you need some kind of permit, I think,
but a PAL will do fine as far as I know.
 
Call or Google Target Sports. They are just off the 404 in Gormley. You don't need a PAL, pay your day pass fee, buy their ammo and try out whatever firearms of theirs you want. It'll probably cost you about $100 but you'll get a feel for everything from .22-.45 and .223
Here's the link http://www.targetsportscanada.com/
 
Dr.Lector said:
If you say you are from near To ON, then I believe
building your own range would be a little too much.

You may want to start with a PAL... and maybe with getting
used to gun safety rules, recreational shooting,
meeting people with the same hobby, etc.




For a bow you don't need PAL, unless some by-laws say otherwise.
For a cross-bow you need some kind of permit, I think,
but a PAL will do fine as far as I know.
Click to expand...

I still like the idea of having my own range, but you're right. That's just jumping into something without really knowing what I'm getting into.


Wrong Way said:
^^^No PAL for X-bow. Same rules as any other bow in ON.
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Thanks.


Priiter said:
Call or Google Target Sports. They are just off the 404 in Gormley. You don't need a PAL, pay your day pass fee, buy their ammo and try out whatever firearms of theirs you want. It'll probably cost you about $100 but you'll get a feel for everything from .22-.45 and .223
Here's the link http://www.targetsportscanada.com/
Click to expand...

Hm... I've looked at the website that you linked, as well as the website for The Grange. Looks like I'll have to find someone to go with sometime. Perhaps I should make a post in the Newbies/Mentors sticky.


Thanks.



Edit:

I did some research on the costs of acquiring the necessary licenses and safety courses. My results are that it would cost me $190 for the courses and PAL, or $300 for the courses and RPAL.

Aside from the cost of a firearm, are there any additional registration fees that are required if/when I purchase one?
 
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