How many is too many

I think maybe there should be a limit, 300 for a collector maybe but not 300 on open licence.
But I think 5 is a bit low for an enthusiast.......... unless it is 5 on open licence, plus 5 for club use perhaps.

Why are you suggesting a limit like 5 though? Even with that one bloke the average is 4.22 guns per person.
Some people need only 1x .410 shottie for snakes on their little property, some can justify 10 quite easily.

The main issue with restricting numbers is people will try to get multiple uses from one calibre so will perhaps apply for something bigger than they need 'just in case i need it one day' .......... or use too little gun for the quarry (more wounded animals) and/or use too much gun like the cannon close to houses instead of using a smaller calibre in close.

One of the most narcissistic hot under the collar not quite right in the head people I used to know always drove around with his high powered rifle under the seat. I think it was a paranoia thing, just in case he needed it... He wasn't a farmer. In some cases, one gun is too many.

^^ What do you suggest farmers do with a cow that somehow snaps its leg? Or his best dog that his cranky prize bull slams into the fence and opens up? I'm all for farmers having one. I'm not keen on random nob-heads driving around towns and cities with them.

Dunno Darth, where's Greenwood? I was replying to funnythat's "fricken ridiculous" comment about compassion and farmers.

Edit, two hours later: funny that, funnythat has deleted their post. It was their 2nd ever I think. Milsy?

Ok for a recreational who is right into it

Air rifle - urban areas
.22 - bunnies
.223 - longer shots for bunnies, foxes, roos under 200m
.243 to .308 class - goats, pigs, longer distance roo shooting
.338 win mag ish class - camels or very long range hill country shooting where peak to peak is the only option (none of that in WA but your mob do it a bit)
Shotgun (double barrel) - ducks
Shotgun (repeater with short barrel) - bunnies and foxes in close cover or for when you are second shooter spotlighting (shoot the close runners)

There is 7.

I do think that whoever is suggesting a max of 5 at least did use some thought - 5 does cover a LOT or scenarios but what they are neglecting is the current process of having to justify individual firearms.

I am not saying every shooter needs all that but there are plenty do all those forms of shooting and can justify having 5 -8 ish guns. As shown by the fact you have to justify it on your application to get them!!! The Police routinely deny applications for what they feel is too similar to what one already has so I don't think an extra rule that there is a maximum of 5 is necessary at all.

I also think there is no argument in "the proliferation of firearms needs to be stopped" when gun ownership is at an all time high, and the pro - 1996 bans and anti lobby lobby continuously tell us that gun crime has dropped heaps. You can't have it both ways.

^^ actually I don't. But I should cos they are a pest and taste so damn good. Just easier to go see mr Wong down the road for his brown basted roasted duck goodness

You giys are like Americans with all these different guns. Youve forgotten your Aussie heritage. Real Australians only need one firearm .303 SMLE .

Interesting
But 2 things
1) From what I understand from your profile you do not live in a large City, Geraldton has the population of the 3 suburbs around me
2) I think that is a wish list of the firearms you would like to own, if you have a job and family and all those guns your wife would never see you let alone getting out for a sail

As a keen enthusiast how many guns do you actually own

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IanR said..
Interesting
But 2 things
1) From what I understand from your profile you do not live in a large City, Geraldton has the population of the 3 suburbs around me
2) I think that is a wish list of the firearms you would like to own, if you have a job and family and all those guns your wife would never see you let alone getting out for a sail

As a keen enthusiast how many guns do you actually own

I am in a large regional town but it is a 15min drive to where I could realistically shoot anything (calibre I mean). I have also shot on urban golf courses for rabbit control and of course being surrounded by houses you don't take that lightly.
Before this I lived in a 1000 person town and a 300 person town. In all of them I shot locally.
Where does one draw the line? Having a genuine reason cannot be assessed by the population of the town. You could live in metro Perth and still be 15min from an orchard you shoot on. You can't rip guns off a person who is assessed as "being a fit and proper person" as legislation requires, just because they moved.
That's like forcing farmers to sell the Landcruiser and buy a Barina cos they retired to Sydney.

And no that is not my wish list ha ha.
I have .22, two shotguns, .222, .22/250 and a .300 win mag.
If I could I'd add something between the '250 and 300wm. But I have no need for it at the moment. Maybe add a .22mag also

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GalahOnTheBay said..
Hmm the data seems fishy.

I live in suburbia and a few spot checks of postcodes around me show 1 in every 80 adults are registered firearms owners.

I'm finding that hard to believe, as that's way too high...

Really you think 1 in 80 is too high
I think that's more a reflection of your lack of social skills. People just don't trust you or open up to you.
I know at least 8 register gun owners, 2 or 3 of which kite regularly near you.

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Mark _australia said..
Well if people still necked it down, yes
a .22/303
a .25/303
and a .303

would do fairly well at covering everything up to (but not including) camel and buffalo

look out, here comes Stephen....

I believe a Swedish Mauser in 6.5 x 55 should deal with camel and buffalo quite well.

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cisco said..

Mark _australia said..
Well if people still necked it down, yes
a .22/303
a .25/303
and a .303

would do fairly well at covering everything up to (but not including) camel and buffalo

look out, here comes Stephen....

I believe a Swedish Mauser in 6.5 x 55 should deal with camel and buffalo quite well.

Only with a very stoutly constructed big game projectile (which are very limited in 6.5mm), headshots only, and really close up for the buffalo. For chest shots and all angles on buffalo at a realistic 200m then a .35 Whelen upwards would be considered minimum.
What the 6.5 x 55 can do sometimes, and what you should do with it are quite far apart.

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Mark _australia said..

cisco said..






I believe a Swedish Mauser in 6.5 x 55 should deal with camel and buffalo quite well.

Only with a very stoutly constructed big game projectile (which are very limited in 6.5mm), headshots only, and really close up for the buffalo. For chest shots and all angles on buffalo at a realistic 200m then a .35 Whelen upwards would be considered minimum.
What the 6.5 x 55 can do sometimes, and what you should do with it are quite far apart.

projies for 6.5 x 55 [and a few other hard to find military projies] are available at pretty decent prices - CNC machined out of solid brass.

They are a faithfull reproduction of the original military projectiles profile - but being brass are a bit lighter.

I tried the "mk7ball equivalent" .303 projies in my threeohs & M44 Mosin, and they were pretty good for short range target shooting.
I would have no hesitation in using them for big game at short ranges [under 200 yards], but I would up the powder level to increase the wallop factor.
Any more than 200 yards and my rifles didnt give competive target shooting results - but for minute of donkey/horse/pig or buffalo's boiler room, they would be pretty damn good.

Others who have tried these projies have found pretty good accuracy at all ranges.
As usual - with the combination of wartime manufacturing tollerances, wear from many decades of use, and unreliable supply of ammunition - getting ex-military rifles to be consistently accurate can be awesomely frustrating at times.


stephen

Barry Neliss the former owner of Queensland Firearms told me he had killed over 500 buffalo using military 6.6 x 55. All head shots though. The FMJ gave the penetration through the skull which broke up during the penetration and then scrambled the brain.

The 6.5 in cross section has the highest density of any standard round so I am told.

Another guy told me he loved his SAFN 49 in 30-06 for pig shooting. He said with a neck shot at 1,000 yards the pig's head just fell off.

As for gun legislation, I am glad gun availability is more restricted with the number of crazies getting around these days, however I am all for responsible gun ownership.

I don't think banning of semi autos was really necessary especially in the smaller calibres. I hated handing in my S/S Mini 14.

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Mark _australia said..
^^^ sorry stephen, no expansion = very limited energy transfer. Great or the brain box but not in the chest. Straight through and no damage - slow kill.
Just about every big game hunter would be mortified at use of a 6.5 Swede on buffalo.

That is why there is a billion projies for 6.5 but not very many big game controlled expansion projies in 6.5

Dunno about that - I ran several test batches of the "mk7 ball version" projies through gel, from 50, 75, 100 and 150 yards, running @ 2800fps.

At all ranges they tumbled and made a pretty decent channel.

Next time the fellas go bush [favourite patch is inland from Meeka] I will get them to try a few shots on donkey and camel carcasses as a test.
This particular property has heaps of problems with massive amounts of camels, donkeys, dogs etc.
Last trip [ANZAC weekend] was a bit quiet - they only got 65 donkeys


stephen