Canadian Airgun Forum

After a very long absence I/John Johansen/JayJay am once again joining the airgun community. It appears to be a much more arduous process to get up and running then I recall back in my twenties. Mind you that was 40+ years ago.

My desire is to target shot both in & outdoors. At the moment I am preparing to take the courses for my PAL & RPAL so that I can have any chance of applying for membership at any of the local indoor clubs that accommodate airguns (rifles). It is my understanding that membership acceptance can be a very long process, if it happens at all. I figure "best timeframe" is around 2 to 3 years. Another couple of months to complete the 2 safety courses; 6 months wait for license processing; followed by 2 years plus to potentially gain club membership. If this timeline guesstimate is unrealistic, I would sincerely appreciate your input.

As far as the outdoor category of target shooting I am at a loss relative to clubs, membership requirements & range availabilities that are within reasonable driving distance of Oakville. Any thoughts and recommendations from the airgun community are very much welcome. Since I am currently without license, I purchased an Air Arms TX200 Mk3 rifle regulated at under 495FPS ... So I shall continue to do my due diligence in hopes of finding an organization/ facility that will be able to accommodate what I currently have until my licensing allows for further equipment upgrades.

Thank you for the read and hope to meet you at "the range" at some point in the future! All the best to the Canadian Airgun community, JayJay

Welcome JayJay.
I have had my PAL since before it was called a PAL and am not sure how long it currently takes to get it. When I got my RPAL a few years ago it took 4-5 months if I recall correctly. That was before the government decided to rigorously try to eliminate legal gun ownership though so it may take longer now.
As soon as you get your PAL you can upgrade your TX200 and you will have a fine gun to shoot Field Target. We get together to shoot at least one Saturday a month in Hamilton and another in Port Colborne. You are welcome (and encouraged!!!!) to join us as a guest so no club membership required.
Check out the Field Target section of the forum and send me a PM or an email if you want to talk more.
Rob27
Rob27portc@gmail.com

Welcome to the forum.

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I have some airguns.

Welcome to the forum, JayJay. Good luck with your licensing & membership plans.

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Best Wishes
Daryl

Welcome JayJay. Any age is a good age to get back into the Airgun community. You just need to adjust your optics a bit more

welcome to CAF....nice intro enjoy your stay

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"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle"

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. I am looking forward to gleaning everything that this forum has to offer!

Hi Rob,
Thanks for all the info. I have to admit that Field Target shooting has me intrigued. I suspect that as my research takes me a little deeper into the discipline, questions will no doubt arise. When the time comes would it be OK to attend a practice or competition as a non-participating guest just to sit back and observe all that is involved?

Best regards,
John Johansen (JayJay)

JayJay
I discovered Field Target just over a year ago. My approach was almost exactly the same as yours - I wanted to learn more, and definitely observe before doing anything "official ".
I got some great advice from Bob when he suggested that since I planned to come out and watch anyway, why not bring my gun along?
Do not let the word "match" put you off - you can be as competitive as you want.
My suggestion is that you come out to the match in Hamilton on September 10. Bring your TX (and I will bring mine) and you can shoot a few targets during the sight in and then decide if you want to participate in the match or just observe.
We are a welcoming bunch!
Rob27

Jay Jay come on out as Rob said. We will help you out. If your going to come out, why not shoot as well, you will learn so much more by shooting. We have a very friendly bunch. Think of it as shooting with a bunch of old friends and you won't be far off, how it is to shoot a match. Cheers hope to see you out soon.( TX good choice)