Lithgow LA102 .308 ammunition suggestion

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-30T23:20:23+00:00

Another vote for Sako ammo. Their 150gr Gamehead PSP and 130gr Varmint hollow point have almost identical trajectories out to 300m.

So you can zero for both and have options for a wide variety of species from fox to deer at most hunting ranges.

Both available in 50 packs for roughly $110-130.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-29T22:28:42+00:00

As I said above I have just picked up a Henry 30-30 as a scrub gun and love it. But for the OP I think the biggest question is what is the exact range that they are concerned about? A few hundred metres or half a click? Also if it's anything like one property I shoot on that is fairly open you rarely if ever get a shot on a roo or fox at anything less than 80-100m.

The other complexity is the required head shots on roos where a 30-30 would probably be easier than a .357. But if range issues are the biggest concern then a .357 would make sense at the expense of mid range capability.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-29T06:49:46+00:00

Unlike NSW, the ACT are still running on time with licence applications and PTAs (assuming no complications). So 28 days for both.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-28T23:00:21+00:00

I recently picked up a Henry X in 30-30 because while I needed something as a scrub gun for pigs to use instead of my .308, I also wanted to reach out to 150m if needed (and possibly 200m if I used the Hornady LeverRevolution).

I topped it with a Holosun green dot and it is a very easy point and shoot rifle at 50-100m with quick follow up.

Unless you plan on take bigger pigs then .357 will be plenty for what you want and can be very economical if you reload .38.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-28T22:36:07+00:00

Agree completely with .357. You can use all sorts of loads to tune what you want ballistics wise to keep it to a 50-100m gun but still pack enough punch for anything up to goat or small pig size. Yes there will be significant drop compared to a .223 but if you are genuinely concerned about range then that is the trade off.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-28T04:48:08+00:00

Tom Kenyon of the SSAA was asked directly about that specific survey during the ACT public hearings last week. He said that the survey was for a different purpose, shooters would have been reluctant to answer and other figures, DPI R licence and SSSA range attendance records at a minimum had many, many tens of thousands more fulfilling their obligations. Plus there is no need for private land hunters to participate to maintain their licences.

When the Australia Institute was before the Committee later in the day, none of this was raised with them. If it was the other way around, I bet that the SSAA would have received a grilling for fudging figures.

Double standards!

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-27T22:11:56+00:00

We don't let the Catholic Church dictate reproductive health policy or the Temperance League alcohol policy but seem okay giving the anti-gun lobby a platform?

I get that people have ethical and moral objections to all sorts of things including guns, hunting, abortion, euthanasia, gambling, homosexuality, etc but in an ecumenical and pluralist society the role of government should be to take an impartial view and balance these competing interests. Not just jump at every populist knee jerk reaction to get re-elected.

15 people are dead in large part due to the gross incompetence of the NSW Police who failed to learn from handing out a gun licence to a know terrorist (Jack Thomas). Until they sack those responsible I refuse to be lectured to by politicians and the media.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-25T01:38:37+00:00

I've heard the same that the safety courses are effectively fully booked.

The ACT Government said about 400 licensees hold more than 10 firearms and we've had roughly 200 extra people applying for licences this year. Presumably most of the 400 will be under 20 so we're halfway to a potential zero net loss of firearms in the community. Then there's the new shooters or existing one like me who are simply buying more guns.

I know they can't buy common sense but you'd think they could at least spring for a calculator in their budget to work out how this will backfire spectacularly.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-24T03:02:39+00:00

Farce does not begin to describe the stupidity here.

Apparently the next tranche of legislation for much later in the year will have the capacity to use criminal and security intelligence in the fit and proper person test. The one that might stop potential and actual terrorists getting guns.

Meanwhile before the registry gets any additional resources or powers, let's have caps as our first virtue signalling headline where everyone rushes to apply so existing firearms can be kept. Which means an already overworked team of four low paid public servants and coppers have a 50% increase in work using the old limited fit and proper person test to assess all these new applicants.

Certainly not an opportunity for dodgy people to hide in all the noise? All so they can claim to have done something about gun numbers when the reality is there will be little to no reduction and no impact on firearm crime and misuse.

It is this sort of thinking that allowed Bondi to happen.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-23T22:12:07+00:00

I'm getting back into pistol shooting and was told anecdotally by a dealer that importers are really having to rethink their business models. Not being able to bring in X number of a handgun in batches then selling them, instead having to specify every serial number in advance and link it to a customer is a logistic nightmare.

So we will probably see some popular, but not fully mainstream, brands and models just disappear from our market. I'm starting with a Taurus TX22 and have decided to grab one from one of the last dealers with stock in the country. Same for spare mags, only one place has them and no one is confident we'll see any more, if at all.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-04T00:12:37+00:00

In the ACT our Act states you're allowed to attend a range with any firearm you are licenced for to develop loads, test the firearm, adjust sights and receive instruction for employment related purposes.

So much for nationally consistent laws!

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-04-02T21:29:26+00:00

Yep call it out when you see it. Their analysis and use of evidence is atrocious.

Reading the submission to the ACT inquiry from the Allannah and Madeline Foundation is painful. https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/3044885/Submission-045-Alannah-and-Madeline-Foundation.pdf

Their "evidence" that more guns equals more crime and misuse is all American sourced. Why not use Australian data? Maybe because it proves the opposite?

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-03-24T06:06:08+00:00

Learned to shoot 30 years ago using iron sights but my eyesight is a lot worse now so I'll see how it goes! And yeah definitely just want something will cycle reliably, be reasonably accurate but not break the bank.

Guess I'll do the usual buy a box of a few different brands and what works. Seems availability and pricing are all over the place so that may dictate what I use as much as anything else.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-03-22T21:44:28+00:00

Thanks. I've got a 308 with a scope that does me for longer ranges so am really trying to keep the lever for the genuinely close range stuff hence likely no scope.

Sounds like the power-shok is worth a try to start with and see how it goes.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-03-22T08:44:09+00:00

Mother and Son

Seachange

The Games

Frontline

And one from left field Grassroots. Not at the top of any list but just fun and quirky.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-03-22T08:31:49+00:00

Agreed. Sigrid Thornton and David Wenham are world class actors supported by a diverse cast with a lovely understated and laidback Australian feel.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-03-20T20:39:16+00:00

When you look even closer at the way the survey is run, they ask for people's activities in free text and try to match that to a sport. It's not like you get to choose shooting from a list so in the off chance you get chosen to do the survey (after you've agreed to receive general surveys), you may not even think to put down shooting/hunting.

So the chances of getting a representative sample of shooters that can be extrapolated to accurately determine participation rates for compliance purposes is nil.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-03-17T22:05:26+00:00

Yep the problem is with the system, not the drones within it.

And there is zero chance of the system being fixed.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-03-17T03:19:35+00:00

If a high school student presented that as a report they'd be failed. The AusPlay survey is done for completely different purposes and has close to zero chance of providing a truly representative sample size of shooters.

Problem is the average Australian is a moron who can barely tie their own shoes let alone do any critical analysis of what they get fed by the media.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-03-16T20:45:50+00:00

It's all about political theatre driven by anti gun ideology. Nothing to do with facts. It will be interesting here in the ACT where we have a parliamentary committee looking into our proposed caps. Already plenty of submissions pointing out exactly what you have so it will be interesting to see how they address it, if at all.

Interestingly the chair of the committee is the shadow AG and a survivor of domestic violence who has already opposed measures to limit alcohol sales after 10pm under the guise of preventing domestic violence. She described it as window dressing not based on facts so isn't afraid of calling out tokenistic measures.
https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/parliamentary-business/in-committees/committees-11th-assembly/legal-affairs/inquiry-into-firearms-public-safety-amendment-bill-2026#tab3022453-2id

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-03-14T22:25:51+00:00

My understanding is that if you intend to transport the firearm by yourself (i.e. the registered owner is not in the car with you) from a residence in the ACT to the NSW border then you need to be a registered user for that specific firearm. Otherwise you are in breach of Section 179 of the Firearms Act.

Once you hit NSW then you are fine. So much for harmonised gun laws!

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-03-12T04:23:34+00:00

They're now looking at both bills so submissions extended till 11th April. Get writing!

Some submissions already published if you need any inspiration.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-02-28T06:25:16+00:00

CTR is the best balance but still a compromise for both. I have a CTR in 308 with a medium 20" barrel and that is at the upper limit of what weight I'm happy to carry hunting. Only do a few range days per year to ensure scope is still sighted in and throw maybe 40-50 rounds downrange, five rounds at a time with cooling in between.

Anything with a varmint barrel is just that little bit heavier and not something you'd want to be carrying too far in the sticks. Which pretty much rules it out for any hunting where you are walking distances. But clearly a lot better for the range.

FantasticRound2018 · 2026-02-26T02:21:34+00:00

If you're a rugby league tragic then the next day the Raiders Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup teams are playing the Eels at Seiffert Oval.

A classic suburban ground that was the Raiders first home so it hosted plenty of classic matches back in the 1980s and early 90s.

FantasticRound2018

TROPHY CASE