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New guy here...hello everybody.../pics/

4K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  Kragman71 
#1 ·
Greetings !!

My name is Johnny and I live in Sweden, in the south-west area, just by the Atlantic coastline. I have been into shooting most of my life, starting when my father brought home a Daisy 840 BB-gun back in 1981. I really enjoy shooting airguns but I have also got myself some firearms too.

Here in Sweden you are allowed to own 4 different rifles on your basic FAC (FireArms Certificate, a gunpermit) but in order to get the FAC one must first obtain a shooters exam, a course in firearms and hunting, similar in concept to the education needed for a drivers license.

This education is 60 hours long, most common is that one attend 3 hour lessons one evening every week for 20 weeks before one is ready to try the tests. There are both a written teoretical test of laws, different animals, firearms, safety and then there is a day at the shooting range to test marksmanship and safe gunhandling. The fee for this education with all litterature and the tests are about $300. The exam is valid for life.

With an exam finished one just have to apply for the permit, a $100 fee. Each rifle will then set you back with additional $35. To be granded the permit one also have to show a clean criminal record from the Police, a medical check for no mental illness from a doctor and be at least 18 years of age. All firearms will also require a gunsafe, from $500 and up.

The basic exam allows four rifles but you can have an additional 2 rifles if you can prove a good cause for this. The basic exam is not valid for "dangerous weapons" such as shotguns or powerful centerfire rifles - theise kind of firearms require more education and more different tests due to their nature.

I settled for the basic exam and I can now own 4 rifles, except Class I Firearm or shotguns, besides the .410 bore. A Class I Firearm is anything that can generate more then 2000 joule so my rifles are limited to rifles with a powerlevel about 30-30 or .243.

All rifles are allowed, except military rifles (assault rifles), the Mini-14 is allowed but not the AR-series, maglimit is 5 rounds (+1 in chamber). Pumpactions or leverguns are rare and seen as odd, boltactions are most common, popular choices are Tikka or SAKO besides Husqvarna and the german brands (Blaser, Merkel, Sauer), US made rifles are not common, except for Rem 700 and Win 70, that have a good reputation.

Besides what said above, I like US rifles and are attracted to odd rifles, so my choices are NOT typical for an average swedish hunter. The first rifle I got was the 1022 - just because I have always loved them.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/RugerPigeon2.jpg

This is my 1022 but with the old 4x28 RF Leupold that I now have traded for a 3-9x33 EFR.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/HRnottakedown.jpg

Here is my 1980 Harrington & Richardson in 22 Hornet together with a .177 Weihrauch HW/25 pelletrifle.

Besides theise rifles I have also two other rifles on order with permit pending, one used late production Winchester 94 in 44 mag and one brand new Taurus M/62 pumpaction 22LR.

I have also got a firearms rated pelletgun, a PCP from BSA, model Ultra:

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/Ultraduva.jpg

Yes, I do like to shoot pigeons and they are everywere here....

At close range or indoors inside barns I shoot them with airguns, at ranges 50-100 yards I use rimfires and from 100 yards to about 150 I use the Hornet.

Now I have also got a lot of roedeers on my property, feeding on my fruitgarden, hence the 44 Mag Winchester..

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/sidebild2.jpg

Just 30 yards away, inside my fruitgarden...

Another pest is hares, here are a few of them, they tend to stay about 130-200 yards away...

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/Harar1.jpg

Well, thats about everything I could think about in my presentation, thank you for your time and please feel free to ask anything about hunting or firearms in Sweden..

:)
 
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#2 ·
Very interesting, thank you for posting that Johnny.

What sort of hunting seasons do you have there? Deer and birds I would imagine, anything else?
 
#3 ·
Very interesting. ENGLANDER sends me UK air rifle magazines and I am interested in the hunting with air rifles equipped with sound moderators. You have an extensive selection of pellets for hunting different game. The pre-charge air rifles and walk around bottles are very interesting.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Johnny,

Welcome to the forum. Rules are to join in be polite and enjoy yourself. Just don't post anything of an adult nature that a child should not read. We have some young readers.

For non-metric Americans, 2000 Joules - 1475 ft-lbs.

I find it interesting that shotguns are singled-out as a special powerful class requiring extra scruitiny. It is quite correct that they are powerful, but most places that allow firearms for sport usually recognize shotguns as the most justifiable sort of sporting arm to possess. Especially since their range is shorter than rifles, they are easier to fire safely. This is a good lesson not to take for granted what is obvious. What seems obvious to one government may appear dubious to another and be downright ridiculous to still another person.

For our education, I have some questions? Do Swedish regulations allow shotgun owners to use solid slugs or buckshot, or are they restricted to bird shot? Is Class I defined as over-2000J weapons, or does it include other factors? What is the Swedish law regarding handguns?

Thanks.
 
#5 ·
Johnny,

The animal and landscape photos are fun, more please.

Sweden has such a history of hunting and marksmanship that I am a bit disapointed that the govt. places such burdens on its shooting citizens.

I did benefit from your strict laws by buying a very nice old Husqy from an importer here, and I am contemplating buying a second. Sorry to gain from your countrymen's loss, but these old Husqys are very nice rifles.

Fireplug
 
#6 ·
There is several reasons that the Government use to motivate the higher demands for shooters to qualify for shotguns. The shotguns are attractive for criminals because they are common and therefor easy to obtain, they can be cut off to be handy with short barrels and they are very destructive at short range. Handguns are not allowed for hunting here and quite difficult to get legally on FAC.

Unfortunately the shotguns are also very common in accidents with firearms because shooters swing them and shoot when the rifle is in motion, increasing the risk for injury to bystanders that they do not see before they shoot. Its also not unusual to wound animals when shooting shotguns due to misjudgment of the range to the target.

Slugs are allowed for wild boar if it is shot from a single barrel rifle, buckshots are not allowed for hunting, birdshots are most common but a shotgun may be used for roe deer but within a limit time of the season.

All rifles are put in to 4 different classes, depending on the performance of the cartridge:

Class IV - anything kind of bullet with a power of at least 150 joule at muzzle (and airguns)
Class III - more then 39 grains, more then 200 joules left at 100 meters
Class II - more then 50 grains, more then 800 joules left at 100 meters, must be hollowpoint

Class I - more then 154 grains with more then 2000 joule left at 100 meters, must be hollowpoint

All game animals are put into the same type of class, matching those of the cartridge, exemple:

Class IV - small birds (magpies, dove, pigeons, crows), squirrels, rats...
Class III - hare, red fox, badger, all larger birds (geese, waterfowl)
Class II - roe deer, lynx, beaver

Class I - brown bear, moose, red deer, wolf

A typical layout for a Swedish hunter who hunt in all class are something like this - a small rimfire for pest control and practice in 22LR, one combination rifle with 222 and 12 ga (76), one small bolt action rifle like the 6.5x55 and one large calibre rifle like 9.3x62.

The 222/12 is used for birds, fox or hare hunting but might be used for spring hunting of roe deer too, the 6.5 is used for roe deer or long range bird shooting and the large rifle is used for moose and wild hogs.
 
#7 ·
We have a total of 9.000.000 citizens in Sweden (2008), they do together own 2.100.000 legal firearms (on permit).

Out of them there is 1.050.000 rifles for bullets, 850.000 shotguns, 150.000 handguns and the 50.000 other are 'odd types' (airguns, harpoons, stun guns).

Last year we had 275.000 hunters that paid the game ticket for the 2007/08 season (legal requirement to hunt).

Guns are not seen as a political issue, both the King and the Minister of State are avid hunters as many of the leading characters in Government.

Besides the permits above we also have about 100.000 fully automatic assault rifles owned by the National Guard, to be held but not used by their owners in their residents. We do also have about 30.000 Government (service) guns, like those own by police enforcement.

We have about 100 murders each year, 15-20 of them include firearms (17 for 2007), about 2-3 of them are legal.

Fatal accidents with firearms are rare, about 2-3 each year but this includes all kind of deaths during hunting, like drowning or similar.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Here are some more pics:

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/HRintakedown.jpg

This is my Handi Rifle in 22 Hornet from the pics above, I have cut down the barrel to minimum legal length (18 inch) so the rifle is 18 inch as takedown and 33 inch OAL. Scope is Leupold VX-I 2-7x33 in Leupold QRW-mounts.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/Mas5.jpg

Here is were I use it, when the fields are flooded in the spring they gather a lot of seagulls...

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/Mark2.jpg

Here is the old garage from were I hunt them, a perfect hide..

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/Mark1.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/Mark4.jpg

The fields were I hunt birds, at long range..

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/Tomt2.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/Tomt1.jpg

This old brickhouse is were I live, seen from the fields and at the other side overlooking the fields.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/Mark5.jpg

This is the beginning of the "roe deer forest", a dense woodland, in left of were I stand taking the pic above overlooking the fields...

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/070313014.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/070313006.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h194/airgunse/070313021.jpg

A roe deer coming from the forest just to raid the bird feeder....They come each and other day...
 
#12 ·
Yes, welcome.

Your native area in Sweden looks a lot like my native area here in NY state. I live in the Southern Tier of Upstate New York (farm country). Your pictures are great and I'm sure a lot of the forum members appreciate you sharing your lifestyle in Sweden and the laws concerning gun ownership. We are not as restricted here in the states for gun ownership but I think it very good that you have to go through the education process you do in your country. I have known lots of gun owners here in the States that could benefit from a similar education. I will try and get some pictures posted as well so you can see how similar our lifestyles are. The most abundant animals where I live are whitetail deer and wild turkeys. Both are quite tasty.
 
#17 ·
Welcome Johnny. I'm fairly new here myself, but have come across a lot of friendly people.
Bill Babcock
Denver, Colorado
USA
 
#18 · (Edited)
Johnny,
Man your place is beautiful! Welcome. Glad to have you here. Where I live can't really hunt. Nothing but humans around for many miles. OK cattle and horses somewhat but they are disappearing too. Haven't seen a rabbit in a long time. Living right inside an urban area that used to be ranchland but is all residential now. Thank God for what he has given you as I do for what he has given me!
Greg
 
#19 ·
I'm another guy who lives in a place that "used to be".
I live right in the city,but when I was a youngster,my Uncle and I would walk from our house to hunt.
The place wher I shot my first rabbit is now a housing developement.The place wher I saw my first deer,while hunting,is now a shopping center.
Frank
 
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