# Yippee! Got my first rifle for the farm.



## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

I didn't grow up in an environment where guns are common (MD liberal suburbs) but now I've been out in the country for over twelve years and figured it may be time to get one/some. Sometimes we kill big animals, home defense, what if the Russians invade, or the building inspector drops by, etc. (no offense Russians, just a joke from times past). 

Gun control is pretty strict in Costa Rica so it took the better part of a year to jump through all the hoops. But I finally got a .22 Marlin semiautomatic rifle. Exactly like the ones from boy scouts except the semiautomatic part. With this one I can get used to owning a gun and not poke my eye out or anything. Already started putting money down on a .22 revolver too.

Guns are EXPENSIVE here. Three or four times what they're "supposed" to cost. Ammunition too. Each .22lr cost about a quarter, but any other type of center fire cartridge or shell is a dollar each. If I wanted a "real" gun it'd be a 12 gauge shotgun but at a dollar a pop it's too expensive to practice with and it's probably better if you can practice with them.

Anyways, just thought I'd share about my new toy.


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## macmad (Dec 22, 2012)

You are going to have a lot of fun with your 22.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

congratulations , marlins are accurate guns , the micro groove barrels have always worked well for me.

clean the barrel as the first thing you do then go shoot.
keep the gun wiped down with a good corrosion inhibitor.

if gun specific oil is also expensive there , Mercron dextron automatic transmission fluid makes a good oil and has very good anti corrosion properties and a quart will last you a very long time I like to repackage it into small eye dropper type bottles as they tend to leak less in a range bag , tool box or in the truck.

if you get a bore snake a few drops ATF and pull it through a few times and you should be adequately clean and repeat every few hundred rounds.

you may well read for best target accuracy you clean 22s once then wait till accuracy falls off because "seasoning the barrel" to get back to a stable tight group may take 50 rounds. this is true and when tiny little groups are needed for target competition you do that.

but you have a working gun and you are in a very humid environment , keeping things from rusting and having a slightly larger group will serve you fine it will still likely bee smaller than 1 1/4 inches .

22lr is also not sealed all that tight and moisture can work it's way in , keep you ammo dry, storing in sealed containers with the silica packs to help keep it dry

if your looking to upgrade the sights on the Marlin look at Techsights https://www.tech-sights.com/product/marlin-60-795-rifle-adjustable-aperture-sights/ they make a very nice sight it gives greater sight radius and a nice sharp front sight post.

the other addition I like on them is a US GI 1 1/4 inch cotton web sling with swivels 

we build most of our 22 rifles like this as LTR liberty training rifles for Project AppleSeed it just plane works 

her is more info on building an LTR https://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=47607.msg328441#msg328441

some nice pictures in this one also you can see some of the kind of shooting we do testing skill with the AQT targets 
https://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=38982.0


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

Sebastian C said:


> or the building inspector drops by



That just earned you a special place in my heart, LOL!!!


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## NRA_guy (Jun 9, 2015)

Congratulations, OP! You are definitely on the right track!

By the way, what's a "building inspector"? We don't have them where I live. Surely, y'all don't have government folks inspecting private homes . . .


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Building inspector, tax assessor, court summons, meter reader, dog catcher, census taker, ATF, fuller brush man, just consider they all fall under the term "Revenuers".


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Add in traveling sales men and women and church pukes like Jw types.

 Al


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## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> congratulations , marlins are accurate guns , the micro groove barrels have always worked well for me.
> 
> clean the barrel as the first thing you do then go shoot.
> keep the gun wiped down with a good corrosion inhibitor.
> ...


Thanks so much, this is great information. Dealing with guns in general is like a new "discipline" that I've got to learn about.

What do people do about keeping the guns safe and secure (unloaded and locked) vs at the ready to shoot a bad guy? I got two young kids and I think they're smarter than me...


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Every home is different. Some families can keep loaded shotguns behind the door and hand guns on the counter with kids and no issues.
Some folks prefer leaving the chamber empty.
You need to make your own determination based on the comfortability of your family, their awareness and your children's level of common sense. Do not base your firearm decisions based on your friends, family or neighbor's habits.


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## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

NRA_guy said:


> Congratulations, OP! You are definitely on the right track!
> 
> By the way, what's a "building inspector"? We don't have them where I live. Surely, y'all don't have government folks inspecting private homes . . .


There's building inspectors, but they generally only show up if some jackass calls them while you're building. Once you've got a roof on it they can't really make you stop, you'll just have to pay a fine that in most cases is cheaper than the permitting process. Building codes exist here, but they won't make you stop or tear anything down cuz of them. 

Still don't ever want to see him though.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Loo, reminds me one day I was walking along a country road when I was passed by a car with "Assessor" on the door. He pulled into a driveway not far ahead while the folks living there were sitting on their front porch. I could see him opening folders from the front seat, looking across the property, making notes. A man stepped off the porch and walked about 100' to where the assessor's car was. The driver had climbed out of the car and was started to aim his camera around to take photos. I could hear the homeowner-
"Who are you?"
"I'm the property tax assessor, Good Morning"
"Good morning to you. Did you call ahead for an appointment?"
Assessor-Inaudible
Homeowner-"Is that right? Just anytime you want huh?"
Assessor-"inaudible...government business."
Homeowner-"Well now is about the time I let my dogs loose every day and target shoot, and I'm a lousy shot. My aim is all over the place. Get your grits back out to the road and take all the pictures you want from there!"
Wouldn't want to be a tax man and wouldn't want to get the homeowner's next tax bill.


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## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

GTX63 said:


> Loo, reminds me one day I was walking along a country road when I was passed by a car with "Assessor" on the door. He pulled into a driveway not far ahead while the folks living there were sitting on their front porch. I could see him opening folders from the front seat, looking across the property, making notes. A man stepped off the porch and walked about 100' to where the assessor's car was. The driver had climbed out of the car and was started to aim his camera around to take photos. I could hear the homeowner-
> "Who are you?"
> "I'm the property tax assessor, Good Morning"
> "Good morning to you. Did you call ahead for an appointment?"
> ...


Good approach. I've got three big stupid dogs that are really good at making a commotion at opportune times. They're kinda like the farm's slapstick comedy troupe.





  








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Sebastian C


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Oct 10, 2018




Large stupid carnivores


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Sebastian C said:


> Thanks so much, this is great information. Dealing with guns in general is like a new "discipline" that I've got to learn about.
> 
> What do people do about keeping the guns safe and secure (unloaded and locked) vs at the ready to shoot a bad guy? I got two young kids and I think they're smarter than me...



Like others have said everyone does it different

not sure how old your kids are and it is the training no the age that makes me comfortable vs uncomfortable with them having access.

think about it this way you made it 12 years on this farm with no gun. your brand new to guns I would probably keep the mag loaded but out and the gun in a safe location not necessarily locked while I am home , guns are probably a hot commodity in Costa rica so locked in a secure location when not home

speaking form experience , it sucks to have your gun stolen it has happened once and I hope to never repeat that I own that I left it in my truck and my truck was broken into , loosing your gun sucks on a bunch of levels not just being out a bunch of money for replacing it. I don't leave guns in vehicles over night any more.


*but this is the most important thing to get through your head and your kids heads and anyone else in the house 
EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECKED THE GUN ,CONSIDER THE GUN STILL LOADED , THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN UNLOADED GUN AS FAR AS YOU ARE CONCERNED.* do not ever point that gun at anything you do not wish to shoot , a 22 seems small but it is perfectly capable of killing a person.

what I tell the kids is , "if you point a loaded gun at some one and pull the trigger , What do they call it ?" answer =Murder

the 4 rules of firearms safety we use TABK
*T*reat every gun as loaded
*A*lways keep your muzzle in a safe direction
*B*e sure of your target and what is beyond
*K*eep your finger out of the trigger guard until the sights are on the target and you are ready to shoot.

the first thing you hear from virtually every ND Negligent Discharge is "I thought it was unloaded" we quit calling them accidents people think accidents just happen , failure to keep safe involves negligence. 

enjoy your gun learn to shoot , teach your kids to shoot.
if you make it back to the states some time maybe try and attend an Appleseed shoot.

even for those of you who can shoot , maybe been shooting all your life , Appleseed has something to teach you , I have't met a person yet who attended their first Appleseed and didn't learn something , this includes a recent attendee who used to be on the Olympic small bore rifle team. he took the lessons for this different style of shooting and very rapidly applied them with what he already had and a month after his first Appleseed decided it was worth his money to attend a second where he earned his distinguished Rifleman with a 246 out of 250.


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

In CR you say ammo is expensive. What about reloading components? Maybe you could have a gun with a bigger gauge/caliber if reloads were less expensive.


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## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

Nimrod said:


> In CR you say ammo is expensive. What about reloading components? Maybe you could have a gun with a bigger gauge/caliber if reloads were less expensive.


I'd like to get a 12 gauge shotgun eventually, but like I was saying each shell costs a dollar. Not feasible, if I can't practice with it I don't want it, probably poke my eye out.

I have limited gun experience before now and don't know anything about reloading ammo, except that people do it. I'll ask in the gun store next time I'm there if the equipment and ingredients are available here. It could make the shotgun feasible.

As far as the .22 goes, rimfires don't get reloaded, right?


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

virtually everything can be reloaded but it is not practical to reload 22lr.

12ga for basic target loads here in US mainland 5-7 dollars for 25 rounds is the norm

that said currently we are seeing 22lr down to around 4 cents a round and you can get good 22lr hunting ammo around 10 cents a round.

at 5-7 dollars a box for target 12ga it makes reloading for target shooting not worth it 

what your going to want to ask is what is the cost of CCI and Win 209 primers , a pound of universal shotgun powder and the price of lead shot say 6 shot and 4 shot.

I say universal powder Universal is a powder made by Hodgdon http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/shotgun
but like it's name it is very universal in reloading it is all about what there is published data for and there is published data for common hunting loads and buckshot for Universal. there are other powders that is just a good one to gauge what your cost will be for a reload.

you can get the Lee loader to load one shell at a time , it is slow but works for about 30 dollars + components and a soft face mallet you can start reloading shotgun shells at your work bench.

for about 60 you can speed up the process still loading one shell at a time but the measures get set abd you have a powder hopper and shot hopper slide the charge bar and drop the powder slide the other direction and drop the shot. https://www.amazon.com/LEE-PRECISION-Shotshell-Reloading-Press/dp/B000NTKD28

in the US if you are into shotgun games 50-150 rounds in an afternoon is common each round of trap or skeet is 25 shells at 25 targets , sporting clays 50 targets 50 shells is common.

2 rounds of trap at 5 dollars for clays each round and about 6 dollars a box of 25 shells your looking at 21 dollars for an afternoon at the trap club maybe a beer in the club house after 25 dollars still less than a round of golf as a comparison.

when 50 is a relaxed afternoon at the trap range you can see where most shot shell re-loaders in the US go with progressive presses like the MEC9000G every pul of the handle and a round drops off fully loaded keep feeding it components and you can load them near as fast as you can shoot them.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

during the US 22lr ammo shortage look up to the top of home defense and guns you will see a sticky where did all the ammo go , you can get a better understanding of it from that.

many of us relaoded reduced power rifle rounds as an example I could reload my own home cast bullets from scrap lead I got from a local tire shop when I had work done for about 4-5 cents a round in component costs I loaded 90gr semi wad cutter bullets in 30-30 with a very light charge of pistol/shotgun powder to create what I called bunny busters . some of the others here downloaded 22 hornet to make hunting ammo for squirrel hunting.

however you should know the rules and reasons why we do things in reloading very well understanding the possible dangers before you start going to off book loads.

if we din't already own the guns just buying hard to find over priced 22lr would have been less expensive.
but since we already reloaded and had the investment in equipment making reduced loads made sense.


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## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

Thanks for all the info, G C Pete! Reloading sounds interesting but I'm still easing into the guns thing. Haven't even made it to the shooting range yet. We're technically still in city limits and have neighbors in earshot, so I just pop off a few here and there at the dirt wall behind my house to get used to the thing. 

Putting money down on a .22 revolver as the next step. I'll ask about the reloading possibilities here but part of me thinks it may not be permitted. I think everything about guns is way more regulated here and boxes of gunpowder may be complicated. But like I said, I have no idea.

A 12 gauge would be cool, I've shot them before when I was younger and I have this idea that they're probably the biggest most powerful consumer grade hardware out there.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

In the shot gun world the 12 is the most popluar I suppose with the 20 ga a close second.

The most powerful in the shot gun world is the 10 ga. Most are sold to goose hunters in the USA and varmint hunters next.

 Al


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

If you have a bunch of empty 12ga hulls and the equipment needed to reload, then you can figure out the cost of a box of reloads.

This is the breakdown of the 1 oz trap load I am currently loading. I am a bit older so I am loading 1oz to keep the recoil and expense down. 

Federal 209a primers are $37/1000. That's $.037 ea or $.925/box of 25. $.925
American Select powder is $22/pound. A pound is 7000 grains. Each shell gets
17 grains. That's $.053/load or $1.32/box. $1.32
Claybuster CB1100-12 wads are $10/500. That's $.02ea or $.50 a box. $.50
Lawrence lead shot is $40/25 pounds. Each shell gets 1oz of shot. That's
$.10/load or $2.50 per box. $2.50
Total $5.25

As you can see, I am not saving any money if I have to buy all new components. Fortunately I have most of the components on hand and they were purchased at significantly lower prices. 

You can check the availability and price of components locally. It may be way cheaper than buying ammo and make a 12ga feasible. Hunting loads are a bit more expensive because they have more shot, up to 1 1/4 oz, and different powder and wads.

If you collect empty hulls at the gun club you should be certain that they are all the same and that that hull has loading data for it. Follow the data for safe loads. Hogdon has data on their web site.


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