HI! Folks I'm here

[Satpal_S]

Hi everybody:

Read through the forum and was saddened at the plight of gunowners in India.

Back in time when I was growing up in Delhi, things were simpler. Getting my first airgun at age 6 was simple, cry for a day, quick trip to Garg armoury, brand new Diana 15 for 60 rupees (1961). Got my next Arf Diana 27 in 1968 (near new) for 250 Rs., imports had been restricted by then.

Dad's M1 carbine was fun to shoot, low recoil and small size. Gun only cost a few rupees in 1967 and dad brought a few hundred rounds with him when he left the army as a Major.

Mum and dad went to USA for Phd. and came back with 2 new S&W mod 31's 3.5' barrel in 1970. 80Usd and 100% duty only. Dad joined NRAI, bought near new Winchester O/U for 3,000Rs and bought a BRNO for me for 900 Rs(from NRAI).

We hunted Partridge, Rabbit, Mallard and Siberian Geese a few miles from where we lived. Target shooting we did in the back of our Kothi, I carried my .22 everywhere, nobody cared then. Licences were given by sdm's easily then and NRAI sold shotshells for Rs 1 and imported .22 for 20 paisa.

Sad is the plight of shooters now, and forums like this will do much to push for fair impementation of gun laws, free import of Air rifles and revocation of the ban on importing firearms.

Oh by the way, went to punjab summer of 1971, saw Jats carrying .315's. Boy! were they crudely built, tool marks, no bluing.
Neigbor bought 12 bore IOF for 1400 in 1971, the damned thing misfired often and shot lose after a few hundred shots. Can't believe they sell that crap for 40,000 (.315) these days.

Oh, well, just got carried away and rambled on and on.

Been living in USA since 1980. Owned several guns over the years and am a regular trap, skeet, rifle shooter. Travelled extensively as IT consultant and have hunted and fished in practically every state.

Bye for now,
Will be visiting this forum often..

Satpal

[Vikram]

Satpal,

Hearty welcome.Truly happy to see more and more gun enthusiasts joining us.We would love to have you here posting regularly.

Best-
Vikram

[kanwar76]

Hi Mr. Satpal,

Welcome to the site. Its very nice to have old-timers here. your post made me feel like I born a decade or two late... .

Have fun here and do post often..

-Inder

[Sakobav]

Welcome aboard Satpal

Rgds
Navdeep

[Mack The Knife]

Hi Satpal,

You did not live in Defense Colony by any chance did you? I recall tagging along behind an elder boy who used to shoot .22 Shorts from his bolt action rimfire rifle.

If you were from Def. Col. perhaps you recall the Chibbs? They used to take me and my father on shoots not too far from Delhi.

Even though I landed in Delhi much later, in 1972, boys still roamed the colony streets with their airguns and it was very common for me and my friend to be called to someones house to get rid of those pesky pigeons that made an unholy mess.

Anyway, thanks for bringing back some very fond memories and a hearty welcome to IFG.

Mack The Knife

[mehulkamdar]

Satpal,

You were fortunate to get away from the mess before things began going southwards. I lived through it and saw our rights stolen by the khadder-Nehru topi wallahs. It burns from inside to see how Indian governments have implemented a one point programme of ridding Indians of their rights like the Congress did under Indira and Rajiv Gandhi.

Do post more about your hunting experiences here and post often. You will find many friends here both in India and outside. And, if you ever visit Illinois, there are a large number of us in and around Chicago to get some shooting, good food and bull-shooting.

Welcome, again and we'll all wait to hear from you.

Mehul

[Satpal_S]

Hi Mehul,

I lived in Des-Plaines, Illinois, for a year in 1982. I still have friends in the Chicago burbs. If you are in trap shooting, maybe we could have a get together next spring at some range. Also does a visitor need a FOID to bring SGun, let me know.

As far as Indian arms licencing, less said the better. Hundred's of people die in auto accidents in Delhi, yet nobody does anything to tighten auto licencing(it's a joke). Yet hear the he-haw that happens whenever a licenced gun is occasionally misused. Shooters/Hunters are denied licences, while people with connections can get them and then store their weapons in safes.

Here in the US you have to sweat for an auto licence (Proper training), yet I was able to own a handgun from day 1.

Also, I plan to visit Delhi/Punjab Jan 07 after 10 years. Can somebody advise me if Bird hunting is still allowed. Will be bringing a high powered Air-Rifle with me.

Hopefully will be aquainted with a few shooters from Delhi by then.

Bye for now.
Satpal

[Satpal_S]

Hi Rustom,

Nice to be aquainted with you. I did not live in Defence colony, grew up in Model Town. Moved to NDSE in 1974.

Yeah blasted quite a few of those pigeons with ARF. Could not shoot .22 Rf in air for safety sake.

Satpal

[mehulkamdar]

Hello Satpal,

Since you were in Des Plaines, you would know exactly where my wife Harpreeth and I live - Emdale Condominiums, at Algonquin and Dempster. You do not need a FOID card to bring a shotgun to Illinois from another state, though there are some peculiar problems to this Communist Republic - Chicago, Skokie etc completely disallow guns of any kind. Other suburbs have absolutely zero restrictions. I have a Browning A 5 12 bore and a Remington 1100 20 bore with me and you do not need to worry about guns. Amit has a Remington 870 and Inderjeet, if he decides to stay here (which we are all hoping he will manage to do by convincing his superior authority to move here with their pride and joy ) hopes to buy an U/o gun. We have guns aplenty, just come on over! By Sunday Amit and I would be joining the Naperville Sportsmen's Club where we shoot along with Inder on Thursdays and Sundays as non members at the moment and we would be most happy to have you here for a few rounds of trap.

I have also gotten on the muzzleloading kick these days inspired by my good friend and business partner Mark and we could drive to Bristol and get some muzzleloading action if you like.

Do post about what guns you shoot/hunt with and we'll be most happy to have you over.

Cheers,

Mehul

[Mack The Knife]

Could not shoot .22 Rf in air for safety sake.

Well said!

[Krish]

Chaps, I never had the foggiest that the gun laws in India was so restrictive It’s only since reading the posts made here I have come to realize what a hurdle you guys in India have to shoot. Hats off to all of you who shoot and keep the sport going despite the Draconian laws.

Growing up in UK, I always compared our gun laws with rest of Europe and the US and it is very restrictive . But now I know you guys are in nasty situation than us in the UK.

Keep shooting.

Krish

Ps. Hello Satpal

[dev]

I didn't have an airgun in the seventies but my friends used to have loads of them and we actually wandered all over Chanakya Puri and Malcha Marg with them. We used to pot pigeons in the parade ground forest. Thanks for bringing back the good old days.
But I loved the .22 cartridge even them and luckily got a rifle later.

Regards,

Dev

Hi Satpal,

You did not live in Defense Colony by any chance did you? I recall tagging along behind an elder boy who used to shoot .22 Shorts from his bolt action rimfire rifle.

If you were from Def. Col. perhaps you recall the Chibbs? They used to take me and my father on shoots not too far from Delhi.

Even though I landed in Delhi much later, in 1972, boys still roamed the colony streets with their airguns and it was very common for me and my friend to be called to someones house to get rid of those pesky pigeons that made an unholy mess.

Anyway, thanks for bringing back some very fond memories and a hearty welcome to IFG.

Mack The Knife

[eljefe]

Welcome aboard Satpal,
here's to many posts from you.
best
Axx

[Sujay]

Welcome to the forum Satpal.

You have been pretty accurate and exact in defining our plight and about the joke called 0.315 Sporting Rifle !

We look forward to your regular participation.

When free, please post some pictures of your hunting rifles.

Sujay

[penpusher]

Welcome Satpal,

Do remember a time when a gun licensee was considered to be an honorable member of the community and in court his evidence carried greater weight by virtue of his being one.I remember once a fellow travelling in a bus carrying a rifle being asked by the conductor if the rifle was loaded and the reply was that of course it was loaded,otherwise it would be just a stick.There was no objection to his getting on the bus.

penpusher