JohnnyJazz

The big talk at my shooting range this morning was the suicide of the Korean guy in Phuket. Everybody was looking at the video and asking the same question : why foreigners come to Thailand to commit suicide. It seems that every year at about the same time (March) a foreigner kill himself at a shooting range in Thailand. Don't be surprised to be turn down when you try to join your local shooting range, foreigners have the reputation to be dangerous lunatics who shouldn't be allowed to come close to a gun.

^ Sorry I don't know  about any course in Bangkok. I just know the Thai friend I go shooting with at our local army range is going to compete there, that's how I know about the event. One day there was nobody at the range he set up some obstacles for me to run around, it was quite fun. He jokingly asked me if I wanted to compete too. The problem is in Thailand it's quite an expensive hobby. Anyway I will ask him next time I see him and let you know.

On 2/21/2017 at 8:53 PM, Arkady said:

Re airguns I discovered this thread in Thai by accident about importing them for yourself.  http://www.gunsandgames.com/smf/index.php?topic=82681.0  It seems that in 1992 personal imports of guns and ammunition were banned for the first time and buyers were obliged to get gun shops to place orders for them which would count against the gun shops' quotas, as mentioned above.  However, exceptions were made for guns classified as sporting guns and air guns with air guns subject to the most relaxed import restrictions. However, it is still necessary to obtain a Por 3 approval for that model and approval from the Customs Dept before an import licence can be issued.  I have no idea if these licences are currently being issued to individuals or what additional costs would be involved apart from 30% (I think) import duty and 7% VAT added to the landed cost.  But some people have clearly done this in recent years.  As with all gun permits, I would guess the chance of doing this would be greatest for Bangkok residents.  I can't imagine a district officer in boonies doing anything other than flatly denying this is possble.  If anyone is interested, and have a Bangkok tabien baan, they should call or visit the Ministry of Interior's Department of Provincial Administration Firearms Licensing Centre at the Wang Chaiya office opposite the Turf Club.  They are very helpful.

What do you mean by "sporting gun" ?  Like for IPSC  ?

http://www.ipscthailand.com/forum/index.php?topic=2031.0

The different courses are at the bottom of the page. I tried a couple of them, a lot of fun :-)

On 2/7/2017 at 8:48 PM, maxcorrigan said:

Thanks, i am going through the "pink i/d process" at the moment after having obtained a yellow book which has taken about 6 wks, pick up friday 10th Feb.,this is in Sattahip, then all out for the pinky!

Six weeks ? And I was complaining that I had to wait for two hours because they insisted to take a lunch break !!!

^

The id card or passport is to confirm your identity, who you are.

The yellow book is a proof of residence, to confirm where you live. In Thailand the land transport department usually ask for a  certificate of residence as most foreigners don't have this yellow book. In other countries the administration generally asks for a recent utility invoice at your name.

These are two different matters
 

I just want to mention a small incident at the transport department. I tried to use the pink id card to apply for a driving license. The first officer refused it and insist to see my passport that I didn't take that day because I thought the id card would be enough. I thought the officer was just a trouble maker but I didn't have choice than go back home and come back the next day with my passport.

The officer I met the next day actually confirm that what the first officer said was right. The pink id card is issued to people who don't qualify for the Thai id card, including stateless minorities, so it is a bit of a mess. Therefore to make things clear and easy when dealing with the administration you always need to show your passport with current visa.

On the other hand they were happy to accept my yellow book instead of the usually required residence certificate.

On 1/4/2017 at 11:08 PM, ocddave said:

 

My Yellow Book was approved today, so I should be picking it up next week along with applying for my Pink Card at the same office, I think they said they can only process it after I receive the yellow book. This is at the Pak Kret office, will let you know how that goes, but they've been pretty helpful and jovial, at least with my wife along.

Did everything the same day at Laksi office, they printed the yellow book right away after it was approved. Same for the id card.

I'm not sure it has been mentioned before but it's mandatory to have  a Thai speaking person with you as all the documents are in Thai and should be filled in Thai. Even your name and parent names are to be translated in Thai.  A funny thing is my foreigner id card is all in Thai while my Thai wife id card is bilingual, her name and other details are spelled in both thai and english. Weird !

Last thing, for the yellow book we were asked to bring along a witness to confirm that I live at the address mentioned in the book.

1 hour ago, Arkady said:

I am not sure if the Thai Skeet and Trap Association at Hua Mark is government but they do accept foreign members at a higher price.

I haven't practice for more than 30 years, since I was working at my uncle farm. That's something I really want to do again but then I'll need to sort out my priorities because my bucket list is getting really crowded ;-).

7 hours ago, Arkady said:

I visited the Air Force 25m handgun range at Don Muang today for the first time. Small but quite nice with the emphasis on rules and safety.  It is the only Thai range I have seen with steel partitions separating shooting stations and they specifically ask if you want/need instruction.  Lead nosed Bullet Master ammo is for sale at reasonable prices.  I noticed that they accept foreigners for B200 a day, vs B100 for Thais.  Annual membership is B500 a year but I think this may only be for Thais, as I didn't see any rate for foreigners or anything in English about membership but at least they officially welcome foreigners on a day basis.  Guns are available for rental for B300.  I was taking Mrs Arkady to apply for a basic shooting course there.  She can already shoot quite well but could use some instruction and I particularly want her to formally learn gun safety.  Of course, I will have to attend the course with her or she would not agree to go and I am sure I will learn from it too.  It costs B1,800 for a full day course including a year's membership, free rental of a 9mm pistol, 30 rounds, lunch and a diploma you can use for applying for a Por 3 for anything bigger than 9mm or .38. Most ranges just take money to issue these certificates without requiring attendance at the course but the Air Force is scrupulous in refusing to do this.

I practice at a nearby army range that offers similar condition. As a regular I pay the ThB 100 fees, bullets at the price mentioned earlier (ThB 750 / box of 50). When I asked about yearly membership, they start asking for id card then work permit. But they clearly look reluctant about admitting a foreigner so they advised me to ask a Thai friend or my wife to apply then come with him/her, which is clearly not very convenient. I'm now in the process of applying for a Thai id card, then I will try again.

Cool outfit but unfortunately I don't think you can do that in Thailand, at least never seen in my local shooting range

4 hours ago, Arkady said:

 

 Thais buy these high end handguns to compete in IPSC or bullseye type competitions which are popular here.

If you train regularly that the best thing to do otherwise it becomes quickly boring.

24 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

If you have a yellow house book you should be able to get a ID card at the Amphoe/Khet where you are registered.

Worth investigating. What really piss me up here is if you want to join a number of organization people ask you for a work permit. If you can't show up one, you're automatically categorized as a (short term) tourist and your application isn't even considered. With a local id card, it may change this perception. As I said, worth investigating.

Maybe this question has been answered before but is it possible to get this id card in Bangkok ? District of Chaeng Wattana ?

It can be very useful. There are a lot of places when you need an official id to get in, they exchange it for a pass and you get it back on your way out. I would be much more comfortable to leave a local id card than my passport.

^ My all time favorite. Shooting with style ;-)

20 hours ago, Arkady said:

 

And that is for low power, locally made lead nosed semi-wadcutter 9mm cartridges which Thais call 'practice' ammo.  Imported FMJ 9mm will set you back double that (HPJ double that again) and locally made stuff somewhere in between.  The SWC rounds are fine for target practice and make a nice round hole that is easy to see but, if you are practicing for home defense, you need to practice with the rounds you would actually use. 

 

Due to the higher cost of ammo in Thailand, .22lr is good option.  .22 rifles and handguns are fun to shoot and ammo is usually around B350 a box of 50.

http://www.bulletmaster.co.th/

_

2 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

 

I would like a place you go to as cheap as that near me,  l only shoot a CM about 3 times a year when on a visit, 1,700 for 30 - 45 cal ammo.

Waiting a Thai friend in my village to arrange a visit to police range and an army one not to far from me.

Nice hobby to be able to do.  

 

Unfortunately that's the price in most places open to foreigners. The best shooting ranges I found in Bangkok are operated by the army but foreigners are usually not really welcomed. They are quite strict, and rightly so, about safety rules and foreigners are mostly perceived as a source of trouble. The problem is they make no difference between tourists who just want to shoot for fun and residents who are more serious about their practice.

On 12/13/2016 at 10:16 AM, Kwasaki said:

 

 

What's the reason for wanting a blue gun. 

l do shooting in a Cm army camp not cheap but good fun.

How much do you pay ?

I pay 750 THB for a box of 50 bullets. 200 rounds this morning = 3,000 THB. I don't consider myself  poor but that's not something I can afford to do everyday.

On 12/13/2016 at 3:49 PM, Strange said:

What's the reason for wanting a blue gun :

 

Training, practice, drawing, reloading on the fly, reloading while moving, they usually resemble the actual weight so good to practice carry. A very good tool for someone to practice technique with, safely. 

 

And you can also download free app for iPhone. Practice makes perfect

Found this : http://www.gunandguy.net/PROMOTIONS-สินค้าราคาพิเศษ

Unfortunately they don't have the GHOST model that has the advantage to have a removable magazine.

It seems there is a street in Bangkok where you can find everything related to guns and ammunition. I will have a look I may find the gun I'm looking for. And if it's my lucky day I may even get the address of a good shooting range.

Does anybody know where to buy Ghost training guns in Thailand, preferably Bangkok  ? Or similar

Also if you have the address of a good shooting range with instructor who can speak english, that would be greatly appreciated.

Duh. Well gosh. Really? Who'd have ever guessed... No one can doubt this. That's actually the whole point. Instead of any discourse with the outside world, they carry on in their own little xenophobically-enhanced online enclaves, with a relative few aware of, or concerned with, what's being shared in the global commons. 'Don't really see how that can possibly be a positive thing for Thai "society".

Because what?

The only meanigful discourse that can take place must be in English?

He actually means Chinese. Everything that matters in Asia, and soon in the world, happens in Chinese first.

Because they are decentralized by nature, it makes social media control much more difficult which is a good thing for democracy. In countries where "influential" people were able to get away from their responsibilities, social media by exposing their wrong doing to the society at large makes cover up more difficult.

Burmese are everywhere, gas station attendant, waiter, shop assistant, construction workers, maids ... All these jobs Thais are not willing to do anymore.

You can see construction sites empty for month for lack of construction workers

A thread a little bit earlier made me laugh, about over paying a maid. Try to find a good reliable full time Thai maid at less than 12,000 a month. Daily rates go from 500 Bahts for a lousy maid to 700 for a good one who regularly shows up on time.

Legal or not is not really the problem. If they go, the economy will collapsed

^^ 321Rich, your opinion and the picture you use to illustrate it are clearly "fair and balanced".

Like if I used the pictures below to illustrate what expats in Thailand look like. We will agree than one is terribly misleading.

Tattoos are like bumper stickers — the main differences are bumper stickers on your car can be easily taken off. Having said that now lets think about something else… If you had a really good car, say a high-end BMW, or Rolls Royce, would you lower its value by slapping stupid bumper stickers all over its rear end? I think not. I, being the somewhat silent judgmental sort of person I admit to being, when I meet someone that sounds smart, looks and dresses smartly, then I realize they have a bunch of tattoos — sorry, but I instantly deduct 10 or 12 points from their perceived IQ. (Now let the haters rear their heads...)

So people who don't agree with you are "haters" ?

Minus 50 IQ point for you !