At the start of the shooting season you may be shooting with friends who have recently ventured into fieldsports and don’t yet own a shotgun. So what’s the law if you are going shooting with a friend on a formal shoot and the friend, who doesn’t have a shotgun certificate,…
Advice
Our magazines – Shooting Times, Sporting Gun and Shooting Gazette answer your fieldsports questions with advice from experts at the very top of their field.
Our tips include help with gundog training, gun maintenance, shooting skills, legal issues, licensing, technical gun information, ammunition advice, cooking tips, shooting etiquette.
New to shooting?
If you’ve just started shooting you’ll find answers to questions like what is the best first gun or how to buy a gun second-hand. Also what to wear shooting and the legalities you need to know about.
Or do you have a good few seasons under your belt?
If you’re a more seasoned shooter you might have questions about your shooting technique and how to improve it. Or queries about the legalities of gun cabinets and shotgun licences.
Beating and picking-up | Gundog queries | Starting shooting | Shooting etiquette | Shooting clothing | Shotgun certificates and firearms licences | Gun cabinets | Legal answers | Shooting answers|
What is the max killing range for a 100 grain .243 bullet?
Deer stalking: What do you reckon is the ethical max killing range for a 100 grain .243 bullet for a heart/lung shot on Roe?
10 of the best – guns, clothes, ammo and kit for shooters
We’ve reviewed guns, clothes, accessories and ammunition to give shooters the most informed choice when they’re looking to buy kit. So here’s a guide to our best lists for shooters, so that you can browse through the best guns for clayshooting, the best breeks for shooting, the best airguns for…
Six things to know about gun recoil
Gun recoil is responsible for putting many people off shooting. Which is a great pity as it can be comfortably managed and avoided if the shooter and gun fit together correctly. For example, many people go off on a clayshooting introduction day – maybe as part of a work team-building…
What happens to my gun when I’m at the shoot lunch?
Err on the side of caution when it comes to gun security
Am I allowed to shoot my airgun in local woods open to the public?
So you’re a keen airgunner and you’ve set up a safe range at home for a spot of garden airgunning. But now you’re keen to expand your horizons. Maybe carry out a bit of pest control for a local farmer. But how do you go about getting a formal airgun…
How to zero your own rifle
How to zero your own rifle: Set up your rifle on a proper bench rest, making sure it is stable and secure so it will not move.
Should I choose a fixed or variable scope for roe stalking?
Q: I am a keen deer stalker but can’t decide whether I should opt for a fixed-power rifle scope or a variable one. In your opinion, which is the better option for roe stalking? Fixed-power rifle scopes vs variable rifle scopes A: It depends entirely on what you are comfortable…
Moving house and your gun certificates – what you need to know
When you’re moving house you want everything to run as smoothly as possible. But what should you do if you’re a gun owner? What are the legalities to obey with a firearms or shotgun certificate when you’re moving house? Well, you must tell the local police about your forthcoming move…
Just how deep do rabbits burrow down?
When you’re out walking near a rabbit warren, have you ever wondered just how far the tunnels go down? Just how deep is the average rabbit burrow? A rabbit warren is basically a home for a large colony of rabbits, that interconnects the different tunnels. The answer to how deep…
Here’s what you need to know about laser rangefinders for shooting
People who hunt with air rifles often seem to talk about carrying laser rangefinders for shooting . Are they really an essential item of kit? Are laser rangefinders for shooting air rifles necessary? Matt Manning replies: Laser rangefinders are not essential kitbag items for air rifle hunting, but they play…
Social media and fieldsports
In times of fairly recent memory, the mainstream media (MSM) talked about the goings-on in the countryside in a markedly different way to what we see today. Phil Drabble appeared weekly on our screens, twinkling on about sheep and dogs, fell hounds and uplands. Jack Hargreaves sat in his shed…
The skill of caring for pheasant poults successfully
My pheasant poults came yesterday, so by the time you read this they will have been here for a few weeks. The birds look good, all well-feathered and around seven weeks old. They are caught the night before from the rearing sheds and are delivered to me at around 4am,…
How do you transfer shotguns between certificates?
A reader asked for some advice regarding looking after his friends guns. Graham Downing advises on carrying out shotgun transfer between certificates.
Some questions about snap caps
Q: I am new to shooting and I keep hearing the term ‘snap caps’. What are they? A: Snap caps protect your gun by relieving the stress on your firing pins when you are ‘dry-firing’ (that is when you are firing your gun without live ammunition). You might do this…
How to get a shooting permission
Persuading a landowner to allow you access to their valuable business with a firearm can make decoying wary woodies or achieving blind retrieves over water look like child’s play. In 1987 I was bitten by the music bug. I bought an album by The Housemartins — a good name for…
What’s the difference between a game and sporting gun?
Can you manage with just the one gun for different types of shooting?
What’s the law on transporting shotgun cartridges?
A reader wonders if shotgun cartridges create a potential explosive hazard in a vehicle. Bill Harriman advises.
What you need to know about coronavirus and going out into the field in England from 13th May 2020
On Wednesday 13th May coronavirus guidance for shooters in England changed. You can now undertake both live quarry shooting and deer stalking in England, following the usual legal process. (The law is different in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.) Clay grounds are also permitted to reopen. The situation in England…
How to practice your shooting during lockdown
Many of us have a lot of time on our hands at the moment so why not get some shooting practice in at home, suggests Simon Reinhold