We all know what we want in our perfect day’s shooting. So when deciding to buy a day – for the first or umpteenth time – the agony of choice can be unbearable. We toss and turn over whether we have made the best choice to deliver the day of our dreams. After all, it’s not like there is…
Advice
Essential questions you should be asking about your sporting rights
Reading through paperwork is seen by most of us as an inconvenience, a distraction, or an unwanted addition to our already busy lives. The only kind of paperwork that most of us enjoy lies between the covers of this magazine and tells tales of shooting exploits or fishing adventures. However, there are times when said paperwork can be a necessary evil.…
How can I make my gunmount more consistent?
Adam Calvert is a freelance shooting instructor with a global reputation, offering highly bespoke and tailored shooting instruction in addition to being a Fabbri ambassador. He offered this advice on gunmount. Getting your gunmount accurate and above all consistent is probably one of the most important but equally difficult things you can master…
Are you shooting yourself to deaf?
An estimated 15,000 people will develop Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) in Britain this year, largely through occupational exposure. The National Institute of Health reports that 15 per cent of all Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have some degree of high-frequency hearing loss. Shooters who forgo or lack hearing protection, whether in the field or on the…
Five must-reads about beating on a shoot
Have you any comments and thoughts on being a beater? Any hints or tips to give somebody new to the discipline? If so, leave a comment below.
Can a shooter with one eye shoot legally?
A: No, they cannot. The police may not attach an “accompanied” condition to a shotgun certificate in the way that they may add a condition to a firearm certificate. If you are a certificate holder, then you may continue to shoot unaccompanied as you have done in the past. Were the police to believe that, because of…
Why has my rifle suddenly become inaccurate?
A: Some problems can be complex to diagnose but others are simple and can be rectified at home. Barrel fouling or damage to the muzzle of the rifle can cause these problems, but sometimes a dried piece of dirt pressing against the barrel, changing the barrel harmonics on ring, or dirt in the bedding of the action will cause…
Can I enjoy pheasant shooting in my wheelchair?
Bill Harriman, BASC’s head of firearms and global authority on guns, gave this advice for wheelchair shooting: @shootinguk any advice for a wheelchair user hoping to start Pheasant shooting this season? — Rhys Lewis (@rhyslew7) August 23, 2016 Shooting is so inclusive that someone in a wheelchair can take part. There…
How do you transfer shotguns between certificates?
A reader asked for some advice: A friend of mine is moving house but, until his other property is ready, he would like me to hold his shotguns rather than put them in the care of a local gunshop. I appreciate that I can hold them for 72 hours without notifying the…
What are the benefits of bigger calibres?
A: Bigger, heavier pellets tend to be designed for use in FAC-rated airguns, producing muzzle energy from 30ft/lb to more than 100ft/lb. Their increased stability, especially at high velocity, helps to improve accuracy. They also hit really hard, delivering high levels of shock energy, which is a prime concern when targeting live quarry. If you are using a legal…
Pike fishing – or how to land a freshwater tiger
Pike fever rises to the surface unexpectedly, like a recurring illness, and there is no telling how long the bout will last. A pike was the first large fish I ever caught when I was nine years old and it was on that day I became infected. My mother had taken me to a small outflow channel where,…
Beware of ticks
In recent weeks the weather has been both warm and wet. I keep a rain gauge in my garden: in the first six months of this year, I recorded over 400mm, more than twice as much as in the same period in 2015. Having so much rain has been frustrating, as my favourite summer walks have…
A handy A-Z guide to shooting terms
A Accidental discharge Sometimes called a “negligent discharge”. It is the unintentional firing of a rifle or gun Action The mechanism of a rifle or gun by which it is loaded, fired and unloaded Airgun A general term for any pistol or rifle that uses compressed air as a propellant. There…
How to get rid of moles
The mole has been trapped and managed for generations. There are still professional mole trappers practising across our land, turning fields of molehills back into rich pastures. In this article I will be talking you through how I trap moles and the equipment I use. Mole trapping is another one of those highly contentious pest control jobs where every…
What should I do with a shotgun or rifle in the event of the death of the owner?
A bereavement is traumatic enough as it is without being worried about being in breach of the law. So we have asked our legal expert Bill Harriman on what to do. He advises: “Disposing of a deceased person’s effects is one of the most difficult and traumatic situations facing…
How big a garden do I need for shooting with an airgun?
A: Apart from in Scotland, where it now looks as though police officers will need to visit households to carry out an inspection to judge suitability for plinking, to comply with what appears to be an unworkable new airgun licensing regime, your son can shoot an air rifle in the garden under close adult supervision. One vitally important thing…
Fixed chokes or screw-in chokes? What’s best?
A: Personally, I don’t think that most of us shoot well enough to get any real benefit from choke. Consequently, I would always go for fixed chokes and ones that were very open. However, if you become a very good shot, then screw-in chokes may help. The first wave of screw-in chokes…
Deer calls: Can red stags be called?
A: Generally, deer are most susceptible to being called during the rutting season when hormones and interest in the opposite sex are at a peak. Roe as woodland dwellers are generally not as visible as red deer, which are more associated with open ground, so calls are often used to…
What will I lose in velocity if I reduce my barrel length?
To what extent does barrel length affect the velocity of your full-bore rifle? In the name of science and with some trepidation, we take up the hacksaw...
What’s the deal on insurance when you’re travelling with a shotgun?
A: Most gun owners utilise cover provided by their household insurance policies to insure their guns against risks such as damage or theft. Household policies will often have a schedule of named items covered for “all risks” while the items are away from the named property. Sporting equipment can usually be…