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…
Advice
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…
Want to be better at gameshooting? Shooting clays is the way to do it …
Practising on clays is something that gameshooters shy away from. Most will wait until the first day of the season or until all has gone wrong before putting in some practice. I have never really understood this mentality and it is frustrating listening to some of the excuses. The most frequent…
8 commonly asked ferreting questions
1. What do you do about ferreting in the summer months? How a keen ferreter makes best use of this ‘downtime’. 2. Will ferreting regularly make my ferrets tame? How are your skills with them? 3. Buying your first ferret. The do’s and don’ts. 4. If a ferret is a bad mum,…
The history of the clay target
A: The clay target, as opposed to the glass ball that preceded it, was patented in the US in 1880 by George Ligowsky of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a dome-shaped saucer made, as the name suggests, of clay or terracotta. It was introduced to Britain by 1882, when it was described in The…
How to control magpies without Larsen traps
Question: I am not able to operate Larsen traps on my shoot as I can’t check them daily, so I do my best to control the magpies by shooting birds flushed from nests. Do both sexes incubate the eggs, or am I only culling the females? David Tomlinson, highly regarded writer…
Can my wife use my gun cabinet for her shotguns?
A: Every firearm and shotgun certificate carries a statutory condition which states that: “(a) The firearms and ammunition [or shotguns] to which the certificate relates must at all times (except in the circumstances set out in paragraph (b) below) be stored securely so as to prevent so far as is reasonably…
Airguns and visiting Scotland
Q: Now that the Scottish Parliament requires residents to include airguns on their firearms certificate (FAC), how do other UK citizens fare when they take their airguns into Scotland? Presumably, the Scottish Police will not issue an FAC for owners who live outside Scotland and the other UK Police Forces cannot…