Advice

borrowing and lending shotguns law

Is it legal to borrow or lend a gun?

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,…

Sasta Mehto Pro 2.0 Shooting Jacket

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…

Gun recoil

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…

rifle scopes

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…

removals van

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…

rabbit at entrance to burrow

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…

Hawke laser rangefinders for shooting

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…

Pheasant poult in release pen

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,…

snap caps

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…

pigeon shooter

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…