A reader asked for some advice regarding looking after his friends guns. Graham Downing advises on carrying out shotgun transfer between certificates.
Advice
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 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
A keen Gun discusses the practicalities of shooting with mobility issues
Jean-Paul Gaudin, age 46, spent a great deal of his childhood in France and, as he puts it, was “always surrounded by game shooting” thanks to a French grandfather who enjoyed everything from pheasant to wild boar. He shot clays and game sporadically as a teenager, but motorbikes overtook shooting…
Can I shoot a muntjac with my air rifle?
What can I use for shooting muntjac? Q: There are loads of muntjac around where I live and I know you can shoot them all year round. My neighbours have asked me to do some culling because the muntjac are eating everything in their garden. I have recently bought a…
What is the closest to a footpath or public road you can legally use a shotgun?
Where a field is bordered by a public footpath, what is the minimum distance at which one can safely and legally shoot a shotgun?
Gundog puppies and Covid-19. Some guidance.
Here’s some guidance on gundog puppies and COVID-19 during lockdown. It is only guidance so depending on your situation, you should contact the Kennel Club or your local vet who will have definitive advice. Viewing of a potential puppy and its litter mates should be done electronically. If you have…
How game managers can get the best financial and environmental rewards from their land
It is very easy for game and land managers to get sucked into the minutiae of detail involved in day-to-day jobs and chores. It is these important details that make a season work and allow you to adapt to changes in the weather or the demands of the shooting programme.…
I live in the city. Am I allowed to shoot pests in my garden?
Shooting pests on the patio in the city A reader wants to make short work of squirrels and rats. Can he? Q: The only wildlife I see in my city garden are grey squirrels and the odd visiting rat. There are a few parks nearby which are also home to…
What does the law say about carrying a shotgun in public?
I'm a student living in the centre of Cambridge and quite regularly cycle to shoot on land on the outskirts of the city where I have rights, or to our local clay ground.
A handy A-Z guide to shooting terms
An A-Z guide to shooting terminology with the jargon and vocabulary you're likely to come across
How to deal with Guns who are after bag quantity, not quality
Be discreet, says Steve Nutall of Border Fieldsports Why are some Guns still after shooting big bags? I’m not just talking driven pheasants and partridge, here. Even some so-called wildfowlers and rough shooters seem to play the numbers game these days. If you see plenty of wild geese on a…