Sako was formally established during the 1930s and in 1983 it merged with Tikkakoski, another Finnish manufacturer, owners of the Tikka brand. Things changed again rather more quickly when it…
Charles Smith-Jones
Hatsan Escort Pump
Every time I pick up a pump-action shotgun I still feel a slight vibration as my ancestors turn in their graves. Traditionalists, they would all have been horrified to see…
Thinking of buying a second-hand Tikka T3 Lite?
When the Tikka T3 Lite first appeared it took the market by storm. Finnish gunmaking company Sako had intended to produce a budget-priced rifle that shot well straight out of…
The Beretta S686 Special
Beretta is one of the best-known firearms manufacturers. While it is possible to pay a very large amount of money for a hand-finished Beretta shotgun, the company also produces a…
Savage Arms Model 110
By the early 1950s it was becoming clear that Savage Arms, once one of the largest firearms manufacturers in the world, was in trouble. An over-reliance of underlever rifles as…
Browning Gold Hunter
The Gold model was introduced to the Browning catalogue in 1995 and was offered in a variety of configurations for the clay target and field markets. The target models tended…
Why a Baikal should no longer be the butt of jokes
Back in the mid-1970s a group of us regularly used to get together to try for a rabbit or pigeon on a Saturday morning before going on to our pocket-money…
Yildiz Wildfowler
Yildiz has been producing shotguns for 40 years and manufactures some 45,000 annually in a variety of models. It takes pride in its customer care and after-sales service, and also…
Brno Model 2
The second largest city in the Czech Republic is Brno. It is the home of the Zbrojovka Brno factory, which has been manufacturing goods as diverse as tractors and typewriters,…
Bettinsoli Super Sport – a clay shooter’s dream
Bettinsoli Sport shotgun: Impressive or what? We give the new Bettinsoli Sporter shotgun, with great styling and a low price tag, the thumbs up.
Looking at the Miroku MK 6000 SP-1 – a timeless classic
Visit any clayshooting lines or look more closely at the guns being used in international competitions and you will almost inevitably encounter the name of Miroku. This should not come…
All about muntjac
Small, secretive and constantly on the move, the muntjac is a challenging quarry for the deer stalker. Little bigger than a springer spaniel, it offers a difficult target among the…
Facts about the pheasant – phasianus colchicus
Just how long the pheasant has been found in Britain is open to question but it is likely that, as with so many of our non-native species, the Romans had…
Browning Medallist shotgun – a winner for the keen beginner
The Browning Medallist shotgun is good for those new to shooting and buying on a tight budget.
What did our reviewer think of this secondhand Browning Medallist shotgun?
What’s the best starter gun? It’s a subject for constant debate, with guns from Lincoln, Lanber, Baikal, and various relative newcomers from Turkey all having their adherents.
A short history of the shotgun
A very long time ago, some enterprising person decided to fill a tube with gunpowder, put a rock or something equally solid on top, light the blue touch paper and…
How to pass your DSC1
Charles Smith-Jones tells you how to prepare yourself to pass your DSC1 and face the assessments with confidence
A gunsmith’s guide to buying guns second-hand
What’s the best way to go about buying guns second-hand though? What do you look for and what are the potential pitfalls? To find out more I visited The Country…
Perhaps it’s time to get a moderator…
Want to shoot more accurately, bag more quarry and disturb the environment less? Perhaps it's time to get a moderator, suggests Charles Smith-Jones
Deer: Keep out!
Charles Smith-Jones suggests a variety of ways to keep deer away from your precious planting