To me the Baikal is in the same league as a 1940s prefab or a 1950s Ford Popular. The prefab gave ordinary folks a taste of living in a dry, well-designed, warm house with…
Mike George
The AYA No. 1: the best gun I never had
When I edited the very first issue of Sporting Gun, back in 1977, I asked Fred Buller of Chubbs of Edgeware, then one of the country’s leading gunsmiths, to nominate the best new gun for a…
Three secondhand Sporters
Miroku MK60 Universal Grade 5 In the 1980s a type of gun for the Sporting disciplines was just evolving. All too many Continental manufacturers were trying to palm us off with slightly modified…
Second-hand 20-bore game guns
Browning B725 Hunter 20-bore, target price £1,500 A basic, Grade 1 version of the Browning B725 Hunter may weigh anything between 7lb and almost 7½lb, depending on barrel length (tubes of up to…
Remington 1100 – the best gun I never had
The year 1963 may not seem so long ago, but in truth the world then was rather different to the present day. There was no colour TV, the few computers that existed were laboratory toys,…
Second-hand shotguns for the season ahead
Beretta 486 Parellelo Purchasing a gun in July will enable you to shoot a few summer clays to get used to your acquisition, and get any handling tweaks sorted out, before the…
How can I protect my guns in storage against rust?
Mike says: A thorough clean, followed by a wipe-down of the metal parts with a lightly-oiled cloth should be quite sufficient for guns in storage, providing your friend is going to examine your guns…
Three value-for-money second-hand Sporters
Medalist Sporter More than 30 years ago, the UK Browning importers could offer an impressive range of guns – everything from £1,000-plus competition and game guns to exotic and expensive…
Second-hand semi-autos selection
Mike George picks out three second hand semi autos that you should look out for on the second hand market. He has previously chosen his three favourite second hand Sporters,…
Three value for money second-hand shotguns
Mike George has previously picked out the best second-hand European shotguns, high grade guns and Sporters, now he is back with his top three value for money second hand shotguns…
Can you date a gun from its serial number?
A: In an ideal world, all manufacturers would agree to incorporate the date in the serial number, in a mutually-agreed formula using plain language. For instance, at the end of…
Second-hand Beretta 682 shotgun
In 1984 Beretta brought out a new O/U designated the 682. It was a replacement for the 680, which had been their main competition gun for the previous decade, and…
Three second-hand over-and-under Sporters
This selection of second-hand over-and-under Sporters can be found on the second-hard market from £600. Bettinsoli X-Trail Sporter Target Price £600 One of the questions we are frequently asked on the…
Three secondhand shotguns
Mike chooses three secondhand shotguns on the market priced from £450 up to £1,050 to help you make your next gun purchase a bargain. Hatsan Escort Xtreme Max Target Price:…
Three secondhand high-grade guns
If you’re in the market for a high-grade gun but don’t want to pay the full price, the secondhand market has plenty of prestige brands. Here Mike chooses three secondhand…
Secondhand Winchester selection
Fifty-two years ago, Winchester introduced a new O/U shotgun which, in the eyes of many shooters on both sides of the Atlantic, set the standard for all medium-priced factory-made guns to be judged by. It was…
Second-hand Browning B525
Gun reviews: Secondhand Browning B525: When Browning introduced their B725 model last year, a lot of people thought that the 525 had come to the end of its production run.
Three top secondhand Sporters
Here’s Mike’s selection of secondhand Sporters that offer great value for money. Baikal O/U Located 600 miles east of Moscow, Izhevsk’s main factory produces pistols and rifles, several variations on the AK assault rifle…
Secondhand aluminium guns
Mike George picks out his recommendations for secondhand aluminium guns. Bettinsoli Crypto Lite Bettinsoli are well respected as makers of entry-level guns, and a new Crypto Lite (now known as the…
Three value-for-money second-hand European shotguns
Lincoln Premier 28-bore When Sporting Gun first reviewed this gun in 2004, we gave it high praise because it was a bargain-priced gun built on a proper 28-bore action. Over…