Guns

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We are your first source of information about guns – whether you’re buying a new gun, need to brush up on certain aspects of gun law, searching for a particular gun review or want some information on ammunition.

Latest gun reviews and updates

If you want to know the latest version of a model from your favourite manufacturer, then we’ll tell you. Our experts will also review the gun closely and report back on their findings.

Buying second-hand guns

Second-hand guns are also important to our readers and so our reviewer tells you how they perform, how easy it is to get spares and what you should expect to pay for a particular model.

We’ve researched pieces on cheap shotguns for under £500 right through to the best shotguns for clay pigeon shooting and roundups of the best airguns.

Gun security

Of course, security and guns is of key importance and so we are here to answer your queries, which could be on anything from whether you can borrow or loan a gun through to storing guns in a gun cabinet.  Gun safety is a top priority.

Second-hand guns | Gun law | Gun maintenance | Gun buying guide

Gun reviews | Ammunition | Air guns | Shotguns | Rifles | Gun safety 

first gun a Baikal

Should his first gun be a Baikal?

We recently had a query from a reader, Tomasz Dojnikowski,  who asked: ” Hi guys. I’m looking to buy my first shotgun but do not have a big budget. I’m looking at second-hand Baikal 12g 27E-1C. Are these any good as first shotguns? Not much experience with it. Been using an air…

choosing rifles for pest control

Rifles for pest control

I have been spending money this
 month and invested in two rifles for pest control. 
A gamekeeper’s work is never done and in the constant battle against pests and predators, I need all the tools that I can muster. New guns To this end, I managed to pick up a…

Air rifles under £300

Seven of the best airguns for under £300

One of the greatest attractions of airgun shooting is that it’s such an affordable sport to take up. Here are seven reliable full-power air rifles under £300. Webley VMX Classic £163.99 (without scope) This traditionally styled spring-powered break-barrel has a muzzle energy close to the UK legal limit and features…

best game guns

8 of the best game guns

We’ve picked out eight of the best game guns around. Tips for buying a shotgun for gameshooting First, you will want something durable that handles well and you feel comfortable shooting with. Second, it is a good idea to have something lightweight if you are going to be doing a…

16-bore shotguns

The revival of the 16-bore shotgun

In any article about 16-bores, one should do one’s best to avoid the standard cliche of using ‘sweet’ and ‘16’ together. Most writers find it impossible. Perhaps the best-known example was penned back in 1995 by American gun writer Michael McIntosh in his book Shotguns and Shooting. A chapter, called…

Damascus steel barrels

12 bore vs 16 bore – the great debate

Which would be your choice in the 12-bore vs 16 bore conversation? Ask some people why they use a 16-bore and they say they “stumbled across one by chance” but now wouldn’t use anything else. Here’s what our debates think … 16-bores are for rural hipsters says Ben Samuelson A…

lead-free bullets

Can you tell me more about lead-free bullets?

Q: I see CCI now makes lead-free .22LR ammunition. Can you tell me more? A: The debate about the eco-friendliness of non-toxic ammunition continues. Lead-free .22LR ammo makes a lot of sense because a vast quantity of lead ammo is shot every year. The trouble is the alternatives to lead…

Shooting the .243 calibre

Choosing a calibre

I am a keen deerstalker and use a Sako .243. I intend to invest in another rifle with a larger calibre and was thinking of .270, 30-06 or .308. I want it for red deer, the odd fallow and hunting trips abroad. What calibre would you suggest?

The art of hand-crafted firearms

One of the most common statements heard when referring to famous engravers of the past is that they were “ahead of their time”. Engravers such as William Caslon, William Palmer and Henry ‘Harry’ Albert Kell, among others, made a huge impact in developing their craft. But if you were to…

lead shotgun cartridges

We need to talk about lead shot

Calls for game shooting to push ahead with finding alternatives to lead shot are growing louder, both inside and outside of the sport. 
Rob Yorke offers a personal view on the subject. How lead shot became popular One hundred and fifty years ago, wild meat was harvested, without the use…

shotgun cartridge history

The evolution of the shotgun cartridge

I am going to concentrate on shotgun cartridge history and how it got to be what it is today — the cheap, waterproof, reliable, effective, safe and consistent item on which we all rely to deliver success, whatever target we engage. After all, a gun, however expensive and sophisticated, is only…

lead shot to steel

Is it time to move away from lead shot to steel?

We were deep in a ditch on the Orkneys. There was a tumbling grey northern sky above us and an icy wind. The peninsula’s greylag goose population was not playing ball. They went to the right 
of us, they went to the left, they landed on the barley 100 yards…

Tips for airgunners

5 tips for airgunners

Mat Manning offers five key tips for airgunners to improve their fieldcraft 1. Go on a reconnaissance mission Reconnaissance around your shooting permissions will help you to target the right places at the right time but all wildlife observation is beneficial — whether in the field, car, park or garden. Observing…