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…
Ammunition
How to choose the best cartridge for your gun and your type of shooting
Which shooting cartridge you should use depends on a number of factors, but what gun you have and what you are going to shoot are the primary ones. Know your chamber size Cartridges come in different sizes, not only calibre. Having the right calibre should be obvious, but having the…
Why I’m finally giving steel ammunition a proper test this season
Biodegradable shotcups suitable for steel ammunition have been available for a while. Gamebore has some 76mm wildfowling loads with its Silver Steel Bio-Wad fibre shotcup, while Eley Hawk has recently launched a range of 70mm steel loads with its new starch-based Pro Eco shotcups. These will, they say, protect shotgun…
Choosing the right bullets for deer stalking
Stalkers have an abundance of bullets to choose from, but how do you select the right one? Bruce Potts outlines what you need to consider
Where can I get 12-bore black powder cartridges?
I have been left an old side-by-side which was part of a collection and has not been shot for many years. A gunsmith tells me it has only black powder proof. However, I am assured it is safe to shoot. Where can I get 12-bore black powder cartridges?
What’s the best shot size?
The best shot size has been debated for as long as guns have been throwing clusters of small lead balls at flying birds. We have two key issues to address. We choose shot to produce an acceptable compromise for the shooting we do and the gun we use. The ideal…
Are you using the right cartridge?
You’ll need to think about a variety of considerations to be using the right shotgun cartridge. Chamber length The cartridge you use needs to match the length of your shotgun chamber or be smaller. If you use a cartridge with a longer chamber length than your gun you are likely…
If I give them my shotgun licence can somebody else buy me cartridges?
I went shooting on one of the extremely cold days in early December, and when I was cleaning my gun afterwards I noticed that the bores were much dirtier than normal.
Would a lighter load improve your shooting standard?
Having taught hundreds of new and experienced shooters over the years, I’ve seen lots of examples of how excessive and unnecessary recoil can adversely affect some people. In many cases (particularly with long-term shooters) these can often go unnoticed or, worse, become accepted as part of the sport and a…
Will coated cartridges make you a better Shot?
It is the latest trend in cartridge production for both clay and game shooting. Coated cartridges — or, to be more accurate, lead shotgun pellets that have been coated with copper or nickel — are today headlining the cartridge manufacturers’ billboards. Are coated cartridges new? Well, no; as far back…
What’s the right cartridge for red deer?
Deer stalking: I plan to get involved in deer stalking on my father’s farm and two neighbouring Estates where there are Roe, Fallow and a few Sika. Can you recommend a calibre that will cope equally well with all three species?
How to check your scope
As the bullet is the last thing to have contact with the barrel as it leaves and is the first thing that hits your quarry, the uniformity of the projectile is paramount in achieving good, consistent accuracy.
Is the rimfire .22 long rifle cartridge the top seller in the UK?
However an intelligent guess is that the rimfire .22 Long Rifle is leading the way. And, to do a bit more guessing, subsonic variations on the Long Rifle theme must be the most popular. The reason? Subsonic ammo for competition is more accurate than supersonic, and pinpoint accuracy is desirable…
Will Garfit on cartridges for pigeon shooting
A recent question from a reader asked what cartridges I used for pigeon shooting. The answer is simple: Gamebore Velocity, 28gram loaded with No.7½ shot. But the explanation for my choice is more complicated and requires some explanation. A miss is a miss I am no cartridge or ballistics geek…
Your cartridges are going to cost you more
Thinking of buying new cartridges to replenish your dwindling stock? If so, perhaps you should do it sooner rather than later as cartridge cost is set to go up. The rising cost of lead on the world market in 2016 forced UK cartridge makers to increase prices last month and…
What if I load airgun pellets backwards?
Q: I’ve heard that loading airgun pellets backwards is a great way to achieve a dum-dum e ffect when controlling pests such as rats. Does it work and could it damage the barrel of my airgun? A: Loading airgun pellets backwards is unlikely to harm your barrel but it is not conducive to accurate…
Is this new rimfire cartridge any good?
A: Yes, this new cartridge looks to be very interesting to anyone who likes small calibres. It is a rival to the .17 HMR cartridge, which is also a rimfire, but the WSM or Winchester Super Magnum is a more powerful round. Its brass case is roughly 50 per cent thicker than the .17 HMR The .17 WSM…
The end of the lead ammunition debate?
On 12 July, just before she left office as Secretary of State at DEFRA, Elizabeth Truss wrote to John Swift, chairman of the Lead Ammunition Group (LAG). She thanked him for his report but said that it “did not show that the impacts of lead ammunition were significant enough to justify changing current policy”, and that she did…
Ammo options for .22 centrefire
Those of us who like rifles and rifle shooting often develop an interest in calibres and cartridges that are a bit out of the ordinary. It also gives us something else to talk about. However, it is a huge subject, so for today’s purposes we’ll just look at .22 centrefires…
The advantages of reduced-load .22 rimfire ammunition
With cattle in the barns and grain stored over the winter months, it seems an endless task to keep hungry vermin species at bay. As soon as I have to battle against colder and wetter weather, most of my vermin control heads indoors — in and around the barns and outbuildings now…