The 202, the predecessor of the 404 was launched in 1993 and was seen as one of the best rifles around. However, the new 404 has many mechanical improvements over the 202, one being the safety catch. When you push the safety catch up to make the rifle “live”, you are physically cocking the rifle. Moving the safety catch…
Guns
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 newcomer on a limited budget. Without hesitation, he recommended the AYA Yeoman. In the era it was a tough but well-balanced, sweet-handling side-by-side boxlock –…
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 trap guns, while their game guns were too light and often too tightly choked, and skeet guns were too open-choked and not nearly steady…
The rise and rise of the 16 bore
A recent advertisement by ASI – the importer of AYA guns from Spain and, more recently, Rizzinis from Italy – bravely announced that “16 bore is the new black!”. This seemed a bit cryptic on first reading but on further investigation disclosed that there was a bit of a fashion reference going on. Black, it would seem, is the…
Picking the perfect airgun pellet
The airgun pellet is an important link between the shooter and the target. It can make the difference between Olympic gold or bronze. For most airgunners it can just mean the difference between a hit or a miss, but that’s equally important as Olympic glory, especially when you are hunting. Pellets come in four main calibres (sizes): .177; .20;…
On test: Schultz & Larsen Legacy .223
Schultz & Larsen (S&L) comes from Denmark and has a long history of making precision rifles and barrels. It has become a household name for its excellent cut rifled barrels and its new CNC machinery produces quality at an a ordable price. Schultz & Larsen offers a good range for stalking rifles and this Legacy model is designed for…
Difficulty cleaning a rifle
A: Cleanliness is next to godliness but when cleaning a rifle, especially the action area, it is very difficult to clean the section where the bolt recesses into the action. The locking lug area in a rifle’s action accumulates primer residue, cleaning solvents, debris and brass chips. These can all affect a rifle’s performance. I use a Sinclair…
Ministers debate airgun safety
The comments were made by CA head of shooting Liam Stokes following a debate about the use of airguns by under-18s that took place in Parliament earlier this month. The Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill was passed in July 2015, making it illegal to possess an airgun without a licence in Scotland after 31 December this year. Its introduction was…
Mossberg 930 Duck Commander on test
The products of O. F. Mossberg & Sons, always known simply as Mossberg, have, since their founding in 1919, gained a reputation for practical designs where simplicity and reliability are outstanding features. While much of the product range concentrates on rifled firearms, in the UK the manufacturer is probably better known for its semi-automatic shotguns. My introduction to Mossberg was…
Scottish owners have 50 days left to apply for air gun certificate
Scottish air gun owners are being reminded that from today they have 50 days left to apply for a certificate to ensure that they can keep their weapons when the new laws come into force on 31 December 2016, if they have not yet received a decision on their application.…
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 32in are available) and wood density. And those figures suggest to me that the weight is right for a full day’s comfortable shooting.…
How can I touch up a scuffed synthetic stock?
A reader asked: How do you touch up a synthetic stock? Mine is really scratched. Shooting Times rifle reviewer and stalker, Bruce Potts, had this advice for airgun maintenance: Synthetic stocks can be practical against knocks and scratches and keeping a rifle’s zero from shifting as, unlike wooden stocks, they don’t warp in bad…
The risks of a dirty gun
A shotgun is an investment that needs to be cared for to look beautiful, but also perform to its full potential. So where do you begin? Does it need to be cleaned after every outing or just when it’s starting to look a bit ropey? What products are best and ultimately, what’s the worst that can happen if a…
Four steps for more accurate airgun pellets
Air rifles are probably the first gun many of us used to get started in shooting as youngsters. Most people then move on to a .22 rimfire for pest control but nowadays air rifles are so good they can be a valuable asset for any pest control duties around the farm, estate…
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, there was no internet or mobile phones, and Britain still had the remains of an empire. In ’63, however, there were some…
A crossover stock changed this blind shooter’s life
Shooting is a fabulous sport enjoyed by many. Luckily, most people are able to carry on shooting, and shooting well, into old age without any problems, and without giving any thought to gun mount, eyesight or potential injury. This was Paul Chapman’s life until 14 years ago. Paul started shooting at the age of eight, loved it and lived…
Behind the scenes at the new Purdey factory
The new Purdey factory, which opened in June 2015, looks a bit like a Farrow & Ball version of the CERN supercollider. It’s part science lab, part artists’ workshop and part private members’ club. Chequered leather banisters and sepia-tinted pictures suddenly give way to orderly, well-lit rooms filled with hulking electromagnetic discharge machines or…
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…
Back to basics with your airgun
“The more I practice, the luckier I get,” is a saying most commonly attributed to golfer Gary Player; but whoever said it first, the principle is just as important for those of us who shoot rifles. Particularly powerful rifles. We all pay lip service to the need for practice, practice and more practice but very few of us…
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 serious stuff begins. The choice will be between a traditional side-by-side and a more modern over-and-under, and if you take the first…