In my job I’m lucky enough to get to review a good few guns. Based on my experiences, and talking to our reviewers and other keen Guns, here’s my list of the best guns for game around today. (Read about the difference between a game and a sporting gun here.…
Guns
Why the lead shot deadline should be extended
One lesson most of us learn pretty early in life is to not make promises we can’t keep. Doing so risks credibility and trustworthiness. Failing to deliver on a personal assurance is always bad enough but nowhere near as bad as stupidly making one for other people. Yet that’s exactly…
Compressor for air guns – what are the best options?
Recently, our airgun expert Mat Manning received the following question from an airgunner which got us thinking about the best options when it comes to compressors for air guns. Airgun compressors are the most practical way of making sure an airgun stays full of air, particularly if you live somewhere…
Are vintage guns not up to the rigour of modern shooting? Our writer puts some to the test.
If I had a box of bismuth cartridges for every time someone has told me that vintage guns are nice, but for the amount of shooting they do “you need something modern because vintage guns won’t cope with the work”, I’d face the lead-free future with enough shells to see…
Why sustainable ammunition days are a superb introduction to steel shot
As the five-year transition to non-lead shot for live quarry shooting continues, BASC has taken the initiative and organised a series of Sustainable Ammunition Days around the UK. These workshops aim to provide accurate, honest and practical experience of lead-free ammunition for your shotgun on a simulated game layout. Shooters’…
Best air rifle targets for setting up a range at home
We’ve taken a look at the best air rifle targets which you can use at home. You can try them airgunning in the garden. If you’ve got a garden with a range of above 20m then you’ve enough room. Before you set off: Air rifle expert Mat Manning says: “You must stop…
Best airgun pellets – our list of tried and tested picks
Airguns are known to be notoriously fussy about the ammunition you put in them, so how can you find the best airgun pellets for you and your purposes? It’s really a matter of trial and error and experimenting. Luckily airgun pellets aren’t particularly expensive and putting some time in to…
The best gun oil: Why you shouldn’t skimp on cleaning your gun
Choosing gun oil I have been asked on numerous occasions by those new to the world of shooting whether gun oil is any better than any other oil you’d pick up at the hardware shop? And what about gun maintenance products. Won’t good old WD-40 or 3-in-1 do the same…
The benefits of using a quiet air rifle for pest control
While I’m the first to admit that a shotgun is usually the best option for controlling corvids over open ground, there are plenty of times when using an airgun for pest control is a more appropriate choice. The former will usually help you to make the necessary big bags when…
Can I have a gun cabinet in a static caravan?
Is there any way you are allowed to have a gun cabinet in a static caravan?
Best gun safes: for keeping your firearms securely and legally
Which are the best gun safes around? The law says that guns must be stored in a lockable gun cabinet that meets British standards and is fixed to a secure structure. Do the best gun safes have to look like gun safes? Not really. What the gun cabinet looks like…
Storing guns in the attic: is it legal?
I’ve recently got into shooting and have applied for my shotgun certificate. I know that I need a gun cabinet and I’m thinking of storing guns in the attic in it. Is this a good location – after all it’s discreet and out of the way. Will the guns be…
Best air rifle slugs: these are the ones you should be trying out
Air rifle slug ammunition is gaining popularity with airgun shooters and the choice of readily available airgun slugs is now far wider than it was just a year ago. Many of the big airgun ammo names are producing slugs and several new players have emerged. Here’s my list of the…
Shotgun wads explained – here’s what you need to know
Besides checking our shotgun cartridges are loaded with the correct shotgun wads type to comply with the rules of the ground we are shooting on, it’s likely we don’t give much thought to that small item between powder charge and shot load. Prior to the introduction of plastic, all wads…
Where can I shoot my air rifle? Can I take it to a public park?
A reader asks “Where can I shoot my air rifle?” Q: I have bought an air rifle, but I do not have a private garden. What is the law on taking an air rifle to a quiet public park for target practice, away from any wildlife or members of the…
My first gun – a Baikal single-barrel 12-bore
I’m proud to say that my first gun was a Baikal. People may smirk but it carries a weight of nostalgia. Although strictly speaking my Baikal single-barrel 12-bore was not my first shotgun. That honour goes to a BSA Snipe, a single-barrel shotgun given to me by my cousin Geoff Hoyle.…
Thermal imaging for airgunners – testing out some options
It wasn’t long ago that basic infrared night-vision optics were regarded as being too expensive, too complicated and too bulky to be a worthwhile proposition for airgun shooters. Just a few years later and thermal imaging for airgunners has become standard equipment for anyone who carries out regular after-dark pest…
Changes to antique firearms regulations
With the passage of the Antique Firearms Regulations 2021, British law includes the definition of what constitutes an antique firearm for the first time in legal history. Previously, there was no such definition, with the law relying on the common or usual meaning of the word ‘antique’ — in other…
Best lightweight rifles – we test a selection
I was two-thirds the way up ‘the Ben’ and puffing some when my companion started. “You should get a lightweight rifle, like mine,” he said. At that moment any rifle would have been too heavy, but I refrained from replying that maybe the 40-year difference in our ages ought to…