I've been shooting now for 12 years with the same 28in Miroku 800SW.
Sporting Gun
Wanted – a bargain claybuster to replace old Browning B325
This reader’s Browning B325 could date back to 1995 when the model was introduced, and I am guessing it is around 25 years old. These guns keep their value, and a reasonable example is worth…
How to start ferreting
Ferreting is one of those activities that can be as complicated or as simple as you make it. For a newcomer it can seem quite daunting when you consider all the bits and bobs that…
Webley & Scott 1012 Sporter
Having sold a lot of Webley & Scott 900 series shotguns over the last few years, I hold them in high regard. So high, in fact, that I bought a 920 game gun for my…
Webley & Scott Xocet
Both my shooting partner, Paul, and I were intrigued to find out what the new, affordable Xocet from Webley & Scott would be like. Coming from a famous stable with a background of solid, dependable…
How to be an ideal beater
The ideal beater Nothing makes my job easier than a good team of reliable beaters and picker-ups. In any beating team there is normally a core that know the ground better and…
The Handicap Challenge – a competition for all at the Royal Berkshire Shooting School
What is the Handicap Challenge? It is an open, handicapped, 100 target, English Sporting championship held over 11 weeks, with the course built to a “par” score of 94 ex-100. The course,…
Pigeon shooting days – how they have changed!
Shooters of my age often lament that things were better in “the good old days”, when all you had to do was throw an old stuffed grey sock out on a likely looking field and…
Shooting problems in the field – and how to handle them
Mud – foot movement killer Heavy, wet mud is the biggest killer of foot movement, and foot position is the foundation of good shotgun shooting. If it’s difficult to move quickly to take a crossing target…
Guns to buy before the price goes up
If I was thinking of buying a new gun I would be tempted to do it right now, as prices could well go up quite steeply in the not-too distant future. It’s because of…
Rizzini RB EM 16-bore
Rizzini is a gunmaker steadily making inroads into the British guntrade. It has some very attractive models at good value-for-money prices. This is my favourite in the range: the Rizzini RB EM 16-bore . The RB…
A visit to Will Garfit’s award-winning shoot
I’ve heard a great deal about Will Garfit’s 1988 Laurent Perrier Award winning 70 acre shoot, and last January I managed to finally see what all the fuss was about. Known by its proper…
Can I keep a shotgun in my mum’s house?
David says: You need to raise the matter with your licensing department. Somehow I don’t think they’d be happy with such an arrangement. Personally I wouldn’t be too worried about transporting your gun to and…
There are big differences between Labradors and spaniels …
As the shooting season draws to a close it is time for us to reflect on what has gone well with our gundogs, but more importantly what has gone wrong and will need working on…
What ground cover is the hardest for a gundog to work?
A multi-purpose gundog of any breed should be able to deal with anything that is put in front of it. But depending on what part of the country you live in, or whether you…
Firearms licensing in the Thames Valley
“What we know from experience is that widespread use of these [Section 7 permits] places an additional administrative demand on the Licensing Department which far from resolving the problem for our licence holders ultimately exacerbates it.” That’s from…
A lesson shooting overhead clays from behind
The target The target that Geoff had chosen to look at was an overhead clay from behind – the reversal of an incomer. This target is not only a challenge for the…
What’s a gundog worth?
Last week I started my 2016/17 picking-up season at my regular shoot, near Henley-On-Thames in Oxfordshire. During lunch there was the normal early season grumblings about how much people get paid and how such and…
Beaters’ pay and the living wage
Most of us go beating or picking-up for fun and don’t think of it as a form of employment with formal beaters’ pay. There are few exceptions to this principle, such as in areas…
Get shot of No. 9s…
John says: Too many people hamper their scores by constantly changing chokes and worrying about shot sizes. They seem to forget that No. 8 shot – and certainly 7½ shot – fired through ¼ and ½ choke will cope…