If you haven’t heard of the Royal Berkshire Shooting School then you have probably been living on Mars. The school, founded in 1991, has become synonymous with excellent service, innovative…
Sporting Gun
Shooting memories I’d rather forget …
Following a conversation I had with someone at a game fair recently, I realised that despite there being many thousands of gundogs working in the field not many of their…
Three value-for-money second-hand Sporters
Medalist Sporter More than 30 years ago, the UK Browning importers could offer an impressive range of guns – everything from £1,000-plus competition and game guns to exotic and expensive…
Hunt, point and retrieve – truly versatile dogs
Many years ago, when I started out photographing gundogs, I used to attend quite a few spring pointing tests and it was at these events where I not only saw…
Starting game shooting
Wildfowling If you can’t afford to buy game shooting by the day, or through a syndicate, we recommend you join one of the many UK wildfowling clubs listed with the…
Starting shooting with clays
The first clay pigeon shoots started around 1885 as an affordable alternative to competitions using live pigeons as targets. Shooting schools – particularly those owned by London gunmakers – set…
What’s in a shotgun cartridge case?
For all the good it could do you might as well hammer the barrels into the ground and use it as a fence post or sapling support. Yet cartridges are amazing…
Shooting safely – rules everyone should know
Shooting is rightly proud of its safety record. Compared with any other sport you care to name its safety record is second to none. In fact accidents of any sort…
Starting shooting – how to find an instructor
Getting going – will you get a thump in the shoulder? The thought of firing a shotgun for the first time can be a daunting prospect, especially if you’ve talked to…
Marocchi SI 12
This Marocchi SI 12 semi-auto, supplied by Viking Arms, is a gun that has had very little press in the UK – it should have, though. The company was founded by Stefano Marocchi…
Hare pie with sweet potato, carrots and cabbage
Ingredients for hare pie 4 hare legs (one per portion) 4 tbsp rock salt 1 tbsp cracked black pepper 600ml vegetable oil Filling from 4 large pork sausages 40g pistachio…
Run rabbit run, here comes the lurcher
When I was growing up I used to spend a lot of my school holidays with my grandparents in a small rural village in Kent. Next door lived an old man…
A new series on starting shooting
Funny old world, isn’t it? In spite of society throwing its hands up in horror at the mere mention of guns, shooting as a sport has never been more popular.…
Second-hand semi-autos selection
Mike George picks out three second hand semi autos that you should look out for on the second hand market. He has previously chosen his three favourite second hand Sporters,…
Cartridges for vermin
The game season might be finished but now’s the time to mount an onslaught against those birds and beasties which, given half a chance will steal game bird eggs and…
Lamping with lurchers
A lurcher by definition is a crossbred creature, one created by a number of breeds with the intention to retain attributes from each ingredient of the mixture. Such cocktails have been…
Rifle safety
Safety On ranges, carry your rifle barrel up – if a round is fired towards the ground, there is a danger of ricochet. Always check after firing that your chamber is…
Meet Matt Clark – Sporting Gun’s new Editor
Matt says: “I’m very lucky to have a job that combines my professional skills with my passion. Working on a magazine that I grew up reading is a tremendous privilege…
Pot roasted saddle of venison with mushrooms and asparagus
Ingredients 2½b (1.2kg) saddle of venison 450g mushrooms (any type available) ½ bottle red wine 300ml game stock or beef if game 30 asparagus spears 1 large leek 4 cloves…
How to use trapping and shooting techniques to control squirrels
Now is the time to get on top of all those pest control jobs. With much greater access to the woodland areas we can now make a serious dint in the…