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Purdey Sporter 12-bore on test

At the end of last year, I received an email from Purdey at the Royal Berkshire Shooting School (RBSS), inviting me to a ladies’ shooting afternoon. As I didn’t really want to spend a load of money just before Christmas, I thought, instead, to send the people at Purdey an email to see if they’d…

£42,500

BSA Sportsman: a utilitarian bargain

A couple of years ago, Blast from the Past looked at a Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) product, the No 2 rifle, which entered production in 1909 and persevered well into the 1950s. This month, we look at another of its guns from much the same era, the BSA Sportsman. Unlike the No 2, which was…

£50

Mauser M12 Max: everything about this rifle is impressive

The Mauser M12 range of bolt-action rifles is a perfect example of a company moving with the times in terms of new innovations and technology, while insisting on old-world build quality. Mauser has always been a trusted and respected brand and this new Mauser M12 Max thumbhole laminate-stocked rifle wants for nothing, combining great accuracy,…

£2,952

Our Rating: 93%

Guide TD210

It wasn’t that long ago that hand-held thermal imaging devices were only affordable to the military, police and search and rescue teams, but today the prices have come down dramatically. What you consider affordable depends on how deep your pockets are, and many of the high-quality thermal spotters are £2,000 or more, so I was…

Volvo XC60 Recharge plug-in hybrid T8 AWD Ultimate

Volvo XC60 Since 2008, the Volvo XC60 has become a popular higher-end SUV. The updated XC60 has some modern witchcraft combined with old-fashioned engine power. Available in three specs, the Core comes with the B5 petrol engine; the Plus is available with a diesel, petrol or hybrid; and the top-of-the-range Ultimate has a chalice of…

£68,465

Our Rating: 90%

HIKMICRO Alpex

I’ve tested lots of night vision kit, and none of it ever made me put my hand in my pocket and part with the cash to own it. I’ve got by with a lamp for decades and it would take something special to get me excited, so when I saw the HIKMICRO Alpex my interest…

Longthorne Berkley: “among my top five guns of all time”

On a recent quail hunting trip to North Carolina I was lucky enough to shoot not one but two different guns with 28-bore titanium barrels. The first was a limited-edition Longthorne Valkyrie trigger-plate action weighing 6lb 4oz, and the other was a sidelock over-and-under weighing in at 5lb 2oz. Both were incredible in their own…

£69,161

Our Rating: 97%

Umarex Walther PPK/s

It’s the climax of The Man With The Golden Gun. Francisco Scaramanga challenges James Bond to “a duel between titans – my golden gun against your Walther PPK”. As we all know, Roger Moore’s character emerged victorious, thanks to his trusty handgun. And thanks to Umarex, airgun shooters can get into Bond mode themselves. Sort…

Walther Reign M2

I think it’s only fair to start this review of the Walther Reign M2 by saying that bullpups are not my cup of tea. I understood why people thought they would be a good idea and why many of the military forces of the world use them. A soldier deploying from an armoured personnel carrier…

The new Diamond FFP put to the test

I have a fondness for Nikko Stirling scopes as my first telescopic sight was the firm’s Silver Crown 4×40. Things have come a long way since the simple optic that adorned my beloved Webley Vulcan in 1988, so I jumped at the chance to put the current Diamond FFP model through its paces. Retailing at…

£410

Sportsmatch GC2: an engineering masterpiece

How old does something need to be considered historic? In some cases not very, as proved by the very special air rifle, the Sportsmatch GC2,  pictured here. Some readers who have been involved in the field target (FT) scene over the past 30 years may even recognise it, because this rifle won more than 200…