Some people are really into knives, having a vast collection of blades from certain manufacturers, or even certain knifemakers, sometimes using them in the real world, but often keeping them in a drawer to be pulled out and admired on occasion. Most of the airgun shooters that I know, however, are not ‘knife guys’ as…

There has always been something very alluring about a single-shot rifle like the Merkel K5 Black Extreme.  It combines a traditional sense of sportsmanship — you have to be a good marksman with only one shot to hand. You also can appreciate the fine-handling, lightweight characteristics benefiting differing hunting scenarios, all of which seem to…

Steiner binoculars have never let me down, so the new Steiner Ranger riflescopes certainly took my interest, especially this new R8 version with an eight-power zoom ratio from four to 32x. I have used a pair of Steiner 12×42 binoculars for most of my hunting trips abroad, from the wet forests of Europe to the…

Having been away from the industry, I’ve missed out on all the new releases, so I’m having fun catching up on what’s come along. I had never heard of Effecto airguns, which are made by the huge Turkish gunmaker Huglu. This company has been making shotguns and firearms for over 100 years, and it’s decided…

The Milwood Coat is designed mainly for driven shooting The Milwood coat from Alan Paine is designed mainly for driven shooting — it is smart, has cartridge pockets, hand-warming pockets and so on. The ‘action back’ is designed to give freedom of movement and the elasticated inner cuffs keep out the weather. But what sets…

Shotguns for wildfowling under £1000 The legal restrictions on lead require wildfowlers to use guns capable of taking steel, bismuth, tungsten and heavy loads. In the 1970s we used to buy in a lot of Spanish 10-bores and open them out to 8-bore. That was fine, but of course by boring the barrels out you’re…

The search for the perfect hunting pellet seems neverending, with manufacturers trying to create the elusive mix of ballistic performance and the sudden transfer of kinetic energy into the killzone of the quarry, and one of the latest contenders is the Black Star .22 from BSA. When I tested the .177 variety, I found these…

Toyota has led the way with electric vehicles for 25 years and it’s come a long way since the launch of the Prius in 1997. The Japanese manufacturer has since expanded its electric range and its latest offering is a dip into the SUV market, the all-electric bZ4X AWD. The bZ4X is available in three…

We love to categorise things don’t we? A pigeonhole for everything. When it comes to air rifles, some come from a premium brand, some are mid-priced, others are affordable, but good, and a few are cheap for a reason. But a select few, like the AirMaks Krait, fall into a classification best described as ‘exotic’. …

This gun test is on the Zoli XL-Evo, a 12-bore, 32in over-and-under. I have waited a long time to get my hands on one of these. There is another Zoli that I was desperate to have a jolly good drool over: the Zoli Z Vintage. Edgar Brothers were kind enough to send me both. Zoli’s…

After shooting the B525 Sporter 1, which I absolutely loved, I was keen to get my hands on a 725 Sporter. The Browning B725 Black Edition is aesthetically pleasing, with its all-black action frame and B725 designation engraved in gold. It is based on the B25 and is innovative while retaining some of the design…