The shooting season is now well underway and so I think that a timely reminder about gun security in your car would not go amiss. I’m told by my colleague, Detective Chief Superintendent Jo Chilton of the National Ballistic Intelligence Service, that there have been targeted thefts of shotguns in the North West. Certificate holders are…
Safety
What to do if you have a car crash when you’re transporting your gun
Q: Imagine you are on your way to your shoot, with gun, cartridges and dog in your car, when out of nowhere someone crashes into you. Fortunately neither of you are hurt, but both vehicles are immobile. My question is should I call the police, as I can hardly hail…
Etiquette for Young Guns in the field
Q: I have been part of a syndicate for four years and some of the other Guns have started bringing their children with them to shoot in their place. A lot of them seem to be unfamiliar with correct shooting etiquette as they shoot low birds and seem desperate to…
Our beginner’s guide to shooting – what you need to know
Beginner's guide to shooting: Here we have the answers to some of the questions you have asked about starting shooting.
Should you tell off an unsafe Shot?
Q: Last season, I went shooting with a friend of a friend who shoots regularly. His peg was, for most of the day, next to me or at least very close by. Throughout the shoot, he waved his unbroken gun up and down the line and I certainly was not the…
Can you go clayshooting during pregnancy?
We’re all for encouraging Young Guns to take up shooting safely and responsibly. But how young is too young to get involved in shooting? Does shooting clays or game shooting harm an unborn baby? Or is it a good opportunity to get some exercise in the fresh air? Is it…
Is it safe to leave my shotgun in the car?
If I take the fore-end off my shotgun before I leave it locked in the car, is this showing due diligence (assuming the gun’s out of sight and locked up in the car anyway)?
Should cartridge colour denote bore?
Q: Why don’t cartridge makers stick to an internationally agreed colour code for different bore sizes as used to be the case (12-bore were red, 16-bore blue and 20-bore yellow)? Surely this would stop all of these dreadful accidents where people who mix cartridges double-load a 12-bore on top of…
Firearms security
One of the most tragic events of 2016 was the murder of the MP, Jo Cox. She was shot with a sawn-off .22 rifle. Quite how the odious Thomas Mair came to be in possession of it is not known, but it is known that it was previously a lawfully held rifle that had been stolen. It…
The danger of mixing cartridges
A: I once conducted an experiment in order to find out which calibres and cartridges this risk applies to. Of course, chamber and bore dimensions vary quite widely in large-bore guns, particularly older ones. However, an 8-bore cartridge will lodge in the forcing cone of a 4-bore, allowing a 4-bore cartridge to be loaded on top of it, while…
20 golden gun safety rules
Always know where your fellow shooters are Have a quick glance around as you walk onto the stand – it could save a life If anyone hands you a gun (and they’re stupid enough to hand it closed), check to see if the chambers are empty and the barrels clear…
Getting up to speed on partridges
There is something very English about shooting partridges over stubbles in autumn. Once, the majority of driven shooting in England was partridges; not the French red-legged variety but our own beautiful English, or grey, partridge. Modern agriculture in the 1980s sadly had a huge effect on the stronghold of the grey, but there are committed landowners and farmers out there…
Are you shooting yourself to deaf?
An estimated 15,000 people will develop Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) in Britain this year, largely through occupational exposure. The National Institute of Health reports that 15 per cent of all Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have some degree of high-frequency hearing loss. Shooters who forgo or lack hearing protection, whether in the field or on the…
Fancy an affordable way of grouse shooting?
It always amazes me how quickly the season comes around, but here we go again — and if you are about to head north, I am sure the excitement is building. Grouse shooting, especially early-season driven grouse, is an expensive form of shooting. However, if you are keen to try shooting this amazing wild bird, then walked-up grouse…
Can my wife use my gun cabinet for her shotguns?
A: Every firearm and shotgun certificate carries a statutory condition which states that: “(a) The firearms and ammunition [or shotguns] to which the certificate relates must at all times (except in the circumstances set out in paragraph (b) below) be stored securely so as to prevent so far as is reasonably…
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 are exceptionally rare. This happy state of affairs exists because sportsmen treat their gun and fellow shooters with the utmost…
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 clear, and remove the bolt once you have finished firing your rounds. Many ranges insist on breech flags to show…
Why you should never fire a gun without wearing ear defenders
This tale of ringing in the ears, light-headedness, mild nausea and headaches will have you reaching for the ear protection every time you shoot
Etiquette: How to get invited back to shoot
Receiving an invitation to go shooting of one of the sport’s great pleasures. Hopefully you’ll receive several during the season. But have you never noticed a falling-off in the offers you receive. Or wondering why they have stopped altogether? What is the problem? Could you be doing something wrong? We…
Learning to shoot and cook game in Somerset
My experience of clay pigeon shooting has largely been limited to team-building days. And I found them immensely frustrating. For whilst some of my colleagues picked up their shotguns and were away, hitting clays with just about every shot, I was a complete amateur and a quick 10 minute lesson…