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…
Safety
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…
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…
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…
10 tips for being the perfect shooting host!
Read our quick guide to becoming the perfect shoot day host!
Pardon? Why shooters should ALWAYS wear ear protection
One of the safety rules of shooting should certainly be that the shooter wears efficient ear protection at all times. (Read our shortlist of the best ear defenders.) Take a cavalier attitude to protecting your hearing and you risk profound deafness and the lifelong misery of tinnitus with all the…
Top pigeon shooting tips from Will Garfit
Want to make the most of your sporting day? Here are 10 practical pigeon shooting tips.
Why unannounced police visits are wrong
As new Home Office guidance sanctions evidence-led unnanounced police visits, David Frost explores the contradictions of this punitive campaign
How to stop a dog fight
Three Shooting Times gundog experts consider the best way to stop a dog fight – and how to prevent it in the first place
Bullet placement when deer stalking
Stalking trends come and go. From calibres to optics, all have their time. Fashion also influences the shots we take, and currently the head or high neck shot seems to be in vogue. Of all the decisions a stalker makes, bullet placement is surely one of the most critical. Not…
Rabbit shooting – safety is no accident
Rabbit shooting can be as risky as it is thrilling. Simon Whitehead takes a few friends rabbiting to highlight the potential dangers of shooting over ferrets
Safety review for country workers
It has recently been announced that an inquiry is to be conducted into the death of a Scottish gamekeeper, which could have major implications for people who work alone in remote areas of the countryside throughout the UK.