When you’re out in the field or on a shooting ground your gun should be broken at all times (unless of course you are aiming at a target). Make sure guns are unloaded and carried in gun slips whenever possible. This way everyone knows they’re safe. 1. Beretta Light Transformer…
Safety
Shooting has an enviable safety record and we must all strive to keep it that way so whether you’re out in the field game shooting or at the clay ground it is important that you put safety first.
These are articles from our experts with rules everyone should follow – beginners and those who have been shooting for years included. We have useful information about firearms licensing, interesting facts about why you should protect your hearing while shooting and how to keep Young Shots safe too.
Should the safety on all guns be automatic?
Intercepting safety sears on the tumbler of a gun are supposed to stop accidental discharges if the gun is dropped, or jarred, by accident.
Six of the best ear defenders for under £35
Use it or lose it really is the case. Protecting your hearing when you’re out shooting is one of the key shooting safety rules. Ear defenders are an efficient way of doing this and many people find them particularly comfortable to use. We’ve picked out six of the best ear…
Four of the best electronic ear defenders
Ear protection is one of the key shooting safety rules. Numerous shooters complain of deafness, and, possibly the worse affliction, tinnitus – a constant ringing sound. The old ear defenders, which meant that you were cut off from the world, are no longer inflicted on us. Today sudden loud or sharp noises, whether from your own…
Garden airgunning
If you have a moderate sized garden then you probably have enough room to set up a shooting range for an air rifle. Long warm evenings mean you can enjoy a spot of airgunning after work and improve your markmanship along the way. It’s also a good time to introduce…
Cartridge safety rules
Reloading your shotgun cartridges is popular in places like America but nobody in the UK (with the possible exception of a few wildfowlers) seems to bother. Why is this?
Where should I keep my gun cabinet keys safely?
On Sunday August 10 1997 a police officer called at the house of Mr Mark Farrer. He wanted to inspect his firearms security. Mr Farrer was not at home. His mother, then in her 80s, who did not hold a certificate, fetched the officer the key and allowed him access to the gun cabinet. The Chief Constable then declined…
What happens to my gun when I’m at the shoot lunch?
Err on the side of caution when it comes to gun security, Bill Harriman advises, as you may be seen as the criminal if a theft was preventable
Effective pest control with an airgun
What do you do when grey squirrels, rats and corvids are robbing nests of eggs? You get out the airgun - and you lay in wait, as Mat Manning explains
6 of the best gun cabinets
Remember all gun cabinets and gun safes must conform to the British standard, have secure gun locks and be fixed to a secure structure. Contact your local police firearms department if you have a query on where to fit your gun cabinet or safe. The police prefer a gun cabinet…
What is the closest to a public road you can legally use a shotgun?
Where a field is bordered by a public footpath, what is the minimum distance at which one can safely and legally shoot a shotgun?
Gun security in your car – your responsibilities
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…
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…