Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i Sporting Gun

Sporting Gun is now offi cially middle aged. After a bit of a makeover the old girl isn’t looking too bad for her age and we wanted to mark the actual month that the magazine was born with a special souvenir issue. We haven’t gone overboard on articles looking back, however, you will enjoy Robin Scott’s “Parting Shot” about the office in his day. Sadly, Sporting Gun’s new offices are not next door to a pub, but we still have great fun putting the magazine together. We couldn’t produce Sporting Gun without our great contributors and I would like to pay tribute to their hard work. Many of them their work for the magazine around busy day jobs and don’t get paid an awful lot for their trouble. They write…

Over the last few months I have got phone calls and emails from former contributors and long-time readers. I always enjoy these communications because I learn so much and they give me ideas for the magazine. For example, Des Mills, who wrote the excellent, and almost prophetic, review of the Lanber Sporter in the April 1987 issue of Sporting Gun got in touch. Now in retirement, he told me how he had enjoyed his time with the magazine and enjoyed reading the latest issue. Another conversation was on Sporting Gun’s Facebook page. Geoff Bickers, who has bought the magazine from the first issue and is a very accomplished shot, mentioned that he has appeared in the magazine in the past (see his letter on page 10). He sent a few…

A tense shoot-off decided the winner of this year’s Handicap Challenge at the Royal Berkshire Shooting School (RBSS). Kevan Marks and Becky Elmore, both scoring 98 ex 100 (including handicap), battled it out to decide the highest scoring individual. Kevan, using a Beretta semi-auto, was declared the winner and took home the star prize, a Browning Heritage shotgun worth more than £6,000. Becky held her nerve in the 10-bird decider, missing the top prize by just one clay. The Handicap Challenge ran for 11 weeks from 2 February and this year saw a record number of entries. It culminated in the final on 2 May with top 40 CPSA handicapped scores and top 20 RBSS handicapped scores going head to head on a new 100 target layout. Speaking to Kevan…

“Times have changed and there are now a lot of opportunities for women” Now I know what some people will be thinking about taking their partner shooting because it can be seen as a cardinal rule to keep the sport as an escape from domestic bliss. However, I am a great believer in encouraging anyone to take up the sport, especially when it comes to youngsters and women. Times have changed in recent years and there are now a lot of opportunities for women to become involved in fieldsports, they even have their own specific groups such as the Femmes Fatales and Chelsea Bun Club to name a couple. Charlie’s story Charlie already had a keen interest in country pursuits before we met – we actually met through a small…

GUNDOGS GRAHAM WATKINS A professional gundog trainer for more than 35 years and runs Gamegoer Gundogs. VET NEIL MCINTOSH A practising vet in Scotland. TUITION JOHN BIDWELL 6 times World FITASC champ and pro shooting coach. LEGAL DAVID FROST Author of Sporting Shooting and the Law. TECHNICAL MIKE GEORGE Engineering author with a deep love of gunmaking. PIGEONS PETER THEOBALD Author of Woodpigeon: The Ultimate Quarry. STALKING GEORGE WALLACE Former National Gamekeepers’ Organisation’s firearms consultant. RABBITS ED COOK Professional rabbit catcher working over 30,000 acres. PEST CONTROL & WILDFOWLING TOM SYKES Passionate wildfowler and pest controller.…

After a busy game and wildfowl season, I’m at last beginning to get most of my commissioned taxidermy work up-to-date. One of the great pleasures of doing the job is never knowing just what will be brought in, what new challenge lies ahead and just what skills you are expected to possess, for while many of these challenges are desirable, others are rather less so. But variety is the spice of life and it’s often a new experience to handle the latest specimen to be delivered. Spare heads? Several years ago, an old farmer turned up one morning with a beautiful cock golden pheasant. The immaculate body feathers were the usual gorgeous mixture of reds, yellows, greeny-blue and golden orange, but there was definitely something important missing. Right where its…

I’ve long been a fan of softshell. The freedom of movement this stretchy, modern material gives makes it ideal for shooting. I regularly wear one to the airgun range, but its “tactical” look and design mean it’s not suitable for shotgun shooting. I have always lamented this because clay shooting is a sport where freedom of movement is just as vital as in airgunning, afterall, that’s why shooting vests were invented. The only problem with a waistcoat is that if the weather is wet or cold, you have to bundle yourself up with a shooting jacket, which is usually made of material and can restrict your movement. Freedom of movement An answer to this problem has come in the form of the Winster Softshell Jacket. It will protect you from…

As part of the endless tinkering that goes on with firearms legislation and licensing procedures, 1 April 2016 saw yet another change. This time the intention was to get GPs more closely involved in the licensing process. Some of us warned at the time that there would be a shambles but it’s fair to say our worst fears have been exceeded. Why did we get in this mess and what should you do if it affects you? Early days In the early days of firearms licensing there were few medical considerations. In recent years we’ve become accustomed to answering vaguely worded medical questions. Attitudes began to change after Christopher Foster murdered his family in 2008. It turned out he had been having suicidal feelings but the GP seemed unaware of…

INGREDIENTS Serves one • 2 pigeon breasts • 3 spears of asparagus • Salt and pepper • Lemon juice •½ small leek • Butter • 3 new potatoes • 200ml double cream Cooking method 1 Add the new potatoes to a pan of boiling water. Once cooked, drain and then cool. Gently heat a pan with the double cream, salt, pepper and lemon juice before adding the cooked new potatoes. Then, chop the leeks into thin slices and add to the pan. Simmer on a gentle heat for six minutes, stiring to ensure it is evenly cooked. 2 While the potatoes and leek are cooking, heat a different pan and add some oil. Season the pigeon breasts with salt, pepper and oil. Once the oil in the pan begins to…

Considering the vast numbers of gunmakers that operated in Britain during Georgian and Victorian times, very few have stood the test of time and still operate today. Out of the many that disappeared into the pages of history there are a few “greats”, whose legacy still makes them a household name among the shooting fraternity. Probably the most famous of these would be Joseph Manton. Exceptionally fine weapons Arriving in London in 1789, Joseph Manton initially worked for his brother John, also rated as one of the finest gunmakers that has ever lived. Joseph always believed his way was better though, and soon separated from his brother’s business, setting up his own and eventually becoming bitter rivals. At a time when the aristocracy of France was being butchered on a…

So Sporting Gun magazine’s 40 years old? Just where has all the time gone? Since its tentative launch against stiff competition way back when, the old gal has established herself as the shooting market’s undisputed leader where audited copy sales are concerned. And that’s all thanks to you. Your unstinting support, encouragement, advice and criticism made my 27 years in the editor’s chair a piece of the proverbial. There wasn’t a day I didn’t turn up for work without a smile on my face. Enjoyable? Yes. Fun? Definitely. It came in masses! So it’s laughable to think I came within a second or two of turning down the job when it was offered. At the time I was totally immersed in editing a sea fishing magazine as well as…

Purdey, the famous custom gunmakers, have announced that they have “Best” London guns and rifles in stock for immediate sale, so you can avoid the two year waiting list for a bespoke order. Prices start from: £110,000 + VAT Visit: www.purdey.com To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Pinewood has produced a special ladies anniversary fleece in Realtree Xtra camo. Made from 240g anti-pilling fleece, the garment features hot pink embroidery. Sizes: XS - XXL RRP: £76 Visit: www.pinewood.eu German optics company, Leica has expanded its entry level binocular range to include two new models. The Trinovid HD 8x32 and HD 10x32 are said to offer an exceptionally brght clear view and pin sharp resolution. RRP: £825 to £875 Visit: www.uk.leica-camera.com…

One of the best things about being a specialist writer is that you avoid the tedious general journalistic merry-go-round of braying politicians, idiots with crackpot axes to grind, and self-centred so-called “celebrities,” and get to talk to real people. What’s more, work is fun – and that’s why I’ve tried to make my living by writing about countryside sports for more than 50 years. It’s great to enjoy a day’s shooting or fishing and call it “essential research”. Magazine launch Now let me take you back to the year 1977… That was the year publishing group Emap decided to launch a shooting magazine, to compliment its successful angling titles. But it had one problem: it didn’t have an editor in mind. Then some bright spark said: “Oh, Mike knows all…

The largest and most common of our pigeon and doves, the woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) is both widespread and familiar throughout all parts of the UK apart from mountainous areas. Weighing in at around 1lb to 1¼lb (450 to 550g) the bird needs little introduction. Roughly 16 inches from beak to tail, the uniform blue-grey upperparts are lighter on the rump with blackish primaries and tail tip. Below, the pinkish-purple breast fades to light blue-grey towards the tail. Edged with violet and shimmering green, prominent white neck patches – used as warning signs – are particularly noticeable when the head goes up in alarm. The conspicuous white wing-patches provide a powerful signaling device as a bird flutters down to feed, drawing in others from afar. Habitat Also known as the Ringdove,…

One of the perennial issues facing the air gunner who wants to move up to something bigger is where to go next. Likewise, there are also shooters who already have large centrefires, but find that they need to shoot in places where they are way too powerful. In both situations, the question is whether it’d be better to buy an FAC air rifle or a rimfire of some kind. Many consider the former to be unnecessary, and that the latter will do everything they can do. My personal opinion is that there’s a place for both – I have FAC air rifles in both .22 and.25, as well as a .17 HMR in my cabinets. One of the benefits of going for an FAC air rifle is that they can…

“The high towers here are always a big draw and they’ll soon be joined by a 140ft giant” Place: Grimsthorpe Estate Shooting Ground, Scottlethorpe Lane, Edenham, Bourne, Lincs PE10 OLN. Telephone 01778 591128. Easy to find? Yes, it’s close to Edenham village on the A151 connecting the market town of Bourne with the A1 at Colsterworth. When you reach Edenham turn into Scottlethorpe Lane and follow the single tracked road for about one mile. 9 Disciplines: Sporting, Sporting and Sporting – English, FITASC and Sportrap. 9 Traps: There are 40 or more automatic traps, all Promatic (except for two Laporte rabbit launchers) servicing innumerable Sporting stands. There are no pay-per-clay counters in use here, so you will need a pal to button the targets. 7 Target quality/variety: Whahaaaa… brilliant! Grimsthorpe’s…

“When a box is installed it can take some time for rabbits to use them” It's been a few years since I installed my first drop box, 17 in fact! From our last count I think the business was responsible for monitoring more than 500 dropboxes scattered across quite an area. I dread to think how to many we have installed for others to check, but it would be a notable amount more. What is a dropbox? Dropboxes are as the name suggests, a box that something (normally rabbits) drop inside. These traps work alongside a rabbit fence, which acts as a giant funnel to guide the rabbits into the tunnel system where the box is located. The rabbit fence needs to be constructed to the correct specification so the…

Low light conditions sort out the men from the boys when it comes to optics. Budget scopes – while offering reasonable image quality in good light conditions – often become useless when the light starts to fade. The mid-range new Zeiss Conquest V6 2 – 12 x 50 scope boasts an impressive 92 per cent light transmission, so I took it for an evening stalk to see how it faired in low light conditions. The range Naturally, before I ventured into the field with a new scope and rifle, I needed some range time. I went to the ZEISS Centre of Excellence, DGVM Ltd, in Cambridgeshire and the Conquest was mounted on a new Blaser R8 rifle. I always think it’s important to match the scope and rifle in terms…

Gamekeepers, ghillies and stalkers are an independent bunch. Working alone and dealing with the many and varied pressures it takes to bring us the sport we love so much, theirs is a wonderful profession, but it’s also a tough one. Indeed, few occupations demand more. Retirement can be a peculiarly painful when a life has been lived actively and largely outdoors. Add to that the other issues that bedevil life; bereavement, unemployment, redundancy, loss of housing and the strain can become overwhelming, often for whole families. When hard times strike there are precious few places to turn. Which is what makes the Gamekeepers Welfare Trust (GWT) and the work it does so vital. Following on from the Gamekeepers Benevolent Trust, the GWT was formed back in 1992 with the support…

“I have been concentrating on Ted’s obedience, retrieving and steadiness” I find dog training at this time of the year quite frustrating. The nettles started growing very early this season and it is becoming more difficult to find areas to hunt Ted. I have one small rough grass field that I use and that is okay at the moment, but I know that it won’t be long before the thistles start to grow through and obviously that will limit what exercises I can do with him. However, all is not lost and I have taken the plunge and decided that next month I will see how Ted goes in a couple of working tests. Due to the way the Sporting Gun deadlines work, by the time you read this I…

The roe rut is about to kick off towards the end of July and it is quite a spectacle with demented bucks hurtling around packed with testosterone, they may be fertile but they've certainly lost their marbles! For the deer stalker it is the one time when we may be lucky to call a deer to us, and that is a thrilling experience. It is really about being in the right spot at the right time. Knowledge of the ground always helps, but, even so, Roe buck calling is an activity where the odds are very much in the deers favour, so don’t expect success every time – it simply will not happen. Success in the buck calling game really relies on the depth of the stalker’s knowledge of the…

2020 British competitive shooters are preparing to change disciplines ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as it become likely the 50m rifle, double trap shotgun and 50m pistol events will be dropped. 40 Scottish ladies shooting club Glad Rags & Cartridge Bags welcomed a record number of 40 shooters to is latest event held at Saplinbra House, Aberdeenshire. 1,160,359 The Countryside Alliance Thunderclap campaign taking a stand against the online abuse of people in the countryside achieved a social media reach of almost 1.2million people. 774-acre estate Llechweddygarth, Llangynog, near Oswestry, which hosts one of the top high pheasant shoots in Wales, has gone on the market. Asking price and viewing is available by contacting Halls’ headquarters in Shrewsbury, tel 01743 450700. £800m The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) says that…

Old smokey In his article on “The art of Terriers” in last month’s magazine, Nick Ridley wrote about a “specially formulated liquid” for rat runs. Can you advise if this liquid is commercially available, or if it could be made up at home, please ? Clive Bower, via email Nick replies: Thanks for your e-mail, Clive, here is the rat liquid web address – www.shootright.co.uk. It is called, Rat Attack Smoker Fluid and can be bought from Shoot Right. It is specially formulated to work in the rat smokers they manufacture. It is very effective as unlike the use of old chainsaws, which produce carbon monoxide, the rats are not suffocated underground and are more likely to bolt. It produces a smoke that is quite thick and permutates through the…

Members of the shooting industry gathered at the 22nd Time Inc. Shooting Trade Awards at Brandon Hall, near Coventry, to celebrate their achievements over the previous year. The awards are the only event of its kind in the UK and companies ranging from gun makers to clothing designers attended the evening hoping to win one of the coveted Time Inc. awards. Winners were picked by a specialist panel of eight judges drawn from the sporting press and shooting organisations. Hazel Eccles, Managing Director of the Fieldsports Group at Time Inc. said: “With so many entries, it is clear that the shooting industry is bursting with innovative people.” The finalists and winners New footwear product Finalists: • Le Chameau Condor LCX • Fairfax and Favor Imperial Explorer • Musto Brampton •…

“If the birds are dropping into a certain part of the field, then that is where you set up” As experienced decoyers, we all know the importance of reconnaissance. How else would we know where and when to set out for a day’s shooting? But what does it mean for the novice pigeon shooter? With little knowledge of the bird's habits, how do they start to learn the fascinating art of decoying? I was fortunate to have grown up on a farm, so I had ample opportunity to watch pigeons going about their daily business, and quickly soaked up and stored the information I gained with my own eyes. Even so, it was a long time before I started to understand the finer points of when to, or not to,…

LEGAL Buzz off to buzzards? Q I operate Larsen traps for magpies and a ladder trap for crows on the family farm. This year buzzards have moved in for the first time and I have trapped three of them. Each has been carefully removed, and released on site, but two of them – both tagged – have now been caught twice. Is it legal for me to box future captives, drive 20 miles up the road, and release them there, unharmed? A David says: Firstly I suggest you look at where and how you are setting the Larsen and ladder traps to see if you can reduce the likelihood of catching a buzzard. It would not be lawful to box buzzards and release them elsewhere unless you had a licence…

“There is no point in asking someone to shoot something they cannot see” We have a continual debate in our club about how easy or difficult the 40 target layout should be for our summertime Thursday evening shoots. Each week we have rotating teams of members setting up the speeds and angles on our auto-traps under the watchful eye of club Safety Officers. Maybe it’s because I have helped set up countless shoots over the years, but I instinctively know when going from stand to stand whether it’s a young blood or an old wrinkly who has been doing a bit of planning and plotting to catch us out. We have the full spectrum of members, all ages and both sexes, from novices to very competent shots, and the secret…

“The large cocking handle and bolt release make for easyloading” As we are still in summer season clay shooting mode, this month I thought I would try the Breda 930i to take a look at. I have to say I wasn’t sure what to expect at all because I hadn’t seen one in the flesh before. And, again, like the last few guns I’ve looked at I was pleasantly surprised. Breda is a multi-faceted company not just making Sporting and competition shotguns, it also is involved in maritime engines, thermal power plants, locomotive construction as well as special steel construction. In 1953 the Breda company was sub-divided into smaller more manageable and specialised companies. From this, Breda Meccanica Bresciana was born. New Italian When most people think of Italian semiautomatic…

 Why did you become a keeper? “You’ve got to be determined and need to love that way of life” Now this is a long story, it has a bit of a twist. I was brought up in it, my dad was a gamekeeper, so I knew the world of keepering. For my sins I married a keeper, we were married for around 10 years, but we split up – and this was the estate he was working, where I am now. When he did his midnight disappearing act, he just left everything. I love where I live and I love this estate and I just wanted something to do. So I asked the boss to let me look after the pheasants while I sorted myself out – so that’s how…

“Older dogs can be affected by lung and heart problems... or both!” This is a very good question but unfortunately not one that can be answered easily. I certainly appreciate your candour, because an honest, genuine history is an important part of the diagnosis in any coughing dog. It is worth stating that the results of a four year study at the Animal Medical Centre of Nihon University, Kanagawa, Japan, showed that passive tobacco smoke exposure (PTSE) made virtually every canine respiratory condition worse. While it is likely that PTSE actually causes damage, it is very clear that it exacerbates pre-existing lung and heart problems. As far as your girl is concerned, we would need to differentiate between the common causes of coughing in older dogs. Obviously, most youngsters present…

“I don’t think there’s anything more exciting than watching a dog take a line” I was recently chewing the fat with a friend about a trip I had taken last autumn to the Yorkshire Dales to shoot rabbits over my cockers. He was very envious and made it quite clear how lucky I was. He was correct, I am lucky, and over the years I have been fortunate enough to have met some very kind and generous gundog trainers and handlers that have, on occasions, given me the chance to enjoy what in my humble opinion is the ultimate combination of shooting and dog work. Two functions The very function of rabbiting can be split into two sections – sport and pest control. Although there is some common ground, they…

• MAX PRICE: £650 • TYPE: Don’t mind • MAIN PURPOSE: Club sporting clays and pigeons from a hide • PREFERRED MAKE: Anything Turkish. Mike George’s buying advice It surprises me that sensitivity to recoil seems to have little to do with physical build. I’ve met guys built like Jack who find recoil painful, and also skinny guys like me who don’t seem to suffer at all. It’s not that I don’t bruise when shooting heavy loads, but I don’t notice the bruises until I’m in the shower when I get home, and they go away quickly. There are obvious cures like making sure the gun fits and is mounted properly, and soft rubber butt pads can be fitted – although they can snag on clothing when trying to mount the gun quickly. If…

GUNS FOR SALE Webley MK3 air rifle,.177 underlever, unused, 1970s, £200. Tel 01214 306534 (Birmingham). Winchester 101, 20-bore, O/U, 3-inch chamber, very good condition, £700. Tel 01379 853813 (Norfolk). Baikal 12-bore, s/s ejector, 28in barrels, ¼ and ½ chokes, vgc, £75. Tel 01223 249400 (Cambridgeshire). Browning A1 trap, choked full and full, 30in barrels, vgc, tel 07866 883616 (Herefordshire). Browning 525, right-handed Sporter, 30in barrels, M/C, mint condition, as new, £900. Tel 01642 489580 (North Yorkshire). Classic 1980 Miroku 3800, grade three trap, 30in barrels, wide rib, full and full choke, vgc, £795. Tel 01214 306534 (Birmingham). Remington Versa Max, 12-bore shotgun, autoloading, very good condition, £650. Tel 01633 412548 (South Wales). Baikal hushpower, brand new, in box, 1 year’s warranty, never been shot, offers. Tel 07510 622203 (Lancashire). Baikal,…

GUNS adj— adjustableble— boxlock ejectorblne— boxlock non ejectorbrls— barrelsc/w— complete withcyl— cylinderdb— double barreldt— double triggerej— ejectorex con— excellent conditionfac— firearms certificatefc— fixed chokegc— good conditiongrd— gradehg— hammer gunimp— improvedltwt— lightweightm/c— multi-chokemod— modifiedo/u— over and underono— or near offerovno— or very near offerp/x— part exchangepa— pump actionrf— rimfirernds— rounds (ammunition)sa— semi-automaticsb— single barrelsbs— side by sidesle— side lock ejectorslne— sidelock no ejectorsst— single selective triggertge— teague chokesu/l— underlevervgc— very good condition DOGS b/w— black and whiteess— English springer spanielftaw— field trial award winnerftch— field trial championftw— field trial winnerhpr— hunt, point and retrievekc— kennel clubl/w— liver & whitelab— labradorlabradoodle— labrador/ poodle crossspanador— spaniel/ labrador crosssprocker— springer/ cocker cross…

Email us now to to place your FREE* gun advert or click on www.gunsforsale.shootinguk.co.uk  and have it advertised ONLINE as well! Send us an email at sportinggun_shopfront@timeinc.com and include: • Your name • Your address • Your postcode • Your daytime telephone number • And, most importantly, details about the item/s you have for sale or wish to advertise. To place your ONLINE advertisement (guns only) and add a picture of the gun you are selling go to: www.gunsforsale.shootinguk.co.uk. *There is a fee of £5 for online advertising for guns costing more than £1,000. This feature is not open to members of the gun trade If you don’t have email Alternatively, if you don’t have access to email or the Internet, you can still send your personal details…