Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2016 i Sporting Gun

“We are the first to get our hands on the new Ridgeline Turbulence Smock, which will be available later this month” It’s been a hell of a month. Since the last issue the UK has voted to leave the EU, we have a new Prime Minister, a new cabinet, there has been a terror attack in Nice and an attempted coup in Turkey. Indeed we are undergoing great change and at times like this, when many of us are anxious about our future, it’s good to have a sport that helps us escape from what can be grim reality. Getting out into the countryside can help put things into perspective, especially when you are with a like minded friend. This month we are celebrating friendship with our shooting buddies with…

“Not a single bird was at home, nor did one even so much as cross the field during the two hours we waited” A lot of people view pigeon shooting as a solitary sport; one man pitting his wits against a truly wild quarry. But over the years, I have tended to share the experience with close and trusted friends. True, they have come and gone for various reasons, usually because they did not share my passion for the sport with the same intensity I did. That changed seven years ago when Paul Payne outbid everyone to secure the day’s pigeon shooting for two that I’d donated to BASC’s sporting auction. Little did I know, that this was to be the beginning of a friendship of two dedicated pigeon shooters,…

WHERE THEY WERE SHOT 1 Name: Dean Gibbs Location: Hampshire Here is a picture Dean Gibbs on a recent shooting trip in Hampshire. The total bag was 337, made up of 68 wood pigeons and mixed corvids. His partner, Laura Winstanley, said: “These were decoyed using two of the new Sillosick Hypa Flap Decoys and 20 crow decoys.” 2 Name: Peter Kench Location: York This photo of Pete Kench and his friend Liam was taken on a flatch patch of wheat field just outside of York. Pete said: “Together, myself and a friend shot a total of 441 for 848 shots in around seven hours of shooting. It was mine and Liam’s best day ever.” 3 Name: Dale Johnson Location: Bedfordshire Here is a photo of Bedfordshire gamekeeper Dale Johnson…

One of the joys of foxing during the warmer months is that, severe weather aside, the ground is not only generally hard enough to drive on, but the crops have usually been cut. This means you can often get access to places that previously were unshootable – with the added bonus that the vegetation is no longer too long to see your quarry. The great exception to this is, of course, maize – which I hate with a vengeance because it seems to harbour every sort of agricultural pest going, and depending on the year and its intended use, doesn’t tend to get cut until much later. Leftovers When the cutters go through a field of grass or cereals there are always lots of dead things left behind such as…

In September 2015 HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) published its report into the efficiency and effectiveness of the firearms licensing system. It had the infelicitous title “Targeting the Risk” which rather suggests that legitimate firearms owners are a problem – we aren’t. Moreover it later goes on to talk about its recommendations “all of which are designed to protect the public”. Of course we don’t want unsuitable people in possession of firearms but oughtn’t there to be something about the standard of service the police should be providing to the certificate holder? HMIC didn’t inspect the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Firearms and Explosives Licensing Working Group (FELWG) but took a side swipe at it. FELWG is responsible for developing policy, maintaining standards and securing consistency of approach between forces. The…

There is no doubt that the terrier breeds are the “hard men” of the canine world, ready to take on their quarry above and below ground. Most terrier breeds were developed in Great Britain and Ireland, and before legislation changed, they could be worked for quarry such as rats, rabbits, foxes, mink while traditionally they were also used to hunt badgers and otters. Different localities raised terriers to suit their hunting or vermin control needs, hence we ended with breed types such as the Border, Lakeland, fell or Patterdale terrier. Early hunting terriers were used in sporting contests due to their “gameness”. Initially they competed in events such as clearing a pit of rats. According to the Sporting Chronicle Annual, the world record in a rat killing contest is held…

Putting up release pens, siting feed hoppers and drinkers is labour-intensive and it can all come to nothing if you don’t look after your birds properly. On my shoot, my first batch of birds to leave the rearing field are put in the release pens normally around the second week in June. This is part of a rolling programme of taking the birds to the release pens on a weekly basis. Difficult weather This year has been difficult because of the amount of rain and deciding whether to hold the birds back from the release pens or go for it has been a dilemma. The warm and wet weather we have been having is perfect for bacteria and worms to prosper. As such, constant monitoring is critical at this time.…

The deluge that has been summer so far has been a pain in the neck. The number of times I’ve been caught in the rain out shooting and with the dog is ridiculous, so I was very fortunate to be given this smock to test. And, let me tell you, I’ve worn it a lot as my part of Lincolnshire seems to have had endless rain for weeks. Made by New Zealand company, Ridgeline, the Turbulence Smock is specifically designed for shooters. It is also made for the rain, and they certainly get a lot of that in New Zealand, so Ridgeline should know what they are doing. Smock As a smock you need to pull it over your head, rather like a cagoule. Unlike a jacket, the smock does…

Stalking roe deer is a challenging experience full of a variety of emotions. No matter what happens it is always a pleasure being out in the woods. Some sunsets make it worthwhile even when the hunt is not successful, which is often the outcome. It can also be both exhilarating and frustrating all at the same time. Roe deer are a truly wild animal with senses that we can never hope to match. Thousands of years ago we did have some of those capabilities, although not even close to theirs, but on the whole we have lost most of that now apart from some of what we may call the primitive hunters that still exist, such as the Kalahari bushmen who live a nomadic life among the animals they live…

No ban on lead shot OUTGOING DEFRA secretary Elizabeth Truss last month announced that the Government had rejected the recommendation of the Lead Ammunition Group (LAG) report to ban the use of lead ammunition. The LAG was set up in 2010 to investigate the possible risks to wildlife and human health from lead ammunition. By June 2015, five out of 10 LAG members had resigned, citing a lack of confidence in the process and a perceived anti-lead bias from group chairman John Swift. In one of her last acts as DEFRA secretary, Ms Truss sent a letter to Mr Swift stating that the report “did not show that the impacts of lead ammunition were significant enough to justify changing current policy” and noted that “the report does not provide evidence…

The pigeon gear was all safely on board and I was planning to meet my friend, Ed, mid-morning for a session on a couple of old rape stubbles, but the truck wouldn’t start. On the fields we were going to shoot over, a lot of the spilled seed had already sprouted and was beginning to come up in a rich green carpet. The field had recently been sub soiled and this had disturbed more of the tiny black seeds that pigeons love so much. They were flocking in to gorge themselves and with two stubbles only a few hundred yards apart it seemed to offer a promising shooting opportunity. If Ed and I covered both pieces, with a little luck, we might get the pigeons going between the two of…

At the time of writing, I have recently completed my first year of the Level 3 Countryside management course at Newton Rigg College. Over the summer, I will be completing the second half of my work-related experience unit of the course on a grouse moor on the Lancashire/Bowland and North Yorkshire border. Leaving college for the summer meant saying goodbye to friends until September; saying goodbye to friends who have found full-time jobs and, of course, saying goodbye to “granddad” - Malcolm Riding, director of the Northern School of Game and Wildlife. Malcolm is moving on to new things after a 22-year stint teaching the next generation of gamekeepers. Malcolm, born and bred in Lancashire, began his career by attending the first countryside management course to be run – at…

“Dusk is often a productive time to bag bunnies in the summer months” This summer has certainly been busy. We have been carrying out rabbit control projects in all corners of the UK. I can even say I’ve caught rabbits in three different countries in the same week, which is something I never thought I’d be able to say. One of the jobs we were contracted to do was a golf course in Wales. The place certainly held a healthy population of rabbits despite the efforts of others. Rabbit grazing wasn’t the problem, but it was their digging. I’m no expert on golf, but it’s obvious that rabbits digging on a well manicured green causes costly maintenance. Rabbits digging scrapes everywhere also cause trip hazards and can make the area…

“Often, the sire’s owner may push you one way while your vet advises something else” Some vets and breeders seem to clash. If one says black, the other will try and prove white. The vet will presume he is always right because he has had the benefit of a university education and has letters after his name. The breeder will feel himself superior because he has been mating and whelping bitches all his life. This loggerhead phenomenon can make it difficult for the novice breeder to know where to turn for advice. Often, when problems occur, the sire’s owner may push you one way, but your vet might advise something else. If only both parties would do what they are best at and exchange knowledge, (and not feel the need…

THE JACK RUSSELL TERRIER The Jack Russell (JRT) is probably the most popular type of terrier seen today and as well as undertaking vermin control they are very popular as pet dogs. As it stands the JRT is a “type” of terrier and comes in various sizes and colour combinations, although white is normally the dominant colour it can have either a smooth or rough (broken) coat. The breed was originally known as the fox terrier, it was renamed in the late 1800s by Reverend John Russell. Russell was born in 1795 and around 1814 he was invited to his first fox hunting expedition with a group that was led by the late Earl of Fortescue. Russell immediately fell in love with the sport, which would develop into a lifelong…

“Despite most of the birds decoying well, they approached from every possible angle” During the summer I’m out on my permission on a regular basis trying to mop up the vermin causing a menace to the farmers. Earlier this summer I was out and about on the estate where I do most of my shooting, doing a typical reconnaissance mission when I bumped into the estate’s shepherd. He was happy to see me because he was being plagued by large numbers of gulls and crows that were really going to town on his sheep feeders. After a chat and a brief, I headed down to the fields in question to investigate further. It was clear to see large numbers of crows and gulls building up around the feeders. The worst…

Technology has pervaded every aspect of our existence. From satnavs to dating, technology is there to hold our hand. It has also impacted the way we hunt. Evermore gadgets are coming on the market helping us do what we did before, but more easily and effectively. But is our reliance on modern technology in the hunting field turning us into a generation of people who have no real skills? This thought occurred to me as I was listening to a presentation from Seek, an American company which makes thermal imaging equipment, such as the Reveal XR30. With this device the shooter can scan a field at night to ascertain whether any foxes or rabbits are present. This is all very well for gamekeepers or professional pest controllers who have a…

Ingredients 1lb venison (sirloin or flank) 1½ pints chicken stock 6oz long-grain rice A pinch of ground cinnamon A pinch of ground cloves Salt and pepper 2oz sultanas 2oz butter How to cook Cut the meat into bite sized pieces. Place in a pan, cover with the stock and then stew until tender. Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain and keep to one side. Wash the rice and sprinkle into the liquid in which the meat was cooked, add the spices, seasoning and sultanas and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is just soft. Remove from the heat and leave covered for a further 15 minutes to dry out. Fry the meat in half the…

GUNS FOR SALE AYA Magnum 3in sbs, 29in barrels, ½ and ¼ choke, 14½ to ¾in stock, lovely wood, very good barrels, lovely bluing and case hardening, offers. Tel 07510 622203 (Lancashire). Browning Game gun, sbs ej, 28in chromed steel barrels ¼ and ½ choke. Stock 14½in and 14¾in, Belgium made, lovely gun, comes boxed, offers. Tel 07510 622203 (Lancashire). Air Arms TX200, walnut stock, under-lever action, scope, with light, brand new in box with warranty, offers. Tel 07510 622203 (Lancashire). Clabrough and Johnstone 12 bore, sbs, gc, ej, 28in barrels, offers. Tel 07820 335089 (Nottinghamshire). Lincoln Premier O/U, 20-bore, 30in m/c, gc, £525 ovno. Tel 01483 563329 or 07779 970458 (Surrey). William Ford, db, s/s, blne, straight hand stock, 28in barrels, dt, 2.5in chambers, £300 ono. Tel 01759 307040…

“The Remington 1100 set a new standard for semi-autos” The year 1963 may not seem so long ago, but in truth the world then was rather different to the present day. There was no colour TV, the few computers that existed were laboratory toys, there was no internet or mobile phones, and Britain still had the remains of an empire. In ’63, however, there were some great innovations still respected now, 53 years later. The Mini Cooper S was starting to win tough rallies against international opposition, the Beatles were recording everlasting hits such as “Glad All Over”, and “I want to Hold Your Hand” and in the USA a new shotgun, which was destined to be a worldwide winner, was introduced. New standard It was the Remington 1100, which…

Size does matter > Richard Brigham is spot on in his article, “Does size matter” in July’s issue. I switched to a 28-bore seven years ago. It was nothing to do with tinnitus, or any other medical condition, I just thought it would be a new challenge. In fact I should thank Richard for my conversion to the 28-bore. His enthusiasm for it and his total confidence in its ability to hold its own against the traditional 12-bore certainly encouraged me to give one a try. I have not been disappointed. I opted for a Beretta 686 S with a 30in barrel weighing in 6lb 6oz with multi-chokes. I normally use improved cylinder in the bottom and half choke in the top. It is an absolute joy to walk up…

Place: Bywell Shooting Ground, Bywell Farm, Felton, Northumberland, NE65 9QQ. Easy to find? A piece of you know what. The ground is situated eight miles north of Morpeth and a similar distance south of Alnwick (whose castle featured in Blackadder and a Harry Potter film) on the A1. Look for signpost to Bywell and Weldon Bridge, the ground is only three quarters of a mile off the main drag. 8 Disciplines: A great selection comprising English Sporting, Sportrap, Down The Line, Automatic Ball Trap, English Skeet and Double Rise. 8 Traps: Fully automatic on all the stands, superbly maintained to virtually eliminate “no bird” breakages. 9 Target quality/variety: Bywell was established almost 40 years ago and in this time has staged innumerable trap competitions including world and European DTL Championships…

“The result is shotguns with exceptional handling characteristics and little felt recoil” Here’s a question: How straight are your shotgun’s barrels? The answer, according to engineer and gunmaker James Stewart, is not as straight as you think. “They may also be a bit twisted,” he told me with a mischievous grin. I was talking to James at Longthorne Guns HQ – his new factory in Northampton. On the factory floor, £5million worth of smart machinery was busy turning chunks of steel into his celebrated shotguns. Not bad for a lad who launched his business in a potting shed. Unique guns Longthorne Guns claims to be unique for many reasons. Its guns are 100 per cent English made (none of this importing barrels etc from Italy or Spain and then branding…

Reloading your own rifle ammunition – usually called home loading or handloading – can seem a bit daunting if you’ve never done it before. But it is in fact easy and, as long as you follow the rules, it’s about as dangerous as boiling a kettle. But why bother when you can buy perfectly good ammunition from your local shop? Accuracy Fifty years ago, when I started reloading, it wasn’t difficult to produce ammo that shot much more accurately than anything you could buy. Nowadays, though, the factory stuff is produced to such tight tolerances that it can be extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, to make anything better at home. Users of sporting rifles need to be able to hit a kill zone about the size of a beer mat…

GUNDOGS: GRAHAM WATKINS A professional gundog trainer for more than 35 years and runs Gamegoer Gundogs. VETERINARY: 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. FERRETS: ED COOK Professional rabbit catcher working over 30,000 acres. PEST CONTROL & WILDFOWL: TOM SYKES Passionate wildfowler and pest controller…

“Although your dog may get plenty of exercise, it’s very difficult to replicate a day in the field” Over the past 18 months or so you will have been training your young gundog with all the basics required for it to enter the shooting field. At some point you will have to take the plunge, but before you do you should consider “how” you are going to take this next big step. Pre-season fitness Although your dogs may get plenty of exercise it is very difficult to replicate a day in the shooting field. Even if you are training your dogs daily it will normally be for short periods. Some people feed their dogs a maintenance food during the “off season” but about six weeks before the season starts I…

“It never fails to amaze me how small dogs such as springers and cockers cope with such difficult cover” There I was stretched out on a sun-kissed beach drinking cold rum and cokes when all of a sudden I could hear a high pitched shrieking – it was my alarm. As I slowly opened my eyes I realised it was 4.30am and I was “back up north” to help out on a couple of days’ grouse counting. I was already beginning to think it wasn’t such a good idea and a few hours later I knew it wasn’t a good idea. After a quick cup of tea we headed up to the moor, the discussion in the truck soon turned to grouse and dogs and the merits of using different…

“I had planned to drive around a piece of land, picking off species as I went” A species day is what it says on the tin – it’s a way of controlling as many different species in a single day. This is a great way of honing skills and doing something different to a set outcome. I have two species days a year – one game species day and one general species day. Last season saw me break my game record with six different species shot in a day – grouse, woodcock, partridge, pheasant, snipe and mallard. The day was topped off by the puppy making his first ever retrieve on a grouse. One very proud owner. General species day I started the species day 8am on a Saturday by…

Ingredients Serves: Breasts of 2 pigeons 300g pâté de foie gras 2 slices pain d’épices, halved diagonally 4 small glasses (400 ml) of port Juice and zest of 2 oranges 2 tbsp sugar 2 tsp vegetable oil Salt and pepper 4 tbsp red onion marmalade COOKING METHOD 1 Put the port, sugar and orange juice and zest in a pan and reduce to a syrupy consistency over a gentle heat. Set aside. Heat a heavy pan with a teaspoonful of vegetable oil until it is searing hot. Season the pigeon breast fillets with salt and pepper and seal on each side for two minutes or so. This will cook the pigeon to rare. If you like it cooked more, increase the cooking time accordingly. Set aside and allow to rest.…

The big lad is beside himself, not to say a little frustrated. His own sense of smell is doing overtime. The two chocolate labs we have are both in season at the same time. It is bedlam here at Greenlee – barking, howling you name it it’s all happening here. Even little Dill, the son of Patch, our only surviving springer is joining in and Alfie is not impressed. Bess our four year old choccy is beside herself with hormones whizzing all over the place. She stands outside Dills’ kennel and provocatively waggles her backside at him. Alfie is a bit miffed at this appalling behaviour, doesn’t the woman know he is the boy to be with; after all he’s the star. What on earth can she see in that…

GUNS adj — adjustable ble — boxlock ejector blne — boxlock non ejector brls — barrels c/w — complete with cyl — cylinder db — double barrel dt — double trigger ej — ejector ex con — excellent condition fac — firearms certificate fc — fixed choke gc — good condition grd — grade hg — hammer gun imp — improved ltwt — lightweight m/c — multi-choke mod — modified o/u — over and under ono — or near offer ovno — or very near offer p/x — part exchange pa — pump action rf — rimfire rnds — rounds (ammunition) sa — semi-automatic sb — single barrel sbs — side by side sle — side lock ejector slne — sidelock no ejector sst — single selective trigger tge —…

BROWNING B725 HUNTER 20-BORE A basic, Grade 1 version of the Browning B725 Hunter may weigh anything between 7lb and almost 7½lb, depending on barrel length (tubes of up to 32in are available) and wood density. And those figures suggest to me that the weight is right for a full day’s comfortable shooting. There are several grades and specifications of the Miroku-built gun available, and a new Grade 1 costs around £1,800 new. I have suggested a target price of £1,500 for a second-hand Grade 1 gun, which you may consider to be rather high. However, the gun is relatively new on the market, and game guns are not generally used to fire a large number of cartridges. The 725 20-bore came out shortly after the 12-bore version, and it…

“Very few items share the hidden history traceable in records like guns do” I am often asked at Holt’s why a particular gun is valuable whilst another, seemingly similar, is not. Sometimes this might appear to be a silly question, as to some it is blatantly obvious, based solely on value when new, but regularly there are other factors involved. Obviously condition is an important factor, and so is rarity, but why for instance, do Colt revolvers of all types regularly achieve higher prices in any condition than rare American revolvers by other makers from a similar time period? Why do Beretta shotguns tend to hold stronger resale values than other equally well made Italian shotguns? The answer to this is desirability. In the case of the Beretta, the desirability…

It’s time to take the head off a beer and celebrate a victory for commonsense, as the Government announced it isn’t going to extend the ban on shot or bullets made from lead (see page 6 for the full story). It has sided with shooting and said lead is not a danger to public health as claimed by the likes of the RSPB and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust – erroneous claims that led to the formation of the Lead Ammunition Group (LAG) almost six years ago. Since then the group has been mired in controversy almost every step of the way with leaked health scare stories being trickled into the media based on flawed unscientific evidence. The nail in LAG’s coffin came just a few months ago when half…