Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i Sporting Gun

More companies target show The Great British Shooting Show is to take place at the NEC Birmingham between 14 and16 February 2020. It is the UK’s largest trade and retail shooting show, chock-full of national and international exhibitors. Accurize, the Norwegian laser target shooting company, is the latest to confirm its place at the show. For more information or to book tickets, visit shootingshow.co.uk Brexit delay sees new firearms rules come into force The UK’s delayed departure from the EU following two Brexit extensions has had an impact on firearms law. From 12 December it will be a legal requirement to register the transfer of deactivated weapons with the Home Office. This notification of the possession of deactivated weapons will be staggered. Those acquired after September 2018 will require immediate…

Last month’s article examined what it takes to be a successful decoyer, and, apart from the ability to hit pigeons with above average accuracy, looked at the judgements we have to make to get the most out of any given day. But what I didn’t have room to include was how a good decoyer is constantly on the lookout for unusual situations, one that the average pigeon shooter might miss, but could lead to a big day. I experienced such a day, just a few weeks ago. A local farmer had drilled a field of spring barley and it quickly became obvious that the crop would not amount to much, as weeds of every description soon smothered the few struggling barley plants. It was touch and go whether the crop…

Ingredients Oil 1 ½lb venison shoulder (diced) 8oz shallots (quartered) 1 clove garlic (crushed) 2 tbsp flour ½ pint stock 2 oranges 3 tbsp brandy 1tbsp tomato puree 1 tbsp black treacle Pinch ground coriander 1oz butter 4oz button mushrooms Heat the oven to 160°C. In a frying pan heat the oil and brown the meat in batches. Transfer to a casserole dish and keep warm. Add the onions and garlic to the frying pan and soften, then add to the casserole dish. Stir the flour into the remaining juices in the frying pan, then add the stock and stir until boiling. Pare the zest from 1 ½ oranges, cut into thin strips and add to the sauce along with the juice of both oranges. Add the brandy, tomato puree,…

Fast away the old year passes’, so the lyrics from an old Christmas carol go. And over 150 years later, it’s still true. In keeping with this sentiment, I thought it might be apposite to address some of the various questions that the fox shooter often encounters. Can you eat fox? The short answer is yes, but the meat is generally considered to be tough with an unpleasant taste. The late great Clarissa Dickson Wright had a recipe that saw the fox skinned and gutted and then hung for three days before being stewed as though it were a rabbit. She recommended that it be eaten with a chestnut pasta. I consider myself reasonably adventurous with my food, however, having seen what can slither its way out of a dead…

• Long barrels, usually at 32in, to help with a smooth and consistent swing • High comb height helps with shot placement and keeps good visual contact with the target • The extra mid-bead is there to get barrel alignment perfect as you start pre-mounted • A bigger fore-end for good grip and consistent movement • High rib for higher shot placement to deal with a rapidly rising and going away target • Tighter chokes, usually full and full or full and three-quarters, to cope with the distance and to give good tight patterns for edge on targets…

This year’s game shooting has been under way for a while now and inquiries for refresher clay lessons come at two junctures. First, there is the early season request: “I can’t hit a thing, my pheasant shooting has fallen apart.” The answer for which is, and more often than not becomes apparent during the clay lesson: “Well, it’s not surprising, you haven’t touched your shotgun since last January.” And then there is the December phone call: “My performance is getting erratic. I can’t make out what’s happening.” For an in-depth sporting clay lesson at this time of year I try to pick a weather window of reasonable conditions. Failing that, a covered skeet range should provide a decent substitute. Shooting clays in pouring rain is not much fun and the…

A couple of months back I wrote a piece on ‘shoot day virgins’ in which I encouraged everyone involved in shooting to try to introduce new people to the enjoyment and benefits from spending a day in the field. Working my dogs is what ‘floats my boat’ and over the past year or so I have been helping some novice gundog handlers train their animals. The aim is to get them out in the field, whether that be picking-up, working a beating line or shooting over their own dogs. By late October, four of the dogs and their handlers were ready to try an informal walked-up day. Over the years I have photographed and participated in a number of these training shoot over days and one thing I have learned…

Handler Claire Knowles Over the years I have seen quite a few Clumbers work and they are a popular minor breed. They may not have the same pace and drive of springers and cockers but they are a determined and methodical hunter. Claire first had a family Clumber at 18. She was reading Horse & Hound and saw an advert for a litter. She showed it to her mum and they ended up with a puppy. For Claire, the temperament of the Clumber is the biggest reason she likes working with them. They are incredibly loyal, active but also have an off switch. She particularly enjoys working them out on the shoot as they go all day, will face the thickest cover and find birds. Plus, they are a little…

Last month I introduced my new cocker pup Percy and I can say he certainly has made himself well and truly at home. He has become firm friends with Ted, although at times their playing does get a bit out of hand. I think Ted forgets he is supposed to be the adult dog. I haven’t done much with the pup, though I have introduced him to the placeboard as well and a few retrieving exercises. I am already seeing some qualities that excite me. I was impressed by the way he dealt with the crowd during the demo; he showed that he already has good focus despite what is going on around him. He has been really easy to house train, although he has struggled to understand that the…

Game-changer It is good that we can rely on Sporting Gunto keep us informed on the hot topic of alternatives to lead shot. A thing that bothers me is the possibility of problems for people who eat game shot with steel if they have to undergo a hospital scan. Will it be necessary to declare that you eat game when filling in whatever forms are required prior to such a procedure? Or maybe you will need to have abstained for a period beforehand? I wonder if supermarkets that sell game have considered the need to advise their customers of this? Mike Vacher, Bedfordshire Ed – I imagine that for some scans, such as an MRI, which involve intense magnetic fields, steel shot would cause more problems than lead.…

Le Chameau is famed for its rubber boots but it also has a notable clothing range. The latest collection was launched at The Game Fair this year. It included the LCM5 field jacket, which is packed with innovative features. The new jacket is designed for performance in the field. This is refreshing, as many country jackets these days are designed for fashion and style and offer little on the performance front. Le Chameau’s field jacket is all about performance. Those who know about the demands of shooting sports will be more than happy to wear it. Huge pockets One of the many innovations is the voluminous pockets. Le Chameau says each pocket can hold a box of cartridges. Actually, I found that each pocket took two boxes of 12-bore shells,…

However, I did manage to sneak out for a walked-up day recently. I was armed with my old Baikal single barrel and my fellow shooters were slightly derisory of my Soviet blast from the past. True, the Baikal is primitive, but it has an important advantage – it is light. When you are walking up to 10 miles in a day, you don’t want to be lugging around something the weight of a cannon. I shot well with the Baikal and my shooting companions now looked at the gun in a new light. It had transformed me from a poor shot to something nearing mediocrity. Whether it was because my arms weren’t tired from carrying a heavy gun and so I shot better, I don’t know. Or perhaps it’s a…

A university has decided to ban pheasant shooting on land it leases after coming under pressure from animal rights campaigners and students. The University of Reading has said it would no longer allow its land to be used for rearing birds and shoots once its licence ends in February. The university has leased land for pheasant shooting in Shinfield, Berkshire, for a number of years. The League Against Cruel Sports wrote to the university in September demanding that it end the arrangement and students began lobbying for a ban. Shooting groups have condemned the decision. The Countryside Alliance accused the university of “turning its back on prevailing science” and not engaging in sensible discussion. BASC was even more vehement: “BASC is gravely disappointed that the university – an agricultural institution…

Nominations are open for an award that celebrates the achievements of young gamekeepers. The Frank Jenkins Memorial Trophy is open to all gamekeeping trainees and apprentices who attended or graduated from college during the academic year 2018/19. Nominations close on Monday16 December. The trophy is named after Frank Jenkins, a well-known gamekeeper whose career spanned many decades. Last year’s winner was Connah Baker of Reaseheath College, Cheshire.…

Gone fishing. That’s what Ben Carter did. He went fishing and has never looked back. He is now in charge of wildlife management for estates in Somerset and Aberdeenshire. The journey to what he describes as “the dream job” has involved much hard work and personal sacrifice. His distinct career path began when he graduated from Aberystwyth University with a degree in zoology. His time in Mid Wales was, along with studying, spent pursuing his love of the outdoors. Ben fished for sewin (sea-trout) and bass, he climbed at Llangorse and he even managed to ferret one day a week with his trusted terrier – not a common pastime of your regular undergraduate. When the time came for him to leave Aberystwyth it was obvious that Ben was going to…

DISTRIBUTION: A highly migratory duck that breeds in northern Europe and Asia before overwintering as far south as Africa and southern Asia. Closely related to American wigeon UKDISTRIBUTION: Mainly a winter visitor to most of the UK from Scandinavia, Iceland and Russia. A small resident population breeds in Scotland and northern England IUCN RED LIST STATUS: Least concern HABITAT: Prefers wetlands, including floodplains, wet grasslands, gravel pits and reservoirs with shallow banks allowing easy access to grass edges. Highly gregarious outside the breeding season and can congregate in large flocks FOOD: A dabbling duck that feeds on roots, grasses, seeds and aquatic plants BREEDING: Often pair up in autumn and remain together throughout the winter until eggs are laid in April or May. On hatching, the brood is mainly tended…

Foxes are known by many different nicknames, one of which is ‘Charley’, or ‘Charlie’. The first spelling version alludes to The Right Honourable Charles James Fox (1749-1806), an MP and foreign secretary who was infamous for both his love of hunting and his wild lifestyle. The second is much more recent and derives from the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s, where the enemy — the Viet Cong, were known to the US military by the phonetic for ‘C’, which is Charlie.…

How many times have you seen a spaniel hunting 50 or 60m from its handler, flushing game out of reach of a Gun or running in at the flushing point during a driven shoot? It is all too common, unfortunately. No matter what you plan to do with your spaniel, you will want it to be hunting nice and close to you. This way you will either be able to get a shot in range or, if you are in the beating line, it will be working and finding game while under close control. I recently had a client with a three-year-old cocker. She had an issue whereby every time she took the dog off the lead and started it hunting it would bolt for the nearest hedge. The dog…

Handler Liz Hite Training Ace has been a family affair for Liz, Robert, her husband, and Kyle, her son. They had not had owned a gundog and started by doing the Kennel Club bronze, silver and gold certificates. They introduced Ace to scent work at 10 months. He was a natural and loved to hunt. They continued with this for a few months but Robert was keen to work him as a gundog. Liz said that their first shoot training day was “a day to remember”. “We had the best day ever. I gained lots of experience and Ace worked as if he had done it all before. I was very nervous as I didn’t know what to expect but as time went on, I settled into it and thoroughly…

TUITION Best gun for lady shooter I am a lady Shot looking to buy my first gun. What should I be looking for? Tony says: The gun should be suitable for the discipline you are going to shoot, it should fit well and be easy to handle. There are a few companies that make a female-specific gun. These may be suitable for some women but not all. They are likely to have a shorter stock and length of pull. The comb height will most likely be higher to accommodate higher cheekbones. The action could be made from an alloy to help to keep the weight down, but be careful as a light gun can increase recoil. The grip radius and diameter are reduced to help hand position. On the butt…

The Rizzini Regal Grand has the looks, the great handling and is very comfortable to shoot; you would struggle to find anything bad about this gun. At nearly £10,000 the price tag is steep, putting it up there with other great Italian makers like Perazzi on their entry-level guns. This is stiff competition and for some, the legendary name of Perazzi will carry the day. However, I think Rizzini are giving makers like Perazzi a run for their money. After all, for that price you get a game gun that is prettier than a lot of Perazzis. At the end of the day, as a buyer you will have to decide whether you prefer pretty guns, like the Grand, or a plainer gun for the same price that handles just…

Configuration Over-and-under Action Boxlock Choke Fixed or multi Chamber 2¾in or 3in Barrel length 26.5in to 32in Safety catch Manual or auto Trigger Single selective (earlier models double) Weight (12-bore) 7lb 8oz (average) Available in calibres 12, 16, 20 and 28-bore Cost new Starting from around £16,500 Cost used Highly variable as B25s tend to retain their value well, but it is possible to pick up a sound basic example from around £800 • Note: given the Browning customisation available, there may be considerable variation across the specifications suggested above.…

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has launched an online test for shoot managers. The aim is to help people demonstrate that they are up to speed with best practice. Objectives of the test include helping managers understand conservation benefits, and demonstrate a working knowledge of wildlife legislation, predation control and game management in accordance with the Code of Good Shooting Practice. Dr Roger Draycott, of the GWCT, said: “Best practice in shoot management is key to demonstrating that shoots are run well and delivering environmental benefits.” The test is multiple choice and should take 20 minutes. A certificate will be issued electronically on successful completion. The test is free for GWCT members, £40 for non-members. Visit gwct.org.uk GOT ANY NEWS? TELL US ABOUT IT: Post: Sporting Gun, TI Media…

Herbert to focus on CA role Nick Herbert, the newly appointed chairman of the Countryside Alliance, has stood down as an MP. He said he had not sought re-election in the upcoming general election so that he could concentrate on his role with the CA. Mr Herbert, 56, had been the MP for Arundel and the South Downs since 2005, representing the Conservative Party in that West Sussex constituency. On being appointed by the CA, Mr Herbert declared that: “We are facing the most serious threat to country sports for 20 years with both hunting and shooting facing direct political attack for the first time.” Wild Justice demands apology Wild Justice has written to Natural England demanding an apology for the way the latter portrayed its role in the general…

I do my fair share of goose decoying on the foreshore over the course of a year. I no longer have ground of my own to decoy inland, but this is not a problem when you have miles of foreshore with large numbers of greylag, Canada and pink-footed geese to go at during the winter months. As with all decoying, the thrill is convincing wild birds to flight in range. For me, it doesn’t get much better than wild geese with their wings locked and whiffling in to get the excitement levels up. Over the years I have used a range of different decoys and have found niggly issues with most designs. Shells and full bodies I started off in my youth with a handful of shells and full-bodied decoys…

I had walked the big lad that morning as usual and he was his old mischievous self, bounding around with Molly, our chocolate lab. A few hours later Eddy, an old stalking friend, who had spent many an outing in Alfie’s company, called to stay for a few days. We were just going to the kennel so that he could say “hello” to the big lad while he was going to be fed, always the most important time of day for Alfie. On my approach, due to the lack of the big lad’s usual noisy boisterous greeting, I started to wonder what he was up to. Those of you who have read about Alfie’s antics over the years will understand why that was my first thought. On our arrival at…

Best laid plans ... Sometimes things just don’t go your way, despite having done everything possible to ensure a successful day’s decoying. I had done my reconnaissance and knew where I wanted to be the following day. A 100-acre field had been the first in the area to be drilled with wheat and, as it happened, the only field to be drilled as rain had stopped play for the farm. These opportunities don’t come along too often and a flock of around 700 pigeons soon found the field and were eager to feed. I visited and tried to move the birds off to see just how keen they were. Mustard. They just did one quick circuit and returned. This looked promising and I could make time the following day after…

This article is not meant to be a masterclass on trap shooting, more rather an explanation to encourage you to give it a go if you haven’t tried it. Trap shooting is one of the formal clay shooting disciplines and at its highest level an Olympic sport. Most people start on DTL (Down the Line) before moving onto ABT (Automatic Ball Trap), Double rise and OT (Olympic Trap). Clay target shooting started from live pigeon shooting. The machines that throw the clay pigeons are called traps after the traps that held the live birds prior to release. We call “Pull!” to release the clay as they used to pull the cord to open the trap holding the pigeons. The term ‘kill and lost’ comes from this era but it is…

In these images we can see a variation in the shooter’s view. • In the left image we can just about see the bead, which will result in a tendency to shoot too low. • In the middle image we are seeing too much rib, which will result in a tendency to shoot too high. • The right-hand image is just about right, not too high and not too low. So we can conclude that in the left image the comb is too low, the middle image too high, but the right-hand image is just about right. This is an easy way for a shooter to make his or her assessment of comb height.…

Fran is based near Penrith in Cumbria and has realised her ambition of training gundogs for a living. She has already made a name for herself producing highly trained dogs for her clients. Fran has undergone a long apprenticeship in the shooting field and this has given her a practical perspective on what is needed in a competition, beating, picking-up or shooting dog. She is also an experienced Shot, which means she has the facility to give her trainees practical shooting experience. She has a well-developed ability to read a dog when it is hunting or out on a retrieve. In this article she goes through the steps needed to keep a gundog close at hand when working in the shooting field, especially when they are young.…

Handler Dick Douglas Dick was the most experienced handler. For the majority of his shooting life Dick has owned and worked Labradors but around 18 months ago he decided he would like a cocker spaniel and through a friend of a friend he found Monty. The dog is very well bred and was just over a year old when Dick picked him up. It would be fair to say he has been a challenging little dog to train. At times he is the epitome of a well-trained working cocker, he hunts like a demon and after a lot of hard work he has become a reliable retriever, but in Dick’s own words every now and again he will do an “offski” and head for the hills. There is no reason…

Age 45 months Why do I do I keep doing it to myself? That is a question I quite often ask when I have agreed to do something and then on reflection wish I had taken longer than a nanosecond to say “yes”. A few weeks ago I got an email from Rachel Draper, the marketing manager of Atkin Grant and Lang Shooting Ground in Hertfordshire. She had an idea to arrange a gundog demo with a question and answer session for members and as she had seen Ted working at a shoot last season wondered if it was something I would be interested in doing. A few days later I popped over for a meeting and agreed that I would “have a go”. I suggested that I demo the…

Crowd control Every time I pick up a paper, Chris Packham seems to be talking about the shooting world. Now it’s gamebird release, and he is still using crowdfunding to pay for his crusade to curtail or, perhaps, even ban our sport. I think it’s about time the shooting community started crowdfunding to stop him. Steve Renshaw, via email Ed – Crowdfunding may help but some would argue that shooting organisations are already amply funded by us to defend our sport. DJ a hit on the ‘deeks’ Can I express my thanks to DJ Decoys for its generosity and exemplary customer service. I lost the cradle off one of my pigeon bouncers and emailed the firm to see if it could sell me one without the rod. They supplied it…

FRAN ARDLEY GUNDOGS Owner of Tarncrag Gundog Training, with more than 10 years’ experience. NEIL MCINTOSH VETERINARY A keen shooter and a practising vet in Scotland. TONY BRACCI TUITION Bisley Shooting Ground’s deputy shooting manager and master gunfitter. DAVID FROST LEGAL SG’s legal expert and author of Sporting Shooting and the Law. PETER THEOBALD PIGEONS Pigeon-shooting expert; author of Woodpigeon: The Ultimate Quarry. ROBERT MORGAN ANTIQUES Arms and armour valuer at Holts Auctioneers. RICHARD LEACH GAME FEED Richard Leach heads sales and marketing for Keepers Choice. TOM SYKES PEST CONTROL & WILDFOWLING Sporting photographer, wildfowler and pest controller. MARC BULL COVER CROPS Marc is our plant expert and is the Midlands and Eastern adviser at Bright Seeds.…

GROUSE, PHEASANT AND BACON PIE SERVES 4 Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 large red onion (roughly sliced) 200g smoked bacon (roughly chopped) 2 pheasant breasts (cut into small chunks) 2 grouse breasts (chopped into small chunks) 2 tsp plain flour 250g chestnut mushrooms (roughly sliced) 2 leeks (roughly sliced) 100ml white wine 150ml single cream 320g puff pastry (remove from the fridge 10 minutes before use) 1 egg (beaten) Method First, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. 1 Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry off the onion. Cook until golden and soft 2 Add the bacon, pheasant and grouse into the pan and cook until the meat gains a little colour 3 Mix flour in with the meat and add the vegetables. 4 Cook the…

Percussion trousers Last season I decided to stop picking up and go back to the beating line on a couple of local shoots. As such, I was in the market for some new trousers that could put up with the rigours of the task and also be used for my walked-up days. Percussion clothing is not a brand name that springs to mind for me, despite the fact that the French company has been making outdoor clothing for more than 20 years. It produces both a male and female range of jackets, gilets and trousers. I bought two pairs, the Traditional trouser and the Predator R2, and have been impressed with the quality and functionality of both. The Traditional trousers come in a two-tone brown and are designed for use…

How many times have you headed out shooting wearing a waterproof jacket to shield you from downpours, only to end up lugging the thing around because the weather turned out better than expected? It has happened to me on countless occasions. Truth is, that the conditions you see when you peep out of the window at breakfast don’t always persist for the whole day. As people who spend a considerable amount of time outside, most of us will own decent waterproof jackets. These garments will do the job they are designed for perfectly well but most will become hot and uncomfortable to wear in warm weather or after you’ve worked up a bit of heat. The obvious solution is to take it off but the extra burden can be a…

CHARLES SMITH-JONES SAYS: “The build quality is solid and reliable and you wonder why it comes with such a low price tag” Say the name Weatherby to many seasoned rifle shooters and they will immediately think of the hard-hitting magnum calibres that were developed by the company for the pursuit of large, dangerous game. One of them, the .460 Weatherby Magnum, which came into being back in 1959, was considered the most powerful commercially produced cartridge until the arrival of Holland & Holland’s .700 Nitro Express in 1988. Weatherby has also been responsible for some renowned rifles. Since Roy Weatherby founded the company in 1945, a variety of models have rolled off the production line. They were based on Mauser actions and chambered primarily for Weatherby calibres and tended to…

Country of origin USA In production 1970 to present Action Bolt Stock options Multiple Barrel length 24in (standard) Magazine Detachable 5 round (3 round in Magnum calibres) or floorplate Left-hand version No Weight (bare) Average 7lb 8oz (standard) Available in calibres Multiple, including popular cartridges such as 22-250, .223 Rem, .243 Win, .308 Win and .300 Win Mag Cost new From £587 (entry-level Vanguard 2 with synthetic stock and blued barrel) Cost used From about £350 upwards, depending on model and condition…

FOR SALE GUN TYPE: SHOTGUN Make and model Browning 525 Choke multichoke Calibre 12 Price £950 CONTACT DETAILS Name Peter Tel 07710 153594 County Dumfries GUN TYPE: SHOTGUN Make and model AYA side-by-side sidelock ejector Choke ¼ and ½ Calibre 12-bore Barrel 25in Age 4-5 years Price £1,275 CONTACT DETAILS Name Peter Ross Tel 07909 643643 County Bucks GUN TYPE: SHOTGUN Make and model AYA Yeoman Choke ¼ and ¼ Calibre12-bore Barrel 28in Price £275 CONTACT DETAILS Name A Badger Tel 07986713064 County Birmingham GUN TYPE: SHOTGUN Make and model Laurona Choke Multichoke Calibre12-bore Barrel 28in Price £325 CONTACT DETAILS A Badger, as above GUN TYPE: SHOTGUN Make and model Hatsan Escort Semi-auto Choke Multichoke Calibre12-bore Barrel 26in Age New Price £325 CONTACT DETAILS A Badger, as above GUN TYPE:…