Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2020 i Sporting Gun

The rat pack We are, apparently, never more than a few feet from a rat, this determined rodent being one of nature’s success stories since it arrived on our shores in the early 18th century. Rat populations can, however, quickly get out of control, the rodents spreading disease and damaging feed, cover crops, grain stores and much more. One humane solution to the problem is the terrier, and Nick Ridley captures the excitement of a day out with the pint-sized pest controllers as they attempt to reduce rodent numbers on one shoot.…

BASC has welcomed reassurances it has been given by Defra that it would not be rushed into implementing measures following another legal threat by Wild Justice, this one over the release of non-native gamebirds. Wild Justice first contacted Defra about the release of gamebirds last summer and received a response in September, which acknowledged that the ecological impact of such releases needed to be assessed. In the absence of any notification since, Wild Justice has given Defra what it calls a “firm shove” with a pre-action protocol letter to the Environment Secretary. This focuses in particular on the release of non-native gamebirds in and around Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation. Defra has yet to respond formally with a public statement other than Rebecca Pow, a departmental minister,…

You could be forgiven for thinking that leaving behind la dolce vita in Italy for the drizzle-cloaked hills of mid Wales was, well, a strange decision. To do it twice, perhaps falls into the category of needing your head testing. Those tempted to agree with that assessment have not reckoned with the pull of the green, green grass of home. The word hiraeth in Welsh expresses an indefinable feeling of missing something; a longing for something from the past. Charles Dark, owner of the Wynnstay Inn in Machynlleth, may have been brought up in the Surrey hills from seven but he is from a Welsh family, and Wales made a lasting impression. His longing was such that he decided to make his life there with his wife Sheila. He had…

Why have a beaters’ day? It’s a time-honoured tradition to say thank you to all the people who make a shoot day possible. Guns often overlook just how much work and organisation goes into putting on a successful day. Just release the birds, feed them occasionally and walk through a cover crop to fly them over the line. How hard can it be? Anybody who knows a gamekeeper or has helped around a shoot will know it’s a year round, full-time job, and it is more than one person can manage on their own on a shoot of any size. Having a knowledgeable, committed and reliable team of helpers is essential, and the majority of the work they do is done for the love of the sport. A few perks…

Over the past few months I have had cause to talk to people about dogs that are used for hunting, and many betrayed a misunderstanding of what they do. Most were also of the opinion that they must be vicious. One would like to think that at least those living in the countryside would understand the working dog. On the whole it is those who do not have any link to the country that demonstrate a lack of understanding, often a prejudice and even fear of the working hunting dog. It is not the working dogs that we read about attacking people, it is the bored family pet kept in the wrong environment, frustrated because it is unable to exercise or demonstrate the skills that centuries of breeding have produced.…

GUNDOGS Take a lead on retrieves I use two dogs in my picking-up team and quite often one will try to snatch a retrieve from the other dog. What can I do about this? Fran says: Do some training with both dogs on a lead. Have them sitting up side by side and throw a dummy, insisting they sit as you do so. Remove the lead from the dog you wish to do the retrieve, telling the other “Not you”. Send your dog but pay attention to the dog at heel, telling it to sit as your retrieving dog returns. Insist that the dog on a lead sits as you are taking the dummy and reward both dogs for complying. Spend a few days having one dog retrieve only and…

PIGEONS Pigeon test the best Pigeon shooting tests my skills as well as doing a valuable job of crop protection. I am on a high for days when it comes together. What about it keeps you doing it? Peter says: I think you have answered your own question: the buzz you get from a successful outing lasts for days. Apart from providing a valuable pest-control service for farmers, the skill needed to make decent bags consistently can take a lifetime to learn. I have been pursuing them for 50 years and never tire of the challenge. I believe that they are the finest quarry that flies. ANTIQUES Light on resale value I inherited this shotgun from my father. Could you tell me a little bit about it and let me…

VERMIN Rule the roost What shot and cartridges do you find best for roosting crows? Tom says: Most of my roost shooting consists of trying to shoot low and agile jackdaws. I like to optimise my chances by using something like a 30g No 6 in Gamebore Clear Pigeon or Black Gold. These seem to do the job well when shooting through an open choke at close range as the birds flight down a ride. If I were shooting birds at a bit more range, I would tighten the choke a little to half and stick to the same shells, hoping that the larger number of pellets would give me the edge at striking a bird through the branches. It all depends on the shooting style and woodland you have.…

CHARLES SMITH-JONES SAYS: “The company was aiming to achieve a reputation for attention to detail” Classic Doubles International is an interesting if short-lived brand with a somewhat complex background. In 1931 the Western Cartridge Company, owned by the Olin family and destined to become one of the richest in the US thanks to ammunition sales in World War II, bought Winchester. Eventually renamed as Olin International, the company went on to diversify into a wide range of products including plastics, mining, chemicals and skiing equipment. At one point it employed roughly 35,000 people and operated 63 plants in the US and abroad. Change In 1980 Olin started to move away from firearms manufacturing following a conviction for supplying embargoed firearms to South Africa and eventually sold the Japanese factory, which…

I DOUBT IT Robin Scott, former Sporting Gun editor-at-large Maybe I’m wrong but I suspect relatively few people buy and read shooting books compared with 20 years ago. Back then new book launches were almost two-a-penny. Today the reverse seems true. Things appear to have hit an all-time low with the printed word. Back in my teens when the shooting bug really bit, much of my time after school was spent in the local library borrowing and reading anything and everything to do with the sport. Books by Charles Lancaster, Robert Churchill, Michael Brander, Michael Kemp, Peter Scott and Martyn Moxon were read and re-read. A particular favourite was Shotgun Marksmanship by West London Shooting School coach Percy Stanbury. So too was his follow-up book, Clay Pigeon Marksmanship. Dad and…

Defra has confirmed that six general licences will be reissued for a period of five months. The decision has brought to an end the immediate uncertainty surrounding the licences, which were due to expire on 29 February. The licences – GL26, GL28, GL31, GL34, GL35 and GL36 – will be temporarily reissued from 1 March to 31 July. No action is required by licence users other than to abide by the conditions. Shooting groups have welcomed the extension. Caroline Bedell, BASC’s executive director of conservation, said: “It is a relief that as the clock neared midnight, Defra did not bow to the legal pressures and have allowed themselves additional time to make the right decision. It allows people to at least plan ahead.” She added that BASC would continue to…

Prominent shooting and rural groups have restated their zero tolerance approach to raptor persecution. In a recently issued joint statement, BASC, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, the Country Landowners’ Association and the Moorland Association reiterated their commitment to eradicating the illegal killing of birds of prey. The groups outlined a number of key actions that they said would help eliminate the problem. These include: ensuring that interested parties such as management agents and syndicates are signed up to a zero tolerance policy towards raptor persecution; ensuring best practice is followed, with a clause prohibiting illegal activities towards raptors within a written agreement; a training course for interested parties to familiarise themselves with laws that protect raptors. A spokesman for the organisations said: “There must be no hiding place for behaviour that…

A report has been published outlining the way deer should be managed in Scotland. The report is a result of a review that was commissioned in 2017 and has come up with 99 recommendations. The review’s remit was to ensure that deer management is compliant with the public interest and sustainable management objectives. Recommendations include a move towards the phasing out of lead ammunition, the use of scopes for night shooting and the licensing of shotgun shooting of deer. Most significantly, the report recommends the removal of a close season for all male deer in Scotland as well as a shorter close season for female deer. This would mean that bucks and stags could be shot all year round, a measure that has not found favour with deer managers in…

Cast your mind back to this time last year. Remember what happened? Of course you do. Who could possibly forget? Campaign group Wild Justice brought pigeon and crow control to a shuddering halt. In one fell swoop, pigeon shooting stopped and corvid traps were removed. Any live crow and magpie decoys were either set free or transferred to aviaries. Shooters and gamekeepers, law-abiding as ever, complied Looking back, what fools we were. All this came about because Wild Justice threatened legal action against Natural England and challenged the legality of the general licences, under which we had been controlling pest birds for many years. The licences were revoked and chaos ensued. Damage The job of administering the general licences was, after a period of hand-wringing, taken over by Defra, which…

Roost shooting wood pigeons in February is possibly the finest sporting challenge this country has to offer. We are also protecting crops and controlling vermin for farmers. To give yourself the best chance of a good couple of hours’ shooting, do your homework. If you can, spend some time the day before observing with your binoculars. Work out which wood they roost in, where they have been feeding, which line they prefer to approach the wood, and make a note of the wind direction. Visit the wood and walk around to look for signs of where the birds settle for the night. Droppings and feathers usually give this away. Also, look for likely habitat. You will often see pigeons landing in a wood and could presume that is where they…

People tell me that they hear mixed messages from other shooters about how much lead to give and often what they see is vastly different to the advice given. It is a subject that generates much conversation at clay grounds and shoots across the country. I will add to these conversations to help you get a clear view of what is needed. Method This moves us onto method. If you shoot swing through, your gun will be moving faster than the target. If you shoot pull away, your gun will be with the target then accelerating away from the target. If you shoot maintained lead, then your gun will be moving at the same speed as the target. If one shooter is shooting one method and relates his perception to…

Graham Brown is well known in the world of clayshooting, both for running his own ground and for setting up courses at home and abroad. He has also gained recognition as an instructor. Over the past few years he has chalked up some notable achievements, with his students shooting at county level and, in one case, competing at the Commonwealth Games having started from scratch a little over two years previously. What is striking is how short a time it has taken to coach them to such high levels. In some cases, they are shooting excellent scores after only a few months of tuition. What is his secret? Graham said: “There are a multitude of factors involved in both being a good instructor and in the student doing well with…

GUNDOGS Jack of all trades I like all aspects of shooting and working my dog but can a gundog really multitask? Fran says: I think we should ask what you actually mean by multitask. Most gundog owners (me included) need their dogs to undertake a range of tasks in the field. One day they may be picking up or beating, the next sitting at a peg or being shot over. It takes a lot of training throughout a dog’s working life to ensure its discipline is kept at an acceptable level. I think picking up can be the undoing of many a well-trained dog. I know from experience that sweeping-up runners after a big drive and beating on a busy shoot can be the quickest way to unsteady a dog,…

SCOPES GOLD ■ HAWKE FRONTIER 30 SF 5-30x56 The judges were mightily impressed by the Hawke Frontier as a mid-range scope. The quality of image it provided when out foxing was comparable to other kit on sale at a far higher price. SILVER • Minox ZE5i 3-15x56mm BRONZE • GPO Evolve 6-24x50mm FINALISTS • Hawke Airmax 2-7x32 airgun scope NIGHT VISION GOLD ■ PULSAR THERMION XM50 RIFLESCOPE ■ YUKON PHOTON RT 4.5x42S The judges agreed that the Yukon scope was easy to set up and it was useful that its functions can be switched off independently when not needed. The Pulsar won praise for its simplicity. SILVER • Sightmark Wraithday/night 4-32x50 BINOCULAR GOLD ■ PULSAR ACCOLADE XP50 The Pulsar Accolade XP50 thermal-imaging binocular impressed the judges. The X-shaped layout of…

The Winchester SX4 has built a reputation for being a well-made reliable semi-auto that offers great value for money. Now it’s available in a 20-bore version, which is largely a scaled down version of its 12-bore stablemate. Our reader testers have owned semi-autos in the past, but now prefer over-and-unders. What will they think of the Winchester? Steve is first to pick up the gun and notices how light it is. “I’m used to a 12-bore, so the 20-bore SX4 seems very light. You could carry it all day. It also comes up to the shoulder easily, which would make for quick target acquisition.” Lightning He loads up the gun putting two cartridges in the magazine and one in the breech, then calls for the first clay. He shatters that…

When I wrote my book The Woodpigeon: The Ultimate Quarry 25 years ago, people would often ask me why I deemed the humble woody to be a superior quarry to all the other species available to sportsmen in the UK. Surely a cock pheasant slipping sideways on a strong crosswind, having launched itself from 150ft up a Welsh mountain, or a late-season grouse hurtling around the contours of a Scottish moor, would present a far greater challenge for the average Gun? The fact is, the skills you need to acquire to deal with the aforementioned game birds can be learned relatively quickly; all you need is a good coach and deep pockets. To become proficient at killing pigeons can take a lifetime, hence, at 68, with 50 years of practice…

“The problem usually starts when the fox population grows too big in a nearby urban area” If you do much foxing you are doubtless aware that most farmers are worried to some extent about ‘drop-outs’ — trapped foxes released on or close to their land by some of the animal charities. It’s a regular occurrence for me to have to reassure the people I shoot for that I haven’t seen any recent evidence of this happening in the area. It’s important to know as much as you can about the subject to gain their confidence. If you don’t hit the right spot, they go away convinced that there are lots of foxes about and may start asking other people to come and shoot them instead. This isn’t good either for…

This is the time of the year that people will be breeding or getting a new gundog puppy. For many, it may well be their first time training any dog, let alone a gundog. There will be questions that the novice owner will want to know the answers to, ranging from housing (house or kennel), feeding and, last but not least, when to start training and what to do in the early stages. As with all things relating to training gundogs, nothing is set in stone. However, when you bring a new puppy home you should set some ground rules, especially if the dog is going to live in a family environment. I believe in preventing problems rather than trying to correct them later. It is understandable that a new…

Legacy of war I have enjoyed shooting in France for many years in the Midi-Pyrénées region and especially so over the old battlefields and woods on the Somme in northern France. Just before Christmas, during a most enjoyable walked-up morning across the fields from Beaumont Hamel towards Thiepval, I pondered what studies have been undertaken regarding the level of metal contamination, especially lead, in the ground under these historic fields. With the issues of the environmental impact of lead shot at the forefront of many minds, I wonder if there is any proven research that confirms possible harm to human health linked with the large concentrations of lead and other metals in the soil below these fields? The Somme is intensively farmed, with particular emphasis on root crops such as…

RABBITS Alternatives better than gas Do you ever gas rabbits and is it an effective method of control? Ed says: I have gassed rabbits but I have not been impressed with the results. We can certainly do a better job with ferrets and without all the risks of non-target poisoning. Also, using gas is a highly expensive operation if carried out correctly, which often means alternatives are required. I am yet to see a rabbit job bettered by the various alternative methods when they are used properly. LEGAL Love thy neighbour Is there a minimum legal distance that a Gun must be from a neighbouring property when a shot is fired? I am thinking particularly of cases where the neighbour may be opposed to shooting. David says: No. This is…

We tested the 12-bore SX4 last year and were very impressed by its fast-cycling action and superb handling. Now the company has introduced a new 20-bore version of the semi-auto with a few improvements. First and foremost the gas-operated mechanism includes an active valve that vents gasses both upwards and forwards from the Quadra vent ports in the fore-end when using heavy loads such as magnum cartridges. This also regulates bolt speed. The advantage of a gas-operated gun is that it is not cartridge fussy and will cycle anything, regardless of shot weight. The system on the SX4 is engineered well and worked effectively. Two vents in the barrel drive down an over-sized piston in a gas collar to operate the working parts. Enclosed design The only drawback to a…

CHARLES SMITH-JONES SAYS: The straight-pull action places it among a select group of small bores The T-Bolt is something a little different. At first glance it is just another bolt action .22 rimfire. However, closer examination of this gun, designed by Browning and made in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale, reveals otherwise. For starters, it has a straight-pull action, placing it among a select group of small bores employing this mechanism rather than a more usual turn bolt. Most of these are intended for the winter sport of biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing and shooting, where speed is of the essence. But the T-Bolt is firmly a sporting rifle. The straight-pull can be something of a ‘Marmite’ bolt action that you either love or hate, but there is no denying that…