Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Sporting Rifle

Whenever I go to get a gun out of the cabinet at home, I pass the head of the first roebuck I ever shot. It wasn’t a particularly impressive beast but when I finally caught up with it, there was no doubt in my young sixteen-year-old mind that it was the greatest sporting feat anyone had ever achieved. It always saddens me slightly that salmon landed, duck flighted or deer stalked in later life are never quite as glorious as your first. Every once in a while when I pass that head, I remind myself that I keep saying I’m going to do a bit more stalking. After all, the stalking opportunities around me in south-west Scotland are far too good to only be getting out four or five times…

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has ‘paused’ the implementation of a policy that would have forced firearms owners in Northern Ireland to apply for a variation at a cost of £30 every time they wanted to buy a rifle magazine. The insistence on having each magazine licensed came about from a change in how the force implemented the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004. Following a meeting with representatives from SACS, BASC Northern Ireland and Country Sports Ireland, the PSNI announced that it will not insist on variations for each magazine purchased while it works out how to take the matter forward. Ronan Gorman, chief executive of Country Sports Ireland, said: “Country Sports Ireland, other representative organisations, and local politicians met with the PSNI to raise concerns about the…

Some time ago, I reviewed the Haenel Jaeger in .243 Win. I enjoyed the rifle and was keen to try to take it on a hunting outing. Unfortunately, time curtailed those efforts and I didn’t get the chance to take any deer using that Haenel. However, I managed to secure a Jaeger Pro Varmint .308 Win for an extended period, giving me plenty of chances to get this rifle properly into the field. I have some Lapua 150gn Mega ammunition, and the rifle is topped with a Meopta MeoStar 2.5-15x56 illuminated. Up front, a Brügger & Thomet moderator tames the noise and a little of the recoil. After booking on to my stalking lands north of the border for the weekend, I had a few days to get the rifle…

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. “You’d hunt all year for maybe three deer?” I was discussing with my son what it was like for me hunting in the 1970s and 1980s. It was the height of the commercial venison recovery industry in New Zealand and red deer had all but disappeared from the rural landscape. Swarms of helicopters – mainly the ubiquitous Hughes 500 – buzzed the mountains and bush clearings, first shooting and later capturing deer. They were ruthlessly efficient. Unfazed, mates and I regularly hunted alpine basins, foothills and forests across the breadth of the upper South Island, getting excited if we saw fresh deer prints. We were young, fit and adventurous but only averaged three deer each for our efforts – in a good year. Chamois…

HAWKE FRONTIER The Frontier range of rifle scopes offers a wide choice of models boasting supreme accuracy for all hunting applications. The all-new H7 optics offer high-grade, lowdispersion crown glass with 21-layer fully multi-coated lenses. There’s also a choice of LR Dot and Mil Dot illuminated reticles – all backed by the Hawke No-Fault Lifetime Warranty. RRP from £459 Hawke Optics 0345 345 5555 uk@hawkeoptics.com ENDURANCE 30 WA Designed for all hunting disciplines, the Endurance 30 H5 optics boast an ultrawide angle field of view with a generous 100mm eye relief. Fitted with a choice of illuminated reticles – LR Dot and LRC (Long-Range Centrefire) – covering popular magnifications such as 2.5-10x50, 3-12x56 and side focus 4-16x50 and 6-24x50. Backed by the Hawke No-Fault Lifetime Warranty. RRP from £499 Hawke…

RIMFIRE CZ452 American .22RF bolt action, 10-shot mag. BSA Sweet17 3-12x40 scope and mod (bipod not included). Good condition. With 500 rounds. £150. Selling due to retirement. Patrick Plavin 01303 863891; 07934597060 (Kent) BRNO .22 RF bolt action, five-shot magazine, ASI Super scope 4x40, wide-angle image. All as new with silencer. £275 ono. Michael Darlison 01189 783202; miketat3@yahoo.co.uk (Berkshire) CENTREFIRE Wanted .243 (right-handed), moderator, optics (full set-up). New to the sport, very keen (DSC1). Would like good quality set-up to last for future but cannot afford new. Ralph Fearnhead 07904955356 (after 7pm please) ralph_fearnhead@hotmail.com (West London) Sako Mod 85 Finnlite 6.5x55 stainless with fluted barrel. Fitted with Freyr & Devick 280 moderator. Shoots great groups out to 300 yards. Rifle can be shipped to an RFD near you. Please call…

Partridge Satay Ingredients 2 packs Wild and Game partridge breasts (approx. 12 breasts) For the marinade: 250ml coconut milk2 tsp minced garlic1 tsp minced ginger1 tsp medium curry powder2 tsp honey For the satay sauce: 5 tbsp crunchy peanut butter1 tbsp soy sauce (ideally Tamari, but otherwise choose any light soy sauce)1 tbsp lime juice1 generous tsp minced garlic1 generous tsp minced ginger Half a tsp medium curry powder 2 tsp honey150 ml coconut milk1 tsp Worcester sauce You’ll also need about 12 skewers Wild and Game is a not-for-profit company supplying frozen game products so you can enjoy delicious recipes all year round.…

If you have a news story, email ollie.harvey@futurenet.com Fieldsports businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic have benefited from a £1million Scottish Country Sports Tourism Restart Fund. The fund, which was jointly developed by the Scottish government, VisitScotland, BASC and the Scottish Country Sports Tourism Group (SCSTG), was set up to assist country-sports tourism businesses, including sporting agencies, land-based sporting businesses, sporting guides and fishing charter operators, which have been hit hard by Covid restrictions and shutdowns. ShootingUK spoke to Charlie Brownlow, who specialises in running shooting, fishing and stalking trips to Scotland. He said: “It is a great relief that this fund has been made available to businesses like mine and all credit to BASC, SCSTG, VisitScotland and the Scottish government for putting this together to support rural business. “It…

A new initiative called ShootCert is helping shooters get their firearms certificates. For a £50 fee, an independent doctor will scrutinise the applicant’s medical notes and then provide the relevant medical forms required by the police firearms department to help get certification. The founder of ShootCert, Dr Chris Garrett, said: “Since 2016, anybody renewing their shotgun or firearms certificate has required verification or medical input from their GP in their application to the police firearms department. “Recently, the BMA has withdrawn from that agreement, meaning that GPs now have no compulsion to provide any medical proforma. The police forces, however, increasingly demand it. “Unfortunately, an ever-increasing number of GPs, for any of a variety of reasons, are refusing to help and will not provide this medical form or otherwise charge…

Galloway is famous for its goats. Some of the old herds have been living wild since the days of Robert the Bruce and, while they can’t be classified as truly native, it’s hard to ignore centuries of freedom and independence. It’s not uncommon to find goats on the loneliest hilltops during the summer months and I’m often cheered by the jolly sound of their bleating in steep, desolate mountain places between Newton Stewart and Carsphairn. The Galloway Hills have some excellent place names to describe steep cliffs and treacherous mountain passes. When I was a teenager, I found an immaculately preserved billy goat’s skeleton in a lonely spot called Nick o’ the Dungeon. Ignoring the horrible smell, I pulled off the skull and brought it home on my back. After…

We were still in lockdown during the early part of May 2020 and whilst things were starting to start to ease south of the border, here in Scotland there was no change. We had hoped that we might be able to recommence training and taking some clients out by mid-May but it was not to be. This was particularly frustrating as there were good bucks appearing all over the place, so I needed to redress the balance and I had had guys booked to come for more than a year. However, the enforced downtime did allow me get the scope on the Haenel Jagersport in 6.5 Creedmoor fitted, set up and zeroed in. Regular readers will know I am a fan of the 6.5x55 ‘Swedish’, as it is commonly referred…

When I first saw the details of the new Swarovski dS scope I couldn’t wait to get my grubby little mitts on one. Designed to simplify long-range shooting, it was immediately of great interest to me. In a nutshell, this scope takes all the guesswork out of long range by ranging the target. It also takes into account all the environmental conditions that will affect the shot and, at the touch of a button, almost instantly gives you an accurate aiming solution. Combine this with the typical high-quality glass and craftsmanship associated with a name like Swarovski and you know you’re on to a winning combination. As expected, this scope oozed quality as soon as I saw it and I was pleased to see that despite all the clever gadgetry…

There was a time, many years ago, that practically all the farmers in my area kept sheep in varying numbers, though it was in fact a predominately dairy region – now things have changed, however. Dairy has all but disappeared and sheep farming has been taken over by a small number of farmers who still keep relatively large numbers for this part of the country. In the old days, most lambing was carried out in the spring and in the open. This, like so many farming methods, has changed and, generally, lambing takes place a little later and is generally carried out indoors. This helps to prevent fox attacks, but where young lambs are about in numbers and the ‘by products’ of the birthing process are there for the taking,…

Whether it was a sign from some higher power or pure coincidence that sent the rainstorm into the Burkina bush exactly where we were due to hunt I have no idea. That said, it seemed more than a little peculiar that the rain hit us the night before we were going hunting for sing-sing waterbuck; the one type of waterbuck that Jens Kjaer Knudsen is missing to close his grand slam on the four huntable waterbuck species on the Safari Club International (SCI) list. Memorably the fun started as we – after only a quarter of an hour’s drive from the camp – got stuck in clogged mud. The red soil, typical of the region, had turned into a greasy syrup and the only way to get the car free…

KITE K6 SCOPE The K6 2.5-15x56 rifle scope combines a high level of light transmission with extraordinary image performance and 6x zoom factor. The K6 combines highprecision components and a state-ofthe-art manufacturing and assembling process. A thin 4A reticle guarantees the fastest, safest and most accurate target acquisition. Browning 01235 514 550 browning.eu HAWKE SIDEWINDER Redesigned from the ground up, with Hawke’s H5 optics, the latest Sidewinder models are a huge upgrade on the outgoing range. Lighter, stronger, 4in eye relief, better crown glass, improved illumination and a new locking turret system with witness window – these are just some of the reasons to upgrade to the Sidewinder now. Hawke Optics 0345 345 5555 uk@hawkeoptics.com LEUPOLD RX-2800 TBR Long-range shooting will test your limits with every shot – this is…

Idistinctly remember when I first read of the last ivory hunter, Wally Johnson. I turned the first pages of a book on his life somewhere on the south side of New Delhi in the heart of the financial district. It became a longedfor ritual to pore over the text while travelling to and from work. To this day it remains one of my favourite books on hunting in Africa. The life of Wally Johnson is undoubtedly one of the most varied and fascinating you will read of any of the great hunters to bequest great stories from the Dark Continent. Yet, for all that, he is probably one of the least well known. In fact, had it not been for the extensive interviews recorded by Peter Capstick, his stories may…

If I remember correctly, there were hardly any tracking dogs in the UK a dozen years ago. There were perhaps some present, the typical varieties like Hanoverian and Bavarian tracking dogs. But the way to work with them was little understood, and thus they were a rare sight in the hunting world. Thanks to the efforts of some people, who have been committed to the work for many years, it became clear that there was a need for clear, accurate information concerning working with a tracking dog. Subsequent training courses were a success and have been repeated because of that. Even now, after all these years, you can search YouTube and find ‘tracking work’ that barely qualifies as tracking. But there are some groups that make every effort to introduce…

It’s good to see premium makers not only continue to push costs in their higher-end optics but also to remember shooters who want reliable and quality core functionality but are not chasing the latest high magnification erector tube or complex turrets with zero stops. The V4 range from Zeiss is just such an optic and, as well as the above, holds a few key features that help it appeal to more than just centrefire users – so let us address those first. Parallax compensation on the Conquest runs from infinity all the way down to 10 metres, which means the scope will focus – as well as present fault-free aiming – at closer ‘core distances’ for rimfire and airguns, the latter guns regularly approaching prices beyond common sporting centrefire rifles.…

It’s amazing how quickly things change in the shooting world, and nowhere can this be seen more than in the night-shooting environment. Twenty years ago most night shooters were still using lamps, and the thought of shooting without artificial light was still in its very early stages. Today, of course, for many the lamp is fast becoming a thing of the past where actual shooting is concerned, though it will always have a place, particularly when costs dictate what one can afford. The lamp has been, and will continue to be, an option for many as there is no doubt that in the right hands and with knowledge of fieldcraft it does the job perfectly well. Then along came night vision. Not only was this an efficient method of shooting…

With the lambing season well under way, fox shooters up and down the country will no doubt be out as much as possible keeping fox numbers under control in a bid to minimise losses. With cubs being born, the parents will be put under pressure to provide food not just for themselves but for their growing young too, and this is likely to be when lamb losses peak. Foxes will be drawn into the lambing areas by smell and any afterbirth left in the fields. Once the foxes begin to hang around the flock, they will be quick to take advantage of a lamb separated from its mother. As twins are common, the first-born lamb is particularly vulnerable while its mother gives birth to its sibling, and unless the ewes…

Beyond Zimbabwe’s current overall media image of doom and gloom, there is a shining light in the country’s sustainable wildlife utilisation field and it goes by the name of the Bubye Valley Conservancy (BVC). It’s a success story that certainly wouldn’t be were it not for paying sport hunters – for therein lies the secret to the vast project’s accomplishments. Significant in its achievements has been the establishment of large and flourishing populations of black rhino, elephant and African lion. This 3,740sq/km land mass (in excess of 900,000 acres) is situated in what is termed Zimbabwe’s southern lowveld region, one of the country’s hottest and driest areas. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 40?C (104?F) and the average recorded rainfall over 45 years is 347mm (13.6in). Unsuited to agricultural practices or ecotourism,…

ENGLAND CHILDERLEY SPORTING Chinese water deer and muntjac specialist. We manage over 30,000 acres of land in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. We can offer 1:1 guided stalking to all capabilities and training for beginners. We have a zeroing range up to 250 metres along with our simulated stalking area. Contact: Paul Childerley 07715 638934 paul@childerleysporting.co.uk www.childerleysporting.co.uk MARK BOULTON Driven boar hunting throughout Europe and night shooting in Sussex. Groups or individuals. Various packages offered from day trips to France to sixday all-inclusive trips to Hungary. Contact: Mark Boulton 07854 985006 markthedeerstalker@hotmail.co.uk SHOOTING SH A long-established syndicate of 15 years with 19 varied blocks. Red, roe, muntjac and fallow deer with 10 walked-up days as added value plus rough shooting in your annual fee of £750 first year, dropping to £600…

As most readers will be aware, this will be the last issue of Sporting Rifle in its present format, as it will be merging with Shooting Times and Country Magazine. It follows, therefore, that this is the final Almanac. My first article for the magazine appeared back in its early days in 2006 and the first Almanac appeared the following year. Looking back at some of those early issues, it’s quite remarkable just how things have changed in our shooting world – some for the better, some for the worse. Certainly, such items as night vision, virtually unheard of then, have transformed the shooting scene and, also, our knowledge of the quarry species. On the downside, the sports we love have come under unprecedented pressure; where this will end, only…