ochre

For me it's got to be real ale, red wine, campari and soda or perhaps a whisky or gin and tonic; lager on a very hot day; shooting tipple would be 'the king's ginger liquer' or a tot of sloe gin (homemade, if i can get anyone else to make it in their home for me!) I used to smoke; now it has to be a virtual roll-up , especially when I'm bored in a hide and waiting for the next pigeon to appear on the horizon.

£2 per box. A snip of the original price!

Hi folks. I've got between 800-1000 12 gauge game cartridges (all 6s) for sale due to the recent purchase of an O/U 20 bore. I am selling my 12 bores and as a result will no longer need these cartridges. Good quality carts: mostly Eley Grand Prix 32 gram with paper cases and fibre wads; some Express Super Game. I've got 300 16 bore cartridges going cheap too if anyone's interested. Sensible offers please lads PS I live in Northamptonshire.

Thanks for the advice guys. I have just bought myself a 20 bore Beretta Silver Pigeon S and it feels great. It will be interesting to see how it (and I) perform.

Further to my ongoing quest to find a mid-range O/U to suit my pigeon shooting needs I have been seriously considering going for a 20-bore instead of a 12. I'd be interested in your thoughts. I'm not looking for a quick fix to better shooting just fancied something different. The idea of a light, swift gun appeals when out on a long day's decoying. Haven't heard anything to suggest that kill rates on pigeon would be noticeably different either but what do I know?? Am I right in thinking the cartridge range is more limited and the cost per box more expensive? Thanks.

I always say that you can practise shooting and correct posture anywhere. I often catch myself assuming prone, kneeling and erect stances in public places (the supermarket), in the bathroom after I have brushed my teeth, etc. My muscle tone has improved considerably due to a lap of the garden perimeter each evening in a tiger crawl style. My next goal will be to master the art of heartbeat suppression and generally 'being the gun' rather than seeing it as a tool.

Thanks mate. In fact since I posted the ad earlier this evening I've had two calls already, one of which was from an American. Apparently, he loves the guns I have, but only at the right price.

I'm hoping for a valuation of between £4,800 and £6,000 for the pair. I'll let you know when the valuation comes through - dropped them off at William Powell in Birmingham today. Apparently, leading auction houses such as Bonhams/Christies/Sothebys charge up to 28% commission Will try and sell them on guntrader but there's no telling how long that might take. Could be years! They are in good as opposed to excellent condition and are cased in the original oak and leather lined breakdown case. Very fine scrolling and beautiful stocks. They are quite old though, not sure how old but we've had them in our family for about 45 years. Strange and disturbing experience selling a family heirloom - no one values something quite as much as you do.

I am currently having a matching pair of Army & Navy 'The Watts Guns' valued with Bonhams with a view to selling them in the near future. Very pretty English SLEs that belonged to my father. I should have some pics to post within a few days.

Any ideas what you think it would be, Sam? Thanks. Again - I was guessing! I can then correct my ad.

Webley & Scott 700 BLNE 12b reduced from £500 to £300 for quick sale. Lovely dark wood stock. Foregrip split but is currently being repaired. Please contact me for pics, further details, etc. - if interested. Selling because I want to use funds to buy Beretta 687 Game for a change - trading in the side-by-sides except for my Army & Navy pair of SLEs. Not sure I could ever part with them

A sophisticated touch by stuartp there - although, it looks like it might be a Beretta 685 to me... Nice gun though.

How much would a Beretta 686 Game cost me? Thanks.

!DRAMATIC REDUCTION! Pretty AYA 16b BLNE reduced from £275 to £180 with approx. 300 cartridges for quick sale. Also, almost unused BRNO 2-E-H .22 LR with a beech stock and brand new Hawke IR 3-9 x50mm scope, silencer and 10-round mag reduced to £150 for quick sale. The .22 LR needs new high mounts to accept larger objective lens. Please PM for images and further information. Quick sale as want to buy Beretta 687 Game gun for next decoying outing.

Wow - that's an almighty session mate. Worth having a celebratory pie and a glass of stout

The search continues... Anyone got a Beretta 687 Game? How do you rate it? Thanks.

If Bettinsoli are prone to problems, what about a Beretta 686 Game? Thanks, ochre. It's for shooting pigeons.

I was tempted by a Bettinsoli 28" fixed choke - diamond line with game engraving - a few days ago. Pretty gun, hardly used.

On those occasions when a bird is toppled but not killed outright, how do people dispatch their birds swiftly and humanely? I tend to break the neck with a flick of the wrist, rotating the body about a fixed point but sometimes the inevitable happens and one is left with a head alone. I have heard of people using priests (metal rods) or a solid stick. Would appreciate your advice on less gory methods than 'wringing'. Thanks.

An outstanding bag, mate. I bet your shoulder ached the next day :(

FM - I can always hone my skills more; it's a sign of someone that's still learning and improving. I've enjoyed using this 16b over the years but I want something different and on the cards are either an O/U to see if they are really a more precise tool than an sbs or a semi-auto with which I can compete with Marco for the maximum number of birds fired in a single outing :( Oh, Shawn, Marco and I had a stormer of a day today shooting around 100 pigeon. Only problem is that usually when I ask them to come into my kill zone they blank me!

I had a fantastic day with Marco (who did miss a lot) and Shawn at Shawn's kind invitation. Together we shot about 100 pigeons and could have kept going until dusk; they just kep on coming - it was great to experience everything working to plan for a change. Although Shawn would probably prefer I didn't publish this moment of kindness, I will. Mid-afternoon when the sun was very very hot and we had run out of water for my dog and ourselves Shawn arrived in his landy and offered to nip home and replenish our supply. On his return he opened the window of his landy and out pops 2 rainbow coloured ice lollies, yes ice lollies on a rape stubble field!! NOW THAT TAKES SOME BEATING. A great day enjoyed by all. Thanks, Shawn.

Apologies for the duplication of post. I hit the back button by mistake.

So guys - a balanced over and under is a quality as is attractiveness: who's prepared to be brave enough to argue the case for the best marriage of the two? Must be practical for pigeon shooting and driven game. Pics would make for a sporting contest! :unsure:

So guys - a balanced over and under is a quality as is attractiveness: who's prepared to be brave enough to argue the case for the best marriage of the two? Must be practical for pigeon shooting and driven game. Pics would make for a sporting contest! :unsure: