Old Boggy

There are two on Guntrader. The cheaper one at £995 has an LOP of 14 3/4 and has what looks like around an inch of wooden extension to the stock. !! The other one at £1450 has an LOP of 15 inches. It also has a set of 12 to 20 Briley multi choke adaptors. The photo shows a hand guard, but looks like it’s put on upside down !! It does make you wonder about some of these Gunshops. Good luck in your quest. OB

Good write up, good bag, good few enjoyable hours out. Well done and thanks for posting. OB

I must admit, I prefer Silent Witness with that rather nice Emilia Fox. OB

I’m afraid that you won’t find a SBS MacNab Highlander, they were all O/Us with semi-pistol grips as the top one in Islandgun’s photo. The bottom one is his SBS T.Wild. My favourite gun is my latest 20 bore MacNab Highlander with 29 inch barrels, semi-pistol grip and solid top rib. What is there not to like. They handle like a dream. OB Totally agree.

Not dentistry, but on the Turkish thread, when we were in Turkey several years ago, my wife had to have an emergency operation due to a blockage in her intestine. The service we received was second to none ........ once they had details of our insurance policy !! A doctor drove us to the hospital, X-ray and blood tests done straight away with results within minutes and a diagnosis requiring urgent surgery (told it was life threatening). She was operated on within the hour. Like Mike170874`s friend experienced, the hospital (Bodrum) was like a 1st class hotel. After the operation we were given a suite for her recovery and the surgeon came personally every morning to dress the wound. One morning he spotted a dead fly right in the corner of the room, got on his phone and within 3 minutes there was an army of cleaners sanitising the whole suite. The hospital administrator came to me explaining how poorly paid the nurses were and that if I gave a donation, then he would ensure that we got the best treatment and that I could use his office for free phone calls and his fax machine (prior to emails !). He introduced himself "My name is Fahti", which is obviously a name I`ve never forgotten . However, once I had made the donation, suddenly all the nurses who previously only spoke Turkish, then spoke good English and nothing was too much trouble. It was certainly a good investment and most gratefully received. She was unable to fly home for nearly two weeks and we were put up in a top hotel for that period with all taxis, 1st class flights home and a taxi home from Gatwick. Fortunately, we had really good insurance which covered the total bill of £28000. No wonder we received good treatment and that once at the hospital, all the doctors, consultants etc suddenly came out of the woodwork. Having said that we have had some brilliant holidays in Turkey at various resorts and always found the locals really friendly. On our earlier holidays, we could go out for the day on a Gullet including a barbecue lunch midday all for £6 each !! I suspect that prices have increased tenfold by now. Sorry to derail the original thread somewhat. OB

Was that `Little Voice` with Jane Horrocks?

I love Vera and yes another series announced next year. However, Brenda Blethyn, who lives near here did a comedy series filmed in our nearby town called `Kate and Koji` and it wasn`t quite the same seeing her in a different roll, but interesting to see many people that I knew throughout the series. It`s funny how actors/actresses can easily become typecast. OB

The only fluke shot I made (apart from when I actually hit pigeons these days🤣) was as a teenager (13) in 1961, I used to stalk rabbits which were very abundant in those days and lined up two rabbits with my trusty but very old folding Belgian single .410. When I went to pick them up, there were two further rabbits that were behind the first two, hidden in the grass. 4 for 1 shot and with a price from the butchers of 3 bob each I was over the moon and felt very rich with my 12 shillings (60p for those too young to remember pre decimal coinage). OB

Very well done for getting out. It was cold wasn`t it? I went out yesterday into a small wood where the pigeons were still feeding on ivy berries (not touched the rape yet) and whilst the wood was quite sheltered, I stuck it out for just 2 1/2 hours and returned with 7 pigeons plus one which fell and got stuck into the top of any ivy clad tree. Just breasted them out and all stuffed with ivy berries and not a sign of any rape. OB

Did that not make your eyes water?

Yep, I`ll second that

I remember those days. But on wages of £4 4s (4 guineas) it was all relative. Also remember as a kid given half a crown to go to the pictures, ice cream in the interval and a bag of chips on the way home and still have change left. OB

It must be a regional thing with what pigeons are currently feeding on. The only large numbers I have seen were feeding on a field off sunflowers, sown (I think) as a nitrogen fixing crop. However, this small field was unshootable due to nearness of a road and with a footpath running across it. It was also attracting a large flock of stock doves. I`m quite happy at the moment getting a few (actually reached double figures yesterday) in a couple of small woods near me whilst they are still on ivy berries. Just gun, cartridges and a seat, with no lugging of decoys, rotary etc. when decoying over rape, with possibly similar (or less) bags. OB

A few fields of rape around here with no sign of pigeon activity whatsoever. It will remain like that until they have finished off the ivy berries in the woods and hedgerows. The few that I shot yesterday in a small wood local to me were crammed with ivy berries. OB

I would happily make a donation as, like all on here, I get a lot of pleasure from the forum, have met many members and communicate with a few others, so more than happy to contribute. OB

Well, the gun room in the West Wing must have been full as the last time I saw several slabs was on your stairs😂

Many thanks Teal for getting it sorted. I like your quip about the Horizon server !! It’s not until something is not available that you realise how much you miss it. It’s a really good forum and I’ve been very lucky to meet and correspond with some great people on here. Not come across a bad ‘un yet. The wealth of knowledge on a full spectrum of subjects and the talent shown on a range of crafts and skills is second to none. Thanks again Teal for getting it sorted and the other Mods for your continued hard work. OB

Good afternoon John, I know how hard that typing the above must have been for you and you have my utmost respect for putting your words and thoughts down for us to see. Once again, I offer my most sincere condolences and having known Ann, I know that a part of you has now gone. You have many happy memories which I sincerely hope that you can draw some solace from. Like others have said, If there`s anything that I can do, please do not hesitate to ask. Keep strong my friend. Kindest regards, Chris

Totally agree. I’m afraid that I just cannot watch anything that involves him. I’m not homophobic, just cannot stand the guy. OB

Well done Alan. There really are some bargains to be had at present. You`re fortunate living close to Holts and able to view and pick up such bargains. OB

So what length is that barrel now? Looks like it could come under category 1.

The absolute cream of pigeon shooting. It`s not about kills to cartridges, but the enjoyment of pitting your wits against the most trickiest of birds under those conditions. Smaller shot (7s) and fairly open chokes (IC & 1/4) seem to work best for me. Good luck for Thursday. OB

Well worth the effort for a lovely morning out. The warm bed and wife can be held in abeyance for the next rainy day Thanks for posting. OB

I was very fortunate to see an ‘ear-full’ or ‘museum’ of waxwings one winter several years ago, but have not seen one since. Lovely little birds. OB

Have a good Christmas everyone and a special thank you to the mods who ‘try’ to keep us in order throughout the year.