Treestalker

I had it happen twice from 2 different batches before binning them. When I examined the cartridges you could see loads of powder halfway up the plaswad. Some of the ones I cut open had light powder charges as well and I'm still waiting to hear from the dealer I returned them to. RC50s are my favourite now.

Awesome cartridge. Excellent on high pheasants and in my opinion equal to the premium "high pheasant" loads out there. I've shot them alongside 34g 5's of other brands and there was no difference in performance on 50-60yd birds. 34g of English 5's has a similar pellet count to the Victory 6's as I've patterned quite a few of them. The Victory/G&L Calibers website has been down for a few months now and I can't remember what the velocity was. They certainly aren't noticeably slower or faster than other cartridges I use.

I wade up the river at night with my headlight and just pick them off the bottom. I'm assuming your stream is shallow enough? As for purging them I kill them and just twist off the centre tail section and carefully pull the gut out.

I wish I'd known you back in the early 1990s when I was experimenting with a 444. I could've saved myself a fortune working up loads and trying them on deer. What is a .230 diameter 44 caliber bullet? Were you using sabots?

I had one for 3 years as a woodland rifle. Most 44 calibre bullets then were designed to work at 44 handgun velocities and were just too explosive at 444 speeds. I eventually settled on Hornady XTPs and Hornady Interlock Silhouette bullets to try and minimise carcase damage. The Silhouette bullets were used in handgun comps to knock down steel rams so technically were non-expanding but did expand well at 444 speeds and performed well in the field. My 444 Marlin was surprisingly accurate and I could squeeze 3 shots groups down to 1" at 100yds. I shot a fallow doe one day from a high seat as she stood on a partially flooded field and was shocked to see the 240 grain Hornady XTP plough straight through then skip off across the flooded field kicking up water until I lost sight of it. I even messed about with the "Dark Side" of down loading the 444 with cast lead bullets but then you can easily fall foul of the Deer Act with muzzle velocities and energy. I once guided an American client who had successfully used a 444 on dangerous game in America and Africa. In my opinion the 444 is let down by a lack of decent game bullets and there are a lot of better calibres out there for UK stalking and pigs.

If you're looking for exceptional long range performance on edgy clays try the cartridges the top trap shooters use. Light recoil and good patterns are what they demand. Fiocchi's Golden Trap is awesome. I agree that there aren't any rubbish cartridges available in the UK. I use any brand 32g "pigeon" cartridges for my pigeon and game shooting. I use them on grouse moors to high bird pheasant shoots and they perform well. I haven't been able to tell the difference between them and the cartridges with 'Supreme', 'Gold', 'Extreme', etc, printed on the side of them. I've done a fair bit of pattern testing and have found the "cheaper" cartridges tend to produce better patterns in the long style chokes like Teagues and Brileys. Confidence and doubt with a cartridge is what affects you the most. Find a cartridge you like, stick with it and ignore what others say.

My black and white springer looks like she's covered in tar spots so we called her Tara.

At a range I regularly use it wasn't unusual to find live 9mm rounds laid around the clubhouse and ranges from people doing stoppage drills and not accounting for rounds. One afternoon an RO mate of mine found the range users that day had left a big box of several Glock pistols behind. A phone call was made and the embarrassed gun owners returned to collect them. I won't name the police force responsible for obvious reasons.

I pick up on a large bag high bird shoot. I'm talking about some birds being 70yd plus on all drives. There are 2 let days and you soon notice a 20 bore shooter by his poor results on the extreme birds. All regular syndicate members shoot heavy loads through 12 bores. The 20 bore is lacking in this extreme example. The heavy long 12 bore is better for soaking up the heavy cartridge recoil. On my syndicate (average pheasant shoot) I am the only Gun NOT using a 20 bore. Last week on a day's clay tuition with Carl Bloxham both my sons were breaking 60 yard clays with 20 bores. Both guns when pattern tested printed patterns tighter than their chokes. This is what 20 bores can be prone to do. In Scotland last year and also in England last season my sons used 20 bores on decoyed and flighted geese with no difference to the 12 bore users. There is not much choice in heavy non-toxic 20 bore loads. Over stubbles in Scotland the 36g Winchester No3 lead were superb. I personally prefer longer, heavier, slower handling 12 bores but the 20 bore is getting so popular now on game shoots. The trend on my shoot seems to be with the longer barrel Caesar Guerinis.

Carl charges £180/day and you can take up to 4 people. Carl's charge is still £180 for 4 people and not £180/person. Clays are then charged at £10/100 and you supply your own cartridges. He is very generous on the clays used and is far cheaper than going to an established shooting school. Carl uses a small bit of Long Marston airfield and all that is lacking is a high tower. If you want high tower work then Carl will meet you at Riseley or Edgehill or a similar ground near you.

I've seen some battered 682s on dealers shelves for around £900 and 682 Gold Es for £1500 that look like they've been run over. 30" 686's and 687's are £850+. If a private seller is desperate for a quick sale then you will find bargains. Down south here you'll struggle to buy a decent Beretta cheap. I don't think £1000 is a lot of money if you shoot the gun well and you're happy with it.

It cost us £260 and we shot over 800 clays! Carl is a brilliant coach and really pushes you. As my son said we ended up over 60yds away on crossers and loopers. It suited my full choked 12 but both my son's 20 bores performed well. The 24g cartridges DoubleTap mentioned were Hull Pro Twenty fibre 7.5s.

CCI Benchrest

I'd travel up and have a day with Carl Bloxham. He's the best instructor I've met for Sporting. A surprising number of top names travel to him for help with particular targets.

I take my rangefinder every time I go lamping and it hangs around my neck. I don't use it on the fox but it is useful for a quick distance check on nearby hedges and trees for the longer shots. I don't use it under 200yds but it is useful for the fox that sits out at distance and you can't get closer. My Leica 1200 has an illuminated targeting square and numbers and you can easily see trees and hedges without the lamp on them.