rompom

I realise you're not asking for advice here, but I had one of these and would not recommend getting one as winter's drawing in. Superb summer gun, especially for the money, but CO2 is a bit tricky in winter. You lose power/accuracy and shot count from a cartridge the colder it gets - the tell-tale puff of white CO2 from the end of the barrel it s dead give-away. The only way round it I found was a hand warmer stuffed in with the CO2 bottle which really gets expensive. Apologies to butt in but it's advice I wish I'd had when I bought mine!

I've got permission to shoot on a couple of 20-acre plots in Oxted, Surrey. One is woodland, the other is used for crops. I go pretty regularly and rarely leave without pigeon/rabbit/squirrel and have also seen plenty of fox & deer there though never shot them. I'm basically self-taught and have little in the way of camo/hides/decoys etc. so I'm sure i could be doing better and have a fuller pot every month. If an experienced shooter would like to come down and offer some tips, have a day out and perhaps finish off in the local pub you'd be more than welcome!

A resounding 'no!' seems to be the general consensus. Thanks for all the feedback - I really appreciate it. I'll ignore the delicious little chaps until I manage to get my FAC. I just invested in a hushpower .410 so will focus on the pigeons/bunnies/squirrels for the time being!

I have a feeling this may stir up some emotion, so I would like to say upfront that I HAVE NEVER POINTED A SHOTGUN AT A DEER. *comes out from hiding behind table* I was in the pub last night and one of the local guys was talking about shooting muntjac. I said that I had never shot deer as I don't have a FAC, only a shotgun certificate. He suggested that I buy some magnum carts with no. 3 or no. 1 shot and that they will do the trick from 50 yards on full choke. He went on to explain that, as they had not been introduced to the UK when the Deer Act came in so they are not covered by it. Has anyone had any experience of this? It sounded far-fetched to me but if it's legal and humane I'd consider it.

This is a quick and very simple recipe. Works incredibly well with rabbit meat, but I also use it with all the off-cuts of meat from anything else I shoot. That or throw them in the mincer! Cut meat from bones/sadle of two bunnies and dice into bite-sized pieces Boil 4 chillis for 5 minutes in just enough salted water to cover the pieces of rabbit Poach the rabbit ('scuse the pun) for 5 minutes in the water Strain and dry Mix 1 x vegetable stock cube, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, black pepper and a heaped tablespoon of self-raising flour Roll the rabbit in the spice/flour mix Deep fry in vegetable oil until golden brown It utterly rocks.

Thanks all for the varied advice. I went down to the cellar yesterday with an angle grinder, mallet, crowbar, hardened hole cutter, and sense of foreboding over what was looking like a long and sweaty afternoon. Worryingly, all it took was an old chisel, a claw hammer and 60 seconds to pop the cabinet open - literally like opening a paint tin. One bolt, which popped out of the lock without protest. On the one hand, it was a relief to get the guns out ahead of a shoot this week. On the other it demonstrated how utterly inadequate some of these old gun cabinets can be - I now wonder if the firearms inspector had a close enough look when he checked it out last year. Gives a cold sweat to know that anyone could have popped the door off in no time at all. So, on to my next question.... does anyone have a 2nd hand 3 gun cabinet for sale in the Surrey/Kent area!?

Thanks very much for all the ideas, guys. At £120 - £200 I'd definitely be better off buying another 2nd hand, so I will give the manufacturer a call to see what their advice is and let you know how I get on. Hopefully I won't need to resort to an angle grinder!

My bag was stolen from a pub recently. It contained my keys which had my gunsafe key on it. Luckily there was nothing with my address in the bag but it was my only key (I know, I know, I should have known better!) What's the best way to get in? Is there any way to get the front panel replaced without damaging the body? If it's a case of calling the locksmith, what should I expect to pay? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I recently bought an AA s400 second hand. I filled it 2-3 times, putting 50 or so pellets through it each time. I recently came to fill it again but found I could not unscrew the cap over the filler valve. I tried various things including, most recently, a few drops of gun oil left to penetrate overnight and an adjustable wrench. Has anyone experienced this before? Any advice? One concern is that the valve may have gone, leaving the air compressed inside the filler cap and causing it to jam, but this sounds unlikely as I doubt the cap is fully airtight. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Great little Barnett crossbow with spare serving twine. Still boxed, and not used in a year or so. It needs a little work (rear sight is cracked, stock is not attached and requires a single screw). Still great fun and, due to the work needed, dirt cheap! £30 takes it away. I'm in Clapham Junction but can come down to Oxted in Surrey if easier.

This is a great bow it's powerful, accurate and a lot of fun. I'm selling as need the room and have not used it in a while. £600 when bought new, I'll take £75 but it's collection only. Will also throw in a handful of darts once I dig them out of the loft! Comes with a Rhino 4 x 40 scope. I'm in Clapham Junction, but also often down in Oxted, Surrey so could meet you there if it's easier.

Only fired 250 rounds through it in the 6 months since it was bought new (I bought one on here 2nd hand which was faulty - Gamo replaced it with a brand new one as it took so long to get the required part). The only problem with it is a perished seal (see picture), though Gamo will repair this free of charge as it is still waranteed. I'm in the middle of moving house etc so simply haven't the time nor inclination. Comes with c. 300 pellets, a hard case and 8 shot magazine. Great little gun which can be posted. £40 to have it gone ASAP!

Shot a rabbit yesterday and went to gut him. First thing I noticed was lots of small black insects (fleas?) Hopping all over it. Quickly skinned and thought nothing of it. I then opened it up to gut and saw 3 or 4 deposits in different places which I've never come across before. They were like tiny white frogspawn, about 1mm -2mm in diameter, and perhaps 100 in each lump. Any idea what these are? Is the meat still edible?

I've just got my first 12g, having been airgunning for years. I've also got permissions on 2 pieces of land in Oxted, Surrey (one ploughed farmland, one scrub/woodland) and am interested in shooting pigeons (£6-£8 a brace at the local butcher!) It's about 5 mins from J6 of the M25. I'm not sure what I'm doing, and would really appreciate some pointers. Would anyone be prepared to join me on the land at some point for a day's shooting? I think I'd learn a lot, and would gladly get the beers in afterwards. Stephen