ForeignGadger

The Kalashnikov of field sports. My semi auto (camo 26" ) will cycle anything down to 24g, any length of cartridge, and you don't need to worry about scratches and dings. it is tough as old nick. Not as finely finished as a big name auto, (some sharp edges and some slop in the action, (just the same as an AK47) but what the hell? Dealers don't tend to love them (less profit?) but for a knockabout gun, especially in the hide, they work well, and you don't worry about spoiling your best gun. Mine's a 5 shot FAC, and particularly likes 30g /6 Clear Pigeon carts. FG

Hmmmmm, seems like a pretty sure recommendation then. Thanks guys. Will leave well alone and practise more! FG

I have a Silver Pigeon 687 V sporter which I like a lot, it fits me well, and is pretty mint. It has 1/4 and 1/2 chokes, but at the local clay shoot, we get a variety of birds from very close to quite long distances. On our local pheasant shoot, on beaters day, we tend to get quite close birds, which get shredded with a pheasant load and 1/2 choke when I hit them. I am considering having multichokes fitted to cope with these different conditions, and given that I am NOT a crack shot, I would welcome advice from you all. My inclination would be to have extended chokes for the clays (from skeet to full, and flush ones for game days, (probably IC and 1/4). Should I spend the money? (I am passing Mr. Teague's place in a few weeks), or should I go through the pain of selling and looking for a m/c equivalent? FG

Good stuff. Second season beating in the Lakes, 2 / 3 times a week, up steep slopes and boggy bits. Can't fault them. Word of advice though, if you are buying on-line, don't increase the size to accommodate extra socks, they are a generous fitting. Best to try some on to check size. FG

I also use the "silent whistle" when close to people, as the 210.5 blown hard can be painful to folks close by, and a bit anti-social in the beating line. I lower the pitch of the "silent" one so that it is just audible to my ears, but the dog responds well to that as well. Ours reacts to bats , so no problem with them hearing supersonic tones! FG

Try Derek at Verstone (S.Lakes). You might have to wait a bit as he does not time litters for the shooting season, as he works his dogs, but we got our from there and she is fantastic.

Now that is what I call a top tip. FG : (Might be a lot of "new breeders" out there)

You might find the cocker might struggle a bit with a full grown gander in the mud...... FG

You could take him to one side and explain how cheap ONE 12g cartridge might be if you had to use it on him. Seriously though, on our shoot, we have all sorts of dogs that seem to take to beating and retrieving: (including terriers, lurchers, etc.), but I have NEVER seen a sheepdog used in shooting. I would drop the idea if I were you. That's like using a formula one car to get to the top of Snowdon.Not fit for purpose.

Would that be one of Derek's cockers, (Witherslack)?: it looks very much like our Jess. If so, you have bought into a good blood line. FG

You might try Arden Grange Adult mix: we use lamb and rice. Our cocker gets that + the occasional egg, (mainly surplus pheasant's eggs!) and folks regularly comment on her shiny coat. Being jet black with tan highlights and a bit of a white bib certainly helps show off the sheen. FG PS she is progressing well: at 13 months: retrieving pigeons reliably from the hide, and getting some dogging-in experience, OK with fur and feather retrieves, steady to sheep, poultry and rabbits. Roll on the pheasant season!

Excellent quote. This applies to many areas of life. Most road "accidents" are not accidents at all, just bad driving or poor vehicle / highway maintainence. I can't believe the length of this thread. Two clays, two shells. Simples!! Anyone who says different is talking nonsense. FG

I use single vision distance glasses with 30% yellow tint. As a rifle shooter, I find I do much better with these rather than varifocals, as the foresight bead is out of focus a bit, allowing me to concentrate on the clay rather than the barrel. When I forget my shooting glasses, and use the varifocals, I tend to do much worse. If you have your prescription and an old pair of specs to send them, try specs-by-post.co.uk, they are brilliant. (No connection other than very satisfied with their service.) FG

Hi, Interested in this: can you tell me the model number and/or the dimensions please? FG

The main decision to make on dogs like that is whether to use a 28g/6 or 28g/2 ..... FG