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

Our old country vet once told my father-in-law that his golden retriever had a bit of a nasty streak in him. He'll not take it from any dog, he said, and you need to find an excuse every 6 months or so to give him a good hiding to remind him who's boss, or he'll take over. He was dead right. We got a pick out of the litter sired by this dog, and he was a big cracker, he could quarter, jump gates, point and retrieve,but was very willful. He used to beat up german shepherds for fun. He never started a fight, but finished a few.... He also had to be disciplined fairly regularly. In his case, not physically, other than a scruff-shake now and again and some effective growling when he got a bit big for his boots. Our current cocker bitch is _very_ bold, not frightened of anything, but sensitive. At 9 months a low "No" or disapproving tone is all it needs to get mournful sideways glances.. My problem with her is that she is totally focussed on scenting and questing; retrieving seems not to be in her makeup. Any ideas, suggestions?? Horses for courses.... FG

One good thing is they give you 1000 off prices for a mix and match, provided you buy 1000 and minimum 250 of each type.. Get a few mates together and bulk buy to save on transport. FG

You could also go the McCullock route (B&Q ?) I bought one 8 years ago for light work, which turned out to be heavy and apart from replacing the chain a couple of times, it has not missed a beat. You need to clean out the drive pulley area and degunge it now and again, but even the bar has done OK. FG

PM sent.

Thanks for the tips lads. will investigate further. Image of damage attached FG

Well, the damage is a bit more than just a scratch. It is a "v" groove, about 1/8" deep, and a bit curved. There are still bits of clay embedded in the wood, and another bit has a chunk missing about 1/8" deep and 3/16 square. A right dog's breakfast. Wood is missing, so steaming will not do. As to hitting the club, this is not an option, its a bunch of mates loosely formed into a club. I have let my feelings known on the advisability of bombarding participants with clays: v.stupid! no magic stuff then? FG

I was at the local clay shoot last week, and some **** set up the trap to bombard the waiting line of shooters with unshot clays. My Medalist, (a gun I had just aquired and was shooting well with), took a direct hit on the forend from a clay coming down from a height. result: an unsightly groove, cut into the top of the forend (fortunately not on the chequering) which I want to fill, sand and finish. My question is this: does anyone have a particular filler they might recommend? I have obtained a variety of them with roughly the right colour (varnished walnut), but thought I would ask on here before I tackle it. Whilst not a premium gun by any means, this medalist was a tidy looking gun and seems to suit me particularly well: score up from 14 -> 27 ex 30, but this knock has taken some value off it. Any help gratefully accepted. FG

A fox @ 800 mtrs by someone not used to rifles....... hm... is this a wind-up? FG

In the '70's we lived way out in the sitcks and were converting an old school. I was away and two "scrap men" turned up to scrounge stuff out of the yard; which alarmed my wife (home on her own with a 3 month baby). We had ours and my father-in-law's golden retreivers with us and they went ape-**** at these two guys... something they never did before. Our dog pinned one of them against a wall and was flashing his teeth 6 inches away from the smaller guy's face! (this was an 85lb dog). I guess they picked up my wife's nervousness and reacted. She called them off and the two jumped over the gate to get away. they threatened they would complain to the plod, but we never heard any more about it. Dogs can sense many things we don't even come close to getting: body language, pupil dilation, sweat etc. could all play a part.

hmm... I think that you might have to quote sources on that one... FG