George1990

Thanks for those comments, feel a bit more confident now Oh and it's English Sporting I do there. Yes Fatcatsplat, consistency is the key, which is something I don't have! I should be going again tomorrow, so if I break the 60% mark I'll post it here

Went out for my first time today and shot at a 1.7:1 ratio (only shot 3 birds though! haha, and used 5 carts). Didn't use decoys or hides, just me and my gun and walked around the field a few times, scaring them out of the woods or getting the passers by. Then, not surprisingly, the rain set in, so i put my gun away and walked home, missing out on 3 really easy shots! Well annoyed. Can't wait to go out again, and the Maize is harvested i'll invest in some decoys. Anyone know if pigeons like maize stubble? I get the feeling they wouldn't, but perhaps they'd come to the decoys anyway?

Hi chaps Wanna get started pigeon shooting. What are the bare necessities? The crop is currently maize which from what i gather is no good, but it's soon to be harvested and barley or wheat is most likely to be seeded. Is this good for shooting on over winter? I don't want to spend lots of money (what with the price of carts) so would some shell decoys do, perhaps on bouncy sticks? Sorry for lots of questions, but thanks for any advice!

Sorry if this has been posted a hundred times, but it's great.

The Napier Stock kit looks pretty good, and Mole Valley do it at a knock down price (which is still quite expensive haha). Might be better just to get the finishing bits though if you've already given your wood a good rub http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/pl3_SHOOT...C_GUN-CLEAN.htm

Ok I'll try it out, thanks :look: I'll edit that out now then Lancs Lad, thanks for the advice.

I agree with Clayman. If you look straight down the barrel you'll be below, though the CPSA say 20cm (nearer 8') from the breach. An easier way, if you have the nipple half way down the barrel, is to make a figure of 8 between it and the bead at the end. This is what the nipple half way down the barrel is for...

Bought an E Rizzini a few weeks ago second hand as my first gun. Cost me £295 Good if you like a heavy feeling gun which makes for a steadier aim. There is actually only 2 ounces difference between it and my dad's Browning B525, but that feels much lighter. Don't know why It had been very well used, but they seem to be robust and long-lasting as most of the metal work looks like new and all fits nice and tightly, even if the wood needed refinishing. The only problem with it is that the bottom cartridge rubs very slightly on the back where the pins are when closing because there is wear on the thing that pushes the ejectors in when closing, so they don't pull the cartridge in quite far enough. This sometimes means you have to close the gun quite hard to fully engage the lock or the thumb pusher thing doesn't go to 6 o'clock and a small gap is left. Not good! This only happens when it gets hot though. Looks the part too, with a side-plate (though it is a box-lock) and nice vents between barrels. So the thing to look out for if it's old is corrosion on the barrels and a nice tight fit on the metal work

Been shooting about 5 times at Southdown Sporting Gun Club in West Sussex and I'm wondering what other beginners have scored. My best two scores were 58% and 59%, which i thought was quite good Be brutal, is that a reasonable score or should I get some lessons?

Thanks for that chaps. The field, then might be unsuitable. It is large but feels small because it is a sort of bowl shape, as the south, west and north sides are short sharp hills covered in woodland, so perhaps the pigeons are likely to fly right over it. As you say Paul, they are nearly always in the woods roosting and when you fire the first shot they all ****** off. What do you reckon?

Been shooting clays for a while and am reasonably accurate, and started walking round the field before shooting with some 32g cartridges of size 6 to bag the odd pigeon. From what I've read on here people seem to have varying amounts of luck with their flight lines and decoy patterns. Could I just get away with setting out a horseshoe pattern about 40 yards in front of the woods where i'd be hiding and hoping for the best? From what i've noticed there doesn't really seem to be a flight line, just a few groups of pigeons flying over every five minutes or so in any direction. The crop is currently maize, but would this be all right when harvested? Thanks for any help, I need it!