southernlad

Haven't tried a Benelli yet but I love my Browning Fusion Evolve. It fits so well it feels 'locked' to me when I shoulder it and the recoil is so soft it barely registers with 28gr loads (which it cycles flawlessly). Only downside for me is the gas system is a bit of a pig to clean. Other than that, superb. I shoot far better with it than I do with my Silver Pigeon and it's now my first choice for high volume shooting. I've put 250 through it in a morning and not a bruise in sight. SL

Personally I think city bankers who pay themselves gross bonusses out of tax payer bailouts should be added to the vermin list. Bring back the stocks. SL

Sounds like you're going to have some fun there! My only bit of advice would be: Do whatever you're doing well away from the public. What you want to do isn't illegal or dangerous from what I can gather, but some members of the public are extremely uneducated about guns and may **** a brick if they say you out messing about with them, even if they are fake. I have been on the wrong end of an armed response unit before, while carrying an airgun which I was using for pest control on private land - Some **** out walking their dog spotted me about two fields away and called the rozzers. It's not much fun having live mp5s pointed at you I can tell you now! Once I had been 'disarmed' voluntarily and the situation had been explained (luckily the land owner was nearby) all was well and they went on their way, but it's not an experience I would repeat in a hurry. So just be careful. SL

He's still putting them together in photoshop...

It was -18 plus windchill in Montreal on new year's eve and -11 on a warm day. Don't know what you lads are moaning about...

You get what you pay for. If someone can do a site for £100 that works properly, looks professional and is well ranked in all the search engines I'll give them a job. And then I'll eat one of my many hats. I have worked in media for 15 years and I would expect to pay upwards of £1000 for a small site and the sky's the limit if you get into e-commerce. I would be very wary if someone offer to do it on the cheap as it may well do your business more harm than good. If you want the name and contact details of a company who will do an absolutely fantastic job at a very reasonable cost PM me. There are two I can recommend who won't let you down. cheers SL

I've got the Browning Fusion Evolve (same action I believe) and can't fault it in any way. Have a look at one before you decide on the Winch, the Evolve is a really good looking, great handling gun and I picked mine up for £450 in mint condition! SL

Are pumpkins nocturnal then? That explains the glowing ones you see at certain times of the year, must be mating season. I feel a thread-closin' is imminent... SL

So a shotgun isn't the ideal tool for hunting pumpkin if you're planning on eating it then...

I know the TV show is old news now, but one thing has been bugging me - What load was the keeper using when he shot at the pumpkins to show the danger of a shotgun? I haven't ever shot at anything still with shotguns before but surely that wasn't a standard bird load? I'm guessing by the fact that he used an over and under that it was a magnum load of BBs or something. Would bird shot really cause that much damage!!?? If so I have an even stronger respect for the business end of a shotgun than I did before!!! SL

personally I thought that the mix of people on this show was about right. The most intelligent arguments and comments generally came from the more open minded guests, those with no axe to grind either way. Most of what they said and most of the more intelligent comments were supportive of hunting. The vegetarians and animal rights activists came across almost unanimously as ill-informed, emotionally unstable and utterly illogical (and in one case just thick as ****), which I actually feel is a shame in a way because I've always wondered if there was a real argument against sustainably hunting wild animals and so far I still haven't heard one... maybe they need more iron in their diets? To my mind one of the biggest injustices to hunting is it being classed as a 'sport'. No wonder these people get the wrong end of the stick and go on about 'killing for fun'. Hunting is not a sport and killing is not fun - HUNTING is fun and a means to fantastically nutritious and untainted food. If I or any others on this site just loved killing things and found killing fun then I'm sure we would also amuse ourselves taking hammers to the local moggies (which do need controlling round here) and pulling the legs off frogs. I think to any intelligent, open-minded person this show actually showed hunting in a very positive light. SL

Hi mate, would love to come out with you if the offer's still open! PM sent. SL

Has anyone seen this 2 bore (not sure what caliber that is in imperial but the bullet is 2500 grains) rifle vid then? Don't know what practical purpose it would have apart from maybe shooting the front end off a car and dislocating your shoulder, but quite amusing... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eXoa5zNn0TU SL

No .177 does not have longer range. It does have a flatter trajectory though. Not advisable to shoot at quarry 50 yards away with a 12ft lb rifle. You will end up wounding as it won't have enough power at that range. Stick to under 35 yards and improve you stalking. Either calibre will kill effectively within this range if your shot placement is accurate. cheers SL

Great write up Martin. Had me on the edge of my seat. Just pulling your leg mate!! How many rats did you get? :(

Thanks for all the info and suggestions. :( after careful consideration I went with the rabbit slippers. SL

The FPS quoted by the manufacturer is based on a chronographed reading at a set distance (very close, can't remember the exact distance! :( ) from the muzzle using whichever pellet they find performs the best I believe. it will be an average from a number of the same type of pellets fired. Pellet weight and shape can have a serious effect on velocity, often to the point that your air rifle may be producing more than the legal 12ft lbs. If it concerns you get your rifle chronoed with a selection of different pellets. The majority of good quality hunting rifles will be tuned to output at around 11.5 ft lbs to take into account the possibility of some pellets producing higher velocities than others. There are other factors to consider also, even with the same type of pellets used such as manufacturing defects, distortion from handling, dirt etc. I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it though! Just find a pellet that is consistently accurate in your rifle, select well formed pellets, discard any odd ones, keep them clean and treat them gently. Hope that helps' cheers SL

This probably won't help much, but I'm pretty sure there was a thread the other day started by someone trying to track this joker down too. SL

Hartford, thought someone might say that! Agreed, I was a little critical initially when reading his first post, but not to the point of unfriendliness. Since we can only go by what people tell us about themselves on here I had no real background to go on, but since then Nerooo has told us a bit more about himself and his experience and I realise I may have been a bit hasty to judge. Sorry if I've now contradicted myself but I felt like there was a bit of bullying going on and don't want to be part of it. Once I was happy with someone's competence I would happily take them out shooting on my permissions as I know how hard they are to come by, as long as they're safe. No doubt the favour would be returned at a later date, allowing me to enjoy some variety also. cheers SL

I could be wrong, but from what I've gathered there are long waiting lists and they don't advertise for new members. Sl

Highlander, think that's a bit harsh mate. He's said on another thread that he has had years of shooting experience, just not in the UK and I don't think he's lived here long. It's a nightmare trying to get shooting permission around here, don't know what it's like elsewhere, but he's made the effort as he says above so I think that's fair enough. Never hurts to ask! cheers SL

Hi Bootneck, To sum it up from where I stand: Springer - Generally a bit cheaper, usually heavier. One shot only before reloading. All springers will recoil to some extent which can affect accuracy. Good ones are very reliable as not much to go wrong. No need to buy other equipment like dive bottles or pumps. Can be a bit loud even with a silencer because of the spring. Good springers to look at: Air Arms tx200 and Pro sport, BSA lightning, Weihrauch HW series among others. Theoben and Weihrauch also make gas ram guns which work like a springer but are a bit nicer to shoot. PCP - Quiet, lightweight, incredibly accurate, no recoil, multi shot versions available. Downside is that they are more expensive generally, need a pump or air tank to refill with which can be fairly expensive and a bit of a hassle. Good PCPs to look at include Air Arms, BSA, Theoben, Falcon etc. I have no experience of CO2 hunting rifles but used to have some CO2 pistols and the capsules become quite expensive if you shoot a lot and around here not many shops stock them. There isn't a massive choice of Co2 rifles about. My advice would be, if you can afford it, go for a PCP. My Falcon FN19 is superb and still faultless after 5 years. cheers SL

That's true but the range for larger shot especially BBs, AAAs, SGs is significantly more. SL

I've got a Deerhunter too, love it. Tough as you like and keeps me warm and dry. It's not a cammo one though. SL

Oh I see, that's where I've been going wrong... Is .22 the recommended calibre then? Would have thought buckshot would provide messier close range decapitations. Destroy the brain... before they eat yours!!!!! BRAAAAAIIIINNNNNS! BRAAAAIIIINNNNSSS!!! SL