edge

I used an Easy Hit bead for about nine months, after it was recommended by my shooting coach at the time. I finally realised that it was hindering my shooting rather than helping. Rather than looking at the clay, I ended up subliminally looking at the barrel. After all, that's the Easy Hit's purpose, to draw your eye to it. Once I'd got rid of it, decided to disregard the fact that I'm left eye dominant when I'm right handed, and just look at the target, my shooting improved.

I enjoy using my Yildiz 410 http://www.shootingtimes.co.uk/guns/181479...gun_review.html

I use Nikwax. When applied with a cloth, it didn't get absorbed very easily. Now I rub it in with my hands. The warmth seems to make the Nikwax go into all the little corners much better. You do end up with a waterproof hand that takes a bit of cleaning, but I think it's worth it.

Is this Google Map any help? http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&amp...amp;t=h&z=6

Hello folks, me again. I am delighted with how my MK38 's wood work has turned out, as a result of the advice I got here. In the process, I've discovered how hard it is to photograph a nicely oil-finished gunstock, and make it look as good as it does in the flesh. But here goes: The first few coats were done with artist-grade linseed oil, rubbed down with 0000 steel wool. My gun shop then introduced me to CCL Conditioning Oil, which is thicker and has filled up some of the pores faster. I think I could have continued with linseed oil and achieved the same result with just a few more coats. The gun is now weatherproof - at least as much as is possible - and looks a couple of hundred pounds more expensive. There's something very basic and satisfying in hand-rubbing the finish and seeing the deep lustre come up beneath your hands. Without the advice here, I wouldn't have known how to go about this and produce a successful result, so thank you to everyone who chipped in.

Cold Springs, near Buxton, will be open on 13, 20 and 27 December. 20 December is the annual turkey shoot. http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sour...004823&z=18

With your guidance and encouragement, I found the necessary ingredients and set to this evening - if a little trepidatiously (spelling??). I hope to report back with results that impress you. Thanks everyone.

Thanks, I was only aware of the stuff in red cans. Do I use this instead of the linseed oil, or on top of it?

Thanks for all the advice. It is an oil-finished stock (the manual tells me). I'll go in search of linseed oil tomorrow.

I just read the manual. You might suggest that I should have done that in the first place... ...but I'm confused by what it says. "A little Legia Spray applied from time to time will feed the wood and allow it to retain its handsome appearance." I thought that Legia Spray was supposed to be used on the barrels and action - that's what it says on the tin. Can it really be good for wood too?

I have an 18 month old Miroku MK38. Should I be treating its woodwork with something? And if so, what and how? My question is prompted by there being some small patches on the stock where I can now feel the grain, where it was dead smooth when I bought it. Although it has got wet occasionally, the gun is always dried off soon afterwards and never stored in a damp place. I'm not sure what the factory finish on the woodwork is. You can just make out the raised bits in these photos:

Here's two for starters: Cold Springs GC, near Buxton. First and last Sunday of month. Wildboarclough, between Buxton and Macc. Not sure of their schedule.

You can use your own cartridges. It seems that people get the impression that you can't. Maybe the people running the Boar make a bit on the sale of their cartridges.

I last went about six months ago. They've improved the road up to the hut, but you'll still need to take it carefully if you're not in a 4x4. The people that run it are friendly and helpful. Best to call before you go, to make sure they're open. If the wind is strong or gusting along the valley, the targets can be 'testing'!

I popped into my local optician a couple of weeks ago because the varifocals I use every day were bent and had become uncomfortable. Before I knew it, she was asking me questions and giving me an eye test. In the course of doing that, I explained some of the difficulties I encounter when shooting, such as cross-dominance. She mentioned that she'd taken a sports qualification and had friends that shoot, so I asked more questions than I might otherwise have done. I've had this odd thing where sometimes I can see the clay but I don't know precisely where it is in space. The optician explained, after a further test, that because of how the muscles operate around my eyes it's possible for my depth perception to suddenly go awry. When she described the symptoms that were possible, it so closely matched my experience that it felt quite spooky. It seems that the problem may be able to be countered either in the prescription shooting glasses I wear, or in contact lenses, whose capabilities have change markedly since I last wore them fifteen years ago. I also had a test for colour preference, and it seemed that I have better depth perception with a blue tint. Well, I have a blue tinted lens with one of the pairs of prescription shooting glasses I have (an Optilabs/Top Gear pair that I don't particularly like), so I wore that pair today, and shot my best score yet at that particular ground. My message is simple. Our eyesight is our own, as individual as the rest of us, and needs proper analysis if we're going to use it well. If you have less than perfect eyesight, it might be worth checking whether there's an optician in your area that's sports-qualified and who can give you a check.