Raja Clavata

On the basis that I think about nookie every ~5 mins, beer every ~hour or so then with PW coming in at every ~2hours I'm not addicted in the slightest (relatively speaking)

Martin - I've just sent you payment for 2 sets Baz - I too would prefer folks we know!

On that basis you'd still be looking for 2 more cos' I'd be offski

Blaser - never picked up another make of shotty that came up so nicely and felt so well balanced in the shoulder on such a consistent basis! And I own a 682 Gold E (I'm not really good enough for a Blaser).

Unless you get an open cert it may be worth considering if all the land you intend to shoot over is cleared for .308? I think if you asked most people, without qualification, for their opinion of the most flexible CF calibre they'd likely respond with .243. Most people seem to find it hard to recommend something they don't own themselves and there's evidence of that in this thread. I'm afraid I'm no different. Personally my thinking would be along the lines of: fox & majority of UK deer = .243 (everything bar large Red & Sika stags) All UK deer = 6.5 x 55 (but I think some estates prefer bigger still on large Red & Sika stags!?) Anything up to and including wild boar = .308 (although 6.5 x 55 is also an adequate calibre but again some places will demand bigger) All options are flexible but there is not really one perfect fits all across the spectrum, each has trade-offs / constraints. Ask yourself where your sweet spot lies and you probably have your answer. Personally I'm likely to go the old fashioned route: .243 for everything up to 100grn and .308 100grn up. If something needs more than 180 - 200 grn's then I probably don't want to be in the same county as it.

Beautiful but is it pure cocker - quite a deep looking chest there too?

I believe our thinking is aligned I'm certainly aligned with your views on the .22lr I had a mentoring condition on my first FAC (RF's) but a mate of mine just got his without one (same force), the Police have cleared the land he shoots on for up to .22RF so how are they ensuring he does not take that to mean he can fire it anywhere and in any direction on that land? - quite clearly they are not! Seems to me that a better approach to open cert issuance would be a nationally applied test that ensured a consistent level of verification criteria so that people could upgrade OR a scheme where you need to past the test before the FAC is issued and then all certs could be open. Probably a can of worms though ...

I would recommend joining the GSPC or GSPA - we joint the GSPC - http://www.gsp.org.uk - prior to getting ours and got some really good advice. There is one big breeder whose name I won't mention but everyone with a "name" in the breed I have spoken to has said to avoid. Good luck. edit: I think the link in the above post should be versatilehpr.com - another good site

I was playing a bit of DA there so perhaps such a patronising response is partially justified. Please clarify the verification process the Police used to ascertain you have the knowledge to make the safety call on each shot? Based on my experience here, and in the real world, it seems more to do with where you live and the views of your FEO. It's not clear to me that holding a certificate for x years and having used y rounds over that time is any measure of being safe... Thanks al4x - I agree with you on the clearance being bull! One of my permissions is only cleared for .22 RF but there are places where you could safely shoot a .308 and others where letting a .22RF off would be bonkers. By the same token the ~1000 acres where I have clearance for .243 on there are very few places with a safe back-stop (it's a WW2 air-base) - high chairs and very specific angles of approach are a must. Same force cleared both sites.

Sorry, but not really. I'm seeking clarification on whether or not someone with an open cert for say a .223CF can legally shoot it over land that is only cleared for .22 rimfire? I don't believe you can / should be able to...

Drives me nuts! At ~12months he pointed a couple rabbits whilst on the lead at dusk which I couldn't see without the scope - firm and steady I shot one of them, let him pick it up and carry it back to the car. Well happy. When he can see the quarry he'll freeze on the point momentarily and then goes into a crouching, slinky big cat type posture and approach it slowly. Typically as it bolts / flys off he'll charge in briefly but gives up pretty quickly (fortunately).

Open or as some prefer to call them "less restrictive" certificates confuse me. Some people seem to think that an Open cert allows them to shoot on land, they have permission on, using whatever calibre they want EVEN if that land has been approved for a smaller calibre. This does not make sense to me - I would expect an open cert allows you to deem the land suitable for a particular calibre only in circumstances where no clearance has been applied to that land previously. i.e. you can't legally shoot say a .223 CF on land cleared by the Police for calibres up to .22 rimfire only - regardless of what your certifcate states. Can someone please definitvely clarify which interpretation is correct? Ta Raja

That's nature mate nurture involves achieving the same level of steadiness when she can see what it is she's pointing at. Mine's unreliable on the latter (to say the least)...

not at 05:30 hrs !

Nick, I very nearly took the liberty of adding your name to the list of interested parties in the original post:yes: I'm quite sure you post, or at least used to, on a barbel site for which I am a mod (albeit these days non-functional )!? Dates for 2011 would be early in the season so - June / July at the latest (to make the most of the long days). BUT if there is enough interest (from the dedicated) then we could even do something this year (before the end of October I would suggest). So - do you know who I am now? BR Mike (surname Welsh) of the 3rd

Be clear and understand that the aforementioned shot those intruders with a non-registered / illegally held shotgun!

So, just trying to gauge interest in a summer 2011 Pigeon Watch Fish-in / meet on the river Teme just outside Worcester. Would cover a Friday and Saturday night on an exclusive stretch of the river Teme. We'd need to camp out so bbq and plenty of beers are a given - no toilet facilities but we could get a port-a-loo delivered if enough participate. We'd have exclusive access to the river on that stretch for the 3 days (Fri-Sat-Sun). So what say the PW anglers? Actually you don't need to be an angler - we'll be far away enough from other people to just use it as it an excuse for a pukka social in a superb setting... So far I've pencilled in Evil Elvis, Longshanks, MZUNGU MJINGA and moi - additional spaces will be limited. Cheers Raja PS - If you are not interested in attending then we are not interested in your input - so don't bother!

Careful, can be a deterrent but needs to be placed at a height / location that avoids tampering. We got burgled a few years back and they picked a towel off the washing line and threw it over the PIR (at soffit level on a ground floor extension). The towel caught fire / smoldered and nearly set the wooden soffit going - not good!

Grim mate, sorry to hear this but at least you lost nothing (this time). I'd suggest a decent padlock applied every night as a minimum and perhaps a simple alarm (reed switch only on the door) with the setting mechanism placed in a inconspicuous location. Put a dummy bell box in a conspicuous location with the actual functional bell box out of sight.

Building up a mental picture of the pavman (and it ain't very pretty) :blink:

Judging by the way the trees are moving about here at the moment I reckon it'll be blowing a hoolie down on the coast - still gutted though. At a bit of a loose end - is there a range in Essex where I can just turn up and have a couple dry runs at the DSC1 shooting test?

I don't gamble but would have betted large you were going to say that :blink: Glad to see you have "pirked" up anyway Baz, To confirm - Al's OK for this but Duncan isn't, assuming everyone else is OK will you just stick to 8?

Good pics - liking the WSF hoodie :blink:

I'll judged nut-job perhaps but was a custodial sentence really justified Just take the gun away and don't let her have another one!?

Hey, I thought it was my turn this time