Vince Green

Muzzle loaders still dry out black powder in the oven! Not this one though I would rather just go out and buy some more. However, it is a recognised practice to keep the powder sweet.

I started reloading with a handloader called the Tayside reloader. Soon bought a press though.

Yes but Joe Public is liable to phone the police and say there's a man with a gun in the high street. The rest can be left to the imagination. Armed response units? helicopters? Crazy but true. And after all that the police will have to charge you with something just as a face saver. Public Order offence or something. They shot that bloke with a chair leg in his bag a few years back so don't believe it couldn't happen. Much better to go un- noticed.

Once you have caught one fox in a trap in that garden you are unlikely to catch any more. Not for a long time anyway. In any case, traps only tend to catch young foxes. Very unlikely to catch the old dog fox.

You cannot reload rimfire ammunition because there is no way you can re-prime the cases.

This is a popular excuse but I just don't believe it. The truth is that dealers are strapped for cash and only holding minimal amounts of stock because they can't afford the layout. Its a worrying sign never the less because it shows how close to the edge many dealers must be. Kranks for one have got shed loads of .243 in stock, they only took in a new delivery a couple of weeks ago.

Its perfectly legal to carry a gun in a slip but is it wise? One of the members of our club who travels to the club on a motorcycle uses a guitar case to deflect attention.

You want old and cheap if you are going to be dragging through hedges or lying on your belly in muddy fields . I do think with some people there is a slight tendency towards dressing up in their action man outfits. There used to be some right plonkers at Bisley who had to have a quiet word whispered in their ears. Mind you , at bisley you see grown men walking around in cowboy hats, boots, and spurs!

A bite from a fox means two days in hospital (minimum) on intraveinous antibiotics. the teeth go deep and it festers. Foxes teeth carry some very nasty germs. If you get bitten by a fox don't wait until it goes nasty before you go to A&E. They will take you in and put you on antibiotics straight away because you risk getting blood poisioning. You never want to get that close to any angry fox.

You can try peeing down the hole (regularly) or pouring ammonia or white spirt (old stuff after you have cleaned a paint brush with it) down it but if they have built a den then it probably means cubs this time of year and I for one wouldn't do it when there are cubs in the den, call me soft if you like. Other tricks include taking the lid off an old can of paint and stuffing it down the hole with a broom handle or creosoting the shed (Not so effective but you get a nice shed even if it doesn't work). In all cases they don't like the smell and abandon the den.

At £10 per 20 its not really worth reloading it. Lots of money for equipment and components then lots of time messing about testing loads and getting it right. You can produce better ammo by reloading (sometimes) but you can also produce worse ammunition until you do get it right. then your favourite powder goes out of stock Been there..... Reloading can be very satifying but it can also mean you are always wondering what would happen if I tried a different powder, or a different bullet, or a bit more powder, or a bit less crimp. In the end you can drive yourself nuts. I spent three years experimenting with reloads for my .303. Now I just buy PP and its just as good as my best reloads and its cheaper. I'm still reloading .38/.357 ammo but only till I run out of components.

Dealers don't like stocking PP because the profit is less that on other ammunition but I think they are taking a short sighted view. If thats what people want that is what they are going to buy. Making it difficult to get is not going to do their business any good in the long run. My local dealer won't sell it either so I don't have any reason to go there any more and he is losing out on selling me things like cleaning materials etc that I would have bought at the same time. Surely he would have been better off selling me several hundred rounds of ammo a year even if the profit is less. As it is I buy nothing, how is that good for business?

My impression in France was that they are not so heavily into bulk buying and are much more inclined to buy a box or two as required. thats partly due to most towns, even small ones, having somewhere where cartridges can be bought easily. At one time you could buy .22 ammo and even .22 rifles equally easily but they have tightened up now.

All copper bullets work fine, the hollow point just goes a lot deeper. However there is an issue with accuracy. many rifles are a lot more fussy than with ordinary bullets. To make the same weight the bullet has to be a lot longer, about half as much again. that causes problems with stabilising in the rifling. Twist becomes more important. Slow twists don't suit copper bullets.

.22 shot shells are pretty weak. CBs will be better if you can find some, and cheaper

Did the shot run out of the barrel when the missfire occoured if you upended it? That means no powder. The primer alone is capable of pushing the charge and wads 3-4 inches into the barrel. If there was loads of unburnt pwder everywhere when you opened the gun it means you need to go to a magnum primer. Thats very rare.

My dealings with the Met in recent years has been super efficient. One of the best IMO.

Although used in serious competitions these are essencially fun guns and the bigger bang is more fun. There is a slight tactical advantage with the bigger bullet because it will cut the line where the smaller bullet won't so an identical shot with a .44 may count as in whereas the same shot with a .357 would be out.

Well to bring it back on topic, why doesn't the OP bring his son to a Bisley open day? Loads for him to see and do and much better than a sneaky go.

The .308 is actually just a shortened .30-06. In the 1950s when they were developing the 7.62 ( which is the .308) they took the .30-06 and shortened it by approx half an inch because with the more modern powders they didn't need so much space in the cartridge.

I can't imagine who you were shooting with but its not like that normally I can assure you. I wouldn't go if it was. There are a few clubs that are a bit dodgy and have bad reputations but on the whole its strict.

First join the NRA. Then take the probationers course. This teaches you lots. Its run by the NRA Instructor Charles Perry who is very good. Talk initally to Heather Webb (membership secretary) The NRA number is 01483 797777. If you can try to make it to the next open day on Sept 11th Do contact me if you are going. That goes for anyone else who is going.

Sorry mate but thats not right. But it is a popular misconception Apart from open days you can only shoot if you are a member of the NRA or a member of an affiliated club and shooting on an official club shoot under the control of a range officer. If you enjoyed the day why not join the NRA and get more into it. We have a lot going on and its a great place. A lot of people are put off because they think its hard to join but its not. There are two open days a year and they are very popular, loads of different things to have a go on (pistols, muzzle loading shotguns and every type of rifle you could imagine). There is one this weekend which is fully booked but there will be another one in September which will be advertised on the NRA website neare the time. You need to book in advance and places are limited. I will be there helping out (most likely) so if you do go drop me a line before you go and I will meet up with you.

Foxes don't have a reputation for cunning for nothing. A few years back a fox got my kids pet rabbit by opening the latch on the door of the hutch. Devious little creatures. He paid the price for it though, thats when I built my first trap.

Good shooting