notsosureshot

Removed. I think I'll bow out.

I highly doubt that. Plenty will have been discussed, directly and indirectly via back channels and/or China. Very little is reported in the papers unless it favours someone. The embargo's I agree are helping to put pressure on, but the reality is that no US president has agreed to publically discuss anything with North Korea because the North Korean leadership refused to make concessions on various issues, the latest and long standing issue being nuclear weapons. It would generally be considered bad for the image of the US president to discuss anything with the leader of a country that totally dismisses what they are being told to do by the USA. Trump meeting the leader of that country basically says they have legitimacy as a nuclear power. Allowing the meeting in return for apparently nothing is literally granting legitimacy by the USA. That's the problem unfortunately. You cannot talk diplomatically to someone who uses an anti-aircraft gun to execute a relative (amongst other things) unless they do something incredibly significant first, like, nuclear disarmament in the full view of the entire world. Kim wont.

Hmm, well, Kim backing down is one way of looking at it. Another way would be that Trump has made a monumental mistake by effectively welcoming Kim to the table without having demanded any concessions beforehand. It may be viewed as legitimising Kim's position and could be perceived as giving him equal footing to the US, as nuclear powers.

I took my family there for a day out last year. We got there and the train had literally broken down 20 minutes before we arrived. My 2 year old was very disappointed. The man in charge gave us a free family pass as compensation, without being asked for anything at all. I thought that was lovely of him.

Thats pretty awesome. Now you just need an enormous pile of toast!

If you wait about 20 years your knackers will drop so then you can simply sling them over the pommel.

Is there any way you can get them to give you a truck as a company car? The BIK is incredibly low and if they are kind enough to give you personal fuel, you're laughing. I pay less than £200 BIK per month for a brand new truck inclusive of all costs under this method...its why you see so many double cab pickups about.....

Thanks for all the replies. I'm very grateful to all of you. Some very useful comments here. Got everything lined up for my FAC now so just waiting for my stalking dude to come back from holidays and I should be good to go.

Cameron was a damp squib. May flat out lacks respect and Corbyn is a communist for all intents and purposes in addition to being an IRA sympathiser and supporter of several other organisations which were or are considered to be terrorist by multiple countries. I dont think that is even in dispute? There isnt a decent leadership prospect amongst them. As my friend so eloquently put it during the last US election, it's a choice between a giant **** and a **** sandwich. The younger end and the short of pocket will primarily be the backers of Corbyn as his unbalanced cash book appeals to that vibe of non-repayable student loans, weekly finance on appliances or furniture, lofty social ideas and benefits for all, regardless of the consequences to the economic stability of the country. You can get away with such beliefs when you're young because you don't have the magnitude of responsibility that you do when you've passed say, 30 and have a stable reasonably well paying job and a family. It's no coincidence that the majority of conservative type voters tend to be older, it's because they've already had their crazy days of debt up to their eyeballs for stupid stuff and learned the lesson.... His entire manifesto is almost total nonsense, literally something a teenager would write, or maybe even a letter to Santa for an 8 year old. May, she commands no power because she constantly reverses herself. She is an appeaser trying to please everyone and just cannot tie together any cohesive policies for the longer term, particularly on key issues such as housing, immigration and Brexit. The perception of her seems generally poor. If you asked me, I'm not even sure I could tell you what she stands for, aside from herself. It's a big bloody mess is what it is.

Close, Pontecarlo. Your memory is better than you thought!

Y'know I must have had in excess of 1,000 lures at one time and I think I only ever had one Ondex spinner. Not even sure why. I don't fish these days. What makes you prefer the Ondex over a Mepps?

Martin. We went a couple of times to paul lane and I'm pretty sure it was your 338 I got to have a bash with also. It must be, blimey, knocking on 9 years ago. You were just getting started on the journalism side of things I think. I remembered because your name on here is, shall we say, memorable.

Good old fashioned Mepps spinner I'd think. Silver or silver/blue. Might want to add a sinker up the line to get down to them, depending. Help with the cast too. You could also try surface lures, maybe a popper, especially from a boat. They work on bass! If its from shore, casting distance is going to be your main enemy, so a nicely balanced setup needs to be put together. The Americans have it all worked out already for bass, so you could do far worse than check out some articles from over the pond.

The very limited experience I have with it, I have to say it behaved like a pea shooter at my end, but a bazooka at the target end. I suppose it must be half decent if it's been around for 100 years! I think the first time I ever shot the 6.5x55 was with you. Long time ago now!

Cant seem to see the container he's taking them from? Personally I use Hoppes 9 (USA). Available from Brownells in the UK at a reasonableish price. If it's heavily soiled I personally find a spray and then some cotton rag is better as its more abrasive. If you want a source for cotton rags let me know. I buy mine due to my other work, but torn up (100% cotton!!) pillow cases work well too.

Heard back now and we eventually got to the crux of the matter. They regard CF as CF, so I'm pretty much OK for any calibre that would be reasonable for deer. 308 is back in the running.

Cheers guys. I will check those out. Of course all of this depends on the FEO. I've just been informed that to apply for a stalking rifle you now need a written testimonial from someone who can vouch for your experience and safe handling.....in a particular calibre that you have experience of. An "interesting" interpretation of the law.

Hello gents, I just can't decide which is best for me. This is for my FAC app which after about 10 years of shooting sports I'm finally getting around to doing. It seems like unless I want to buy a Euro rifle, the 6.5x55 is out, unless I some how found a new 1994 Remington 700, unlikely. I've looked around and even say, Tikka, dont produce all models in 6.5x55. The Creedmoor seems to have been widely accepted very quickly (its young isnt it?) and the 308 well, needs no explaining. Initially I'd like one rifle to tackle all UK deer species and I know they will all manage if the shooter is good enough, so how do I decide? I'm concerned the FEO may say no to a .30cal for first grant, for no reason other than it's "bigger".... Rifle wise, I'd like something fairly light if I'm going to carry it all day. Lower recoil preferred which is why I liked the 6.5 in the first place. The last one I shot I could barely feel it. A shorter configuration may also suit my height better. Steyr Scout? I'm not into the full tactical look, but nor am I into the full wood look. So I'm probably looking at a synthetic stock which would be durable. Which would you go for? I'm sure theres a million things I have not considered or seen. Thanks

How did you get on with the stock, assuming you have shot it since? I work with wood and this post damn near broke my heart. Its fair to say that glue can very often be stronger than the wood itself, all depends on how its done. If it fails again, send me a PM. There are ways and means of joining solid wood which will look seamless even if there are small amounts of material missing along the joint. I wouldn't take the work on myself but I can advise on what you should be expecting to see as a finish. Lets hope it doesnt need any further work anyway. All is well that ends well.

My first FEO, some 10 years ago, told me that he didn't shoot, neither did most of the FEO's he knew. Something to do with impartiality. lol If true, it might explain a few things when it comes to the subject of land clearances. Surely you'd need a lot of practical experience to be able to do the job? Did it not used to be far simpler? Like cleared for "Rimfire", ".22 calibre centerfire", ".30 calibre centerfire" or whatever. Wasn't that the original intention? Differentiating between .222 and .223 is sheer lunacy but differentiating between .204 and 30-06, then I could see the logic in it, to a point.

I've emailed the FEOs. Apparently they now only work from 10am until 3pm 3 days a week........... Alright for some. Understood, but that means leaving one in the car which isnt ideal. I've asked for an open ticket but with a guided stalk restriction. I think thats a fair request. It effectively makes the ticket closed anyway.

Cut backs I guess. Strange really since the council tax levy goes up every single year. Thanks chaps.

Glad to help. I dont think you'd be disappointed. Have a look at this top gear clip if you want to see what they can do. The only thing they have wrong with them is image, the boy racer thing but I personally dont care as most boy racers dont have roof bars like I did Pics of mine below. Ahem, as I said I'm not a boy racer, ahem....but did you know the WRX does 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, quicker still with a Prodrive Performance Pack on (factory fit), although a bit noisier. The Forester 2.5 Turbo is also very quick. But in reality, all this translates to incredible overtaking abilities and handling around the twisty corners of the countryside, they handle like a go-cart, even in the estate form. Took a friend of mine for a spin around Loch Ken in Scotland in the WRX once. He did actually poop himself a bit when we were 4 wheel sliding on gravel at about 50mph, but the car behaved impeccably. I've had quite a few performance cars and the Subaru is definitely up there even compared to Porsche and Audi, in terms of the driving experience. Only car I think that could ever have been made to beat this for similar money would be if Mazda had made the "3" MPS in a 4x4 version. Oh...and dont buy a grey import subaru, there are lots about!

Thanks Charlie. I appreciate that good guides would likely know. The problem would come if an innocent mistake was made, possible if the guide has several large estates. The liability falls squarely on the client. I can't see it being much of a defence to say "but the guide told me that it was ok" if that situation ever came to pass. I'm not saying dont trust your guide! Obviously you have to and they have to have a level of trust in you too for obvious reasons! I'll see what the FEOs say, this must have been encountered before.

I was hoping someone would know what the standard condition would be so I can ask specifically for it. Thought it might be a common thing. I'll have a chat with the FEO when I get around to it, cheers.