Condor

I have an unused Bratton Sound gun cabinet for sale - its the compact break down cabinet for 2 guns,(over and under only, will not fit semi-autos) Cabinet model is called an SA2 I think. Collect only (Staffordshire) or arrange your own courier : £70.00 REDUCED TO £65 for quick sale

Owning both Benelli and Beretta semis, I can honestly say the Benelli is quite amazing - it just doesn't get dirty like the gas operated semis do and is a great pleasure to use - I guess there are far fewer Benellis around as they are quite expensive and there are loads of very good value old Beretta 302s and 303s available for very little money compared to 4-figure prices for new Benellis, not that many used models around, particularly newer Benellis. Go to a good gun shop attached to a shooting ground and try a few.....then go with what seems right for you. Inertia though,is generally Benelli terrain, and they do it well - very well indeed. I love mine, but still enjoy my AL390 as well.

Hi Blaser, the Benelli is just perfect thanks, but some of those Blasers have some good looking wood! My cabinet is full and I'm happy with the semi's and a Silver Pigeon III for O/U days I visit the board and read but rarely post anymore......

Having tried several guns, I find a semi by far the nicest to shoot, with the least recoil, and tires me the least......Beretta Semis fitted me well with some shim changes, and currently shooting with a Benelli Supersport which I absolutely love......you won't go worng with a semi, and you can get a nice Beretta 303 or similar quite inexpensively......no need to go for a 20g, the 12g cartridges are cheaper and the 12g semi is a nice gun for a woman

Its a superb semi auto and really does the business - I absolutely love mine, despite the carbon fibre / non-wood stock. The lack of felt recoil and muzzle flip really improves my confidence every time I shoot with it. All the best and hope you enjoy it!!!

Superb gun, wish you well using it. I too never thought I would ever want a synthetic stock but do I care with the Supersport? No! The lack of felt recoil is another great plus for me as I struggle with arthritis and somehow, the ported barrel seems to make a lot of difference as well - the gun gives me a lot of confidence and performs superbly all round for clays. Wish I had tried it before some earlier more expensive mistakes........ I guess its about fit as well - I'm only just over 5 ft and about 10st and am astonished how a 20st guy over 6 ft could have aproblem with recoil on this gun, but fit is paramount. I do like my Beretta semis, but the Benelli outperforms them.......

Done

I certainly hope not....there are a fair few of us, including me, who need semi-autos due to medical problems - I wouldn't be able to use an O/U, and I know quite a few people in the same position. Let's hope that common sense, which isn't too common really, unfortunately, prevails!!!!

As details of Bird's mental state emerge, it seems to me that there are many other questions other than the FAC / SGC issues: like why did it take the police so long to react? A police helicopter with firearms officers onboard could surely have stopped the rampage long before the 3 hours it took? Bird covered an extensive distance and took a long time - there are loads of questions as to the police operation and their response time, I think. Plus, if he was turned away from the hospital when asking for help re his mental state, there are lots of questions there too, not to mention the "friend" who "disarmed" him - why were the police not told? I reckon if a friend told me they would never see me again or wouldn't be here tomorrow, I would feel the need to let someone know - a Mental Health Assessment could have been called for and the police could have removed the guns. Lots of questions, few answers at the moment. At least Teresa May hasn't vowed to ban shotguns yet, just that firearm issues will be debated once the investigation has been concluded. So hopefully no kneejerk from the nanny state. At least her response was measured - our thoughts should be with those who have lost loved ones in the carnage, then, once all the facts are available, the issues can be debated again.

Reefcat, you have a PM. I'll take it if its not yet sold.

Sorry, car was sold some time ago now....perhaps take a look at the date of the ad for a clue?? At least the leather was real.....

? Advice is usually to carry it barrel facing directly / straight upwards, placing the butt in your cartridge pocket if convenient, showing the flag / open breech /Saf-T-plug clearly. Carrying it barrel down is decidedly unsafe in the event it did go off for any reason at all as the shot will spray round your legs / those walking with you / vehicles in the car park etc - DON'T DO IT!!!! It looks unsafe and is almost (although not quite!) as bad as walking around with an unbroken O/U barrels facing ground. :blink: As you say however, there is absolutely no issue at all with using a semi on the clay grounds or for registered shoots either - can't think why there should be, either!!!!

BBC News is showing that someone described as "male...in their 50s" was found at Kibworth with fatal gunshot wounds.... :sad1: Tragedy for the man and his family and another incident for the gun-hating government to use against responsible gun ownership in this country..........

HullCompX 28s cycle really well with almost no felt recoil for me everytime. Also used Eley VIP fibre and Procomp Fibre in 28s which cycled perfectly and shot well.

Guntrader have quite a few Beretta semis listed in the Essex / Sussex areas. It may be worth your while to travel a little to a dealer where you could try more than one gun - there are some shops attached to shooting grounds and trying them out would be important for you. There are several dealers in the London area and even up to Oxford - I would certainly consider travelling to make a p;urchase of this nature - in fact, for one of my semis, I drove out to North Wales because it was such a superb gun at the price and the drive was "do-able" from the Midlands because we made it a day-out as well. Don't limit your choices if you can travel - sometimes we have no choice but if you do, think of looking slightly further afield.

Parts and servicing for the Beretta semis will always be easier to find than an obsolete model which didn't sell in great numbers. While 391s are not the be-all and end-all, I'd still go for one of them or better still IMO, a 390. For around £500 you can get a fabulously reliable semi that will cycle almost anything, and most gunsmiths can repair / replace things on them if ever needed.For that matter, a nice condition 302 or 303 costs even less and is supremely reliable and great to use....

My beloved Rangie is for sale due to changed circumstances. I've owned her for over 5 years and was the second owner from new. Long MOT and Tax (November 2010) and meticulously maintained. Full service history and previous MOTS available for new owner. The interior is all leather, lightstone with contrasting piping, electric seats, dual climate control, Harmon Kardon 10 speaker sound system sounds fantastic, 6 CD changer, electric sunroof, electric windows, electrically adjustable wing mirrors. Nokia Bluetooth carkit installed professionally,(cost £200 new) suits most phones. Smartnav satnav and emergency system, traffic cameras and tracker fitted (over £600 new). On a monthly subscription which buyer can choose to take or leave. New fitted over mats as well as a set of genuine Range Rover rubber mats (drivers side is wearing thin), and a new fitted boot over mat. No damage to seats or interior. Special Edition - only 100 ever made - Java Black with double white coachline and SE badging. 4.6 V8. Engine runs extremely sweetly and has been very well maintained with lots of money spent over the years. 132K on the clock. Interior finish is part walnut finish as with most of the special editions. Extras include a Thomas air compressor fitted in the engine bay if you want to deflate tyres when going off road, so you can easily re-inflate them when getting back on the tar. Also a full genuine Range Rover soft touch nudge bar with front light protectors, Range Rover spots, and a full set of fitted rear light protectors. Side steps / running boards. Manual override system with 4 gauges fitted in the engine bay for the air suspension if its ever needed (I replaced the suspension air bags and compressor about 2 years back so its unlikely, but this cost £150 at the time and it means you don't need to crawl home on the bump stops if there is an EAS fault.) I also upgraded the indicators to clear, and the full set of coloured ones are packed up ready to go to the new owner as well. I've had the shocks upgraded two months ago to Konis on each corner, and the spark plug leads to blue Magnecor performance leads - the performance and drive is truly superb. Tyres are Pirelli Scorpions on each corner, all very new (last pair only 2 months old) and the alloys are the sought after 18" Mondials, with a full size Mondial spare, also in good condition. There is a factory fitted towbar which is excellent and the car tows any load fantastically - very stable and easy. The car has mostly been used for long distance commutes and a trip to the shooting ground once a week. Its a great family workhorse and fantastic performer on long distances. I've spent loads on keeping everything working well over the years. She is 10+ years old, though, and there are a few trolley dings and a scratch, all purely cosmetic and not detracting from the car at all. The passenger door lock doesn't lock on the remote anymore, but if locked manually, it ties in as normal with the central locking. Will cost about £50 to strip and refit which I've factored into the price. Replaced manifold for MOT as it was blowing slightly, and new brake lines fitted due to corrosion on old ones. All the manuals are present in the original leather folder, both keyfobs (cost a fortune to replace), the EKA code, Radio code and manual sunroof closing tool. (All too often missing on the dodgy ebay cars!!!) Glasses' guide for the normal model of this year is £5000 for a private sale - this is a fully loaded special edition with great service history which would go on a dealer floor for around £6500 + . I'm looking for £4900 for a quick sale. V5 all present and correct, taxed and ready to go, with a very recent big service (three months ago). Make a great family or shooting vehicle and is really comfortable to drive and gets through the snow and ice with NO problems. No test pilots or tyre kickers, please, I need to sell her as soon as possible as I no longer have the room to keep her. I'll have some pics as soon as possible, working away on contract at present.

The sporters generally have a 28" barrel while the 30" ones usually appear on the (rarer in the UK) Trap variants. Remember that 28" on a semi equates to about 30" on an O/U anyway because of the added length of the action on the semi making the barrel appear that bit longer. The longer variant is favoured by trap shooters because of the extra "pointability" and stability but it does add a bit more weight. I have one of each - the 28" is light and swings very easy while the 30" is heavier and more suited to trap - but then, it is a Urika 2 Classic Trap !! If you want to shoot mainly sporting, I'd go for the 28" myself, butif you can try both before buying, even better. No difference IMO to the recoil - its pretty minimal on both, shooting 28g Hull CompX.

Hi again Mick, and a Happy Xmas to you! I tried a Benelli - to be honest, the comfort stock and the Benelli itself didn't suit me like the Beretta did. The recoil was definitely more in my opinion than the Beretta. The recoil pads etc, whatever they may be, really don't make much difference on a Beretta as the recoil is really low anyway. The Teknys, another Beretta semiauto, is a Urika really, with an added recoil device in the stock which makes it heavier, but soaks up even more recoil apparently. You might want to try one. I haven't shot with a Teknys as the recoil from my AL390 and AL391 Urika 2 really is minimal, and I love them. The Teknys is apparently geared to whole-day game shoots, while I only shoot clays. Some say that shooters are either suited to Berettas or not - I definitely seem to be, and the Benelli wasn't for me, fine gun that it is. Best thing to do is to try one or more of each - as I said, some gun shops are attached to shooting grounds and will allow you to try their used guns, charging a nominal fee if you don't buy it. Best way to get a feel of the different semiautos I think, unless you have friends with guns you'd like to try! Hope it goes well for you, take your time when selecting a gun and try to get professional advice.

I tried a Benelli but preferred the Beretta infinitely. The Benelli is a fine semi auto but it'll always be Beretta for me I think, as they seem to suit me better and I honestly have NO FELT RECOIL shooting Hull Compx 28s or Eley VIPs. I enjoy my Urika 2, but my favourite is still the AL390. There are excellent used ones out there if you look hard enough, maybe go to a shop that has a shooting ground attached and you will be able to try several guns depending on what they have in stock. A plus point is you can get excellent used ones for well under £1000 in nice cases with chokes etc where good O/Us will cot a good bit more. Oh, as for cleaning - the 391 can be tricky to strip and clean but the big US site Shotgunworld has loads of info to help you. The 390s are simpler to clean and strip down but it really isn't all that difficult.

Welcome Mick I too had similar problems when I started shooting a year ago. I also started somewhat later than most and am a small framed, older female shooter. My first gun, a Browning Medallist O/U 12g, beat my cheek up badly and I needed a shoulder gel pad to soak up recoil and stop bruising, even with some mods to the gun and a cheekeeze pad on the stock. Then I went for a "professional" gunfit at a well-known Black Country dealer, and bought a Browning Ultra XS Titanium Prestige which had been fitted to me by them. Hmmm. It was dire, despite the gun being a beauty with a great pedigree, I was getting hurt every time I used it, despite having 1-2-1 coaching sessions and gun mount not bad. Needed lots of pads and stuff to avoid the facial and shoulder bruising and I was at the point of chucking it in when I saw a semi-auto which caught my eye one day while shooting at Doveridge. It was a special edition Beretta AL390, a Lioness numbered limited edition. I was able to try it at the ground and fell in love instantly. It blasted every clay I tried it at, is actually beautiful to look at, and wow.....NO FELT RECOIL!!!! I used 28g Hull CompX and could have shot all day with it. Thus started my love affair with semi autos.......I'll always be grateful to the Lioness for making shooting such fun and such a pleasure for me. I've since acquired a few more semis, including a Beretta 20 bore and a Urika 2 Trap. My Ultra XS is for sale, lovely gun that it is, it def didn't suit me. The semis are fantastic - I can shoot all day with them, I love shooting them and they make my shooting days a pleasure. All I can say is go for it - buy the gun you really want having taken advice from the coach or someone you trust. Don't think you'll somehow not make the grade if you have a semi - you can shoot all disciplines with one even if the miserable trap shooters moan about being "pelted with empties". Whatever choice you make, enjoy it. Starting late doesn't mean you can't become very proficient or enjoy a good few years of competition and fun shooting.

Lucky you for actually finding somewhere to shoot in Norfolk!!! I have the (dis)pleasure of having to work in Norfolk on contract at present and Mid Norfolk Shooting Ground doesn't open over weekends for the plebs / working folk, as I understand it!!! Only shoot on weekdays when most normal people (obviously not those in Norfolk!) have to work in order to afford to shoot!!! I understand that they they have registered sporting shoots every few weeks or so on a saturday or sunday, but there is no weekend practice, no DTL and no Skeet. Nice for those who can spend their weekdays practicing there, but for those with fulltime jobs, well, tough!!! :look: Closest ground apart from Mid Norfolk is Lakenheath, more than two hours from where I am based in North Norfolk, so not easy to go shooting in Norfolk!!! I agree that lessons with a good coach can be very helpful and much more meaningful than banging off hundreds of cartridges "practicing" with bad habits.

Depends on your budget really - Napier make a nice fleece with zipped sleeves so you can use it as a shooting vest for warmer days. Its called a Chiltern. Good quality for the price - you can get them under £60 on ebay. Or if you want a waterproof shell-type fleece, then Laksen do one very light, windproof warm - again around £60 or so. Of course, Beretta and Musto make nice, albeit pricey fleeces too.

Thanks Martin, PM already sent - just wanted to say re the timeline, if you look at the messages in the thread on this you'll see mine at 7.58pm on 17 November - I checked quite frequently the rest of the evening and again the next day for a response from you, which I hadn't received by the next morning (18th) before leaving for work,so I PM'ed at 7.32am and left for work at 8.15am, can't access Pigeonwatch from work so checked the instant I arrived home and paid directly. The website was still showing you had 4 left when I accessed it after paying. No harm done, thanks for your generous offer!

That's untruthful - I have the timeline on the messages. You took more than a day to send me your paypal address and when you did I paid instantly. I don't know what being in bed has to do with it, you seem very confused!!! Time waster is what YOU are, by all means sell goods to your mates, but then don't pretend they are for sale to any one / every one on the forum. You are the timewaster, not me, and seemingly unable to tell the truth either. I paid for the plugs LONG before you posted they were "all sold" - paypal has a timeline on all its transactions, you had stated there were four left when I sent the payment, minutes after getting the paypal address (eventually) from you. Wake up, maybe spend less time in bed (which was your projection onto me) , and more time reading paypal messages and payments instead. Funny, mind you, that it took you hours to refund the money - the paypal message has only just come through!! Hope what goes around comes around.