Bobba

What happens in the winter when the leaves fall off the trees?

If bunny runs for the hedge / warren anticipate where it's heading and sight ahead of it and wait. This is because invariably the rabbit will stop and look around just before it dives through The hedge or down the hole. That momentary pause is when you can get a shot off. Bob.

I also keep a box of disposable gloves in the boot plus a box of babies wet wipes from Tesco's. The wets wipes remove all sorts of grunge so heaven knows what they're doing to babies bottoms!

Can anyone help please with a brief summary of the instructions for the 3 bottle kit i.e. Cleaner, Oil and Hardener. I've searched online to no avail and the Co has only an answerphone and I would like to get on with it. Sadly I opened the box which I last used about 2 yrs ago only to find no instructions. I'm OK on taking back stock, cleaning then daily application of oil for 5 days. Thereafter my grey cells hurt. I believe the next stage is mixing hardener and oil but have forgotten the ratio's: then, what happens after that? Brief summary would be most helpful. Thanks. Bob.

Try kite stores if there is one in your area. The one here in Bristol has a wide range of fibreglass poles.

Thanks chaps. Looking forward to Mr Rizzini's photo's. Have PM'd Deny (I have one of his dippers) Regards, Bob

Well, that's a weight off my mind. I am experiencing exactly the same scenario just north of Bristol and thought we were doing something wrong. The only difference in rape coverage is that the next nearest field with rape is over a mile away. So on the way home we drove past to see the little tinkers huddled in the trees. We now need to trace the farmer (Local knowledge is that the field are "Let / rented but no-one knows to who) and ask if we can co-ordinate shooting days to keep them moving. Perseverance I suppose!!

Is anyone able to post (or perhaps email me) close ups of the mechanism of a flapper please? The reason is that, being retired and with time to spare, I was thinking of a project to apply such technology to a floater style decoy. Thank you. Bob

As an additional precaution I dry fire my shotgun on snap caps before removing the fore grip. (An additional tip from a well known choke maker)

Visit the BASC website. Firearms section: Guidance and factsheets: scroll down to "factsheets" and there is one on "Borrowing Shotguns". It has been amended to reflect the firearms amendment act 2010 so is up to date. It is free and downloadable. If you haven't done so already it may be prudent to ensure that your "Permission" is aware of what you would like to do and you can always show him the download if there are any doubts. Good Luck. HTH.

Gosh. I wish I was so perfect.

Hi. Our exchanges are getting like crossed wires. I believe I gave a brief description to your post entitled "foam wings (what to do with them)" If i'm wrong then ping me again. I note your previous comments on decoys without fullers earth. I too have had no major issues without it. However, on very bright cloudless days I have noticed birds flaring off and have walked well away from the pattern to view from a distance. It's quite surprising how these decoys can shine, particularly if on a rotary. So I err on the side of caution and use it. Another quick tip fix in the field if the rotary arms or bouncer poles appear to flash is to make some mud and rub it on the offending area until you can repaint them. HTH

I use Daler Rowney "Graduate" Acrylic paints mixed with fullers earth ( to stop them shining). And Humbrol enamel yellow and black for the eyes All available on line with a google search. HTH

They look good. They look similar to mine when we discussed painting jack pyke sets on" foam wings (what to do with them)" A cheap form of pole arrangement is 5mm kite poles, if you have a kite shop near you. Thicker,long poles, allows you to put a higher bird out in the field as an incommer. A shorter, say 5ft x 5 mm pole placed at an angle can look like a lander near your pattern. I have engineered a "v" splitter onto each decoy with cable ties. This allows me to attach them to the pole. Also, if you drill a hole up their backsides they can be used on rotary's until you get dead birds. Personally, I prefer these on a rotary than hyper flaps but as an added precaution I have glued the wings and tail in place. A "Blue Peter" model maker's mind and the worlds your oyster HTH

Sorry to say there is no magic formula. I use "Graduate" Acrylic as it's cheaper than the professional stuff and for what we use the paint for it's hardly a Remrandt. Having mixed the right shade and thinned it with a drop of water for smooth application I add about a desert spoon of fullers earth. It then is a sort of paste and gently thin again for smooth application. You can get fullers earth on-line. You need only buy the small amount in grams as it lasts for yonks. HTH. Regards

I shoot Miroku's and have done for some time and never encountered this problem. Before taking it back you could perhaps gen up on sale of goods act and how it applies to second hand goods remaining fit for purpose. Also, did you buy the gun with your credit card? Forewarned is forarmed and so I mention these just in case the retailer plays hardball, is really uncooperative, doesn't want to know, and says it's going to cost you a fair bit to solve the problem. You can then have a meaningful discussion about how and why you think it's his responsibility and that you may have to enter into discussions with your card provider and Trading standards. He will then understand the way ahead if he doesn't recognise his responsibilities.

The Jack Pyke wing sets are OK for shape and size but I've never seen a pigeon with such a weird colour scheme. You only have to google image "Woodpigeon wings" or compare a real one to see how bad they are for colour and pattern. I paint mine to blend in more with the decoy and look like a pigeon wing and tail. Acrylic paints with fullers earth added to stop any shine and glare in sun.

Points of view are mixed. Even with the professionals. I had my Miroku multi choked by Nigel Teague and the chokes are accompanied by a small box of silicon grease. My Beretta SilverPigeon comes with multi chokes accompanied by a small bottle of oil. I conclude that at the end of the day it's down to personal preference.

I've a Miroku MK60 (multi choked by Nigel Teague) and the latest Beretta Silver Pigeon. They are both light which is good when trudging fields. It may be me, but I find their balance slightly different. Based on my experience of these two guns I would say whether new or second hand see if you can try before you buy.

I use Rowney graduate acrylic paints mixed with fullers earth to stop them shining. I add some of the colour "Paynes Grey" to white to get the right (ish) grey colour using a dead bird or a google image of a pigeon wing as the pattern. Breast colouring is bit hit and miss but I dull down a browny orange colour and rub it in faintly. it seems to work.

I've made my own floaters using jack pike wing sets. They're shape is fine and they're very durable. However, their colour pattern looks nothing like any wood pigeons I have shot so you will need to paint them. I use acrylic paints mixed with fullers earth to stop them shining. Patterns and colours can be got off a dead bird or google images of pigeon wings.

We all have our pet likes and dislikes and for me I've never really taken to using Hyperflaps on the rotary until real pigeons become available. I've no test data or any other practical data to support this dislike other than they seem to flap quite unaturally for me. Thinking about options I decided to experiment and make up a couple of floaters using full bodied decoy and jack pyke wing sets (The colours of which look nothing like real pigeons!!). to stop the risk of wings / tail comming adrift by centrifugal force I glued them in place. I then painted them using acrylic paint with fullers earth added for a matt finish. To attach them to the rotary arm I drilled a hole where you would normally shove the floater arm up a real bird and was left with the problem of fixing them to the arm. I solved this by putting a Vee section along the sides of the decoy and with a pair of pliers gently bending it inwards so it followed the contour of the shell. I then drilled two matching sets of holes either side of the shell along the length of the Vee section and used cable ties fixed the vee section to the shell so it's attached permanently. The Vee section being fixed permanently to the shell means that when real birds become available you can remove the floaters from the rotary ( complete with fixed vee section) and fix them to a bouncer pole thus providing options on their use. (I have spare Vee sections for the real birds). I used them the other day. They looked good, stayed in one piece and I had a succesful day. Although, pigeons being as fickle as they are I would not be bold enough to say that it was down to my new toy. Bob

Just a cautionary tale for those, who like me, know nothing about the basics of different types of paint. I though I would refresh a few of my full bodoed flocked decoys and as a start would give them an undercoat of flat matt car bar primer grey. Oooooooooops. I now know that these paints are cellulose based which reacts against whatever holds the flock coating to the decoy. As a result the flock bubbled / blistered and came away from the decoy. Fortunately I had only done two as a test bed. So the lesson is don't mix paint types. Incidentally, what paints do others use and how do you get a consistent colour for batch painting Regards Bob

I've a Miroku Mk 60 which I had multi choked by Nigel Teague and a Beretta Silver pigeonI multi choke. Both 30" barrels. Both weigh in around 6 lb. The balance on the Miroku is superb. Normally I fire Lyall Vale 28grm 6's for both Pigeons and rabbits without a problem but neither gun seems to like Ely VIP's because the kick is greater. Both guns do all I want from them and walking many field when rabbiting their light weight is a great help. Horses for courses. But I've no plans to move to 12 bore. Bob

You could google and then contact Doncater BSAC club (British Sub-Aqua Club)as divers (I am one) often change their kit around and cylinders come up for sale. 300 bar cylinders are heavier than 232 bar for obvious higher pressure reasons the steel is thicker. If you buy a second hand one make sure it is "in test". Cylinders used for diving have to have a hydrostatic test 5 years from manufacture and every five years thereafter and a visual check half way through those periods. Tests are not cheap and this is the financial burdens of using diving cylinders for airgunning fills. a cylinder not used for diving will have a different pillar valve, generally with an integral contents gauge. When the cylinder can be seen to not be able to support diving the test period is every five years Merely writing "For surface use only" on a dive cylinder will not work if you take it to be filled and it is out the visual test the filling station will not fill it because they have no way of knowing that it will not be used for diving. There are no 300 bar cylinders for sale in my club and anyway Bristol is a long way from Doncaster. Good luck Bob