Riothedog

What's the spec? Name the rifle and scope - win a prize! RTD

Could have missed it. They are early on, aren't they? RTD

Hi Mike The only problem with that is getting up in the morning! As yet, no buggy. got the keys to the gate but no buggy. It would make life a lot easier though! this course is surrounded on 3 sides by farmland and Officer Dibble reckons that a .17hmr should be OK. Good old Plod. I've got a Falcon on my FAC - hard shooting without the buggy! RTD

Or try the BASC! Courses don't last for ever so they might only be a week or so. Lets face it, the main reason for doing it is for the qualification. I used to scare birds off runways for the yanks in my youth and had a great time. As soon as I was doing that, I was flying birds of prey, deer for farmers, bunnies at night - regularly 100+ a night - and packed it all in because I was lured off into capitalism. Stupid, stupid ******! Don't like the motorbike idea. When you've shot 5 foxes, 3 crows, one muntjac (how many guns so far?) and a dead badger that the farmer wanted shifting off the road, baited your traps and it's hissing down with rain - you're in a van. Flask, wet dogs, heaters, dry smokes - sounds like an extremely uphill battle if you are on two wheels. Cards are a great idea. Anybody will print up cards for you - stay with one colour and print on better card than you think you'll need. Cards get stuffed into pockets, torn, ripped, scribbled on and if they can't read your number 3 months later then they're not going to call you. Get a load done and go to farmers markets and livestock auctions. On the way into lambing time is good if you don't mind walking the hills. How are you going to lamp foxes off a bike? Once you've got one under your belt, the rest follow. All totally skint see, farmers... Rats are also a good number. Got a good ratting dog? Can't do the job without one. Anyway, it will keep your spaniel, your labrador and your vizla company when you are out with the GSP! Get your driving licence done - hook or by crook just get it - and go away with a grant in your pocket to study. After that, life will be wonderful. Fancy that, a wonderful life that just lasts for ever. Old saying - The majority of men live lives of quiet desperation. What a golden opportunity you have! RTD

Went out the other week with a long net and caught 2. Must have got it wrong somewhere... Anyway, I'm a shooting type - not into my knitting. I reckon so far that is's a HMR and sit on the tee, waiting... Only prob potentially is the light conditions. Might need a scope mounted light - ever used one? Funny enough, when I am playing golf there, you can walk straight past at about 2 yards and they don't even move. No golf bag and they're off! Red lamp and land cruiser for me. Got a pal to drive and it's a lot of fun. Final thing is that I was out on Wednesday and there wasn't a single fox to be seen. Not one. RTD

Hi folks I have a saying in that "one should always walk the full length of the counter" meaning that one should look at every possible opportunity available. So I go bunny shooting on a golf course and usually use my shotgun. Bags are good but there are many more to be had. My FAC is in for renewal so I have applied for a .17hmr for the corvids and real long range shots and i'm a-wondering which calibre should I go for as well? I used to have a .22 ruger but found that the bullets rainbowed - perhaps it was me. I ask because there are so many different variants of .22. So, what are you people using out there? All advice will be warmly received Many thanks RTD

First off - take it all off your gun. Why? Because it is obviously set up incorrectly. Your scope is a Varmint v24 - right? Duplex dot reticule and eye relief of about 3 inches. So, clean the gun and the mounts and put your mounts on. Some people smooth them out with wet-and-dry or similar but most don't need to be touched. They should be absolutely parallel - use a broom handle or similar to straighten them out - dont use the scope. If you twist or ding the scope it's knackered. Find out where the centre point of the reticule is - they are all different. Look at the box, check the website, send an e-mail. I have a nightforce that is biased 70/30 so that the target turret can be used for elevation to put you on target hundred of yards out. Find the centre and set it to that. Sit the scope in the base mounts and bore sight it at about 100m. If you want to do it really properly then know where the bullet should land at 100m and set it that way. I imagine about an inch below zero so as to have a dead zone out to about 180m. Make sure that the rifle is held securely when you do this - you don't want it to move. Spend some time getting the rifle held rock steady - black and decker workmate should do it! Check eye relief and that the vertical staden of the reticule points absolutely vertically down through the rifle. This way, when you hold the rifle in the shoulder, it is vertical. when you pull the trigger the recoil will happen the right way and not pull the rifle off to the side. Put on the top half of mounts and tighten them like you would do an engine. Each one bit by bit. Check as you go. Use a good allen key and take it easy. Scope fitted! Now any adjustments can be done with the windage and elevation turrets to get it spot on. Bye bye bunny, bye bye RTD

I went out for a drive last night. With my shotgun, lamp and labrador and took out 23 rabbits and 2 hares. Took 3 hours around to do - no wind and a thunderstorm looming. Hares are a problem if they are causing damage. Otherwise, I would leave them alone and yes, they are big tough *******. Good eating though... RTD

Went to stay at my mothers once and my Labrador had the leg of lamb away! Good as gold, the old dear retreived it from the dog, wiped it down and served it up! Then another dog of mine used to pull chicken fillets out from underneath a hot grill! Had to be seen to be believed. RTD

Nothing like a gun that fits - people pay a fortune for them - but most of this is in the mounting. Always mount her from behind. That's what I was told. All people have a way of doing it. Watch other shooters and see what different styles there are. Then copy them and see what happens. Really, you shouldn't be looking at the gun anyway, eyes on target and the gun thing just sorta happens. Try a lesson at your local clay ground. the lesson in it's self will probably do your scores no end of good and when you've got the mounting sorted, all your problems will be solved. RTD

I use Meopta 2100 for field work and Nightforce for target shooting. Wouldn't change either of them. RTD

I used to go deer stalking with a mate who had a 25-06 and he wouldn't have anything else. Had it in a Heym. good calibre that does the job on deer. Accurate too. Which one do you really want? RTD

I tried Rotties years ago when scaring birds off runways for the USAF. Every single one came as a surprise. Better than the Baikal that we had to shoot with though! I had a mossberg pump which tried to break my nose with every shot so I know that they were powerful. Not the smoothest but yes, very powerful. Keep at it RTD

That's all the info that I've got. I would say, buy a powder and use it. Medium powder with a full case on a low velocity. There is no deader than dead. RTD

My Brother in Law is a gun dealer and he has 2 HW80's that he is trying to get rid of. One is a HW80 and the other is a HW80K Both in .22 and he assures me that they are new, unused, still in the box - you will be the first person to put a pellet down the barrel. How much? They retail for about £280 and he is willing to knock £100 off each. You lucky, lucky people. so, do you want a new rifle for £180? E-mail me if you want one and I'll post it off to you. PS - technically, you are buying it second hand off me so there is no VAT to pay and cash is always a nice currency. RTD

And where, pray tell, are we going to meet up? Pick a stand for us to go to. Carry today's issue of the Daily Mail and wear a hat. I'll be in the CLA tent if you want me... RTD

From the Speer Book I would only use a .243 100grain spitzer soft point as the bullet weight below that doesn't seem to be legal and the heavier, which is only 105grain, doesn't have a boattail. So go for the Speer part no. 1220. BTSP. I've shot these and they were pretty good in my .243. Ballistic coefficient is 0.430 and the cartridge overall length is 2.635 ". Good old yanks I'll do it Powder / Min load / velocity / Max load / velocity H450 / 39g / 2515 / 42.0g / 2766 IMR 4831 / 36.0g / 2513 / 40.0g / 2743 IMR 4320 / 31.0g / 2504 / 35.0g / 2723 RE19 / 35.0g / 2493 / 39.0g / 2718 H380 / 33.0g / 2424 / 37.0g / 2717 IMR 7828 / 38.0g / 2424 / 42.0g / 2715 AA 3100 / 37.0g / 2458 / 41.0g / 2707 IMR 4064 / 29.0g / 2508 / 33.0g / 2706 IMR 4350 / 34.0g / 2469 / 38.0g / 2698 AA2700 / 31.0g / 2288 / 35.0g / 2524 760 / 29.0g / 2279 / 33.0g / 2503 H414 / 29.0g / 2270 / 33.0g / 2450 Don't need to tell you not to exceed the maximum load, do I? Start off at the lowest and make a batch of say, 10. then make another batch 0.5g heavier and then another batch another weight up. take them down to the range and try them out. Whichever one gives the best group is the one you use. Eggs, sucking and Grandma spring to mind. Out of the hornady book, they use a Winchester model 70 with a 24" barrel. As if that matters. Max C.O.L. is 2.710 which is up a smidgen on the Speer manual. do you really need the velocity? If you do, let me know. I'll put in powder / Min load / Max Load IMR 4064 / 29.4 / 32.6 Win 760 / 33.4 / 39.0 H4350 / 33.9 / 39.1 IMR 4831 / 35.0 / 41.0 RL-19 / 36.5 / 42.5 H 450 / 36.0 / 43.5 RL-22 / 36.6 / 43.6 H4831 / 36.7 / 43.9 AA 3100 / 37.5 / 42.3 VIHT N-165 / 37.6 / 45.3 IMR 7828 / 38.2 / 43.3 Win WMR / 40.8 / 46.5 That's for 100 grain bullets. The one to use is part number 2453 with a B.C. of 0.40 and a C.O.L. of 2.630". Good round that - shot those as well. Devastating. There are 2 others in .243 @ 100g but one is round nose which is not as accurate and the other is a soft point without the boattail. For the same money, go for BTSP. The only issue with a .243 is that at these weights you are at the end of the envelope. Good shooting! To be of service. RTD

Howdy do! I've got a Speer book and a Hornady but they are both at home and I am currently driving the desk around Hitchin. Must get out of this office... Let me get home and I'll post the data. One thing though, when I had a .243, I went for the softest load in the book. I read up on interior ballistics - concerns over flash overs, air gaps - all that kind of stuff and unless you are target shooting out to 600m then it sorta gets in the way. More important for me was to reduce the bullet jump. As the bullet leaves the case and hits the lands of the barrel. Mine were something like 3/000's off. Just got rod of a load of .243 stuff as well! I'll get back to you tonight. RTD

Me too! I didn't even know that there was a club near me - Hitchin, where the sun shines all night! Where and when? RTD

And you live just off the A7! I used to live in Soltau - not a million miles from you. Good country and good hunting! RTD

Just watched that video again and it looks like they shoot differently in the States. Loos to me like those shots are aimed more at the spine than the english 'Engine Box' shot. Impressive stuff all the same. RTD

Try out their website. You can find it HERE and they promote the use of a .284 cartridge which is similar to a 7mm. It's a Remington 700 action in a McMillan stock with - I imagine - a trick trigger and a match grade barrel. Leupold optics and I reckon a flash eliminator or something like to reduce the kick. Don't be misled by the reticule which is superimposed over the film. Most of these shots are going into the engine box and I imagine going straight through the beast. Well put together kit - I had 22-250 just like it but couldn't use it in 'Artfoooorrrdshruire. If we had more room then I'd buy my gun back! RTD

I wouldn't say that you've got cancer from the day that you are born, but you do have the potential. I suppose one of lifes' lessons is to get away from the TV - our preferred drug of choice - and get out there. Get some exercise, eat well, drink lots of water, look after ourselves and enjoy life. :( And, stay away from the things that you know don't agree with you - in my case tomatoes! RTD

I had a 22-250 and it was an ace gun. One of those that I wish I'd never sold. I got a McMillan stock for it and a Timney trigger. Topped it off with a Nightforce scope and got a moderator. No kick, just the amazing sound of the bullet off into the land of far, far away. did'tn have anything to use it on though. I really should stop swapping stuff. got a .308 and a 6.5 x 55 now and aiming to get a .17hmr. Great gun I wish I'd kept hold of. The only prob was finding ranges that would accept those speeds. Reloading is easy enough - get the speer or hornady manuals for advice. Parts are available from reloading solutions in Oxford. RTD

I walked into the house last night with a sheep under my arm. I said "I just wanted to show you the fat, ugly pig that I've been sh***ing for the last 5 years". The wife said "That's not a pig, that's a sheep" I said "I wasn't talking to you!" Go on, laugh, you know you want to.... RTD :(