shakin stevens

Depends on how the trip goes over the 3 days , usually find you won’t get 3 good days , one might be steady unless they have lots of land to go at . watching them at Kinross shooting a harvested potato field , Monday sounded great and the geese was in before light , today they wasn’t as keen but they got a bit of shooting later ,I'm sure you will get the feeling with a guide whether you have had a great experience.

His tools are spot on , and he understands what you require , I know he retired then fired back up again when the King collection of fowling guns were sold , as most of those guns had no cases or tools with them , Myers’s sold them for scrap ! It’s nothing a good man couldn’t machine for you if you know your diameters , I’ve had them made before then sold them with guns . Ask Deakin first , you might have to badger him mind to make them ! As he will be out shooting every day . failing that let me know when you are on the mainland and I could start a few up for you , I’m still up here in Scotland .

I use the inverted cups over the powder , fruit box card was the best as it didn’t crack on the shoulder when making the cup , that basically looks like a bottle top when you make them , Deakin did make the tools to do the job , found his card brittle though .Not 100% sure I always believed Winchester used this system first in cartridges . Never used those fibre cup wads as I found them too tight at the muzzle, yours might be totally different and be fine . everything you need I can assure you , you can practically make yourself ! you can buy cork to make a wad or buy felt , and buy bees wax bars to melt and dip your wad in the hot wax for a better seal . Sounds like a proper drought on components at the moment , guess the only thing you couldn’t make is gunpowder!

Better off buying punches and making all your own wads if that’s the case of equipment drying up. I have a W.Richards Liverpool sxs 10b with a 3 1/2 inch chamber with extra full and full chokes, not a chance of firing a plastic wads through this gun . I use a card cup system over the powder , that can be easily formed with card from a waxed fruit box and a mandril , luckily I have the tools machined by an engineer so it’s an easy process . Wads and over shot cards are simple to make with general craft gear and a punch in a drill . I don’t usually use a 3 1/2 inch case unless I load black powder ,I just use 3 inch cases with around 42 / 44 g of shot , with a milk carton wrap to protect the barrel , probably don’t need this , but I do it . Not sure about the Alan Myers’s data , was it proofed tested ? Plus powder batches have long moved on from that era , but it’s still a good starter to working out a load . I can shoot 2 oz through mine , just can’t see the need for that as the lighter loads do the job nice .

Hi, Beating wanted for this coming season around Fife or Perth and Kinross , just got one working lab at the moment , anything will do just so I can get the dog out working . regards Rob .

Looks like just cartridges are out of stock ! Size BB were hard to find last year , I got a load of size 1s and i personally don't like them . If you can’t buy them what are the alternatives? 3 inch game bore would be my next option as they shoot well .

Just sent you a message 👍👍

They isn’t huge numbers of geese in the far North, past years you will see them all day long moving around . doesn’t mean they aren’t here because they are not flying over the house ! but driving down to Inverness for work the numbers look low compared to the last years, next moon will see a lot off up here, then you will be left with geese that will see the season out, they do fluctuate depending on tide and weather , you won’t see no more mind till February. caithness Feral greylag wont move south unless the weather gets bad, they tend to leave the lochs and head for the firths if it drops cold .

I’ve watched them fall out the sky when they set off in groups , or just get left behind in paddocks when they move on , it doesn’t take long before they die . you will know if the geese get it, it’s devastating what it does .

If you come across them like I did , I found the dead ones had a like a purple dye on the tail feathers , or even round the carcass , I walked the shore after high water yesterday and found no dead geese as yet .

100s of pinks laid dead or dying up in the far North this year till they all left 3rd week in May , still sea birds are found dead in numbers around the beaches especially the poor gannets. I’ve not found any geese as yet on the shore where I go that are dead or dying , might venture out for a shot or two soon . The pinks in the far North did not have bird flu until the geese from south migrated up here late February , l was pretty much glad to see them leave as it was awful to look at .

A friend of mine got a pink on the 1st , in all his fowling years he has never got one , I’ve had a few usually by the 10th , not even going to bother this year until they turn up in numbers . The beaches are strewn with dead or dying seabirds at the moment bird flu has not gone away, that’s why I’m waiting to see what happens when the geese arrive , it’s had a real impact up this way bird flu .

Can you clear this up in legal terms ? I cant find any real information on it .

If you bought it now I'm sure you would source some steel cartridges by September! If you intend to use it regularly as mentioned above home loading is the way to go , I use my browning gold 10b for morning flights and some weeks everyday I couldnt afford to have issues sourcing ammo . I've got a couple boxes of factory loaded steel remmington if you get stuck , cant remember last time I fired a factory loaded round .

I'm still managing two flights a day at the moment and hope to continue to the end of the season , other than no shooting on Sunday . I guess its what you make it , even if the weather and conditions dictate what you can actually bag on the day . It's been nice to just see some old faces returning due to missing the past seasons through covid .

Its just a preference whether it's right or wrong , things have moved on now as we all know .

Triple A actually shoots well in old vintage fowling guns , folk still use it and make their own shot. I had a 4b with plenty of choke in it, that shot well with black powder and a brass case to accommodate a good payload of shot . Folk have moved on or sold up with old guns, but it's not uncommon to find folk still loading that shot size in the right guns .

engineering term for testing the strength

Only goose guide I've been with was a guy from the Nith hotel in Dumfries, it's not my thing , i just took an old boy who couldnt drive for a few days . He was spot on , you will find all the good guides book up really fast even now for next season if there is no lock downs ! All the bad guides will tell you "well the geese were here yesterday " 🤣 they might have a few vacant spots.

Go on the clay and game web page and pay for a load data sheet you fancy .doing in your chosen powder and gauge . Then see what they have in stock to make the load , always find you wont always find a component in stock sometimes. Saves ending up with stuff you dont want then .

I've got a W Richard's of liverpool 10b with 3 1/2 chambers and extra full chokes , I have always loaded 3 inch shells in it , found it perfect for shore geese and ducks, never loaded a 3 1/2 cartridge for it . I would go for a 3 inch 10b if you can .

A good few years ago a BASC article was published one of the reps had been out on a marsh in essex with a wildfowling club member, and they actually shot a pinkfoot, as marshman says it would be no surprise to find them further south .

It's the psb type , looks like clay and game has more gear out of stock than actually in stock !

Shotgunreloading.co.uk has some some in recently .

Likewise no gamebore mammoth for sale up here , asked a chap to bring some up but they are thin on the ground down south . Definitely tts would be worth a try in a small gauge gun like a 20 bore .