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Cranfield

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Everything posted by Cranfield

  1. Don,t you think it spoils Christmas when you open the crackers too early ? :( dead-eye, better efforts than the earlier stomach churning ones. :(
  2. Welcome Paddy, dead-eye is right, its what you are most comfortable with. Some good shots who regularly use O/Us, struggle with a S/S and vice versa. Its generally accepted that the view of a "single" barrel, as in an O/U or Auto, is the easiest to aim. A lot of clay shooters that I know, think that you really should shoot a S/S in the "field". Once upon a time, it was considered the correct gun for formal driven game shoots, but not anymore. They don,t like you using Autos on the drives though. I had a S/S Sarasqueta once, a very nice looking gun with some excellent wood. I sold it to a chap who paid me "over the odds" because of the fine wood grain. It was a very light gun, as I recall.
  3. Seriously, I find coffee far from relaxing. I deliberately avoid drinking too much of it when I,m shooting. Craigie, by the time you have lugged all that stuf to your hide, set it up, got the whale singing (Demis Roussos ?) tape at the right volume, made sure you don,t trip over the mat, got your crystals/lay lines/tarot cards all laid out nicely, it will be a case of WHAT PIGEON !!!!, I DIDN,T SEE A PIGEON !!! lazza, I confound medical science, so confounding you lot should be a piece of cake. :angry:
  4. Really ? Is that true lazza ? Deakos got a Dad ? Well, well, well. All those lies you have been telling about him. You should be ashamed of yourself. :( Where is he anyway ?
  5. First prize (not awarded, thankfully) was an afternoon roost shooting with BigDave, with the winner getting the bow and arrow.
  6. I think there are a few faulty cartridges in every box, I seem to get a few, now and again. The thing is, you could never send them back and get a refund. By the time you have found out they are faulty, you have fired them and not hit the bird. Many years ago, I tried to smoke cigarettes, lasted about 6 months and then I decided I couldn,t afford them. During that time I smoked a brand called Embassy. One packet of 20 I bought, had perfectly formed tubes of paper with a tip on the end, but no tobacco. I sent the packet back to the Manufacturer and received a 200 pack of Embassy, 4 packs of playing cards, 2 T shirts and a lighter, all with the Embassy logo on them. Apparently it was a problem at the factory they were aware of, but they thought they had stopped any faulty packs getting in to the shops. I expect Gamebore, Winchester, Eley etc would send you 1000 free cartridges if you could prove some were faulty. I don,t think just missing counts.
  7. My first thought was that the clue could be, "didn,t intend to, but took my trusty shooter anyway". Sometimes, if I have an unplanned/off the cuff shooting expedition, my shooting is a bit sloppy. I think this is a lack of concentration/commitment. But, it doesn,t usually take 16 shots, to make me wake up. Your own suggestion that you may be a bit "rusty" could be nearer the truth.
  8. thanks lads, lazza came nearest to winning the prize. It seems that you cannot shoot "gamebirds" or wildfowl with a FAC rifle. You can shoot "winged vermin". You cannot shoot any bird on the "Protected Birds List" without a special licence.
  9. Happy Birthday Norman, :( I was going to ask if you are related to dead-eye, but then I realised that nobody would admit that, on a public forum. :(
  10. No, its a standard .22 rifle. I don,t think you are allowed to shoot game and wildfowl with a rifle, but I,m not sure. I think you are allowed to shoot any bird on the DEFRA pest list, but once again, I,m not sure. Anyone with a current FAC will know the answer.
  11. BigDave, I would like to know what birds you are legally allowed (or not allowed) to shoot with a FAC rifle. Someone is asking me the question and I am hoping to get the answer here, to avoid a lot of research.
  12. What birds can you shoot with a FAC rifle ?
  13. Craigie, thanks for that, I will keep it in mind. I,ve recently bought a new transformer for my laptop, that cost me £100 and took a week or so to locate.
  14. William was on holiday, but I thought he would have been back by now. Meandassey, dead-eye can,t find pigeons, what chance does he have with penguins ?
  15. I hope you get it sorted out cheaply. Unfortunately "cheaply" and "computers" doesn,t go together. Who,s taking your dog for a walk while you,re gone ?
  16. Sounds reasonable Malc, not crazy at all. One bit I didn,t quite understand. Do we shoot the kids before, or after they find the Easter eggs ? Ere, leave my tiger alone. :0
  17. Yes, I,ve got the bird this end, it wasn,t a very good shot and I had to apply the Vulcan death grip. That is something I have to work on. I was once the CEO of a Company that was part of a Group. Lord Stafford was a Director of the Group. He is known to be one of the three best game shots in England. Old Staffordshire family, darn nice bloke. I am not that confident of the stopping power of the .410. There have been times when I have suprised myself with occasional long shots, but they have been the exception. Normally a few feathers is all I get for my more optimistic efforts. You didn,t mention the shot weights you are using, that does make a difference. The tight choking on the .410 doesn,t leave a lot of margin for error, but it can mean a few spectacular long shots. I am interested in the shot sizes you chose, with my .410s I used larger shot than normal (due to the choking), nothing smaller than a 6, more often 5 or 4. I found this produced more stone dead quarry and less chasing around. I would need some serious persuasion to use a .410 consistently for my general shooting. I am even having a long debate with myself about whether or not, to buy a 20 bore O/U or Auto. I don,t really need another gun, but it would be nice to use an ultra light weapon for a change. The 20 is a possibility the .410, no chance. If its not work, enjoy your few days off. If it is work........tough luck.
  18. HH, I think your Louisiana buddy might have been having alcoholic dreams. Due to bad weather, there have been poor breeding seasons for the duck population of the US for a few years. The Mississipi delta area is probably the biggest destination for ducks moving south in the Winter, this could be the area he is referring to. The latest steel shot cartridges are supposed to be as good as lead, my friends say they don,t have problems with them. I get my information from my US friends and from this website. http://www.duckcentral.com/sdhforum/ They have a very active anti lobby in the US, thats where PETA originated from. Their hunting/shooting/fishing associations are far bigger and better organised than ours are. Of course, they also have many more members.
  19. kevin, I think there are so many reasons , that to find the accurate combination, would be a bit like discovering the meaning of life. Alternative food sources, how much choice is there in the area ? Distance from roost, I don,t think pigeons travel any further than is necessary. Weather, rough,wet weather keeps them near shelter. Dry, calm days they could be/go anywhere. Shooting pressure, you can,t have a good shoot on a field and expect the birds to come back immediately. I think out of all the factors, probably weather is number one, but its a difficult choice.
  20. I have shot them, but I am always a bit cautious in case they are someones racing or pet pigeons. The problem is that they fly in exactly the same wheeling, tight formations as tame birds and its almost impossible to tell them apart. If I know that someone in the vicinity of a field I am shooting keeps pigeons, I don,t shoot anything that isn,t a woody. Elsewhere, especially in remote field areas, if they are on the crops, they are fair game. Fortunately, I have never shot a pigeon with a ring on its leg yet.
  21. I,ve been shooting a very long time. I had a second hand, single barreled 12 bore given to me as my first gun when I was 10. I then had an air rifle, Diana Original Mk 111, I think, someone also gave me a .410 with slightly bent barrels, all before I was 11. My first double barreled 12 bore came when I was 13. I bought my first brand new gun when I was 29. My gun licences came from the Post Office for a long time. The Grocer at the nearest village (2 miles away) sold cartridges, singly if required. In those days farmers gave you cartridges to shoot their pigeons. Those were the days. Being born in the middle of nowhere, fishing and shooting was about all there was to do.
  22. Anyone get amongst them this weekend ? If so, what crop/etc where they on ? I was preoccupied with some domestic trivia, but I do intend to visit some newly sprouting free sown rape, next week. A few pigeons have started using it and by Tuesday (if it doesn,t rain too much), I expect to be there to greet them.
  23. I believe that everyone has something to say, even if it is only to agree/disagree, with what has been said. If you don,t want to start a topic, at least pile in on one that someone else starts. It can be a bit disheartening if nobody joins in on something you post. Thats why I try to comment on, or answer, just about every topic or question posted. AND MALC.........Mind my pigeon !!!!!!! :grumpy: :grumpy:
  24. There are 108 registered Members of this Forum. Where are they ? There are about 10/12 of us who regularly post, we could do with some more input. New posters don,t get picked on (unlike other Forums) and are made welcome. So come on any "Lurkers", please post any comments, questions, stories or (almost) anything you want to, we would like to hear from you.
  25. Cranfield

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    Well I got rid of the white box and red cross and finally found an image that would work. Quite nice, but it may change.
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