shootingmike

Hi, I was shooting my escort the other week when the spring clip went, a common problem apparently. It's the clip thing that holds the action bars to the black tube that sits under the piston. One of the lugs snapped off. To make matters worse, the groove it sits on the black tube in has a crack almost half the way round so that'll need replacing too. A local RFD can get the parts, hopefully not too expensive. Has anyone replaced this clip because looking at it, I reckon it'll be a swine to get on? Any tips appreciated. Cheers.

If you have a look on the American forums, people reckon it's been blowing their guns up. New guns as well, maxus etc. It looks like there are people trying to claim from Remington because of it. At the end of the day, received wisdom is that the faster steel moves, the more pressure it generates because it can't squash together like lead. I've used gamebore mammoth steel 3" 36 gram 1's for the last few years, as have my shooting pals and if you hit a goose / duck, its generally dead.

What's happened to gun prices?! I was contemplating upgrading from my Hatstand this year and was looking at SX3's, M2's etc.. Last time I looked at M2's about a year or so ago, they were about £900. They're now pushing £1150 plus. The SX3 has stayed a bit more reasonable, at around £775 for a black shadow but even they have gone up. I know manufacturing costs have probably gone up, along with shipping costs but how are the manufactures managing to sell guns in this economic climate? Surely sales must be suffering?? I really like the SX3 but when I think about spending nearly £800 on a plastic gun, I wonder how much further forward I'll be from my Escort composite that never misses a beat...??

Thanks for the replies chaps. Time to start browsing the net for some then..

Hi chaps, I'm in need of some decoys for duck shooting on rivers / splash. Can anyone suggest decent ones at reasonable prices? Am I right in saying that generally folk just use wigeon decoys instead of mallard as they're smaller to carry, cheaper and pull mallard anyway? I realise I'll need a line and clips etc. also. Cheers

Hi all, As the new season is nearly upon us, I could do with some wellies. I've had some Toggi wanderers with full length zips for quite a few years but they now leak at the bottom of the zip (lesson learned). I don't want to spend fortunes but I do like neoprene linings as my feet feel the cold. I was looking at Muck boots (Tay) and they seem well liked, but think I might prefer a gusset top (but no zip again) as they're easier to slip on for quick trips to the dog pen etc. Any suggestions??

Thanks for the replies. I'm aware of alt berg as some lads I know through work wear them. As someone said, they can hand make them to your feet and I think they keep the pattern for future reference. Might have a little look and start saving the pennies. Too many other expensive hobbies as well I'm afraid!

Forgot to mention, I had some hi tec walking boots... Vlite something or other. They were damn comfy but a bit on then low side for me.

Don't want to start another boots vs wellies debate, but I'm in a bit of a dilemma as to what to buy next. For years I used some toggi wellies for most of my shooting and they were great up until leaking at the bottom of one of the full length zips. For the last year, I've been using some fabric boots made by TF fishing gear. They were a bit of a revelation - really light (compared to the heavy wellies), grippy, waterproof and very supportive. Problem is though, in just under a year they've started to split. I don't do a lot of shooting but do walk the dogs a lot so they've had a fair bit of use, but I thought they'd last a bit longer. I'm now thinking some decent leather boots might be better. So now I'm unsure what to do. I've tried on some muck boot tays and they were really comfy and very light but i do like the support of boots. Can anyone recommend some reasonably priced leather boots or does anyone have opinions on the Tay wellies.

Thanks all, seems like good stuff then at a god price. As soon as I can find some locally I'll give it a try. It's a bit of a pain to get round here consistently so wheni get the chance I'll buy a few bags.... Thanks again, always nice to hear from people who've actually used stuff as opposed to just armchair critics...

What about cleanliness? Does it fire out the back end or aren't they too bad on it?

Has anyone used either of the above, or even better, both? (just noticed spelling error in title, should read Sneyds wonderdog premium) I'm currently using something from a local petshop that they have made for them. Supposed to be human grade chicken and a good percentage of rice (26 %). I've been happy with it overall but the consistency seems to be varying lately and the last few sacks have all smelled different. So I fancied trying something else.... I've read mixed reports on the chudleys, some love it and yet other reviews say how it's full of wheat and rubbish fillers. The sneyds premium main ingredients are chicken and rice and no gluten, wheat etc. Ay thoughts?

Cheers for that PM sent....

Thanks, any idea how much that'll reduce the space on the wad?

I don't want them for tungsten, just 3.75 mm steel, so am wondering if anybody's used them with the larger shot.

I'm wanting to know whether the 3" Multi metals stand up to steel shot in 3.75mm?? I've noticed they also do a tungsten wad thats supposed to be tougher. Anyone know if they'd be OK to use?

Last year I reloaded some 3" steel for geese / ducks. I used 381 powder, once fired remington cases, cheddite primers and precision reloadings tuprw123 orange wads. Was happy with the results, fairly quick, hard hitting. But then I ran out of the wads (originally got them from a mate who'd imported them). So I need an alternative wad that'll hold roughly 36 grams of 3.75mm steel in 3" cases (crimp not RTO). Tried ringing claygame but he wasn't too helpful and kept banging on about the bulk element of the powder, and all sorts of other stuff and basically said he didn't have a suitable load using any of his wads. So any suggestions welcome. As sais, I have 381 powder, a mixture of 3" remington and cheddite cases, cheddite primers and 3.75mm steel.

I've no idea what the speeds are but I can vouch that the Gamebore black gold are an absolutely devastating cartridge that seem to have no limits no matter how far they're pushed. Used on decoy wary pigeons they just pluck them out of the sky and some really testing ranges. Cracking cartridge.

I'm after a new coat and have seen various recommendations on various forums. It's for a mixture of wildfowling, rough shooting and pigeon decoying. I've had a Deerhunter wolf before but it's all ripped and stitching coming undone etc. I've also had a pro logic thermo but depsite it being breathable I sweated like crazy in it so sold it. I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on layering clothing. I also ski in Winter and the general opinion is that thin layers (of the right sort) trap heat in but wick moisture away. I'm therefore thinking of trying some thin micro fleece style top under a thicker fleece, under a waterproof top layer - something like a fishing smock with a hood. Any thoughts?

might try that with mine. he tends to rush about a bit and has his head up looking. Might just sharpen him up a bit....

Spot on that Terry! A bit similiar to what I have already (a 10ft x 4ft with pent roof) I'm thinking about something similiar again but like this: 10 ft by 4ft, pent roof but fully boarded up at the front apart from a central door and a pop hole either side (for 2 dogs). Behind the pop holes will be draft flaps then bed boxes with raised insulated beds. That way the rest of the space can be used as a shed for decoys, coats, wellies, reloading gear etc,....

Thanks....

I need to build a new kennel this year as my current one is getting old and tatty. The roof felt is knackered and leaky and the back wall is buckling so it needs to be a complete rebuild. I'm planning to buy the wood and make my own to keep costs down. My current kennel is about 10 feet by 4 feet with a slope roof and faces into a slabbed run - (10 feet by 10 feet). I'd like to build something similar but a bit higher, as I have to stoop to replace bedding etc. I will probably separate the run into two as I'm looking for a new pup this spring so would like to build something with two bed areas. I'm thinking about making a good height shed and just building two bed boxes inside it so the rest can be used for storage.... Does anyone have any good pics of their kennels, home made or otherwise to give me inspiration?

There's also possibly another arguement I raised in a recent thread re: Rytex spingers. It's been said that some trialling trainers have, through the years, bred dogs that re more suited to trialling than general working - smaller, faster etc. So if you bough a pup from this kind of stock, chances are it'd end up small and whippety.

Thanks for all the replies chaps. As I said, I do realise it's a bit of a grey area and there are no hard and fast rules, but to add to a couple of points raised... I have no doubt whatsoever that you'll get out of a dog what you put into it and that breeding is only part of the equation. But, to add to something cockerboy raised - I'm sure that any dogs in a rytex pedigree may well be FTCH's which as you have pointed out means they can be trained. BUT - my original post was also about appearance and as somebody has said, the modern "trialling" springer seems to be evloving into small, lean white dogs that can run like a whippet, jump like a Kangaroo and stand out easily for judging purposes. I think the best bet is to stick with what I know - My existing dog is heavily Badgercourt and has been rock steady, dead easy to train, loyal and hard working.