Target Practice

Thanks guys interesting and how much would you expect to pay?

Interesting. I will have to check my home insurance policy now. But I wonder how much the excess would be if you were to make a claim!

Hi all, I am wondering how many members on here have insurnace for their Guns? We are all aware of the Liability Insurance that is offered with our various memberships of the likes of CPSA, NGO, BASC etc. But how many of you actually have cover for your own Guns in terms of Accidental Damage to them, Theft and Loss? ie theft, damage in the field, barrel blow outs, damaged stock etc... Would you be interested in such a policy for your guns? Some home insurers will cover my Guns but this is only while they are in the home and would not cover accidental damage etc while out in the field etc. or theft from your car/vehicle. Also what about cover for your own private collections, say that old blunderbuss or black powder gun that you get out once in a while? Welcome everyones thoughts. Many thanks,

I got a new escort and it has its problems. I wish I had invested in something of better quality to be honest. See my escort thread re movement in the barrel....

Thanks for comments chaps. I sense that these things come with purchasing a cheap gun. It functions fine and cycles anything.

Hi all, I purchased my Hatsan Escort (new model with extended chokes) just over a year ago. The problem i have with it is that there has always been a bit of morement between the barrel and the receiver. Only a few millimeters of movement but you can basically twist the barrels from left to right very slightly. Also after every 4 or 5 shots I have to tighten up the chokes and the fore-end cap. Is this normal. ?? Ive took it apart, reassembled. Tried cleaning the chokes, also tried leaving them dirty... but same problem always persists. I took it back to essex gun who suggested it was functioning ok. Iv had the gun a year, put about 750 carts through it now. But these probs were there after the first few shots i fired. Still under warranty, but has anyone else experienced these problems? Concious the dealer and edgar bros may give me a tainted version of events. Many thanks.

Ha, Got to get me one of those Magic carpets jdog.

thanks aga man

Hi all, Is it acceptable to walk over rape to retrieve your birds this time of year when the rape is still in its early stages per picture below. Is it likely to do any damage to the crops? Many thanks,

I got mine from a game fair but you can get them from the Internet. There all the same.

Even dead pigeon floaters / bouncers can prevent the pigeon from coming anywhere near you. I have had most success this summer using only with 8 to 12 dead pigeons in cradles.

I agree I tend to have the most success with my magnet over the harsher winter months. I have not used my magnet all summer.

Thanks chaps. I've just purchased some hessian sacks from amazon. .......

Hi all, I had a successful day over the rape stubble yesterday where I shot 32 pigeon. It was a long day, shooting all day in the heat/sunshine. So lots of flies about. When I returned home with my bag, I left them overnight in a box to cool and now, only 1 day after shooting them, I have breasted them but when doing so I have noticed that on at least 10 of the birds there was a lot of flybrow. I threw away the 10 or so birds that had 'loads' of flybrow on them. The rest had either 'none' or 'some' flybrow on them, so I have breasted them to eat for myself, the breast meat was unaffected and in good condition, and is now in the freezer. Is this ok to eat?? All very unpleasant. What do other people do...? Thanks a lot guys....!! (In future I will breast them as I shoot on hot days.... gross)

Many thanks all i apprecaite the comments.

Hi all, Just wondering is anybody having much luck shooting over the rape at the moment bearing in mind its now quite tall and flowering. The permissions I shoot over now are all covered in relatively high rape. I pressume the best course of action in 'genenal' terms as with any tall crop is to stick to the tramlines or the headland or any patchy areas ? (ps the reason I ask is that i have never shot over rape this time of year before) Many thanks,

Hi all, Quick question... I typically shoot afternoon through to evening because this fits in well with my work. But i now have the opportunity to start shooting mornings. Question = How early do you hit the fields, set up and start shooting this time of year? As soon as daylight appears...? say 5.30am? or not worth it? I plan to do some morning reconnaisance work over my permissions but am interestd in your views before i set out please??? Many thanks!!!! Brad

Hi all, Iv recently got my first permission; and was just wondering how often do you thank your permissions with a bottle of something? Is it at Christmas only, once a month? once a quarter? whats the etiquette for us pigeon shooters? Obviously common sense tells me - use your noddle and keep your farmer sweet, but what do you chaps typically do? many thanks.

Thank you chaps. 9 Woodies. 3 lost in the wheat. Used all your tips and kept to the bare patches and field edges.

Cheers all i will take on board all of your advices! it really is appreciated. !!!

Hi all was after some advice please. I plan to shoot on Friday after all the rain clears up. Im shooting on wheat which is very tall. Its probably only 2 weeks away from being cut. so crops are high. space for decoys is very limited. and i dont want to damage the farmers crops or lose shot birds. Gereraly where is the best place to put decoys? Space is limited due to hedge rows. Would it be worth putting decoys out in the tram lines at the edges of the fields? im guessing i stear clear of the crops and place decoys on the field edges only? or perhaps on the few adjacent grass patches. this may sound a silly question but i have only ever shot over stubbles and newly drilled land before. so all comments welcome for decoy layouts in confined spaces welcome. Many thanks, Brad

cheers chaps.

Thanks ever so much for all your replies. It all helps. Well after a full day out i managed to bag only 4 pigeons... but you know what... im happy with that... its 4 more than i got last time! its an improvement and i had a good day. its all trial and error and all your comments helped. i think most importantly i must keep still and must get my timings right. cheers, Brad!

Thanks Bakerboy but too shorter notice...

Thank you all for your replies. I am going to take it all on board. Maybe i was mounting too soon, and moving too mutch. I will experiment with my layout also. Well my bags are packed ready for tomorrows decoying. Taking on board what you have said I will report back and let you know if there are any improvements this time round! Thanks again chaps! Brad