Blackpowder

We had this discussion at our Club shoot last Saturday. With two fox coloured spaniels in the line the risk of a shot at charlie was not worth taking, whereas the previous rule had been no ground game but shoot a fox if safe to do so, now by consensus of opinion on the day seems to suggest that no foxes now either. Down to a time and a place. Blackpowder

Has the look of a quality gun. blackpowder

Most people in my syndicate and club, the latter both pigeon and pheasant seem to be using 2 1/2 inch cartridges. As a side by side toff I find the humble clear pigeon in felt wad 6's, bulk purchased by the above club ,are totally adaquate in the field for pigeon and pheasant. The gun or the cartridge are seldom the reason for a missed bird. Blackpowder Further to the above, I have a friend who was picking up behind the Percy brothers at a Border shoot, very high birds I am told. This picker up was amazed at the height these bgrothers were killing pheasants at and had a crafty look at the cartridge pile when he had finished picking up. Bog standerd 2 1/2 was his comment.

If beating for Continental Guns and the cry WOODCOCK , is heard dive flat on the ground and stay there until shooting stops. Blackpowder

The stuff can be a menace when it gets out of hand, excellent cover and shelter for pheasants I agree. Involvment in a shoot for over 40 years which sports an area of rhodys we have found it proves very difficult to cut rides and paths through the intertwined branches, and removal of cut branches is far from easy in these jungles. So great if kept in line , but an impenetrable jungle which is impossible to beat through when allowed to go wild. Blackpowder

Safe enough if you are a hoodie Blackpowder

It appears as if shooting now has a new supporter after the attendance of Mandy Mandleson at a shoot held at Waddeson Manor home of Jacob Rothschild of the banking dynasty. Other guests included the wicked witch formerly of 10 Downing Street and the son of Libyan dictator Gaddafi. It is not recorded if the first two mentioned picked up a gun but apparently the last is a very keen shot. I can think of a number of Shoots where some of that party would definately be on the quarry list. Various? Blackpowder

A keen eye and a steady hand. Blackpowder

Wheat and cracked maize, but dont mix them as the birds can reject the wheat and concentrate on the maize, all ours are in seperate feeders which we have changed to rigid tubes rather than springs where brock and roe deer could avail themselves of our expensive grain. This year we have tried a round bail with the netting chopped of and a couple of buckets of wheat dumped on the top, in the course of a few weeks the pheasants now have about a quarter of bale demolished. Blackpowder

I am not sure of the current law but at one time to shoot ,"vermin" ie pigeon rabbit etc you were required in Scotland to be engaged in crop protection. This is something my group does every spring at seed time and have never been questioned. Obviously we steer clear of the village churches at service time and do not shoot near occupied dwellings until 10 a.m. Blackpowder

The business of W.R.Pape appears top have been founded in 1830 as a fishing tackle and game dealing business, gunmaking commenced some 27 years later and continued in the Pape family until Victor Pape retired from the gunmaking business in 1935 when former employees took over under the name of Bagnall and Kirkwood. I am the delighted owner of a W.R.Pape 12 bore shotgun circa 1920s, it does sport sleeved barrels , with 2 3/4 inch chambes. I have found this an excellent, light and highly desirable shotgun as could be expected from the factory of the firm who were known as, "the Purdey of the North". I have been told that Pape only ever built boxlocks as best guns, but no doubt a forum mamber will have a pair of Pape sidelocks. I have seen several other examples of Papes work including a superb No2 of a pair and a plain no nonsense box lock ejector. Blackpowder

Very tragic situation in Cumbria with a police officer missing following the collapse of a bridge, many homes flooded and reports of people breaking through their roofs to be rescued. Here in the eastern Borders we seem to have missed the worst effects but Tweed is running at over 16ft at Norham this morning and rising. Blackpowder

It appears as if the smile is being wiped from the face of smirking Blair as media reports now seem to suggest that the prospects of him becoming the first president of this corrupt organisation are diminishing by the day. Blackpowder

One of the most slovenly things on a shoot is to find beaters who think shouting Oi Oi Oi or some other banal sound is a substitute for a good stick and a home made rattle. Of course the Oi's can be mixed with a variety of shouts of Over- Forward- Back- Right - Left, all for the same cock pheasant as walking Gun you need lessons in dancing to turn and twist looking for the direction from which this bird is coming. If a Gun standing in the open cannot pick up a bird coming towards him from cover without a shouted instruction he or she should not be there. The steady tap tap of sticks is all the noise required from an efficient beating line! Blackpowder

Many thanks for the helpful advice from members. I have also seen the 8 x 56 in www.############## on the inside rear page of the recent BASC magazine at £500, although on line they are quoting a higher price. An on line firm is offering the 8 x 56 at £446 : 64 and the 6 x 42 at £412 : 10, which is the best price I have came across so far. Blackpowder

I have just been looking on line at a Zeis Diatal 8 x 56 T scope, are any members using this scope and what is their opinion of it. Also the choice of rectile is 1-4 or 8, I do not envisage doing any late dusk shooting with the Parker Hale 243 where the scope is destined so which rectile is the best for general rifle wark ? Blackpowder

A really nice bit of kit, shooters on the west side of the pond seem to appreciate the qualities of a hand built British gun whereas many over here can hardly wait to exchange theirs for a machine made import. Blackpowder

I found that the fastest reload came from a plastic looped cartridge belt back in my hammergun days(35 years approx). It is most unfortunate that this belt has shrunk and will no longer meet around my waist. Now moved up to a boxlock ejector I find that the deep pocket of a shooting jacket is best with a reserve in a cartridge bag to hand, just in case that magic hot barrel stand comes up. Blackpowder.

What is the difference between Damascus and laminate when used in gun barrels? I always understood that damuscus was a twisted, forge welded laminate of iron and steel and that Birmingham was a major centre for their manufacture. Blackpowder

It depends very much how the chimney is constructed. If it is in face brick the odds are it is the pointing, if the chamney has been coated or rendered on the other hyand a non waterproof render can allow rain to penetrate behind the flashing. As in a previous reply a close inspection is needed to ascertain what is happening. Blackpowder

Defence Minister Alan Johnson has defended the £300 million bonus payments to MOD penpushers in that some desk jobs are, 'difficult and dangerous'. On the opposite page of the report in the Daily Mail is a photgraph of obviously exhausted troops in Helmand, reminicent of WW1 trench pictures without the mud. Is a polotician who made the above statement fit for purpose? Blackpowder

Dont do it myself but sea angling from kayaks is an increasingly popular sport here as no doubt it is around our entire coast. Somewhere there will be forums dedicated to this branch of angling. Blackpowder

An article in Saturday's Scotsman Magazine seemed to suggest that either red kites or buzzards have been preying on red squirrels in Scotland. Certainly buzzards present a major hazard to game rearers, perhaps not by what they take but by the fear they install in poults especially pheasants. Blackpowder

It looks like a circular hole saw with blobs of rubber stuck on, its not rocket science. Blackpowder