Oxfordshooter

My eldest son started shooting clays aged 11 with a Lincoln 20 bore which has a shortened youth stock. It's a very pointable and quick little gun, seems well made too.

I bought my missus a pair of Toggi Columbus boots from the Sports Direct website- only £95. She's really happy with them, great for town and country.

A couple of weeks ago I purchased a used pump action 12 bore shotgun from a local dealer who sourced it from the main importer. When the gun arrived I was over the moon as although it was a described as a B grade gun, it looked brand new. I took it to my permission in order to try it out and get used to the gun as I'd never shot a pump action before. I popped two cartridges into the mag, then just for the hell of it I thought I'd see if any more would fit in - to my surprise in went 3, 4, then 5 carts. Bearing in mind this gun was only supposed to hold two in the magazine and one up the spout, I was pretty shocked. I took the gun back to my dealer who was very apologetic and send it back to the major company who imported it for further investigation. Initially I was told that the gun could have a new magazine fitted, but that it would also have to be re-proofed which would take months. However, eventually they saw sense and fitted a new crimped magazine and shipped it back to me. As a law abiding chap, I can't help but think what would have happened to me if for any reason I was found to be in possession of a Section 1 shotgun without the correct licence - trying to prove my innocence would have been potentially stressful and very costly. So the moral of this story is to check how many cartridges your Section 2 pump or semi-auto holds as you may get a surprise. Has anybody else had an experience like this?

I can just see those rickety houses in Kathmandu falling down like packs of cards when the earthquake hit. The Nepalese are such a lovely race of people; travelling to Nepal from India where it feels like everybody is trying to rip you off, Nepal feels so much more civilised - at least when they rip you off the people have smiles on their faces. This is another example of why we should remember how lucky we are in this county and that we don't have to deal with mother nature in the way that some counties have to. Surely a worthy example of foreign aid?

It's your wedding, if you and your wife to be don't want to do it then don't.

inspection get ever'ting ship-shape an' shine

The fact is humans are very poor at judging how skilled they are at an activity like driving, most people would say that they are above average drivers - which statistically cannot be possible. I've been driving for nearly 30 years and have never been fined or given points for speeding, it's not difficult to stay within the law. However, some people seem to think that they are so skilled or special that the law shouldn't apply to them.

Great idea, anything which results in more car traffic on the roads at the weekend can only be a good thing. Let's ban shooting at the weekend too in order to make sure the countryside is nice and quiet.

I cycle to work every day and don't own any lycra, other than my mankini which I'm wearing right now... Most adult cyclists are also car drivers, they're not a separate species of road user. Anybody who rides their bike inconsiderately is probably like that when they are behind the wheel too in my opinion.

A couple of people at work are on this type of contract and when I've spoken to them about it they've said that they were pretty happy with the arrangement and didn't want to be tied down to regular hours. One of them is a mature student and the other person is younger, no partner or kids and likes to move jobs frequently. They still get paid sick leave and holidays just like everybody else on permanent contracts. A zero-hours contract wouldn't suit my lifestyle though.

Agreed, Spelt makes a nourishing loaf. Adding some whole Sunflower And Pumpkin seeds to any loaf in the breadmaker gives them a nice texture and extra nutrition.

I'm surprised that the three surviving members of the biggest rock band of the 1970's haven't been questioned or charged yet. By all accounts there were plenty of underage groupies during their various world tours.

I have a bagpipes CD that I put on when I want guests to leave after they have been for dinner - it always works.

See them all of the time flying over Oxford, including the suburbs where I live. Lots of traffic so lots of road kill for them to eat - the Crows in the park all gang up and chase the Kites away whenever they come near. Red Kites are magnificent birds, I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching them.

No the smaller DM110i's. They still sound fantastic when driven by this tiny T Class amp, http://www.amazon.co.uk/SMSL-SA-36A-Tripath-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00A2QLDEO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1426104113&sr=1-1&keywords=smsl+sa36a only £35 including delivery from China. An amazing little amp which sounds as if it should cost 10 times more than it actually does.

Middle age is when you start to age around the middle. Blasting out some good music through my old B&W speakers is about as exciting as it gets for me these days, especially the Royal Blood album, which is riff after riff after riff after riff... well worth checking out.

We get this in our garden pond earch year, a writhing mass of frogs all having threesomes, foursomes and more usually lasting for 2-3 days and making a hell of a racket. A great spectacle to watch and a sure sign that spring is round the corner (thank goodness). The newts are much more discrete when going about their business! No activity yet though, it must be warmer where you are. Any more frog and newt (Greater Crested and Common) fans out there?

I sometimes go to Edge Hill near Banbury and Barbury near Swindon on a Saturday. These are the closest to Oxford I've found other than Oxford Gun Club. PM me if you're interested in meeting up and seeing what they are like.

Does anybody fancy (or is going) to Marcham Shooting Ground, Wantage Rd, East Hanney, Oxfordshire this Sunday 15th Feb 9.30am - 12.30pm? Only £10 for 50 sporting and It's fairly easy shooting there so you'll definately hit a few. Contact me if you're interested. Thanks.

Yes a very influential figure in British music and fashion. Not surprised he died at 55 though as he was supposed to be a real caner when it came to drink and drugs. Fade to Grey still sounds epic and the video a real piece of art. The 80's will never die, not whilst I have control of stereo anyway.

Hello all, Anybody fancy practicing some clays arround Oxford? Common Leys, Edgehill, Crazy Bear, Barbury etc - nothing too serious, just lots of bangs and a bit of banter. All the best.

I think you must have a soft spot for those rough handed, yet charming Oirish rogues - you mention them often. Is there something you'd like to tell the group?

Another moving song about the troubles you country folk face.

Just tried microwaving mine and it's gone a bit black, perhaps it needs to be a special Apple iMicrowave to work properly?

That's the beauty of the internet, any idiot (including myself) can put their message accross and find somebody who agrees or takes offence with what they are saying, although judging by the number of views this thread has it obviously doesn't work all of the time...