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fiesta14

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About fiesta14

  • Birthday 03/07/1968

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  • Gender
    Male
  • From
    Abingdon
  • Interests
    Left school and worked as a keeper for 2 years before the shoot closed. Joined the forces and spent 22 years moving around. Have finally settled in one place so have decided to take up shooting again. Had a couple of lessons and loving it.

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  1. Hi I bought one earlier this year for shooting squirrels with both an airgun and a Mossberg .410. I must admit that initially I was a little underwhelmed but it just takes a little time to tune into the image, I am now a firm fan of it. I use the white hot setting with hot spot identifier (little green cross that lands on the hottest item in the image) and the heat of the squirrel stands out clearly within the trees when the leaves have fallen. I cannot make out a definitive outline but just a blob of heat, but that is fine for me as I am not working at great distances. It doesn't work as well in hot or cold extremes so dull overcast days are ideal. The unit was just over £400 and I am happy with it, I am sure the 9mm and 15mm models give a better picture but I cannot justify the cost of those for the type and amount of shooting that I do. There are plenty of settings to mess around with, the battery life is really good and the picture doesn't constantly freeze as it recalibrates. I would definitely buy the unit again as it has accounted for loads of squirrels that I would have missed as I stalked through the woods. If you do buy one my tip is to take it to the park where the squirrels are tame and you can spend some time familiarising yourself with the image so you know what to look for when in the field. Cheers Matt
  2. I have the Mossberg Hushpower .410 and bought this slip; Raytex Padded Shotgun Slip (5 Lengths) | Wolfman (thewolfman.co.uk) To get the zip closed I have to sit the gun in one particular orientation and it is snug but it does close. I cannot find which size I ordered but have just measured the external length at 53". If you order the 54" you should be OK.
  3. Thanks for the tips Sciurus, much appreciated.
  4. Thanks for he tip, I am sure the more I use it the more confident I will get with interpreting the picture. At the minute I am walking quietly, stopping and scanning the trees up ahead then moving on. I also intend to use it when set up in the hide near my feeding station. Any other tips on how best to use it will be gratefully received. Matt
  5. Hi all I recently purchased the 6mm Hikvision for use when Squirrel shooting. It arrived last week during the cold spell so I took into our local park where there I know there are lots of tame squirrels. I must admit I was a bit underwhelmed, if I looked at a squirrel in the tree I could just about make out where it was in the thermal picture. The trees were white in the picture, with the squirrels showing as just a little brighter, had I not known where the squirrel was I don't think I would have picked it up in a general scan of the tree, however I thought to myself with use I may get a bit more tuned into the pictures and pick out the heat sources a little easier. Fast forward to yesterday and the ambient temperature has increased and the camera has really come into its own. I shot 6 squirrels yesterday with my Mossberg 410 and 3 were as a direct result of the camera. I use the white hot setting and the heat of the squirrel now stand out reasonably clearly within the trees when I scan them. I cannot make out a definitive outline but just a blob of heat, but that is fine for me as I am not working at great distances. It is still early days but the unit was just over £400 and I am happy with it, I am sure the 9mm and 15mm models give a better picture but I cannot justify the cost of those for the type and amount of shooting that I do. There are plenty of settings to mess around, the battery life is really good and the picture doesn't constantly freeze as it recalibrates.
  6. Hi mate Could you let me know how you get on please as I holed my Muck boots beating this weekend and will need to repair them before a fortnights time. Matt
  7. Thanks for the link, been after a pair of moleskins for a while and these look great.
  8. Hi Mate The following package is currently being offered by Francis Lovell at The Oxfordshire shooting ground. I have no connection to the place but thought that this was a pretty good offer and not too far from you, http://www.theoxfordshireshootingschool.co.uk/ New Beretta Silver Pigeon Package DealIncludes 12 or 20 Bore Beretta Silver Pigeon Grade I Oxfordshire Shooting School Annual Membership Skeet vest Cleaning kit Cartridge bag Gun slip Ear defenders Safety glasses 3 x Shooting lessons including¸ 50 Clays per lesson Only £1695.00 RRP £2240.00
  9. Hi As a novice shooter I went to Ian Coley's ground today to use the card system for the first time. I have to say I thought it was great. Working shifts I miss some of the weekend shoots so this gives me the opportunity to get some practice in during the week when most people are working. The card system is easy to use and gives you a countdown in the form of bleeps before the clay is released. There are plenty of stands so I was on my own and felt no pressure from other shooters looking on. I was able to keep shooting the tricky birds until I hit one (I had to give up on some though) and at the end I was asked how many "no clays" there were and these were deducted from the final bill. I thought it was a great system and will be back as soon as I can for another go.
  10. I just bought one. It was made to order and received today after ordering it on Friday. It looks really good, appears to be very well made and was very reasonably priced. Thanks for the recommendation.
  11. Hi Have been after a Browning 525 or Miroku MK38 for a few weeks now, but there are not many about. I have been offered a couple but they have been outside my budget. Do you (or anyone you know) have one at the back of your cabinet that you haven't used for a while and may consider selling. I am after a 30" multi choke sporter. I am near Oxford but willing to travel reasonable distances to pick up a good one. I would rather buy privately as shop prices are out of my range. Cheers
  12. Hi The gunsmith column in this months Sporting Gun magazine addresses this very problem. Might be worth buying (or reading in WH Smiths) to give you an idea of the work involved. I have only skim read it so far but it looks relatively simple to fix if you are half proficient with the tools. If not the article quotes the job as costing £50.
  13. Thanks for your replies everyone. Elmer, that is exactly what I was hoping to do; haggle a good price, however as you rightly say it involves risk as prices may go up and a reduction of over £100 maybe a big haggling ask. I have been looking for a private sale Browning as the shop prices for second hand guns do not appear to be far off new prices when you factor in the £100 cash back. I have checked out all of your suggestions and found a couple of s/h guns which look good, so thanks for the pointers.
  14. Hi After trying a few different types of gun I have settled on a Browning 525, but have had no luck finding a second hand, grade 1, Sporter, 30" that is anywhere near me. I have done a search of the for sale section on here and it seems they don't come up very often. Therefore, If I can sell a few items on ebay I may be able to stretch to a new one. I would like your opinions on the following: 1. Do gunshops have January sales? and if so do you think they would beat the current £100 cash back offer that Browning are running? 2. Do you get good discounts at the Stoneleigh Shooting and Countryman Show in February? Thanks for your help.
  15. Again, thanks for your help everyone, you have been very generous with your time, advice and offers of help. I am going along to my local shop attached to a shooting ground early next week to try a few different second hand guns out. I am turning to the "buy once, buy well" school of thought and upping my budget to £800 (the kids will have to settle for a satsuma and a lump of coal this Christmas). I am taking a friend of a friend who has been shooting for years and will concentrate on the Browning/Miroku/Beretta models and see what suits my shape and style. I will keep you posted on what happens. Cheers
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