jonnys

I find it difficult to get any decent sport for much of the year, although I have plenty of permission, unless you're there at the right time on the right day it can be really tricky. If you work bankers hours, which I do, then I'm never there to see what's moving around and on what fields/crops. If you're a farmer or a land worker, then clearly you get that chance, and off you go, but for me I turn up on a Saturday hoping for some sport, and half the time end up not even setting up! Best of luck starting up again Jon

Hi folks Looking for some advice please... I need to secure a light to a golf buggy for when I shoot from it, I don't need it to shoot the rabbits using the light as I will be using NV from a fixed point, I purely need it to navigate around the land, bit like a cars headlamp (not the headlamp you put on your head!). Few points: - it would need it's own power supply, and not relay on the golf buggy battery - it needs to give a broad light spectrum, as opposed to a narrow thin one as I'm using it to navigate and not shoot - I can modify the buggy or drill a hole in the roof to fix it if need be - Ideally I need to be able to fix and unfix it every time I use the buggy - I was thinking of a suction type device, although not sure if this would work on the plastic roof of the buggy Has anyone got any suggestion please...brands, makes, models etc As always, many thanks in advance. Jonny

Hi folks Thinking of buying the Nite Site Wolf, has anybody got any experience with these / does any one own one please? Would be interested in you view/opinions Many thanks in advance, Jonny

Will mostly use a lamp, but sometimes when I shoot with my friend it will be thru his NV scope - so both! Thanks

Hi all Firstly thanks to those who gave me there thoughts on best electronic fox caller, I went for the Icotec as many suggested and am very pleased with it. Great customer services too. I'm now looking for a monocular nightvision priced between £250-£400. I'm happy to pay up to £400 for a better one, unless people say the ones for £250 are just as good, if you know what I mean.... Pulsar and Yukon seem to do a few around that price bracket - are these any good? Mainly going to be using for fox shooting, so would ideally like a range of up to 300m. I have never owned NV before so would appreciate any help/pointers. What do you think is the best for around that price please? Many thanks in advance, Have a good weekend all! Jon

Thanks folks, I will try using a lighter pellets, I thoughts those magnums were heavy but everyone seemed to recommend them for FAC air rifles so just went with them. Chris - thanks for taking the time to look that up for me All the best, Jonny

Dear all Many thanks for your advice, I also like the look of the Icotec models. I've got a couple of the best fox hand calls already, so as you all say maybe practice with them first and then make a decision. Once again, great advice, cheers Motty - thanks for that, I'm pretty new to shooting and have worked really hard to gain land over the past couple of years, I don't come from a shooting/farming background, so am still a beginner. All the best, Jonny

Hi folks I'm looking for some thoughts on pellets drop that I'm experiencing please... I have recently bought a new AirArms S510 FAC Xtra it's 28lbs pressure. I zeroed it into 40m and it grouped nicely, but when I moved the target out to 60m the drop off on the pellet was unreal. By the time it got to 60m it was dropping by about 12 inches. I'm using .22 Bisley Magnums which I think are about 21 grain. I mainly use a 17hmr for my shooting and just wonder if I've got so use to shooting a flat trajectory gun, that I need to get use to a FAC air rifle OR if somethings not right??? Many thanks in advance, Jon

Hi all Haven't used the forum for a while, just been so busy with a new job. Although have managed to continue with even more shooting and add a few guns to the cabinet! I have recently bought a Browning X-bolt in 243 and I have to say, what a gun for £625 and with 58grain Hornadys it's amazing So I'm going to start doing some fox shooting and want to buy an electronic remote caller, my budget is £200 - what do you think is the best one for that kind of price please? Also, I'm new to foxing and so I note that many machines come with preloaded calls, but is it easy to load new ones on and where do you get/buy them? Lastly, any other advice about electronic callers greatly appreciated Many thanks in advance Jon

OK, thanks guys.

Hi folks I do a lot rabbit shooting with my 17HMR but there's a couple of areas where it wouldn't be safe to use. Therefore I'm thiking of getting myself an FAC air rifle. I can do 90% of my rabbit control with the HMR, so I want to keep the costs to an absolute minimum setting up the FAC air rifle. So I have two questions please: 1. there's a secondhand Falcon FN19 (about 25lbs) for sale locally, it's about 7 years old but in mint cond, it's a single shot unfortunately, but it's very reasonably priced. Does any one have an opinions about the gun / advice? Also it's coming with no scope, mounts, or silencer - so anyone got any thoughts on what it's worth? 2. what is the cheapest way I can refill air into the gun, pumps seem to start at £130 which quite frankly is nearly the same price as the gun. Does anyone know where I can get a half decent new pump? or where they sell second hand ones in Norfolk? Thanks in advance folks. Jon

Gimlet, thanks for taking the time to write such a comprehensive response it was very helpful. I have a brand new Redfield 3-9 x 50 scope on my .308 (which I never use) and so I'm going to swap it over to that, also I will clean the barrel well. I assume the CZ will accept the mounts and I can just swap it over? I will use the mounts on the Redfield as they were about £50 or so, the ones I have on the CZ where only about £20. If the above solves it then great. If not I will play around with the ammo and try a few different types. As for zeroing, I'm having to do mine every couple of weeks it seems. As I mention in my original post, I zeroed it about 10 days ago under ideal conditions and it was fine, then last night I missed the first two rabbits and when I checked zero it was 3ines out! So to hear that you only zero yours every 12 month makes me release that there MUST be something wrong with mine - so thanks again for sharing that as it's given the kick up the backside I needed to start changing things. I also get what you mean about learning what works with the gun, and I don't think I've done that, I've just carried on and on thinking - it must be me, it can't be the gun, scope, mounts as they're all new! But I release now that I need to do a bit of fault diagnosis and start chaging things around until I find what works. As for checking the action is secure in the stock, I'm sure it is as I've only just recently had it into my gunsmith and asked him to go over it for me and clean it etc, such has been my desparation to get this matter solved. My gunsmith did even try it out for me and showed me the target and at 50m he was cloverleafing, but that not the issue, it's the zero shift rather than the grouping. As you say for a novice I guess about 1inch is ok. Anyway, I'll let you know how I get on with it. All the best, Jonny

Hi folks I'm after a bit of advice / reassurance please...... A year ago I bought a brand new 17HMR CZ452 American 16inch Barrel and put a Hawke x4-x12 50m scope and a mod on it - standard set up basically. I use the standard 17g Hornady V-max though it. I have had it serviced, had the trigger adjusted, had the stock carved out to make sure barrel was free floating (which it wasn't from the factory). I just don't find it holds zero that well, I will spend time getting it just right, and then three sessions later I will check the zero and it'll be 3 inches out. I know the 17 HMR is prone to wind drift, but last night I had a 10mph 90 degree cross wind and it was 3 inces out and 50 yards (not 100 yards). I'm very careful not to knock the gun/scope, I clean the barrel every 300 rounds or so, have checked the scope is tight enough - I feel like I'm doing everything right but just not getting the results. I group about an 1-1.5inches at 100m, but the group is not the main issue, it's the fact it seems to shift zero. I'm not from a shooting background and don't have a lot of experience, so a few questions please: 1. how often do you find you have to rezero, either in time or shots? 2. am I expecting too much from this entry level CZ / Hawke scope combo, it's 1-1.5inch @ 100m about right? 3.would changing my ammo help? I have heard reports that the Hornady V-max doesn't always work that well, any one got any experience with that? 4. is there anything I haven't thought about which could be causing these zero/accuracy issues (and don't say my shooting! lol!) It's really starting to get to me this problem, as last night the first two rabbits I shot at I missed, then I checked zero and it was out by 3 inches (only rezerod 10 days ago but have put over 100 shots thru since), so I had to quickly rezero in the field with a makeshift target in a 10mph wild - not great. I then went onto shoot 27 rabbits, but I did miss quite a few which usually I don't! Thanks in advance for any help/advice. All the best, Jonny

Hi all Thanks very much for the advice so far, you're basically all saying what I hoped. Which is that I can easily use a 308 for a while until I get a 243 without any issues. I just feel that for £250 on the mod I've got a cracking set up, whereas to go out and get a 243 fully equiped up will cost me about a £1000 and I'll still need a mod for the 308 anyway. Appreciate that the 308 isn't a fox rifle, and a 243 or 22-250 would be better, but I'm an absolute beginner at foxing and from what you're saying the 308 will get me going. I also need to buy a new shotgun as I've recently started driven and only have a Berretta A400 semi atm - so the money i save will get put towards that an o/u Silver Pigeon. It's an expensive business this shooting! lol! Dougy - the land I shoot for deer i can use either a 308 or 243. I've ordered some Hornady 110 grain rounds from my dealer (not sure exactly which type as this is all very new to me), I will only be shooting fox and munctac with those (long story but I can't shoot the reds or roe on ther yet) so this should have me set up nicely without the need to re-zero all the time. Thanks again folks.

Hi folks, I'm fairly new to shooting, and very new to using a .308 and deer stalking. I bought a Tikka T3 Lite .308 about a year ago, I wanted a .308 as I'm working towards my DSC L2 and the land I stalk has Reds, also the BASC Scheme I use at Kings Forest has Reds and Fallow and they like a calibre of that size for these type of deer. Therefore I didn't want to restrict myself to a .243. I now want to do some fox shooting on the land I have for deer stalking, but rather than buy a .243 (which I have on my FAC if I want one), I'm thinking about using my .308 and reducing the round down to say 100 grain. My FAC says I can use my .308 "for shooting deer, and any other lawful quarry" so no issues there as far as I can see? Also my .308 T3 lite doesn't have a silencer, and it kicks like a mule, so I want to get a siliencer to help out with this but they seem to be about £250, so I'd rather put the money towards that before getting a .243. On that note - any recommendations on which silencer to get please? I will get myself a .243 in the next year, but to get me off the starting blocks, keep the farmer happy by shooting his foxes, and stop my 308 recoiling by adding a silencer - can anyone see a reason my I shouldn't use my .308 for a year or so until I get a .243? Are there any considerations I haven't thought of? Many thanks in advance for any help/advice. Jonny

Hi folks Just after a little advice please......... I have 12 shell non flocked coated decoys that I've been using for a number of years, but I fancy treating myself to some new ones. This time I will definately go for flock coated but I can't make my mind up whether to get shell again or full body. I appreciate that the shells are much easier to carry, but half the time I'm shooting virtually out the back of the landrover so that's not major concern and if I did have a very long walk I could revert back to using my old shells. What I want to know is are the full bodied better at attracting the pigeons than the shell? I have recently bought some full bodied flock coated crow decoys from A1 Decoys and they are brilliant and so life like it's unreal. That's given me a lot of confidence with full bodied. What do people think please? Are the full bodied better? Can you mix full bodied and shell? Many thanks in advance. Jon

Hi, I'm a Norfolk pigeon shooter and have been struggling for the past month or so. In fact that why I logged on today as i wanted to see if anyone else was have the same issues - and it looks like you are! I shoot a fair amount of rape and went Saturday to try my luck - nothing, there wasn't a pigeon on the rape. I think that because it's been such a mild autumn and as yet we haven't had a frost there's still plenty of food for them to feed on without having to resort to the rape. I had some cracking days on the barley stubbles in Aug/Sept but it all seems to have gone very quiet now. All the best.

Yes, maybe we got our wires crossed! Sorry. I didn't mean it to sound like I was having a go - if that's how it came across. I was saying that it's nice I can ask these kind of basic questions and not get ridiculed. It's tough when you don't come from a shooting background, and really nice that everyone on here is so helpful and don't look down their nose at you. I've asked a couple of question before and the responses have been great and so helpful.

Yes, and nice that you can ask question like this. I don't come from a country, farming or shooting background, so I've had to work SO hard to get into shooting and find permission. It's been a long hard slog with loads of knock backs, but I got there in the end and now have a FAC as well as SC. All the best, Jonny

Thanks guys

Hi folks I'm fairly new to pigeon decoying and only started shooting over rape last October so have never shot it in the summer. I had some great days on the winter rape, have kind of given up over the past few months as it's been so slow, but am itching to get back out there. When the rape is harvested is it good shooting? and I noticed on another post someone mentioned 'swathed rape' - does that mean when it's been cut and is laying flat on the ground waiting to be picked up? Has anyone got any tips/advice? Sorry, I know these are pretty basic questions! Many thanks in advance, Jonny

LOL! Yeah I drove pass a horse paddock at the wknd and there must of been about 200 in there feeding, god knows what on!

Thanks for your replies, seems like we're all in a similair boat! Just text a farmer to ask if he's got ANYTHING they are on and he said no, but has put me onto a farmer friend of his with peas - so going to follow that up. Stubby - tbh I am just turning up on the day and trying my luck, but I work full time Mon - Fri, all my perms are 20-30 miles away, and I only really get Saturday to shoot. I really do appreciate the benefit of getting out there and watching and I do this as much as I can but it's just not practical for me unfortunately. Ghost - yeah I'm all over the rabbits atm, had about 300 out of one farm with the HMR, shoot my best ever the other day - 24 in 3 hours! Think you're right, going to keep on with that. Thanks again for all your replies, think I'll concentrate on some of my other field sport disciplines and get back on the decoying when the time is right..... I have to say - I do love this forum, never joined one before but it's great to be able to speak to people about the hobby and resolve problems such as this in a matter of minutes rather than spending hours staring a rape feild and scrathing my head! LOL! Jonny

Thanks for that flynny, good to hear someone else is sharing my problem! I'm on a lovely river fishing syndicate for barbel/chub, so only got a couple of weeks and start fishing. I think I'd be better to pack up for a few weeks, and get back to it fresh at harvest time, rather than slog it out and become totally fedup and disillusioned with it all. Jonny

Hi folks Only been shooting for a few years and have worked really hard to build up a number of farms with different crops successfully. I had a good Autumn/Winter shooting on the rape but now everything seems to be dead. I went on Saturday with the intention of decoying some rape, found plenty of low patches where I thought I mind find some pigeons but nothing. I ended up just walking round the rape with the odd pigeon popping up giving me at least a bit of Saturday afternoon sport. I also have fields with wheat, barley, carrots etc but they're a complete waste of time for decoying atm. I absolutley love my pigeon decoying, and have recently had my A400 fitted and cannot wait to get out there and try it. But it seems so slow at the moment, I might just pack up for a few weeks and wait till the harvest? Trouble is if I keep going out and trying to shoot will poor results it's easy to become disillusioned if find. I haven't got an pea fields, so am think I might be better to dust the fishing rods off, get the HMR out, or do something else for a few weeks until things pick up........... I suppose what I'm asking is are most people stuggling atm, is it just not a great time of year for decoying.... When will things start to pick up again? I assume the next time I can shoot rape is when it's harvested? when's that on winter rape in Norfolk, roughly? Cheers, Jonny