ChrisPCarter

I bought an old 1860 Lang damascus hammer gun about 18 months ago and it’s cylinder both barrels. I’ve been amazed how well it hits at distance and have pulled off some very long shots on pheasants with it. I’ve been using paper cased Eley Impax 28g 7’s and a few Grand Prix 30g 6 but the latter are a bit thumpy in it as it’s a very light gun for a 12 bore. The Impax 7’s have been superb and I’ve stocked up on them for this season. I’m going to pattern test them when I get chance but I already know they work very well.

I've ordered a lot from JC and always been very happy with the service. Charles who runs it is very knowledgeable if you call him for advice and he writes online and in a few magazines. If you order before mid afternoon they arrive next day. No they aren't the cheapest but when you consider most gun shops only stock cartridges to bring people into the shop they have to make some margin on them as they aren't making money on other things. Delivery is £15 for the first 1000 and pro rata after that. They are bulky and weigh a ton and not many couriers will take them so I don't think it's bad value. If you have a local shop who stocks what you like then that's great but for me, shooting 410, 28, 20 and 12 bore the selection is fantastic and you could never get that choice in a shop. I work full time and am often coaching on a Saturday so it makes no sense for me to have to take time off, losing money or valuable shooting time driving 25 miles to my nearest shop when I can pay an extra £15 and have them delivered to my office or home. If you just want any old cheap 12 gauge pigeon cartridges then they probably aren't the shop for you.

Hull High Pheasant 25g 6 are a lovely cartridge.

I’ve got the Benelli Montefeltro Beccaccia (Woodcock) 20 and it’s a beautiful little gun that’s a real keeper. Very nicely finished with lovely wood effect and a carbon rib. Ultra light at 5.2lb with a short 24” barrel but I shoot it as well as my bigger guns. I use it in and around woods and forestry a lot where I do pest control and for a little gun it’s got some serious firepower. I can use anything from 21g 7’s to 32g 4’s in it quite happily. It does kick a bit with the bigger stuff as it’s very light but not excessively. Takes no cleaning and it seems very well built. Picked it up almost new and hardly used for £650! https://www.benelli.it/en/products/semiautomatic-shotguns/montefeltro/montefeltro-beccaccia-20

I bought a couple of sets and they arrived within a week. Found them a bit of a pain to use though as the cartridges always expand in the tube so you end up poking them out the other end after each shot. I’ve now got guns in every gauge so I very rarely use them.

I'm looking to buy a CZ455 HMR and currently have an MTC/Optisan Viper 6-24x56 SCB2 scope on an air rifle that I'm not using. Would it be suitable for use on a HMR?

Cheers guys I think I’ve made my mind up to get the HMR and 243 as they will do everything I need right now. if I do ever get round to stalking reds one day and need something bigger I can spend the money then. It’s daft complicating things when I may never need it.

I can certainly recommend the new Browning 525 Liberty Light which is designed for ladies and smaller people. It's a 28 or 30" 12 gauge O/U with alloy action and short monte carlo stock with the toe rounded off. My wife (who is 4' 9 and a size 6) and a couple of her friends tried one at the Shooting Show last weekend and they all absolutely loved it. They are all new to shooting and haven't found a gun they really get on with until this one. Browning would be onto a winner if it weren't for the price of £2400! Blaser and Caeser Guerini also now do similar guns but the pricing seems to be way too high on them all. I guess it's a captive market with few other options. https://browning.eu/mediacenter/products/mresult.php?group1=1&group2=1&group3=107&submod=A-525LIBERTYLIGHT

Yes it will mainly be roe deer. I do go up to Scotland quite regularly and I've always fancied a go at the reds one day but maybe I'd be better getting something specifically for that if I ever get round to it. When you say some estates is it a big percentage? Whatever I do it will be relatively cheap. I've been here before with shotguns and have ended up with a couple of each bore size and swapped and changed guns many times until I've got a selection I love and shoot well with. I'm just trying to minimise all that happening again with rifles! Funds are also a lot more limited now. I'm now wondering if I'd be better going for a 22LR, 223 and 6.5x55 or my original plan of 17HMR and 243... but that's an extra rifle I certainly don't have cabinet space for or a good location for a second cabinet. No room for a bigger one where it is. Decisions, decisions...

Some useful info so thanks again. I am lucky to know my local firearms guy pretty well and he basically said you can have whatever you want if you need it and we get an open ticket here in North Yorkshire. I initially asked for the HMR and 223 as i thought that would be a good introduction and wasn't sure i'd be allowed anything bigger while i'm relatively inexperienced. I've been shooting air rifles all my life and shotguns for a lot of years and we meet up regularly at various shoots and events so he knows i'm safe and sensible. I mentioned I am doing my DSC potentially to get into some deer management so we started discussing calibres and I just asked if there was chance i could go straight to something bigger that would cover Roe. He stated his personal favourite (and of quite a few others he stalks with) was 6.5x55 but he said we'll start you off at the bottom end on 243 which i guess is fair enough? I've now booked to go out for an afternoon with a guy from a local shop who is going to take me out on my land with a selection of rifles and calibres to try them out and get a feel for what they will do.

I'm wanting something capable of all deer so I'll need the 243? Hadn't noticed the 17 and 22 Hornet being mentioned above. I'll have a read about both. Any other good UK websites and Facebook groups for rifles that I can look at for advice and info?

I'm just about to get my first rifle and have been planning on, and have been authorised for, a HMR. It will be for rabbits, corvids and other small pests but the odd close in fox. I'll be getting a 243 for fox and bigger stuff. Have the ammo issues been resolved and was it a particular brand? and what are the costs for ammo vs other similar calibres? I've seen 17 Hornet mentioned a few times recently but I'm not wanting to start reloading as a few people seem to recommend - I never have time to reload for my small bore shotguns as it is!

Great, thanks for the advice guys. I'll have a read up on the 17 Hornet but otherwise it probably seems sensible to go with the HMR and a 243. I'm arranging an afternoon with a local guy recommended by a friend in police firearms and he's going to let me have a go with a wide range of guns in different calibres to give me a better idea of what I want/need. What guns should I be looking at for good quality at a reasonable price? I'm a big fan of Miroku in my shotguns so who are the equivalent in rifles? Is buying used still the best bet as with shotguns?

I've applied for my Firearms certificate and been told I can have a 17HMR and 223 but after a bit more discussion I was also given a 243 as I may be getting into some controlling of deer and am planning to do my DSC. I was planning on using the 17HMR for rabbits, crows and close range foxes so do you think it would be more sensible to go for a second rifle in 243 for fox and deer straight away so I have everything covered? What is the price difference in ammo between 223 and 243? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these two? I'm hoping to stick to just two rifles, unlike my large collection of shotguns! Cheers, Chris.

Looking for a MEC 600 JR Mark V in 28 gauge but would consider other gauges if the price is right. I already have the other gauge die sets for 12, 20 and 410.

Henry Krank’s in Leeds had some in the other day. http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=164_187_692&products_id=6407

I used to always use 32g 5 or 6’s for my pigeon shooting but after a few years of shooting the small bores in 410, 28 and 20 regularly, it’s given me a different view on it. I can happily shoot pigeons over decoys with 21g 6 or 7’s and sometimes less. So why did I need to throw all that lead about through a 12 gauge?

It is a bit confusing. Their GFL 20 bore 28g 6 are a UK 5.5 but the same range in 25g are loaded for the UK market and are a true UK 6...

My F3 Pro Vantage has had the case signed by John who helped design it. Not sure if that adds or detracts from its value! lol

I use my Blaser Vantage 32" and it really hammers the pigeons from a hide. I choose chokes according to how well they are decoying, or not. Anything between Skeet and 3/4 but my usual choice is 3/8 Light Modified as a starter, usually with fibre wads. I don't use it on other game it's just too big and heavy for carrying about when I have a nice light hammer gun and a 20 and 28 bore for that. Surely you just use Full Choke??? 😂

Is this 12 or 20 bore? I have a 20 bore 30" and love it, but just wish it was the 32" they brought out.

These sound like things that were fixed a long time ago. You're right they shouldn't have been released like that but I don't think any of these issues affected many guns and it is a pretty unique action design they came up with. At least Blaser put things right for owners, years after purchase, which is a lot more than can be said of other makers. I've heard a lot of bad reports about Browning quality and service recently and I'm generally a fan of them. I have three older Browning & Miroku guns.

I think Blaser will upgrade any older guns as someone else mentioned. If it's something that was a design flaw on earlier ones they seem very good at putting it right.

The triggers on the two Blaser's I've had have certainly been superb and definitely not how you've described. Read any review of recent ones and they all say how good the triggers are. Maybe it was just very early ones.

Well I think that shows you didn't understand the idea begind it. Don't buy an F3 then because it IS a fully modular adjustable gun! You don't need to buy any other bits, you spec it to suit you in the first place (if you have specific non standard requirements) and the adjustable bits are all in the box??? You can add as much weight as you like so how it can have knocked you about I have no idea. I've tried 5 different models, with hard hitting clay and game cartridges and never noticed any more recoil than any other gun. When fully weighted up there's pretty much zero recoil with any load - like firing a 410. F16 is a lower spec version but you can buy options for that. Each to their own though! That's a bit like saying don't buy a Perazzi because I had one and it didn't fit me lol