Walker570

Pull the bullets(save for casting lead bullets) put the powder on your lawn or garden, good fertilizer and cases in some waste oil to kill the priming powder. I have found difficulty these days in getting scrap merchants to take waste fired brass even if de primed and flattened. Not a lot in 22 cases anyway.

Recently joined a new shoot and told that the farm where we meet has a serious rat problem. The likely places you could shoot with a four ten would cause problems with lead shot possibly getting into cattle food and my mind went back to the late 40s and 50s when I was 'torch boy' whilst my grandfather shot the rats running along the beams in our cow sheds. These sheds had tiled roofs and lead shot at short range blew them to pieces, so grandfather used to lever out the over shot cards from standard 12 gauge shells and replace the lead shot with rice. Most of the shots where at close range 5 to 10yrds and I don't ever remember a rat not being dead as a result of a load of rice from the choke barrel of grandfathers 12 gauge BSA (which I still have). Got me to thinking about loading a few for my Mossy pumper for a 'rat a twoee'. Anybody tried it ? Certainly a non toxic load and the residue would in no way pollute the cows rations.

I try never to kill a spider. Our home is 400yrs old and full of them. Get some real monsters walk across the kitchen floor occasionally. I was sitting in a box seat waiting for a fox or two to show the other evening and a really tiny spider appeared on the window frame. It was no more than 3mm across including legs. It abseiled down from the top, fixed the strand, then climbed back up at the same time feeding out another strand which when at the top it attached about 2 inches across the frame. It dropped down again and attached the thread, climbing back up etc etc. In 45 minutes |I watched this tiny little creature construct a web some 8 inches across which even the strong wind could not destroy and which would have taken a team of men a week to put up. It was perfect in every way with each attachment exactly the same distance. No tape measure, levelling devise, plans. They are amazing little creatures.

B25M, you don't have to knock them on the head. In fact catch and release is now very prominent on trout fishing streams, using barbless hooks. Same with coarse fish. Modern barbless hooks are superb, allowing you to return fish relatively unharmed. Fishing a small dry fly for dace is far more challenging than fishing for trout. Like the grayling they have an ability to spit that artificial out faster than you can react. I have a very light 5ft 6inch split cane rod which throws a #2 line. Very challenging on small overgrown steams where big old chub hang about.

Add another to that. It is a simple stated fact that the plan is to turn every country within Europe and even some eg Turkey outside Europe into a United States of Europe, for that read USSR. The 'Project' will fail, the euro will collapse and some of us predicted this ten years ago and if we still stayed in then it would cost us dear. You only have to look at the list of failed politicians who have feather their nests out of the ordinary working mans pocket and in some cases their relatives as well ...Kinnock somehow springs to mind and there are numerous others across Europe e.g. Tusk from Poland, elected as President of the EU by the sycophants within the parliament and trebled his salary, for doing what? Nothing useful. A company who had not cleared their accounts within one year would be in serious trouble with it's shareholders ...remind me how many...20 ? years and the accounts for the EU have still not been signed off. Waste of our money... when two members of the EU Elite fly to the same meeting in separate private jets. We in the UK have always given some form of support to agriculture, but we have never asked them to erect signs within view of the public road announcing the money was supplied by the EU and have to maintain those signs for five years. I remember back when there was a guaranteed price scheme for farmers before the EU. A price was agreed as a base and if when a farmer sold his produce it was lower, then the government made the difference up. Today the EU is covering our food producing fields with sheets of glass and having farmers grow non food crops in order to make gas to produce electricity ... where are we going to get our food from ...import it of course, so causing serious balance of payments problems. Anyone who votes to still support the leeches in the EU Parliament, really need to take a second look at their decision. That woman from the IMF was placed by the EU, without a doubt and the IMF have got it so wrong on so many occasions. All of those 'elites' including the bunch of 'artists' have only their own future/pocket in mind. The big danger is that OUR government/parliament will not do as we want and will jig up some stupid arrangement where we are just as worse off. I saw how the New Zealand government got their fingers out when we dumped them for the EU (remember how many of their fine young men never went home after both World Wars) they built up trade with everyone and everybody, in particular the far east. No reason why we cannot go it alone. Don't even get me on the possibility of a European Army !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess which way I'm voting ?

Yep , same stretch and little has changed. The Mease suffered somewhat from run off from agriculture but the EA, Angling Trust etc have done a good job in trying to sort it out. Still a lovely little river to fly fish on.

This topic takes me back about 60yrs. The answer to the question is yes, coarse fish will take a fly. Of course a big flashy fish imitation is not a fly but you can catch pike and perch this way. I learned to fly fish on my local canal where large numbers of dace congregated around an outflow from a brick works... circa 1956. These dace would suck in and spit out a fly faster than you could sniff. I also tied my own flies back then and our hens and cockerels looked pretty scruffy after I had 'borrowed' a few feathers. I then passed my driving test and mother would allow me the use of the Ford 8 van we had for delivering milk to venture further afield and I remember on afternoon in particular, on the river Mease just outside Edingale. I had a heavy 9ft split can rod, silk line and some 8lb test nylon. Armed with some seriously bushy flies, I ventured down to the river and saw an elderly gentleman sat on his basket, soaking a maggot. I asked if he had any luck and he shook his head, which sank deeper into this shoulders. Just above his fishing hole I saw a disturbance under and overhanging willow and asked if he mined me have a cast there. A shrug I took to mean OK... I crept forward and cast a monster raving concoction containing half the neck feathers of mothers favourite cock bird. it hit the surface with a PLONK!! and floated under the willow. A huge hole opened up in the surface and my fly disappeared. About ten minutes later I had a 4lb chub on the bank after the old gent kindly netted it for me. I don't know who was more surprised, me, the old gent or the chub, but that set me on a lifetime of casting flies around the world. YES! get out there, there are still some fabulous chances to fish for course fish, grayling being the Queen of the streams, chub being the 'shaved headed yobbo'. PM me and I will give you a pattern which will catch both course fish and trout.

See if you can find a good condition Rem 870 Wingmaster. I have one which has stacked a lot of pigeons. crows and ducks over the last thirty years. . I have always referred to it as the AK47 of pumpers. Thousands of rounds and only one extractor claw replaced. Having said that I have a Mossberg 410 moderated pumper which itself has cost me a lot in cartridges and killed a load of birds and squirrels. Never failed me. Would love a non moderated barrel for it.

My wife has a Sasta suit. It has been washed numerous times, is still weather proof. She loves the light weight and warmth it provides. I tend to wear tweed on formal driven days but have a couple of 'occasional' jackets which come into play when the weather gets a bit nasty. One is a Sherwood (£110) and the other a Deerhunter (£130) both have now done a number of full seasons and the Deerhunter has been through the wash numerous times and still weatherproof. I have not seen the make mentioned above but important to try a coat on before buying to see if a) it fits and b) you can easily swing a gun unimpeded. Had a couple of smocks and did not like them at all. Not possible to open them up for that long drag up and hopefully back down and always a pain in the butt to get on and off.

I like bib and brace because if it gets a bit warm walking out to a stand you can open your coat and 'breath' a little. I have been buying hunting clothes from Cabela's in the USA and started way back 30yrs ago when visiting regularly. They do quality stuff but of course to import it can be pricey and they add ridiculous shipping fees. If you have a friend in the States it is sometimes better to have them collect if they live near an outlet and then ship. I have just received a pair of insulated bib and brace camo overalls and they are excellent. Light and easy to walkin, full zip up legs, so easy to get over boots. Worth a look. Gone off Seeland after their wellies parted from the soles and they wouldn't talkto me and got very stroppy.

It is a bit disconcerting when a bird gets up from some cover and heads towards a line and all the guns start yelling, ******* and blinding and then all proceed to attempt to shot it, even if it is going over a gun four or five guns down the line and little much above head height !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Been there, but only once

There is a possibility of one rifle available on a three day driven hunt in Slovenia. This is a private trip arranged by myself through very reputable contacts. First day will include wild boar (males only) and red deer hinds, followers and staggies. A six or eight point stag can be shot for an additional 300 euros. The cost is 300 euros a day including taxes. The second and third day will be for, in the main red deer of a similar designation and there may be some wild boar. We will be staying over for a fourth day when some members are going for a chamois on the mountains, but I can arrange individual guided hunts for the remainder. We fly out on the early morning 8am, EasyJet flight on Sunday 20th November and return on the 11am flight from Ljubljana on Friday 25th. Transport will be in a Vivaro 9 seater and the cost of hire etc will be shared. Rifles of 6.5 and above are acceptable. Obviously no guarantees as to what you will see or shoot ... a fair chance you will see a European brown bear (trophy fees start at 2000 euros plus vat.,) but I know the organiser very well and every effort will be made to see we have a great time. There will be a maximum of six rifles, all in our party, shooting. Hotel costs average out at around £40 a night plus drinks. If interested give me a call, on advice from Danger Mouse(thanks for your concern, appreciated) send me a pm.

Always had an exit. Never shoot ANY deer unless perfectly sideways on to me. No rush it will be there tomorrow. So concentrate on putting the V Max just behind the shoulder meat, what little there is of it. I'm also not a head neck shooter. I have had to put too many deer out of their misery with jaws hanging off, some already with maggots. I am slowly changing over to Barnes TTSX but they are like Rocking Horse Doo Doo, even in the USA and having spoken to the factory they are flat out trying to keep up with the home market. Shoot them in my 8x57JRS and 375JDJ with excellent results. Still trying to get some for the 22BR, 257 Wildcat and 7-30 Waters(now there's a nice little muntie round!).

Used one for two full seasons at driven birds plus pigeon/crow decoying. I have recurrent sciatica which make standing for any length of time painful. The Bergara Stag seat allowed me to continue to enjoy my sport. I did make up larger additional feet for mine as I found on soft fields the legs would sink in. I used one of those large core cutters to cut a 4 inch diameter pieces out of some 3/8 plastic stock board for each leg and fixed with a couple of self tappers, problem solved. Wish I had seen this offer two years ago as I paid a fair bit more for mine. I also made a special pair of pliers to hold the adjuster knobs in when sliding the legs up and down. Gets a five star rating from me.

I shoot a 22BR and my go to bullet has always been the 60gr Nosler Partition but I have recently changed over to some 55grn V Max. I like muntie meat so don't like wasting it. The V Max through the ribs usually puts them down very quickly but the one word you can never use when shooting deer or anything else for that matter is ALWAYS. I changed to the V Max because it is a good all rounder, fox, crow, muntie it is accurate out of my Encore barrel. Through the ribs I don't get any noticeable meat damage not that there is much up front. The shoulder meat normally goes into game pies. The back straps get smoked and eaten thinly sliced cold and the haunches boned and stuffed with mixed herb stuffing and wrapped in smoked bacon. I try not to drive the bullet too fast because over the years I have learned a) accuracy is more important and b) a fast bullet can blow blood all through the meat.

As said, buy a reloading manual first. Most of the manuals give you a good tutorial on the do's and don'ts. Don't be in a hurry and don't get side tracked. Choose an evening when you will not be disturbed, less chance of a mistake. Less chance of a double load of powder with a rifle case but as big a danger when you fail to put any powder in at all and get a bullet stuck half way up the barrel!! So steady precise actions will produce you a cartridge equal if not better than factory. Initially it will not be cheaper of course because you need to buy the equipment but over the years it will even out and there is nothing better than knowing you made the cartridge used to just harvest that animal. It really ain't rocket science.

Yep, I did initially select Nice but they did not have any and could not say when they would and suggested the ITX. I don't need huge numbers, probably shoot maybe 200 a season which I can load easily on a wet afternoon, so pouring the shot by hand is not a bind. I just set 50 in a shell rack as I pour the powder and insert the wad and then it's just a matter of pour a row of shot, crimp, pour the next row and so on. I'm relatively pleased with the way this ITX flies because it is a strange shape which looks like it would impede penetration but it doesn't. It does a lot of damage to the paper on the way through.

CV9 3NN but have a friend close to the M1 Jnc 29A.

Well, I struck out, with the help of Clay & Game ..eventually... nice people but slowwww in replying. Anyway I got some loading details and purchased some ITX shot #6, some H110 powder, some TPS nontoxic plastic wads, Cheddite primers and looking on Gumtree found a little used 600M5Jnr but in 20 gauge. My pal in Louisiana USA shipped me the conversion kit ( a real sod to change over and set up) loaded a few to check performance and out of my Yilditze O/U with the #2 choke the pattern was even and there was 12 hits in the 10 inch by 6 inch by 1 inch thick, pad of soaked newsprint and all but three had gone right through and those three had stopped two layers away from doing same. I was assured I could fire this load through a choke barrel so did just that, the groups as expected tightened up and I had 15 hits in the soaked paper and all but two made it through .. happy with the pattern and more than happy with the penetration. This was at a measured 32 yrds. The loader is dropping 16.8grns of H110, close enough to the listing at 17grns. (8800 pressure). The plastic wad holds 12grams of ITX ... probably equivalent to 15 of lead. Also the size 6 ITX is more equivalent in size to #4 lead but that is not a bad thing for ducks. Because as those of you using a 600jnr will know it will not drop shot bigger than 8s without clogging so I fill the shot by hand. No big problem, I have the time. Looking for a few big fat crows to try them out on before the duck season opens :-)

Just purchased the last 125 3 inch Eley Bismuth from Just Cartridges and a check on penetration proved they are certainly OK out to 30yrds, went through an inch of soaking wet compressed newsprint no problem. I would certainly save them for ducks and just be sensible on range. OR offer them for sale. I'm up for a deal if your in range.

Plus one for the Federal. Plus one for Partitions or Accubond. I would have said Barnes TTSX but they are like Rocking Horse droppings. I use these in my 257Wildcat and 375JDJ to great effect. Have spoken to Barnes and they cannot make them fast enough for the home market. Don't have one today but the good old 'Swede' is one of my favourite do all calibres.

I must admit that these days if I reload some new shells and if they give me around a 1 moa result I don't play around too much but 25 -30yrs ago I went through a phase where I would load five sets of four a couple of grains apart or less and then set up a sheet with five targets. I would fire one shot from each set at it's specific target. Let the rifle sit a while, then the next five until I had worked them all down range. The exercise did show some incredible differences in points of impact and groupings. I never shot all four of each set in one go and never looked at the results until all had been fired. The climb effect I would have said was the barrel warming up, but you had this in mind. I had a very light barrelled 7x57 30yrs ago which would put the first two through the same hole but then began to climb up and left in one inch increments. Didn't worry me as the first one was the important one. Pick the best group and go look for something soft and furry:-)

Just picked up a 600Jnr Mk5 and now looking for a 410 conversion kit as this one is set up for 20 bore. Looks like I may import this from the USA as Clay&Game do not appear to want to do business, failing to acknowledge e mails and phone calls. Anyone have one for sale then I am interested. I intend using bismuth initially and will look at a 18 to 19gram load. With regard to the cost of shooting a 410, then this is probably the same as someone spending four figures on a scope or binos when there are perfectly good units available for a third that price. Your money to spend as you wish. If you can shoot accurately then the 410 will kill as cleanly as any other calibre at sensible ranges. I have no desire to brag about shooting 80yrd birds and just wonder how many wounded birds they do not tell you about. Like shooting long range at deer and other animals, these people need to learn how to hunt.

Yep, 50 V Max although the difference between them I don't believe the fox will go " Ouch, play fair !! That was a 40grainer " :-) Use the 50grainer in my 22BR and had no complaints from the customers.

I have not started to reload as yet but the fact that Eley have stopped making factory looks like I am going to have to start. I'll probably start with Lilgun or the 410 powder and start from there, but lots of work to do thinking through it before then. Will use the Eley cases from this 125 to start with. I have some #5 Lylevale which I use for pigeons and will also use their cases. Bopth roll turnover.