Harvey Donaldson

The only moderator I would even consider putting on a 22 Hornet, of sporting rifle configuration, is one that has yet to be made by Steve Pope of V-Mach Engineering to my design. He's just finished a second in super-grade aluminium for my Cooper 22 rimfire. It incorporates fluting that compliments the barrel. I absolutely detest moderators from an aesthetic point of view but acknowledge their importance under certain conditions. HD

Well its clear you don’t have an overriding and all-consuming passion for hunting with a firearm or shotgun. If you did I refuse to believe you would be so sanguine at the prospect of the “people's will” depriving you of such. This kind of pull up the ladder Jack mentality that fails to recognise the need to concede not an inch, and sometimes on issues one has little if any interest or indeed sympathy, is why we are in the pickle we now so clearly are. Hell, you must be the Gentlemen who entered certain Police Station with me back in the day to surrender handguns and, on the way out, cheerfully spewed the following: “Never mind mate, they’ll never take away the long ones.” I could have kicked him in the nuts were it not for fear of losing my FAC! Ironically I agree with a lot of what you say about Packam but on this I’m afraid the only words that spring to mind when considering your imprudence are “clamp”, “nuts” and “tweak”. HD

I wonder where he stands today on falconry? That is as someone who openly admits to robbing a kestrel nest in his teens and going into meltdown when it died some years later. Something that hasn't precluded his adoption of a Senior Post within the RSPB. HD

Looking forward to Autumn Watch. HD

A 19-year old brunette. 1975 DH

If you must splash the cash get one of these: LEUPOLD 6.5 X 20 EFR HD

If as per post #11 the following kit details all components required for a pro' job. Just scale up or down for task (screw size) at hand: http://www.brownells.co.uk/epages/UK.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/UK/Products/00984080912000/SubProducts/080912001 HD

Why have you made do with an "ugly" rifle? HD

Don't mess about: http://www.conetrol.com/ HD

Allow me time to remove my boots please! HD

I understand there is a requirement for formal introduction prior to engaging with the Pigeon Watch membership so in no order of importance or indeed shame here is a flavour of what floats or sinks my dovecote: a. I've little interest in owning a shotgun as I can't see the need given all but one of my centrefire rifles are capable of hitting the 10 ring of a DJV Capercaillie target at 300 yards provided an improvised rest may be secured such as that afforded by the roof of a Forestry Commission pickup. b. I have an extremely injurious knife addiction but fortunately this does not extend to those given of a serrated edge or crass etched wording on the blade. You just dont need these features to construct an Archie Coates compliant hide. And yes, Ive tried counselling that included a week of cold turkey in a Camp Bisley Crawford cabin but Im fragile and always slip back into excessive procurement. c. My Hunting Den wardrobe includes a significant amount of camo which I simply adore in all patterns and hues other than wetlands. I also prefer a jaunty wide-brimmed fedora to baseball caps. d. In the interest of humane dispatch I head or neck shoot whenever possible but am very strict in keeping shots below the 350 yard mark which I'm sure you will agree is sensible given I use a single stick to steady my aim rather than the abomination that is the multi-legged monkey sticks that the 500 yard Sussex donkey bashing brigade so love. e. I take reloading seriously and segregate primers by weight. Need I say more? f. I have a degree in Wildlife Ecology & Management; a distinction in NEBOSH NGC (Health & Safety) and a Blue Peter badge. Handling of all that‎ I shoot in accordance with Best Practice is very important so I've secured the Large Game hygiene qualification that is part of the DSC L1 exam but am gutted the likes of BDS, with agreement from FSA and/or DMQ, haven't shown the foresight to bolt-on as "added value" the small/feathered game qualification as part of their 3-day course offerings as per the NGO. g. My favourite vehicle is a Land-Rover Defender as it makes an owner statement that is the antithesis of that associated with the ubiquitous L200. Goose fat is great for coating Defender rear crossmembers with an anti-aging treatment and I dont shy from it. h. I own the finest deer dog in the UK and am happy to share with you the magic ingredient that is the carefully chosen Saluki cross lurcher. i. I don't have a favourite rifle and consider the integration and allied aesthetic of the scope mounting arrangements to be of far more importance than action and barrel type. The finest calibre on the planet is the 22 Hornet. j. Im easily upset by a lack of good manners and as so often evident in the classified section of many on-line forums. How difficult can it be to say "please" and thank you when attempting a purchase? It's also toe-curling to observe those who regularly and shamelessly seek something for nothing from the membership. k. There are not enough hot chicks getting into hunting with firearms in the UK and even less prepared to rise at 3AM to tie the laces in my Cabela's Turkey Hunter sneakers. Im 58 and increasingly crave such attentions and particularly on sultry August mornings when preparing to join battle with frisky roe bucks. l. I dont understand why there is not a credible quarterly UK pamphlet to be purchased from the top shelf of WH Smiths that tastefully covers all aspects of hunting with a rifle and with one or two helpful reviews of high quality kit thrown in rather than page upon page of product placement and questionable endorsement. Thats pretty much my bench set out but in summary I consider myself the type of gentlemen that were I to be seduced by the raison d'être of this fine site and accordingly seek to partake of some fine wing shooting of dove as distinct from sniper-like operations from beneath a pleasing bower, it would be in the style and manner of those carp fisherman who eschew the electronic bite indicator and boilie in favour of split cane and floating crust. I guess that means a vintage AYA sidelock, felt wad Eleys and a Brady "Scott" game bag? Yours truly Harvey Donaldson