Zimtrout

Thank you, I live and shoot in Cornwall, very few people shoot massive bags of pigeons. I am sadly not brainwashed. The day i had yesterday i will be lucky to repeat. It happened after lots of things i got right i think.... I started with good recon, watching the pigeon moving onto it to feed, then spending two hour slots on evenings watching the flight lines and a couple of short sessions just watching the field. getting the wind right, it was hard as I think it would have been even better with them decoying straight into the hide, or maybe not as when they are flying left to right looking at a magnet whirring round they perhaps didn't see me moving in the hide, The location of the field, too limited my hide options, road and railway along the top of it. I am going to try less decoys next time in a smaller arc, to try and get the birds all coming in to a similar patch. I think this will hopefully make them easier to find. I phoned the farmer who plans to cut that barley at the end of the week, so i might manage another quick session......before he does. I was over the moon with the 52ish i shot, i did take some silly shots and missed some sitters but i will get there, toward the end i got 5 birds in a row, just by being patient and picking the right bird to shoot. its fun, it was baking hot i will take more water next time, i was very dehydrated..

I picked 40, i ended up doing what you say, shooting one and then picking it. even then, it was hard where you see them hit the crop aint where they are....depending on how fast they were moving, i did read somewhere that you should only shoot the fluttering ones as they dont fall to hard and vanish into the crop.

Evening all Got a few questions.... what is best to use ?a magnet? Flapper or bouncers? How many decoys would you put out in your pattern? I lost a dozen shot birds today? How do you limit your losses? (I did try and shoot them over the laid patch) For info The patch i shot over was 20 odd meters long, rugby ball sort of shape, wind from the right as you looked out at the laid patch, I had my hide sort of middle of the patch. birds came from all angles not just upwind. I am learning, please be gentle.... cheers ZT

No worries, not native but lived here 14 odd years, recently rekindled my love of shooting

depends on your game really, celtic guns in bodmin have a massive range, mainly clay stuff. Ian Hodge sports at wadebridge has all sorts in it.....more game shooting stuff

cauliflowers are about three inches tall at the moment.....

what is it??/ i saw the thread re load vs choke and shot size, some interesting reading......

The game bores were not cheap but, i wont be using massive amounts of shells. i like to buy from our local gun shops too. keep us all going. wold you prefer a 7 to a six for pigeons over decoys. I understand that there are less 6's in a 16 compared to a 12. Is there a corresponding difference in the 16 version.....presumably yes?

on the cartridge choice has anyone tried Gambore regals??my local shop sells them...

do it......

Thank you gents, will see what i can afford......

I would love to learn of an old hand. I am trying to glean what i can from some of the more experienced here. i would pay money for help...it is just such fun. I have manged to sort a few permissions and got most of the kit. just time now, get out and try stuff. Sadly there are not the numbers of pigeons down here in Cornwall that there seem to be everywhere else. so it is hard going. It is rewarding though, i had a session last week, set up my hide, cut a few bits of trees to add realism. had the wind behind me, had watched the fields of baby cauliflowers getting nailed for a few days, so had done my recon. set up a pattern, still not convinced i have that right, my magnet needs to be adapted too, the bird cradles are not man enough.....however i shot 19 in an afternoon, with a couple of left and rights. the birds that did come in flew straight into the big gap i had in the middle of the pattern almost straight into the wind and at my hide, so i figure i got something right........

i see, i think. what modern load does that equate to? i have looked at getting some cartridges? i figure nothing too punchy for the old girl??

Do tell????

cant load more than one photo..... Ford (William), would love to know how old it is? Anybody an expert on Ford's???

I found one!!!

Wowzas, will keep buying lottery tickets....but beautiful

Lovely looking gun!!!

I did look at the browning but as mentioned it weighed the same as the 12 gauge i already have, as this gun would be for some walked up shooting it didn't make sense. I think also i want one with some age to it, and English, something i can pass down to my first son, born on the 21st......A 16 would'nt be a bad gun for him as he grows...

Just can't decide.......

That is beautiful....

Some lovely guns there lads, where do you get your cartridges? what cartridges would you use for game? shot size and load/I am seriously tempted by and old English 16..... this thread has reinforced my thinking....ooops! The gun i learned to shoot on many moons ago in Zimbabwe, shooting mainly guineafowl and francolin, had a greener style safety, i always liked it....

Hi all any 16 bore fans on here?? cheers ZT

bit of a trek from cornwall, but yes peak district lovely