Gas seal

Hi Scully the crown will have owned the foreshore around the country. Land between low and high water. Marsh land may not be foreshore. Foreshore will also be estuaries, but not always the salt marsh. The crown did allow shooting on the foreshore. Hi Marsh man Punt gunning is the least disturbance type of shooting in wildfowling . This was tested at Lindisfarne . we now have a new owner of the foreshore and he very involved with the (green environment) I don’t think he will be pleased with plastic wads on the foreshore. I wouldn’t be surprised if this would be a condition in future leases. Maybe clubs should change before they have to. It would look better.

Hi l loaded plastic wads for lead wildfowl loads, when it was legal, and l have used bio cardboard wads for non lead about twenty years ago. Bio wads are not a new thing. It’s all about cost and convenience with cartridge manufacturers. I don’t think we have any choice regarding plastic wads, it didn’t take the manufacturers long to produce bio wads. Some will break up faster than others, if some take years it’s better than plastic. It’s not just shooting and plastic, it’s all single use plastic.

Hi some of the cases with no printing on them will be home loaded cartridges. We have had empty (lead shot) cases found on the foreshore some years back, the case were reloaded with non lead shot. I often reload Lead shot cases with steel shot. I still have lots of 10 gauge Winchester (lead) cases if they were reloaded with steel and the empty cases found on the marsh anyone would presume lead shot was used. Study on spend cartridges and wads were done in I think it was Denmark some years ago. We are watched more than we think. The answer to these people is we now have bio wads and bio cases. It’s not a problem if we have answers, it’s better when they don’t have answers.

Hi marsh man no grain on the lane . The pigeons must have landed on the lane to feed on the edges of the (standing) wheat field. The edge of the field was only a yard from the lane. In the winter when it’s raining and windy the pigeons will sit on sheltered wheat fields and l have seen them walk across the field and fly (hop) a couple of yards across country lane to feed on a rape field. We have pigeons feeding on the local salt marsh when I have gone down to shoot the tide l have seen the teal coming with the tide and the pigeons pushed of and returned when the tide ebbed. The pigeons I see eating spilled grain are collard doves. You’ve got to respect the woodpigeon it knows how to adapt and survive. Unless it’s flying over the latest decoys.

Hi Fellside pigeon are full of surprises. This year I was driving along a local lane with a standing wheat field next to it, looking for pigeons.I often see pigeons after grit on the road but this day it was covered with pigeons . I stopped and my friend could see them walking from the crop. A car coming down the lane stopped and the pigeons stayed for a minute or so and then flew back to the field.

Hi Foxhunter I’ve shot pigeons and crows when decoying. I’ve seen crows rooks jackdaw and pigeon on the same field close to each other. I’ve never noticed the crows attack pigeons. What I have seen many times is woodpigeon attacking each other when feeding, just like domesticated or feral pigeons do ,mostly when they are feeding in tramlines . It could be because they are to close to each other. When a pigeon lands on a stubble field to close to another one it will get chased away. But in the winter they will feed in one tight group, maybe l can’t see them fight because their are to many of them together.

Hi yickdaz yes it’s knowledge of the quarry. Fellside found a good place for the hide set his usual decoys in his pattern and shot over them for three hours. When the pigeons came and landed with his dead birds that was the right time to decoy pigeons . In my experience of pigeons this is how they feed. I don’t think it’s unusual behaviour. I agree with Fellside to much overthinking with decoys. I shot pigeons for six weeks using an air rifle and no decoys. I shot pigeons this afternoon with a shotgun and no decoys. Tomorrow I may use decoys. I never use decoys unless the pigeons or any other quarry are going to the field. I’m lucky I can shoot over a large area and move under flight lines or follow pigeons to where they feed. Hi Sweet11-87 we learned a lot about pigeons and other quarry we shot this way and sheared information between shooters and local bird watcher’s, some of them were very interested. We also decided when not to shoot them , breeding, bad weather. One farm had a set of scales and we would weigh the birds in the winter and summer time. Woodpigeon were a lot harder to shoot then and didn’t breed as long as they do now. We didn’t waste cartridges when shooting pigeons and not many shooters would waste cartridges on crows.

Hi it seems like a lot of pigeon shooters like to set up under or near flight lines and try to get pigeons to decoy where they don’t want to feed with magnets and flapping decoys. A wildfowler flighting geese would be under them l don’t think they would set decoys to shoot them unless he went to where they were feeding. Flighting pigeons could be going to feed, fed and going to rest, or most of the year to and from nesting. I agree with Scully movement is important, not the decoys but the shooter should move under the pigeons. I would shoot under the flight line or go to the field the pigeons are going to . Hi marsh man yes your right all ways of shooting pigeons work at times. Just like any shooting it’s about time of day ,or night ,and time of year. Fellside had his timing right when he had finished decoying for the day after trying to pull pigeons from a flight line. Other shooters mentioned pigeons in a feeding frenzy , or pigeons coming to decoys all of a sudden, it’s the way they feed more so on rape fields flying over each other to the front of the flock, or pigeon feeding in tramlines on ripening crops. How many shooters notice on a ‘good day’ that the birds crops are empty or how many have milk glands the condition of the birds ( or have garden birds seeds in their crops) . When we had more pigeon shooters some years ago these were the things we talked about not about cartridges or different decoys ( until the magnets came out). We never talked about how many we shot only when very large numbers were shot in one go.

Hi Fellside I’ve just noticed l wrote that the decoy l used for flighting pigeons is a ‘spinning wing ‘ it’s called reel wing decoy. It’s like a kite on fishing line flying from a 10 foot telescope pole spinning up and down in the wind . It’s made of a type of lightweight strong foam . It will work on standing crops with a shot pole but it needs to be quite windy.

Hi decoys spinning on magnets can look like birds landing or birds taking off from the ground, this is why they are spooked . I have a couple of magnets they have been in my shed for about twenty five years, a heavy tube two fibre glass arms and a wiper motor, and run on a car battery at the time. We had a lot more pigeon shooters then , and we all knew each other, all with a couple of heavy magnets batteries and wheel barrows. As marshman said one pigeon dropped in the field and pigeons land with it, the same as corvids or geese. The gadget I have used for flight lines is the spinning wing on a long extended rod I’ve seen pigeons flying at it on very windy days. It works on pigeon flight lines to rape fields it very light and if it doesn’t work it’s light weight and easy to take down. I will set it 50 yards or more behind and it will pull the flighting pigeons from a distance towards it . Some fields I can only shoot one way and I will put decoys out in the field behind me , the way I can’t shoot, and shoot the pigeons with my back to the decoys ,before they start twisting and turning anywhere near the decoys. I’ve found over the years to try different ways to shoot and the older I get the easier I can make it the better.

Hi Fellside yes a lot of over thinking and more types of different decoys and hides about. You got the place and timing on the day that was all you needed. I don’t use magnets flapper or plastic decoys. I was asked not to show film on the internet, we made a few films out shooting for my friends family a few years ago I could send them to you if you like. You reminded me of them with your story and I just watched them. I’ve noticed more magnet types of decoys, a couple of shooters had three going with four decoys on each one, and flapping pigeons in with other decoys. It looked like a fairground in a field.

It seems like the wad protects the shot not the barrel . I noticed that the wad was cut about a third of its length and not to the full length. The wad hit the pattern board maybe a few pellets were still in the bottom of the wad. When I made cardboard wads I found cutting the same as the wad in the film or three cuts three quarters down the wads gave me the best patterns. I’m sure they will have done testing with cutting wads. If it takes years for the wads and hulls to degrade its better than plastic. Bioammo is a large new factory they must see a future in their products.

Hi the way to shoot pigeons is to understand them, as marsh man said in winter months the pigeons will feed early morning on rape or green crops. Films and books will show how to decoy on rape fields with shotguns, early this year I shot pigeons from trees in a small wood in a rape field with an air rifle . I shot the same wood for over six weeks and shot more pigeons with the air rifle than I could have shot with decoys on the field with a shotgun. Late morning I will go to where the pigeons are ( roosting) and shoot them (shot gun) retuning from rape fields. Again it’s routine they will spend time sitting in trees to digest the crop full of green rape. I can email you some information on woodpigeon from my area if you are interested, it’s not about shooting.

l owned a .22 browning takedown it came apart in a similar way. It loaded in a hole the side of the wooden stock and ejected downward, it was very small. Yes heavier cartridges shouldn’t be needed if there is a problem with the action it could make it worse. Good luck I hope you can sort it out. Forgotten weapons, He looks at another interesting gun called a burgess folding pump action shotgun it’s very good to watch.

Hi DasAllison . If you are shooting anywhere were lead shot isn’t allowed or shooting birds that aren’t allowed to be shot with lead you will need non lead cartridges in any gauge. I use Eley 20gauge steel cartridges with bio wads in four and seven shot , l don’t use any lead pellets in my 20gauge . if you need to use steel cartridges you could try Eley . More steel cartridges are now available with bio wads. Also consider the recoil of the cartridges. I found the Eley cartridges have less recoil and are quieter than some of the other steel cartridges available. Good luck with your 20gauge.

Hi I use a bsa ultra mmc and a gamo gx40 . The triggers are different .I was told about changing the trigger screw before I bought the gun but I never changed it I just used it straight from the box . When I first used the gun the bolt was stiff and if l didn’t pull it all the way back to cock it I loaded two pellets after re cocking it. The gun is very accurate, the trigger has a long pull l just got use to it.

Hi HantsRob. For many years the USA have commercial steel, steel duplex tss, and other non lead cartridges available for most gauge of shotguns. The cartridges are higher pressures than allowed in the U.K. The chokes are made for higher pressure heavy type hard pellets. Guns like benelli and Tristar ( armsan) are used in the USA with aftermarket chokes the same guns we use in the U.K. Steel has been used in the USA since the 1980s maybe earlier. The American hulls are much stronger than most European hulls the new Cheddite hulls are very thin plastic now. Thirty five years ago the commercial steel cartridges in the U.K. were not good. I loaded my own cartridges for wildfowl in lead and then in non lead as did other wildfowlers . More testing of guns and cartridges have been done in the USA including in the field shooting different birds by experience shooters and observers detailed reports, including penetrating testing . One report I read the shooters didn’t know what type of cartridges they were using. Sorry for the delay my computer couldn’t get on the site.

Hi MWildfowler there are recommended wildfowl chokes for federal cartridges. Some of the first wads wouldn’t go through some types of ported or wad striping chokes. Some of the chokes used are full and extra full. I would write to the manufacturers before using any cartridges,as Scully said . The USA are way ahead of us with commercial cartridges.

Hi JDog I’ve taken many family members and friends out pigeon and corvids shooting over the years and I’ve seen this before. I took a friend out shooting jackdaws for the first time and he shot them from the start. I found some of the more experienced shooters couldn’t hit pigeons and then started to (poke) at them more so when decoying, and over thinking making it worse. As marsh an said it’s about the timing and reading the birds. I kept pigeons when I was at school and I kept them from landing on the house roofs and I did it for other pigeon keepers so the pigeons would land on the lofts not the house roof on race days, no time lost. This was an advantage when I shot woodpigeon or any other birds. I hope you invite your friend out for another go ,I’m sure he just needs a bit of confidence .

Hi Mossy 835 if your concerned about buying a pump action shot gun because you think they may be banned the same could be said about any type of shotguns. Not long ago in the USA shooters went out and bought semi auto.22s because of a similar tale. There is one law regarding firearms all shooters should know the law as ignorance of the law is no excuse in a court. Any one out shooting should know the law about highways and footpaths, it’s been law for a long time. . I think when applying or renewing licences questions like this and about firearms will be asked . We have no test regarding using shotguns/firearms in this country as in other countries.

Hi hitman l would move to where the pigeons are, or flighting. I don’t use magnets or flappers or heavy batteries , I will use the time and what energy l have to be where they are or under the flight lines. The last three weeks I have shot pigeons flighting to and from standing wheat and just moved with the flight lines. Late afternoon l have used an air rifle and shot pigeons from ash trees or willow trees. I think it’s to much work setting hide lots of decoys and battery machines and then to decide to move or not to another field and starting again. It’s about what works best on the day, or the way different shooters go about shooting pigeons, or areas maybe different.

Hi flippermaj good start for the season. I’ve owned aya shotguns one looked like yours it was a matador, 2.75 chamber 28 inch barrels ,ejector, .single trigger ,pistol grip stock , beaver tail fore end. I also owned the 10 gauge matador . My friend has a yoman it is straight hand stock with a&d forend. It’s over twenty five years since l used side by side or ten or twelve gauge but the aya were good guns

Hi Conor that’s a lot more reading and regulations than 1968 when the new licences were first needed, I’ve not read it all yet. I noticed that we have “no right to have firearms “ but I couldn’t see were it was a privilege to have firearms. I found it’s the word privilege shooters object to. Well done that’s a lot of work.

Hi mellors l use air rifles I always keep them out of sight and locked up. it’s common sense ,why wait for the government to tell us to keep air guns locked away. As you said it’s about responsibility. Children have been killed or injured with air guns in their own home.

Hi it’s a while since I have seen a Whizbang. I made one years ago with a plastic drum and used an electric motor from my old cement mixer. I used an old copper boiler to scald the birds . The wet feathers would spin out from a small gap at the bottom of the barrel. I used it for wildfowl, one day I put a dozen Canada geese through it there was a thick circle of wet feathers around the barrel. It’s a messy machine, welly’s or waders would be required. With these types of machines it’s getting the scalding right more so with the large Canada geese. I never put any teal in it, l think they would just spin out of the barrel. I would think that the birds would need scalding with the hand drill machine. I have never used the drill type machine.