rich_morris

Hi, does anybody have any contact details for the owner/organiser at Flitwick Shooting Ground please? I guess they are not shooting currently, but I've been meaning to visit there for some time, and I walked past the ground today, promoting me to follow up on it. Thanks Rich

Well, we are going anyway, so we will see what there is. We'll go tomorrow. If there are no bargains, well leave without spending. Only looking for something around £500 mark. Not high end! Thanks Rich Looking for something tidy and reliable around the £500 mark. Used. 12g OU sporter. Rich

Hi All, I am planning going to the shooting show this weekend. Maybe to see if I can find a shotgun for my son. Am I likely to find any bargains/discounts? If so which is the better day to go. Saturday or Sunday. If originally planned for Sunday. Rich

Thanks to you both. I'll just need to find one now, and maybe Welshwarriors might hit the mark! Rich

Hi, it could be! Are all 686 stocks likely to fit? I'll message you directly. Rich

Thanks to both of you. I'll get in touch sporting targets, as they are not to far from me! I remember now they had some a while back. Rich

Hi, My dad has a left handed Beretta 686, about 25 years old. Would a new(er) 686 stock still fit? Or do they require some "fitting" He wants to convert it to right handed for his grandson. Any ideas where I might get a used one/set? Might need a little taking off the stock.. Thanks Rich

Hi, Can anybody reccomend a sporting shooting ground open this weekend (probably Sunday) around the Chesterfield area (Bolsover) please. I'm up there this weekend to visit my parents. There used to be Copper Beeches near langwith, but cannot find any details - has it closed? Cockett Farm is not too far away, and been there a couple of times. Ideally somewhere with some nice easy clasys, or pay per clay, as I'm taking my son, whos quite new to the sport! Thanks Rich

It didn't work as well as it should. Now it works less well than that! Seems familiar, but missed the step "give it to a professional to sort out"

It's being sent to Edgar brothers to sort out. The gunsmith said they could have difficulty getting the correct part, probably for this reason. Best to send it off, get the right part, and have it fettled to fit as needed. Edgar brothers suggested that the peg, where I have a hole, is an integral part of the block so shouldn't come out. Sounds like what you have. I don't think mine is that old, but not sure. It has external chokes. Is there a way to tell? I guess its all part of "continuous improvement"!

The firing pin only stops the locking block moving downward. The pin which is missing from my locking block stops it coming out the top. When assembled in the gun, I think it doesn't really do much, as the action/barrel holds it all together. I'm just not prepared to risk that I'm right with a gun that my son is using. Rich

Out of the two, which do you think is better made? Had a look at a Kofs today. Nice enough. Although I'm dubious about the longevity of the surfaces on the hinge joint? Rich

Thanks for the offer, that is very kind. I have actually arranged to drop it off locally at a gunsmith. After speaking with Edgar brothers, they suggested that a new locking block might solve a couple of other issues I’m having with the gun. Apparently new locking blocks can need a bit of “fitting” to ensure they catch and lock up correctly. The pin is not available separately. Regards Rich

Hi, If the hatsan worked flawlessly, I wouldn’t swap it for a bit. It’s got plenty of room for him to grow into, with the extra stock spaces. But it has jammed a quite a bit recently. Either failed to eject, or to load the next cartridge properly. Plus a couple of times it’s failed to fire a loaded cartridge. I’ve had to strip it down on the side of the clay stand to get it working. I’ve got it booked in for a bit of work to be done in it. There’s a used Miroku local to me, that might me worth a try. And then a number of cheap 20g over and unders from Yildiz, ZOFS etc. Rich

Yes, I agree that 20b semi to 12 bore OU is not necessarily apples for apples. He has been shooting for a while with the 20b semi, and its been fine for him. He suffers no problems from the recoil etc. However, the semi in question has had a few hiccups recently, and that slightly spoils his enjoyment if we have to keep rescuing half ejected/half loaded cartridges. A couple of times its completely failed to fire, and had to be stripped/re-assembled. I've never really found the issue, but re-assembly seems to fix it....I've just given it a very through clean (see my other post on that topic :-o) to see if that helps. So, I was thinking I would try a 20b OU next with light 21g cartridges. A slight increase in gun weight, and recoil is expected. He tried a 20b Lanber in the shop - it was way too long in the stock, but he seemed ok with the weight. Then it dawned on me, that I had been using 21gram cartridges recently - would that not offer identical recoil to a 20bore firing the same weight? All subject to the gun being manageable for him. Maybe just skip the 20g and go straight to 12g? I completely do not want to put him off shooting by giving him a too heavy gun, or getting him kicked around by recoil, but also do not want him to loose interest because of his current gun reliability... (at his age, I had a 20b SxS) Regards Rich

Well, after watching a few YouTube videos, it looks like a small pin of some sort is missing from the hole in the side of the locking block. Hole can be seen above. I cannot find the pin anywhere on the floor. Either I've binned it with some paper towel, or it fallen out somewhere else. I've dropped an email to Edgar brothers. The pin isn't even listed as a part in the user manual. Rich

Hi, I decided to give my son's escort a good clean. In cleaning the bolt assembly, the part called Locking Block in the manual fell out of the bolt assembly. It's the first time that's happened, but I cannot see how the thing should be retained. Does it just sit loosely in the bolt? Or have I lost a part on the floor in the garage?? See attached picture... Thanks Rich

Thanks, that was my initial thought, but then I wondered how much effect the reduced bore diameter would have, in terms of the resistance offered to the acceleration of the mass of the shot. Maybe it's inconsequential. Maybe it's noticeable. Rich

Hi, are there any of the cheaper 20g OUs that are better than others? I'm looking for an inexpensive 20b for my son, probably with a junior stock, or cut down a bit for him. Yildiz Armsan Revo Huglu KOFs Or is it better to try and find a used Beretta/Browning/Miroku etc? Any thoughts on these brands, especially any to avoid! Thanks for any advice/experience. Rich

Hi, If using gun of equivalent weight, would the recoil of a 20b and 12b both using 21gram cartridges be more ore less the same? I ask, as I am thinking about swapping my sons hatsan 20g semi for an OU. But not sure if to stick with 20g (he's using 21gram carts) or try a 12g, and use the same 21gram cartridges that I do. Ill need to cut the stock down for him, or get a youth gun either way. Rich

Really, I am not in a hurry! I was quite happy sticking with the .410. , Which we borrowed. It's grandads enthusiasm to get him is own gun where the "problem" lies! I think he thinks 20b Will be ok, and won't need to "upgrade" too soon... I guess I'll try him with the 20b, and if he doesn't get on with it yet, I'll sort out a .410 for a while. Thanks Rich Thanks for that info. I'll try the subsonics in an OU first.

It's funny you should say that. Having thought I'd convinced his grandad to wait until we'd tried a few guns out, I got a phone call today. He's picked up a Hatsan 20b Escort Youth. I'd also picked up a couple of boxes of subsonic 20b cartridges - which I have no idea if they will cycle the Hatsan properly!?! I guess I'll find out! Thanks Rich

Thanks Clive, I will see if a can slow my dad's enthusiasm down, and try and borrow a 20b and some subsonic cartridges. If he can't get on with that, then I will try with the 28b. I started with a 20b myself, but I was maybe a little older than my son is now. Maybe a bit sturdier too! Cheers Rich

Awesome! Thanks for that. It certainly doesn't sound like they will be limiting, especially for somebody fairly new to the sport. Certainly better than a sore shoulder!

Thanks cookoff - I'll look into that, I've never used any subsonic myself, will we notice any difference in clay breaking performance? Thanks zetter, that's a kind offer. I'll see about availability on 30th. Certainly my son will be keen to have another go. Last thing I want to do is give him a bruised shoulder or face, and stop him having a grin on his face when he breaks a pair of clays on report. Rich