Royboy Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 The totty was top notch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 Great write up Scully, I must get myself down to the CLA and experience the big show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) Thankyou, will be going next year but over two days if possible. I just like spending time amongst, and talking to like-minded people. A really good chilled out day. Was talking to a bloke from Wales who'd asked me while having something to eat 'what sort of dog is that?' pointing to a black lab type looking dog but which had a head more akin to a GSP. Had to admit I didn't know. I told him there were a couple of cocker-poos near my home; the first I'd seen. He told me he had a sprocker and then looked wistfully into space as he added....'******* useless it is'. Mate and me were in stitches, poor fellah. He was laughing too when he said, 'serves me right for buying it off a ####'. The craic was great. Edited August 2, 2015 by Scully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul T Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) I went yesterday and took Mrs T for the first time. She thought it was the best show (agricultural/town type) that she's been to. We both really enjoyed it, but I could see Mrs T was getting a bit bored with me darting in and out out stands on gunmakers row looking for a good deal on a 20 bore. I'm pretty well sold now on the new Cogswell & Harrison Windsor - Italian made and nicely balanced, so I'll be signing up for one very soon. Food was all pretty well priced - the only real downer was the weather (we left coats in the car ) Edited August 2, 2015 by Paul T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker boy Posted August 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 Very very poor this year. Bad layout and stall holders staying away. Will be interested to see the attendance figures. Roll on ragley next year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 The last one I went to was at Harwood House near Leeds and if I remember rightly it was fenced in but still a fair size . The following year we went to the Midland Game Fair near Telford and I thought it was a lot better than the C L A . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiffy333 Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 Thanks for all the posts re CLA game fair.I could not decide about going this year, been many times 80s 90s went to Ragley and Blenheim last two years.Sounds like good decision not to get up at 4.30, drive 3 hrs for what sounds like poor CLA.Hopefully better event next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fielddweller Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 Have to say my review is almost exclusively concerning Gunmakers Row as we didn't get to see much else! A mate picked me up just after 6am and we got straight in there with no delays around 8ish. No queues to pay either so had a light breakfast consisting of a bacon cheeseburger and a brew then went in search of guns. Got lost but found it eventually and started at MGR Guns, of whom I'd never heard. They had something for everyone including a well worn No4 complete with spike bayonet for those particularly low birds, and a BRNO of which I've grown fond of, with the ported barrels in very good condition for 195 quid, and one of the sales persons was a big 101 fan who showed us a particularly nice Pigeon Grade. Funnily enough, I hadn't seen a treble barrelled o/u sxs until Old Farrier posted pics on here last week, but these boys had two on display and had already sold another two. Must admit for such a unwieldily looking gun these come up very nicely and are nice to handle and weigh no more than my old Diamond Grade at just over 8lbs. They also had an exquisite single barrelled Holland and Holland .410 in and a Baikel 12/.22 combination gun. Tempted at that, must admit. Swillington Shooting Supplies was next, from where I bought my GE at Lowther last year. They had some nice high grade Brownings in and a B2000 Trap model I'd never seen before, and one or two nicely priced older Mirokus. Ladds Guns turned up another 101 fan who couldn't wait to unpack several he had in including an ultra rare 30" XTR Trap gun. I've never seen another and he said he'd only seen one, and this one may turn out to be a keeper, for him. He also had a nice Nikko Indy and a very nice Classic Doubles Trap. They also had in what looked to be a gorgeously stocked Remington 700BDL in .17 Remington CF for 195 quid, which I couldn't believe, but closer inspection revealed the lockwork and breech had been badly neglected. Criminal. Pantiles Guns were only interested in my 'Smoot' as part-ex' for something else, and although there were some nice old pistols in there I'm not after another, just the cash for the one I have, so no joy unfortunately, but a nice bloke all the same. Cadged some free magazines from various publications where mate made a light-hearted complaint that eh has been subscribing to Sporting Gun for over 20 years and has never been offered a free multi-tool or even a pair of ear plugs in all that time, but new subscribers are. Anyhow, we came away with some VIP badges to allow us into their 'hospitality' suite, which we never used. Longthorne Guns seemed to be doing a good trade and we played about with a few high grade Perazzis and a F3's in another stall which I think was Premier Guns as I got to handle a Perazzi with custom stock I'd seen online, before going into the GMK stall. Didn't think there was much of interest for me in there but then spotted some unusual looking shotguns on the back wall. It was the very new Benelli 828U o/u shotguns, and at first I couldn't decide whether they were ugly or beautiful, but quite liked the plain 28" black-actioned version. One of the staff unlocked it for us and to handle it was sublime. Lovely piece of kit to swing about. Apparently only 200 are available for sale in this country until supplies become more available. I think another mate of mine has ordered one from what I've heard. I think these could turn out to be a best seller; sorely tempted myself. Before anyone rights them off due to their looks, handle one and see what you think. Positively beautiful compared to a Kemen. Many more older Mirokus at very good prices, some nice Remington 1100 autos and a couple of very nice Wingmasters. If anyone was looking for a very good reputable first shotgun then this was the place to be; spoilt for choice. Sportsman Gun Centre had 100's of guns on display, and mate found a very nice 6500 and another mate we'd bumped into dragged us off to see a beautiful 20 bore Ceasar Guirini. Dropped in at Malmo Guns for a chat with Andy and his wife, perused some very nice damascus blades and some plug ugly knives which wouldn't have looked out of place in the Lord of the Rings, then in at Bradshaws Guns for a chat with Marcus where another mate ( the one I usually mean when referring to 'mate' on here, who was there for the weekend with his OH ) had called me to say he had ordered a thermal spotting 'scope and traded in his Sako .308 to fund it. Peter Swales(?) Big Game Hunting had a Red deer head outside his stall the likes of which I'd never seen before, and for some reason it never occurred to me to talk pic's, which he said came form Canada where they are farmed for the velvet on their antlers. They harvest about 3 ton a year which they sell to China as an aphrodisiac and chuckled away when I told him it would take more than 3 ton to get my OH interested. He reckons it must be working for the Chinese as there's 'millions of 'em'. Anyhow, at 12 years old they are released onto the quarry list where trophy hunters pay to shoot them. ( the deer, not the chinese) Nice fellah and good craic. Gilsan Sports didn't have much in for me but mate knew all the staff so called in for the craic and then found a gorgeous Grand European for 1295, and well worth it. Anyone wanting one should contact the Cheshire Gun Room. It really is worth it. Holts had a lovely Brough Superior on their stand and a very nice Perazzi plus a well pitted Colt Dragoon for 3 to 4 grand which personally I wouldn't have given 400 quid for, as much as I would like one and the E J Churchill stand had to be seen to be believed; more like a F1Team motor home complete with chef. Browning seemed to be busy with the requisite wealthy buyer resplendent in tweed jacket, yellow cravat and pink cords ( are these compulsory for the elder millionaire?) in the cordoned off area (what's that all about?) who want a bespoke gun. Bumped into nephew who wanted our opinions on a 32" Rizzini he'd spotted at MGR Guns so trailed back down there. I tried out the black-actioned 30" barrelled 12 bore version which was very nice. He bought it this morning before setting off back. Lovely gun. Called in at Brown Trout, a shop mate often calls in at on his numerous visits to Harrogate, where we had good craic with the proprietor who showed us a really nice Miroku 800 20 bore and a Winchester 23. I spotted another Remington 700 BDL .17 CF in the rack, this one immaculate, and then told us if we're rifle shooters we should see the Norwegian bloke demonstrating a sling on the Viking Arms stall next door, so we did, and both promptly bought one. Will take a bit of practice but is a fabulous bit of kit, and for anyone interested it is the 3HGR system sling, made in Finland and available through any stockist who deals with Viking Arms. Apparently in Norway they shoot birds in trees with CF rifles. Amongst many other visions of beauty were many women in jodhpurs and other very tight items of clothing, many of which were used to lure blokes into stalls, some impressive raptors (more so than the numerous Kites circling overhead) some lovely dogs, some McClaren and Lambo' super cars (don't do much for me I'm afraid) and even the weather didn't spoil it for us as we simply nipped into the nearest stall for shelter like everyone else. My only regret was I didn't get to see any artwork. Andy at Malmo said he was selling more in the shop back home than he was at the show, and for the CLA I would have expected it to be busier but have nothing to compare it to, and overheard one gunshop owner telling a customer he was helping out a mate and wouldn't entertain a stall there as it was too expensive. A relative of mine who had a small stall there said it was costing him 1800 quid for the 3 days, so you've got to be raking it in to make a profit I would think; especially on the larger stalls. Some complained about some of the stalls being on a slope, which wasn't much fun when the downpour started. I asked a sales person in one stall why the external chokes in shotguns were cable tied and she said people have in the past unscrewed them and pocketed them! Scandalous; it would never have occurred to me to do such a thing. She said even bolts from rifle actions had sometimes gone missing! Anyhow, there was a huge traffic queue when we decided to call it a day so had something to eat thinking it would ease while we dined. It did, and we left after 7 with no waiting whatsoever. Grand. Fabulous day out, though I can perfectly understand how those with young family could find prices prohibitive. Excellent write up Scully.We went on pre booked tickets and had a fantastic day for £50,spent 9 hours talking walking and watching.John Bidwell show was good although it never seems to change,Le Chameu demonstrating welly making,sthil chain saws put on a good show.4 pints of hand pulled ale 1 g and t and apimms along with a very impressive buffet all for nothing ,just got invited on various stands.....Happy days. Managed to get a few items inc a new gun and all with a bit of discount so all in all a great day,well worth the money Fielddweller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 Excellent write up Scully. We went on pre booked tickets and had a fantastic day for £50,spent 9 hours talking walking and watching.John Bidwell show was good although it never seems to change,Le Chameu demonstrating welly making,sthil chain saws put on a good show.4 pints of hand pulled ale 1 g and t and apimms along with a very impressive buffet all for nothing ,just got invited on various stands.....Happy days. Managed to get a few items inc a new gun and all with a bit of discount so all in all a great day,well worth the money Fielddweller Was he shooting balloons with his chrome pump and then getting kids to throw eggs from behind him which he shot, oh and shooting skeet pairs from the hip? I saw him at Birmingham years ago, thats what he did then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 the only real downer was the weather (we left coats in the car ) We headed back to car to drop off stuff and collect jackets when it first started but I thought it looked like it was going to blow over when we got there so set off back into show without it...... The following year we went to the Midland Game Fair near Telford and I thought it was a lot better than the C L A . Mate prefers Midland to CLA; I haven't been to one of those either. .John Bidwell show was good although it never seems to change, Managed to get a few items inc a new gun and all with a bit of discount so all in all a great day,well worth the money Nephew saw J. Bidwell but I didn't. I enjoyed the day too. What gun did you buy? Was he shooting balloons with his chrome pump oh and shooting skeet pairs from the hip? I saw him at Birmingham years ago, thats what he did then Apparently yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fielddweller Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 Was he shooting balloons with his chrome pump and then getting kids to throw eggs from behind him which he shot, oh and shooting skeet pairs from the hip? I saw him at Birmingham years ago, thats what he did then That's the oneI think that's the fourth time for me ,that said its still good shooting Fielddweller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fielddweller Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 (edited) [quote name="Scully" post="2877932" timestamp="1438635126 Nephew saw J. Bidwell but I didn't. I enjoyed the day too. What gun did you buy? Bought a cheap Miroku for clay shooting but it will probably end up in the cabinet with the Browning and Berretta as I can't seem to stop using my semi. Cheers Fielddweller Edited August 4, 2015 by fielddweller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 Good choice. There were some very good cheap Mirokus there. Like I said, anyone just starting out could have picked up a very very good quality gun for comparatively little money. A nice scene I saw was a bloke ( of an age he was possibly a grandad ) paying out for a sxs shotgun for a very young lad who looked as pleased as Punch as he slipped it into its slip. I'll bet it got used within minutes of getting home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 I was at the BASC Coaching line for the three days. Met a few PW people always good to put a face to a name, although must admit cannot remember the names at all at the moment. Not as busy on the Sunday as was expected, but all in all a good few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenshank1 Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 We camped and went on Thursday and came away on sunday having seen everything. I think numbers were really down and there was definitely less small stands which is a real shame. Saying that we had a great time . The kids had fly fishing lessons , clay pigeon lessons and off road driving lesson. The gundog demos are first class and delivered by some of the best trainers in the country. Chris Green was on top form as usual and its a good couple of days. Blenheim and Ragley were better in previous years so hopefully the CLA will get the small stands and exhibitors back for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 Ragley next year. Is it true that there will not be another Blenheim? due to the BBC Country File taking out a long contract on the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker boy Posted August 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 Ragley next year. Is it true that there will not be another Blenheim? due to the BBC Country File taking out a long contract on the site. Correct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canthitathing Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 We were there every day for one reason or another, but thoroughly enjoyed it. That said the entrance fee and cost of food paled into insignificance with what I was "encouraged" to spend in Really Wild, Holland Cooper and Fairfax & Favor . None of it for me either Then again they don't do Fat lad sizes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 We were there every day for one reason or another, but thoroughly enjoyed it. That said the entrance fee and cost of food paled into insignificance with what I was "encouraged" to spend in Really Wild, Holland Cooper and Fairfax & Favor . None of it for me either Then again they don't do Fat lad sizes I can see a business opportunity forming here..... There must be loads of "proper" sized folk who struggle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker boy Posted August 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 The Cla have said 131,250 people visited the gamefair over the weekend. No way in the world were that many people there. It was like a ghost town Saturday and Sunday compared to ragley, Blenheim or Belvoir. By far the worst attended, and set out, Cla gamefair since my first in 1987. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxey Posted August 5, 2015 Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 Some of the stall holders said it was dead, an that was Friday, think I'll stick with local fairs in future, £34 a ticket for a Friday , not anymore!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted August 5, 2015 Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 The Cla have said 131,250 people visited the gamefair over the weekend. No way in the world were that many people there. It was like a ghost town Saturday and Sunday compared to ragley, Blenheim or Belvoir. By far the worst attended, and set out, Cla gamefair since my first in 1987. They must be lying then eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted August 5, 2015 Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 £34 a ticket for a Friday , not anymore!!!! It is a bit steep admittedly, but you can't watch Chelsea play for that amount, and in some parts of the country can't even get someone to take delivery of a parcel nor unwrap it for less than 50 ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Interesting to read some of the comments that people prefer the Midland fair. I went to that last year and thought it was a complete ***** fest. I kept bumping into people in camo' gear because I could't see them, walking along gunmakers row behind two hoodie chavy types smoking on a fat joint and the amount of skanky families with screaming bairns and even louder screaming mums was ridiculous. Compared to my local fair, Scottish, the Midlands is a bigger show so a greater choice, especially gun dealers, but it was a much less pleasant place to be. The amount of things I heard about people having stuff stolen was ridiculous too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 (edited) As pleased as I am about Lowther being back on the game fair circuit, I feel as though being part of the Countryman fair group has diminished it somewhat. I'm very pleased it now attracts gun dealers but it also attracts the type of fairground attraction that is more typical of a seafront, which I don't like. I don't suppose we can have everything though. The Midland is also part of the Countryman group. Edited August 6, 2015 by Scully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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