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A BROCOCK COMPATTO

WORTH £580! PIGEONS HOME & AWAY!

GUNNER

Hunting tasty targets here and abroad

IS IT REALLY A HAENAL? Investigation required

HFT AT THE PUB Best training ever?

THE KNIGHT

MOVES! AIR ARMS GALAHAD UNVEILED - INSIDE! APRIL 2016

£3.99

BSA GOLD STAR Is it a competition winner? There’s only one way to find out!

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WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR WWW.AIRGUNSHOOTING.CO.UK Find us on facebook too!

to prototype and fully develop a brand-new gun is incredible. The one you see in the picture is, in fact, version seven. That’s right! They designed, drew, machined and built six different versions before the production gun was signed off. That’s a massive ﬁnancial investment and a credit to the company for ensuring that every detail was spot-on before they began production. Many people assume that bringing a new gun to the market is easy, but believe me, they’re very wrong. Full production of the Galahad will begin soon and I’ll be ﬁrst in the queue to get a sample to review, and report back to you. Whether it changes my mind about bullpups remains to be seen. All this handling of new rifles reminded me that the way a gun ﬁts your individual physique is an often overlooked element of accuracy. Your dream rifle really does need to ﬁt you correctly; it doesn’t matter if it ﬁts your friend, or some hotshot at your gun club. To make my dream gun ﬁt me better, I’ve had an adjustable cheek piece ﬁtted, as you can see on page 76. The Daystate Huntsman Regal is already one of the best handling guns on the market, but this improvement takes it to a new level. I’ll let you know how the project progresses as the year rolls on.

AIR GUNNER EVOLUTION HOUSE, 2-6 EASTHAMPSTEAD ROAD, WOKINGHAM, RG40 2EG EDITORIAL Editor Phill Price Tel: 01189 742 501 [email protected] Chief sub-editor Rosie Barham Editor-in-chief Terry Doe [email protected] Designer Keith Harris

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f you turn to page 32, you can read my report on an excellent day out at Air Arms. Ten lucky readers were invited to the Air Arms factory to learn how their stunning and accurate rifles are made, followed by an excellent lunch. Whilst I was there I got my ﬁrst look at their new Galahad bullpup, or ‘sport pup’ as they call it. Many readers will know that bullpups are not my cup of tea, so I was interested to handle this brand-new gun and I asked Air Arms about the motivation that inspired bringing such an interesting new gun to the market. The answer was that they’re responding to demand. Many of

their international distributors see a growing market for such guns, and were keen to offer an Air Arms version. The research and development time needed

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CONTENTS APRIL MONTH 2016 > ISSUE 385 BROCOCK WIN ACOMPATTO

WORTH £580!

20

PIGEONS HOME & AWAY!

GUNNER

Hunting tasty targets here and abroad

IS IT REALLY A HAENAL? Investigation required

HFT AT THE PUB Best training ever?

THE KNIGHT

FEATURES THIS MONTH INCLUDE ...

MOVES! £3.99

67 JAMIE CHANDLER

Phill Price puts the TX200 HC from Ari Arms through its paces

Jamie has a high old time, battling with poles and yards of duct tape, to eventual success

26 EDDIE JONES

AIR ARMS GALAHAD UNVEILED - INSIDE! APRIL 2016

20 THE BIG TEST

BSA GOLD STAR Is it a competition winner? There’s only one way to find out!

85 JOHN ATKINS

Eddie goes on a squirrel-hunting This month, John has Fireflies in his sights quest without his ‘lucky charm’ hunting mate, and swaps squirrels for and tells us about this popular pistol from Edwin Anson pigeons

www.airgunshooting.co.uk

03 ED’S LETTER

18 A NEW PUP

45 SPRINGER OR GAS-RAM?

The editor finds out about the process of bringing a new gun to market

Check out the Galahad - an exciting, new sportpup from Air Arms

The editor throws down the gauntlet and takes up a challenge

07 NEWS

30 PARALLAX EXPLAINED

48 COMPETITION

Events, products, and announcements from the world of airgunning

Keith Warburton gives tells us about parallax error, and how to avoid it

Your chance to win a Brocock Compatto for just £1.50!

10 LETTERS

32 AT THE FACTORY

53 PRIVILEGES

Here’s where you have your say about what’s going on in your world

The lucky winners of Air Arms’ Golden Tickets had a great day!

The UK importer for Umarex launches a privileged members club loyalty card

13 GURU

34 ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

55 DORSET INVADER

Which airgun is best for rabbit hunting? Our guru replies

Jim Chapman’s on a mission to reduce the native rock-pigeon population

Russel Webb visits a new permission, 100 miles away from home

16 UKAHFT

41 RABBIT SUPPER

58 NEIL PRICE

Mine’s a pint! Gary Chillingworth is present at the birth of PUB HFT

Charlie Portlock finds a prize in a neglected area of his permission

Neil corrects the compression on an ASI Super Match PCP

4 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

BROCOCK WIN ACOMPATTO

WORTH £580! PIGEONS HOME & AWAY!

GUNNER

Hunting tasty targets here and abroad

IS IT REALLY A HAENAL? Investigation required

HFT AT THE PUB Best training ever?

THE KNIGHT

BROCOCK WIN ACOMPATTO

WORTH £580! PIGEONS HOME & AWAY!

GUNNER

Hunting tasty targets here and abroad

IS IT REALLY A HAENAL? Investigation required

HFT AT THE PUB Best training ever?

MOVES! AIR ARMS GALAHAD UNVEILED - INSIDE! APRIL 2016

£3.99

BSA GOLD STAR Is it a competition winner? There’s only one way to find out!

THE KNIGHT

MOVES! AIR ARMS GALAHAD UNVEILED - INSIDE!

www.airgunshooting.co.uk APRIL 2016

£3.99

BSA GOLD STAR Is it a competition winner? There’s only one way to find out!

www.airgunshooting.co.uk

26

85 Anson’s Firefly Pistol by John Atkins Photographs by David Swan, Stephen Rollins and James McCoull of Anderson & Garland Auctioneers

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n the May issue of last year, I briefly revisited Anson’s ‘Firefly’ air pistol as part of the Midland Gun Co. series - this medium price pistol being one of many the ‘Midland’ (as it was known) sold in the inter-wars years from 1925. Outlets for the Firefly seem fairly limited, because the pistol does not appear in many of the other 1925 onwards catalogues I hold. Anson’s Firefly was advertised at 10/6p in the Midland Gun Co. 1928 catalogue as can be seen in Figure 1. Original mid-1920’s literature gave the initial price as 13/6d (67½p) with this dropping a shilling per year on average, to 10/6 (52½p) by 1928. The Midland Gun Co.’s price for the Firefly in 1932 and 1933 had fallen to only 8/6d (42½p) possibly indicating poor sales towards the end of its availability in the mid-1930s. Its appearance may have been against it, because it was not an elegant pistol. The .177” smoothbore Firefly was one of a

Figure 2

these are photographed in Figure 2, showing their exposed triggers. Top: Lincoln Jeffries’

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63 GOLD STAR REWARD

80 HANDSOME HAENAL

Gary Chillingworth reviews the new Gold Star pedigree rifle from BSA

Steve Prime checks out a German springer. Is it a pre-war model?

72 COUNTRY KITCHEN

82 SWAP SHOP

Pigeon and prunes - a taste sensation, says Jane Price

Grab an airgun bargain from your fellow readers

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Jerry Moss is like a big kid as he goes out to play in the snow.

76 HIGH POWER 2

92 SIGS GIG

The editor customises his Daystate Huntsman Regal .22

The editor views some precision-built pistols

79 HARK-ILA AT THIS!

98 COMING NEXT MONTH

Phill Price is impressed by the best pair of wellies he’s ever worn

The Air Arms Galahad gets the full Big Test workout

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www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 5

IN THE NEWS News from the shooting world

NEW HW ON APPROACH Pre-charged pneumatic fans will be excited to know that a new rifle is set for UK release that will put genuine Weihrauch performance within the reach of even more shooters. We have the ﬁrst two in the UK on test in the ﬁeld now, so that we can ﬁnd out what this striking, tactical-styled rifle can do where it counts. The 10-shot action is side-lever operated, whilst the scope rail ﬁts the Weaver

Left: Here we can see the scope rail is the Weaver type

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Nikko Stirling scopes have been a mainstay of airgun sport in the UK for as long as we can remember, and that’s because they’re celebrating their 60th birthday this year. Malcolm John Fuller, who was a keen hunter, formed the company in 1956 to supply scopes that would survive in the harsh Australian outback, whilst offering excellent optical performance. The company doesn’t make microscopes, cameras or glasses; just hunting and competition optics so is fully focused on the task, and the quality and performance of their optics proves that. Congratulations Nikko Stirling and happy birthday.

standard. From an engineering standpoint, Weihrauch has broken new ground with materials not normally associated with the brand, showing this to be a genuinely progressive model. They’re expected in the shops during April at a retail price of RRP £645. www.hullcartridge.co.uk

The HW110 is like no Weihrauch you’ve ever seen

FANTASTIC FACILITY If you live anywhere close to Marlow, I have some good news. Emmett & Stone, a relatively new gun shop, has built a fantastic airgun range that’s open now. The facilities are ﬁrst-class, offering fully indoor ﬁring positions, with ultra-rigid benches overlooking 47 yards of safe and secure targets. Goodness knows how many resettable targets are out there, yet the owners tell me that many more target systems are ready to be installed. If you don’t currently own a rifle they can hire one to you, or you can take your own hunting or competition gun to practise, or to check your zero. It really is a superb facility for the whole airgun community and I would like to thank and congratulate Emmett & Stone for their investment and forward-looking attitude. The shop is just minutes off the M4 and M40, making getting there a breeze for thousands of people - and parking on site is free. www.emmettandstone.co.uk

Emmett & Stone’s new range is fully weatherproof

Rock-solid benches overlook 47 yards of fun

PAUL JAMES BRITISH RECOILING CHAMPIONSHIP This fantastic event has become the world’s largest recoiling competition, and is quickly becoming a mustdo event for all the top springer shooters. The course has something to offer everyone, regardless of your shooting level, and a great return to where the sport was born. It’s also a time when we remember our good friend, Paul James. Paul did a lot for the sport and his love of springers was legendary on the World circuit so it’s an honour to run this event in his name and help to raise funds for The Prince Of Wales Hospice. So far, the competition has raised a massive £6787.26 from public generosity, our sponsors and Paul’s family, which is something to be very proud of, we’re sure you’ll agree,

thank you. Will 2016 be the ﬁrst year that the course gets cleared? It really doesn’t matter which level you shoot at, this is one of the best shooting days on the calendar and is an absolute must. The course is already being planned; the springers are out in anticipation, and the online booking service is now open! The competition to lift the trophy will be ﬁerce this year, judging by some of the Winter League scores that are going in, and then there are the rest of us who will be making side bets between friends on who can get the highest score! Get involved and support the cause - Sunday 10th April 2016, Anston Field Target Club Team PJBRC http://www.britishrecoilingchampionship.co.uk/

The Paul James Recoiling Championships are a great day out

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 7

IN THE NEWS

For the very latest news visit us at www.airgunshooting.co.uk It may look like a Pulsar, but it’s actually the new Renegade

RENEGADE

Daystate’s Pulsar has become big news in the world of bullpups, and the good news is that a new, lower-cost version is being launched at the British Shooting Show. The Renegade appears externally the same as the

Pulsar until you notice that the LCD display is missing. This is because the Renegade doesn’t use the electronic systems of the Pulsar, but introduces an innovative, electromechanical trigger system - the Hybrid

Trigger Unit. This transfers the trigger’s movement via a wire to a small solenoid, which instantaneously releases the normally functioning sears toward the rear of the Renegade’s action. In essence, it’s an electronic, ﬂy-by-wire system that brings the best of both worlds to the bullpup conﬁguration. It will retail for £1290, a serious chunk of cash less than its big brother. www.daystate.com

Commetta’s new Orion landed on our doormat as we were going to press

STELLAR PCP Just as we are going to press, Cometta’s new pre-charged pneumatic riﬂe arrived at the ofﬁce. We only had time to take a picture, so here are the highlights. It’s a magazine-fed, bolt-action, that’s 920mm long and weighs 3.3kg. Ours came ﬁtted with the optional silencer. The barrel-

over-reservoir layout has a quick-ﬁll connector and a pressure gauge as standard. I was particularly pleased to see that the beech stock has an adjustableheight cheek piece as standard, and sling studs as well. We’ll spend some time with it

and bring you a full review soon. It’s on sale now at £399.00 www.bisley-uk.com

THE GAME FAIR

FUTURES FOR HEROES LEAD-FREE AMMO

After much confusion over summer game fair plans, ‘The Game Fair’ is to be held at Ragley Hall near Alcester in Warwickshire on the 29-31st of July. It’s being billed as ‘The Festival of the Great British Countryside’, and airgunners will be well catered for. The Airgun Experience will feature top manufacturers, an extensive airgun shooting range, and a ‘try before you buy’ area for exhibitors to demonstrate the latest airgun technologies on a live range. This will sit alongside areas dedicated to every other country sport, from shotguns to hawks, and on to ﬁshing. It’s great to have a big show to look forward to in the summer.

Ever keen to support ex-military personnel, Brocock has got behind a scheme that employs solders in rehabilitation to make presentation boxes, which Brocock will ﬁll with a pre-charged pneumatic Atomic S6 Elite pistol. When sold, the proﬁt will go to the Futures for Heroes organisation that does sterling work by running free courses, enabling people to make the physical and emotional adjustments required to reintegrate into civilian life. They will be on sale soon and we’ll bring you full details when they are. The price is expected to be around £550. www.f4h.org. uk

‘The Game Fair’ is confirmed for this summer

8 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

You’ll be supporting a great cause if you buy one of these

The Shooting Shack has taken on the challenge of offering the airgunner the widest choice of pellets they can ﬁnd. They already have some 600 options to which they’ve just added the innovative Skenko brand from Hungary. These highly unusual, lead-free designs offer some real alternatives to more mainstream pellets, so if you fancy giving them a try visit www.shootingshack.co.uk Looking for some different pellets? How about these from Skenko?

WINNER! The winner of our February Compatto competition is Pete Hoskins from Bath. He shoots FT and wants to get into hunting so this is just the rifle. See our latest competition on page 48.

BEST CATALOGUE

Those masters of everything we could ever need to ﬁll our precharged guns, Best Fittings, have their new catalogue out now. Alongside all the usual entries, there’s a raft of new, innovative items, each designed to answer a particular need that a customer has identiﬁed. The catalogue is a great resource to have on hand for all those hard-to-ﬁnd parts, so to get yours ring: 01747 312 672, or email maria@ best-fittings.co.uk www.bestfittings.co.uk

RIP COLIN

WIN A WALTHER LGV

MASTER PRO COMBO

WORTH £500!

It’s with a heavy heart that CRICKET CLUB RABBITS TALKING TURKEY I have to report the passing GUNNER TOP of one of our dear friends, HUNTING WRITERS Colin Raeside, who recently died from cancer. You’ll have seen his face on the cover of our summer issue, fulﬁlling an ambition to LATEST appear on a magazine cover so that his children could see and remember him PIGEONS AND 8 having fun with an airgun. RABBITS IN 1 DAY He was wearing a ‘70s porn-star-style moustache to raise money for charity, which he worked at tirelessly, even during his illness. He was a warm chap, always interested in other people and generous with his time and help. Our club, our sport and our lives are diminished by his loss. Helping the team by protecting the grounds

Hunting California style

5

Tell us their secrets

LGV! New Walther Master Pro gets the Big Test

25

SUMMER 2015 £3.99

Jerry Moss shows how the pros do it!

www.airgunshooting.co.uk

WORLD HFT The 8th World Hunter Field Target Championship is set to return to Kelmarsh Country Show this Easter bank holiday weekend, on Sunday the 27th and Monday the 28th of March, at Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire. The two-day, airgun-shooting competition will see 360 entrants from around the world shoot two 30-target courses in the estate’s woodland, using state-of-the-art PCP and recoiling airguns. Renowned as the largest airgunning competition of its kind, the over-subscribed competition was closed for entries two months ahead of its end-of-January deadline. It’s a great spectator sport, and visitors to Kelmarsh Country Show are welcome to watch the nail-biting competition as marksmen battle it out for the 2016 title. With a cash prize fund of £3,000, plus an Air Arms HFT500 air rifle up for grabs, the competition is set to be ﬁerce. www.kelmarshcountryshow.co.uk

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 9

YOUR LETTERS

LEOFTTTHEE R MONTH

More support for Jamie I’ve never written in before, in the 30-odd years I’ve been reading airgun magus, but was left so outraged at the condescending letter from ‘Jeff’ in the March issue questioning the safety of

Jamie Chandler handling an airgun! How dare he question whether Jamie is fit to handle an airgun! I wouldn’t hesitate to allow Jamie to accompany me on areas where I undertake pest

Spooky faces … again Just to let you know I too saw the face in Charlie’s photo. At first glance I thought it was a reflection of Charlie through the camera lens, but it wasn’t. I’m sure it was a different man’s face - or perhaps Charlie can shed some light on the image? I’m enjoying the mag much more now you have

taken over as editor, especially Charlie’s and Steve Prime’s articles. Steve Hello Steve, You’re not alone in seeing this mystery face, but I have to say that I cannot see it and nor can anybody in the office. Strange! Ed.

control professionally, but I couldn’t say that for a lot of people who haven’t overcome the physical challenges that he has. Whilst I’m here, I’d just like to mention that this magazine is truly going from

strength to strength recently. In part, that is due to Jamie supplying high-quality articles, and this coupled with food prep/ gathering, camping and so on, it’s really doing what AGW did back in the ‘80s. Keep calm, and carry on! Jamie, the pest controller Cornwall

Hello Jamie, I can see you were irritated by the negative comment, but don’t worry. Our Jamie laughs off negative people because he knows that he’s safe and a damned good shot to go with it. Thank

you for the kind words about the magazine’s direction. It’s my sincere hope to add variety to every issue and I know not everybody will enjoy every article, but I hope a little extra ‘spice’ will make it a more enjoyable read overall. Ed.

Jamie has broad shoulders and a good sense of humor

I still can’t see it. Ed.

Drastic plastic Please can somebody tell me what this fashion for plastic stocks as all about? Whatever the makers say about high-tech polymers and all that stuff, it’s just plastic, I bet. I mean, at one time when you said something was plastic, everybody knew that meant cheap and nasty, which is just what these modern stocks are, right? Bring back wood! Paul Hello Paul Don’t hold back; say

Animal Vision

what you’re thinking! I understand that if you don’t like synthetic stocks ‘plastic’ ones might not be your bag, but I have some bad news for you. They’re better than wooden ones! There, I said it. Right across the world of shooting, synthetic stocks become more popular every day. They’re strong, stable, impervious to damage from water, mud and blood and can survive with little care. I love the look of beautiful walnut, but if I’m taking a riﬂe into the field a synthetic stock just makes sense. Ed. Synthetic stocks are technically superior

10 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Surely this bright blue camouflage is some kind of joke, isn’t it? You’d stand out like a sore thumb in that stuff and the animals and birds could see you from miles away. It’s not as bad as that orange stuff I suppose, but it’s never going to work. Harry Hello Harry If you read the science about the vision of animals then you’ll find that most don’t see colour too well at all. The problem is that we can’t ask them, so perhaps we’ll never know. However, in parts of the world where many hunters can be in the same area at once, the law requires them to wear bright

colours to reduce the chance of accidents and they’re still successful, so logically, it must work. Ed. Blue camo isn’t for everybody

All in the mind I wanted to write in to share something I’ve been experimenting with recently that may be useful to those hoping to improve their airgun accuracy, especially when hunting. As we all know, shooting well is challenging when using an air-powered rifle; even the smallest detail can have a detrimental effect on a shot. Most of us will have experienced the frustration of a pellet veering off course when interrupted by an unnoticed twig! Lately, I have been employing ‘mindfulness’ techniques when shooting. Mindfulness is essentially a meditative practice whereby one is open to, and observant of the present moment. How is this useful when you’re shooting? Well, as an example, many of us will have experienced a struggle to slow our breath and heart rate if we feel the opportunity for a kill slipping away. Often, we allow this situation to ramp up the pressure of the shot. Lately, as I prepare to pull the trigger, I endeavour to take on the mindset of the casual observer. I notice that my heart rate is

too high for a successful shot, but I do not allow this fact to cause me frustration. I allow myself the time I need to regain composure whilst being mindful of the certain fact that if this opportunity passes there will be others. Mindfulness techniques are widely shared free on the Internet, and the best thing of all is you don’t even need to be holding your gun to practise them! Why not give it a go? Phil Hello Phil Visualisation and ‘present centred thinking’ are popular mental skills used by pretty much all professional sports people these days, which proves to me that they must work. As you rightly say, if we’re able to control our minds, then our bodies will respond. Mindfulness is also free to understand and learn, and anything that makes us shoot better just has to be good. Too many people think that they need a new gun/scope/ pellet or some other item of equipment to improve when, in fact, our personal skill is the biggest area we should work on. Ed. Accuracy is all in the mind ... well nearly

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 11

Get in touch... Post your letters to: Letters, Air Gunner, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, RG40 2EG

[email protected]

Our writers take their responsibilities seriously

WIN

We’re the good guys Congratulations, on your deer-stalking qualification, your successful first kill, and on the March issue of Air Gunner in general. Throughout the issue all your contributors are encouraging responsibility, safety and positive awareness toward the sport of airgunning, and this is to be commended. Just some examples: The letters page shares opinions and encourages common sense across the board. Your writers are very much in the real world, and share their first-hand experiences, both successful and otherwise. Jamie injected a very real/borderline scary anecdote, with a ‘what if’ scenario with his falling branch. Charlie mentioned the perils of non-edible ﬂora. Russel had his eye firmly on safety (backstops) and also PR, whilst helping a friend with a vermin situation. Gary introduced a reality check, suggesting we don’t have to resemble Rambo whilst hunting and you mentioned declining tempting shots in favour of ensuring safe backstops.

All in all, well done and keep up the good work. Russ Hello Russ Responsibility, safety and positive awareness are some of my favourite words. We have a great sport which is part of the wonderful sporting scene that our great country blesses us with. I take great pleasure in sharing that with everybody who’d like to know what ‘hunting, shooting and fishing’ is really all about. Airguns offer sport and simple pleasure to hundreds and thousands of people every day and we all have a responsibility to protect it by representing it well. Ed.

Plinkers unite! I was very pleased to read Ray Armstead’s letter in the January edition of Air Gunner asking that you include more for the garden plinker. After all, there must be thousands of us out there in exactly his position, although in my case I started shooting airguns at around ten years old. I joined a proper riﬂe club ‘under age’ at around 14, but found it far too snobby, and went on to shoot inside gardens, but only at various legitimate targets, ever since. The main difference is that at about 20 years of age I injured my spine and so, as the years have passed, using break-barrel and under-lever

airguns has become impossible and the thought of having to carry a buddy bottle or use a pump to recharge a PCP is out of the question. With that in mind I’m very pleased that lower power and therefore legal Co2-powered guns came off FAC and now I can use those whilst seated using my modified shooting stick, and achieve excellent results on targets at 40 feet. With all the previously mentioned in mind, I too would love to see more on the ingenious back-garden shooter, how he/ she gets around problems such as neighbours worrying, or kids playing near where you might

12 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

want to shoot. How pellet traps and different plinking targets have been devised to be safe and reduce the risk of ricochet, and so on; how disabled have adapted to using or rejoining the airgun sport - and please include more on Co2 guns, specifically riﬂes. I only use SMK’s TH78D but don’t knock it - the results are stunning at the range I have available to me. By the way, I’m now 60 years old, so not a beginner by any stretch of the imagination, having owned maybe 20 or more different guns in my lifetime ... so far! John Hello John Perhaps other readers would like to write to me in answer to your

If you have a top tip, something you’d like to get off your chest, or an interesting anecdote, then why not shoot us a line? We print the best letters and emails each month and one will be awarded a top prize. It’s over £60 and you could win it simply by getting in touch and sharing your views

request. I’m always impressed at just how inventive people are when it comes to back-garden shooting. I currently use thick feed sacks filled with sand as my back stop because the pellet strike makes no noise, and I have total confidence that I won’t get any ricochets. However I’m going to use Gary Chillingworth’s idea and use a big bucket in future. Ed I’d like to hear about your DIY pellet stop ideas

AIRGUN GURU

GET IN TOUCH If you’re used to shooting rimfires, which hunting airgun would suit you best?

Post your letters to: Letters, Air Gunner, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, RG40 2EG

[email protected]

GURU TIP: When you get a new rifle, test as many high quality pellets as possible before selecting the best one, then stick with it until a genuine improvement can be found. Consistency is vital!

Q

I’ve been around guns since I was physically big enough to shoulder a .410 shotgun, and have been shooting rimfire (rabbits) and centrefire (foxes) riﬂes for many years, but suddenly find myself in need of an airgun to deal with rabbits in an area where rimfire isn’t suitable for safety reasons, and I know nothing whatsoever about airguns! I have read and re-read the last two issues of Air Gunner, and am no nearer deciding which airgun to buy. GURU seems to be the go-to man on all matters airgun, so can he please

recommend the best make?

A

GURU SAYS: I’m afraid you are asking the wrong question; what you should ask is what is the best type of airgun for you and your needs, then take it from there. I note that you have plenty of experience of shooting powder burners, but no amount of experience with them could prepare anyone to shoot a spring air riﬂe accurately

enough for pest control, and it’s all to do with the recoil. In a spring air riﬂe, a piston is driven forward by a powerful spring that pushes the air riﬂe back - this is recoil, which you are very used to. Unlike a powder burner, though, the pellet is still in the barrel throughout the entire rearward travel of the recoil, and it gets worse, because the piston then bounces back from a thin layer of highly compressed air at the end of its forward stroke, which jolts the riﬂe sharply

forwards and, you guessed it, the pellet is STILL in the barrel during the early stage of this forward travel. Because of the bi-directional recoil, the spring air riﬂe is by far the most difficult of riﬂes to master and, much as I love the dear old springer, I would strongly recommend that you opt for a PCP (Pre-Charged Pneumatic). The PCP holds highly compressed air in a cylinder, and releases a small amount to power each shot. There is a tiny amount of riﬂe movement, but it is so little that you won’t be aware of it, and a PCP will allow you to shoot with more than enough accuracy for pest control straight away. You will need to budget for either a pump or an air cylinder to recharge the riﬂe. I’d suggest visiting a shop that carries a good selection of PCPs, and handle them until you find the one that best suits your build and pocket, then select good-quality, round-head pellets, and spend a little range time learning the trajectory. You’ll be in control of the rabbit problem in no time! ■

The pre-charged pneumatic is less demanding of the shooter’s technique

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PUB HFT Gary Chillingworth tells us why guns and beer really do mix

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uring the winter months, the Maldon and District shooters like nothing more than putting their feet up and having a natter about shooting. In the past, we ran a series during the dark nights using torches and luminescent targets, but as we are getting older and the old bones are starting to complain about the cold, a new form of HFT was needed and luckily, the BBC show QI had a segment on the perfect thing. In the 1890s, a gentleman, by the name of Mr M Hurst, came up with the idea of challenging a rival pub to a shooting competition. This was a friendly tournament and the winners would receive bragging rights and a leg of mutton. The ﬁrst event took place using low-powered Britannia riﬂes, over a range of about 7 yards, and it was a massive success. Accounts claim that there was standing room only in the pub and people were cheering and screaming for the winners. Within a few years, Mr Hurst had founded the National

Bell target Fast forward a hundred years or so, and bell target is still popular. There are famous pubs - like The Lamb, in Devizes - that still have teams, but for the ardent HFT shooter, it is not a perfect sport because the ranges are only 6 to 7 yards, and the riﬂes and optics used are very different from an HFT or FT rig. So, with this in mind, Richard Woods, Maldon’s owner and chief cook and bottle washer, scoured the country and luckily, discovered that his local, The Round Bush pub and café, in Purleigh, had a big garden with a large backstop. After pleading with the landlord and promising that we would behave ourselves, PUB HFT was born. Now, please don’t think that we are just a bunch of yahoos, rocking up to a pub with guns in hand and shooting a few targets. Before any shooting could take place, there was a huge amount of work put into the event. Unlike the days of past, the shooting range is outside, and the targets are placed in

Above: Richard Baily takes a shot and Vince Holland is not impressed

“please don’t think that we are just a bunch of yahoos, rocking up to a pub with guns in hand” Air Riﬂe Association and before long, there were 4000 clubs with 20,000 shooters taking part on a regular basis. These clubs were especially popular in Birmingham with about 1600 on the books. It was not unknown for shooters to stand on a plinth and ﬁre across the heads of the drinkers below and, strangely enough, there were no reports of any injuries. This sport (bell target) went from strength to strength and only began to dwindle when the government started to regulate the events. It was not the fact that people were shooting across the heads of drinkers, or even the mixture of ﬁrearms and beer, that annoyed the establishment, but people were betting on the outcome and as this was not being done in licensed betting parlours, the government did not get their cut in tax.

such a way that if a target is missed completely, the pellet will remain within the boundary of the pub. There is obviously no drinking until the competition has ﬁnished and all the riﬂes have been put away. Every shooter has to have their own insurance and this is where great organisations like BASA can help, with policies from less than £20 a year, and this must be presented before any shooter can take part.

Kick off The event itself kicks off at 6pm every other week and just as it’s getting dark, and when it’s your turn to shoot, you are called to the ﬁring line - the back door of the kitchen. The competition itself consists of 20 targets shot in batches of 5, (10 kneeling and 10 standing) and these can be anything from 15mm to 40mm

16 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Below: Pre-war bell target rifles with dioptre sights

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and from 8 to 35 yards. There’s only one shooter at a time, and that shooter always has a spotter behind them, who is there as a second line of safety. If he, or anyone, sees anything untoward, they say ‘hold’ and then the rifle is made safe and not fired. When you are shooting, you shoot your five targets and then move away; the targets are scored 2 points for a knockdown, 1 point for a plate and 0 for a miss. When you have finished shooting, you then spot for your partner, and so on. The Round Bush has been great and laid on tea and coffee for us while we shoot, and the locals have been very welcoming. Competitions like this are good for building strong links with the local community, as well as getting much needed practice through the winter months. It has been noted that the shooters who turn up for PUB HFT have been doing much better in their regular shooting. Current World Champion, Vince Holland, has been working hard on his standing shots because the World HFT championships is only 2

months away, and he is desperate to retain his title. Shooting a course of standers and kneelers helps to build the muscle memory in your arms and legs and before you know it, you will be holding that rifle steadier and killing more targets. To be honest, though, PUB HFT is about one thing - spending time with your team and your friends, and shooting an airgun. I have said many times before that getting out and shooting, no matter what type it is, is great - and if you can do it in a warm pub, with a roaring fire and a excellent pint of beer after the shooting is finished and the guns have been put away, it has to be the most civilised way to shoot there is. This is a great English tradition and landlords like Gary Hoy should be congratulated on helping to bring this wonderful sport back to the masses. If any of you want to drop me a line and let me know what you think about PUB HFT, then please contact me at garychillingworth36@gmail. com ■ For more information go to www. madarc.net

“It has been noted that the shooters who turn up for PUB HFT have been doing much better” Right: Pub HFT alumnae at the inaugural event Below Right: Standard HFT targets with quality backstops

Below: Target stocks can make a huge difference

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The editor introduces the brand-new Air Arms Galahad sportpup

OH! WHAT A KNIGHT!

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ere’s an exclusive preview of one of the most talkedabout air riﬂes of the past 12 months, although the fact is - it’s been in development for over three years! I’ve been testing a pair of prototype Galahad riﬂes – not ‘bullpups’ but ‘sportpups’, according to their creators, Air Arms – and I’m able to bring you a performance snapshot of these remarkable airguns. We’ll be bringing you the full story on the Galahad as soon as the riﬂe is ready for full production, which is now conﬁrmed as the the end of April this year. For now, here’s a selection of action facts for you to think about.

Many phases The riﬂes I’m testing right now represent the seventh prototype of the Galahad, and that doesn’t include even more variations of the stock. These changes are driven by three main inﬂuences: the Air Arms design team, feedback from the factory’s ﬁeld testers (which includes some of the most accomplished shooters on the planet), and the views of Air Arms’ customers, because this manufacturer never forgets who put it at the top of its trade.

Many features The list of Galahad performance features includes a pre-charged pneumatic action based on the Air Arms world-beating S510 that runs the proven, 10-shot, removable rotary magazine. The Galahad is cocked and loaded via a unique, ‘assisted’ lever system that ﬂips down at the touch of a ﬁnger, after which a swift push forward arms the riﬂe. Returning the lever loads the pellet, seals the system and makes the Galahad ready to shoot. This seriously clever feature is not only slick and easy to use, it’s totally ambidextrous and I found that I can swap it from one side to the other in well under two minutes, using a single hex wrench. Another ﬁrst for Air Arms is a probe charger, and this slots neatly into its port beneath a captive cover. The ﬁnal shot count has yet to be ﬁnalised but the company has conﬁrmed that the Galahad will be offered in regulated and non-

regulated forms, and in high-power FAC mode. Further options are the action length – available in ‘carbine’ or ‘riﬂe’ - , stock type, a choice of Weaver/Picatinny and 11mm scope rails, plus a dedicated silencer.

First impressions Main: Ready on the range. Galahad is go!

Below: This a name you’ll hear a lot about soon

Weights and measures The walnut-stocked prototype weighs just over 8lbs (3.6kg), scoped as shown, and the carbine-length Galahad is a fraction lighter at 7.6lbs. (3.4kg). With a length of 31.5 inches for the walnut version, and just an inch shorter (silencer included) for the soft touch model shown, the Galahad is set to be extremely handy and stable in the aim – whatever conﬁguration you go for.

18 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Above: The cocking lever can swap sides in just a few minutes

This is a match-accurate riﬂe with exceptional handling qualities and an innovative, versatile cocking/ loading system. It’s looks will really excite some, turn others off and attract attention from everyone, but after my initial tests, one thing is obvious about the Air Arms Galahad – you absolutely have to try it before you make up your mind. I still have the vast majority of my testing to do, and once I’ve ﬁnished that, I’ll be back with the full report. Meanwhile, go to:www.air-arms. co.uk/news/949807-imaginationengineered-the-galahad to check out the latest Galahad news directly from Air Arms. ■

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THE BIG TEST

ON THE FIRING LINE THIS MONTH:

AIR ARMS TX200 HC

TRULY XCELLENT Hot on the heels of the TX winning the world HFT championships, the editor takes another look

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et’s play top airgun tenuous! My best effort goes like this. A long time ago, one of my shooting buddies was a research engineer who did work for Air Arms. At that time, most serious airgunners were being blown away by the Weihrauch HW77K, an incredible riﬂe that had rewritten the rules of what a spring-piston air riﬂe could do. I say ‘spring piston’, but it might as well have been all air riﬂes, because pre-charged pneumatics were just a glimmer in the eye of uber-clever, future-thinking engineers. Springers were where it was at. Whilst developing his ideas for the new Air Arms riﬂe, he would take my 77 from me on a Sunday night and give it back to me on the following Tuesday with the simple request to get as many pellets through the barrel as I could. Little did I know that he was developing new ideas and parts which he’d install in my gun, but I did know that it shot better and better every time he took it from my hands. It was years later when I came to know that I’d played a very small part

Above: Shot off-hand the recoil is hardly noticebale

Below: The cross-bolt safety is automatic

20 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

“When you pick up this rifle, the solid build quality and heft grab your attention” in the development process of the now classic Air Arms TX 200, a sliding breech, spring-piston, under-lever, which just last year became the gun

that won the world springer HFT World Champion! The final version of my heavily modified riﬂe was then, and still is, one of the most accurate

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rifles I’ve ever fired. Back when accuracy was something of a lottery, I shot some ¼” groups at 45 yards, something I’d still be proud of today.

Off the shelf My gun was an incredible, hand-

crafted one-off, but today you can walk into your local Air Arms dealer and benefit from all that research and development with a flash of your debit card. All the lessons learned, plus a load of brand-new innovations, come together to create one truly incredible sporter, the TX Hunter Carbine. Every subtle, balanced factor was delivered to Air Arms from which they took the TX prototype and

Above:The high cheek piece offers good support and consistent mounting

“The firing cycle is smooth and quite uneventful, although there is a noticeable muzzle crack” Left: The cocking stroke is firm yet pleasantly smooth

developed it into the stunning, world championship-winning, rifle it is today. I’ll put my hands up and say that since I fell in love with precharged pneumatic rifles, springers have been low on my attention horizon, but it cannot be denied that most of us old gits cut our teeth on these beasts, and will love them until we die. With all that in mind, and with the imminent release of Air Arm’s most radical PCP to date, the Galahad, I felt it was time to remember what made this English colossus great. Air Arms is an engineering company first, and a shooting company second, so we can be sure that anything we buy from them will be bolted together properly, and that the research and development will be based on science, not received wisdom. I asked for a TX Hunter Carbine in .177, the calibre that all seasoned veterans of our beloved sport choose to use. When we were discovering the physics and techniques of what made our sport truly accurate, the moment that we understood what .177 meant, life changed for us all, so of course it was the calibre I had to review.

Solid When you pick up this rifle, the solid build quality and heft grab your attention. With a scope and mounts my test gun weighed 10¼ lbs, which is a big old chunk to carry around the woods all day, but there’s a good reason for this. All spring-piston guns recoil and vibrate before the pellet leaves the barrel; a heavier gun reduces that movement to a degree and therefore makes the gun easier to shoot. The ratio of the overall weight of the gun compared to the weight of the moving parts is important, so a light-ish piston and a heavy rifle is a desirable combination., which explains the option to fit a Q-Tec silencer by unscrewing the end cap and spinning on a male threaded moderator. The piston runs on black acetal bearings that look like piston rings. These ensure that there can be no metal-to-metal contact between the piston and the bore, keeping things smooth. The spring is also supported well at both ends, which explains the lack of noise and vibration. One of the innovations this Ô www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 21

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“It was fantastic, quite literally as accurate as any PCP I’ve tested” rifle brought to the sport was that the piston is free to rotate inside the cylinder as it’s blasted forward by the spring. Springs actually unwind and rotate as they expand and this can create a torque effect that twists the rifle in your hands, but by allowing this energy to be released, the torque never affects the rifle, making it easier to shoot. There really was no point in me chronographing this rifle because I’ve stood and watched the Air Arms

technicians test and log the power of each and every gun that leaves their factory. However, I tested it anyway and unsurprisingly, it was making a consistent 11.2 ft.lbs by launching the 8.44 grain Air Arms Field Diablo .177 at an average velocity of 773 fps. Shot-to-shot velocity variation was just 6fps even though the gun wasn’t run in at all, and accuracy testing would have to wait until the gale force winds died down.

Left: The loading port is huge and easily accessed

Below: This is surely one of the best springpiston hunting guns ever made

22 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Under lever Cocking is a masculine affair, suggesting that quite a stout spring is used. The carbine length means that the under-lever is quite short, reducing the mechanical advantage, but even at my advanced stage of desk-bound feebleness I found shooting 100 shots in a string easily achieved. I did notice that the knurling on the cocking aid made my

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office-boy hand sore – diddums. The loading port is large, being cut right down to the level on the stock on the right so that it offers good access to the breech for easy pellet loading. You’ll note from the pictures

Beautiful walnut Of less interest to super-competitive types will be the beautiful figuring in the walnut used to make the stock; my particular example was just lovely. Where you’d expect to find

Above: It’s a handsome rifle in its natural environment

“The TX was the least hold-sensitive spring/ piston rifle I’ve ever tried” that my scope choice wasn’t too clever in that I selected rather a long model. This covered the aperture to a degree, but because it’s large I had no difficulty loading. On the right side of the action, behind the loading aperture is the automatic anti bear-trap mechanism that keeps your delicate digits safe if the trigger and safety should fail. This needs to be depressed to close the action, but I found the muscle memory to release it each time after just a few minutes, and didn’t worry about it again. Coming on aim, the weight is again noticeable, but the beautifully designed stock and great balance make it easily handled. However, this isn’t a gun for a youngster or lightly built lady because it needs some muscle to get the best from it. The extra weight is one of the things that competition types find very attractive, though. Target riﬂes are almost always heavy, adding stability on aim which is just what’s needed when you’re under pressure.

chequering panels you’ll find a laserapplied, fish-scale pattern that’s a bit of a Marmite choice, but completely practical all the same. The pistol grip area is worthy of special attention because it offers a fully ergonomic support to your hand, delivering your trigger finger precisely onto the swept-back blade. This is a great aid to fine trigger control, such an important part of accurate shooting. This area of the stock is far too often overlooked by manufacturers who force us to stretch to reach the blade, adding tension and fatigue to every shot. What matters more than anything else about a rif le, to me, is accuracy - or I should say ‘available accuracy’. Many rif les are potentially accurate, but people struggle to realise that performance, whereas other guns are easy for anybody to get the best from. Spring-piston guns need to be shot in a specific way to get the best from them, so I settled down at my range bench with

SPECS Manufacturer: Air Arms Web: www.air-arms.co.uk Tel: 01323 845853 Model: TX 200 Hunter Carbine Type: Spring-piston Action: Sliding-breech, under-lever Trigger: Two-stage, adjustable Weight: 8.8lbs (4kg) Length: 39.25” (955mm)

RRP £483.00

some nice soft rests and set about seeing what the TX would do. At 25 yards, it simply put one pellet after the next through one hole. It was fantastic, quite literally as accurate as any PCP I’ve tested. To see what happened when I used the wrong technique, I gripped the stock like I was trying to strangle it, and it shot to a different zero, but to my amazement still shot neat little groups. I carried on varying my technique and, to my complete surprise, as long as I was holding it with a reasonably light grip it just kept shooting to the same position. This is important news for hunters. Shooting from a bench with soft bags is an academic study but in the field we always hold the riﬂe. Shooting up, down, standing, kneeling or prone, the riﬂe is in our hands and the TX was the least hold-sensitive spring/piston riﬂe I’ve ever tried. Certainly, a PCP is even better, but not everybody wants one and the TX is a real alternative, as my testing showed. It looks like I might have found a clue to why this beautiful riﬂe won the world HFT championships. Sure, it’s accurate, but it’s much more important that the accuracy is available to a human being, not a bench rest. The TX is a stunning gun, combining good looks and first-rate engineering, and a field performance that the average shooter can use. No wonder it’s yet another winner from Hailsham. ■

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oday was a bit of a strange affair; it was the first time out hunting without my good mate, Mick Garvey, for a long time. Mick has moved on to pastures new and is now writing for our sister magazine, Airgun World. This is great testament for all the hard work he has put in over the years since I first met him. Mick was pretty green when it came to hunting a few years back; don’t get me wrong, he had been out shooting for quite a while and was an excellent shot, but he did not have the knowledge to go out and make things happen like he does today. Also, not having the land that supported enough pests didn’t help him to gain the experience he has picked up since. If anyone wants to get into hunting in a big way then Mick is the one to

Main: After sitting for about 40 minutes my ﬁrst chance came

read about, to see what he has learned and what dedication it takes to get where he has got too today. Whilst he and I have been going out together, our numbers have been pretty good regarding the quarry we have been after, and we have learned how to work the land to maximise our bag. Mick has been able to spot squirrels easier when they are trying to hide from us in the tops of the trees, and that has saved so

“I won’t miss his red shoes though, or his moaning” much time, enabling us to cover much more ground in a session. I won’t miss his red shoes though, or his moaning because I took his shot, or even him crying because he wants to shoot other quarry after we

have planned the day ahead. What I will miss is a good friend to talk tactics with, someone to steal dinner from; you all know what I mean. It is weird in a way because before I met Mick I would spend 99% of my shooting alone. I would hate it if I had an elephant foot scaring everything before I had chance to get a shot off, but all that changed with Mick tagging along. I know we will have some sessions together again and that they will be good, but it will be strangely quiet without him.

The Lone Ranger Well, enough of that, let’s get on to my first outing without Tonto. Over the days prior, we had been graced with snow, high winds, plenty of rain and the tiniest glimpse of sun. I thought

THE SOLO HUNTER Eddie Jones tells us why he misses his shooting buddy

26 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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with all the rough weather we’d had, a nice calm day should bring out every squirrel in the wood, looking for nuts that it had buried for the winter, so packed, with the Impact rifle in my arms, I set off into the wood with high hopes of an early squirrel. The route I took was the normal way I would have gone in the past, but this time I had to cover a good 60 yards either side of me rather than the 30 if Mick had been in line with me. Still, I had done this before many times alone, so this time should be no different. I slowly started my walk, scanning not just the trees, but also the floor ahead. I see more squirrels on the floor at this time of year so never hedge all your bets by scanning the trees. I had walked most of the wood and hadn’t seen a squirrel, and it did feel a little strange because this is one of my best woods for them, but nothing stirred at all. You can always see the flicker of a tail in the distance, or a body fleeing through the trees behind you because you haven’t seen the squirrel and walked past it, but this time - not a thing. I decided to move to the thicker, conifer wood. I thought it might be the cold wind that was putting them off in this one and if it were, then surely they would be in the conifers. I had to climb a steep bank toward these woods and usually you can sneak up on a squirrel just as you look over

the top, so I slowly raised my body to get level with the woodland floor and started to scan around. Above : I’ll use whatever support I can find if I need to shoot standing

That’s odd! Not a thing! This was really strange because I almost always get one here,

odd in the trees. Halfway through and there was still nothing - this was getting depressing. I would have thought with all the bad weather that I would surely see something today. Well, I plodded on toward the far end of the wood, and at last, I had

“if you do plan on trying to go after pigeons always walk with the wind in your face” Below: This huge stump gives me a good background

even if it spots me I can usually follow it through the trees until it stops to hide. I started to make my way into the wood, always alert for any movement or shapes that seemed

something in the trees in front of me. A grey shape was halfway up a conifer just sitting tight to the trunk. I was very lucky, any other time this pigeon would have spotted me, but I had been

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lucky enough to have a tree between me and the pigeon, also it had its back facing me as the wind was blew straight toward me. Pigeons like facing the wind so if you do plan on trying to go after pigeons, always walk with the wind in your face. I crept ever-closer to the tree in front, slowly twisting the Impact and my eye around the trunk to get a sight of it in one motion. It seemed to take ages. I wanted this pigeon so badly. I had seen nothing all morning so this was a priority. Slowly raising the scope in line with the middle of the pigeon’s shoulders, I sent the pellet toward I, and with a positive thump on impact, the pigeon was dead before it hit the ground. Finally happy to get off the mark, I set off for a quick coffee to warm the hands. I had two choices now for the afternoon walk. Should I walk through the same woods again just in case they’d come out later than usual or sit it out in the larch wood for

Above: Getting a clean shot through so many twigs is tough, but I Iove it

Right: Peeping over the top of the bank usually finds me a squirrel

Below: Not my best day, but for my first time out alone in ages I was happy

pigeons? I chose the latter. I have always shot something in the larch wood so this was to be my last hope. I had been sitting patiently amongst some old branches for a good 40 minutes when my ﬁrst chance came flying in. I had a choice of three pigeons to take. The trees in this wood move about in the wind a little more than most, so you need to choose your shots carefully. I was at the bottom of a bank so most of the breeze was going straight over the top of these trees today. I opted for the headshot of the nearest one to me; they were only 25-30 yards away so it was no problem for the Impact/Hawke combo. With number two in the bag the wait was on for more. After an hour and half, two more pigeons were in the bag, and a squirrel had been running back and

I aimed a few millimetres higher than normal, the pellet was on its way and with nothing to dodge between the pellet and the squirrel it was a direct hit. Finally, I had my grey, and it was nice to get what I had actually set out for. I decided to head back to the car as the light faded and the clouds gathered behind me, and on the way, I managed to creep up on another two pigeons - and one was pretty close to the car so I was not too worried if it rained then. It had been a strange day. Was it because Mick was not with me that I was not spotting them? We used to move them toward each other so we did spot them. I am sure it won’t be the last time it’ll this hard. I did manage a few shots but that was only because I changed quarry that afternoon. I’ll

“I had been sitting patiently for a good 40 minutes when my first chance came flying in forth in front of me around 60 yards away. I was in two minds whether to try to sneak up on the squirrel or just sit tight and hope it would come. Fifteen minutes later, I was rewarded. Clearly, sitting tight had proved to be the right call. I had tracked the squirrel through the trees until it settled down on a branch about 35 yards away, and I wasn’t going to wait any longer just in case it ran off, back to where it had come from.

28 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

update you when I go into this wood with Mick again, just in case he is my lucky charm - or it could be that the squirrels couldn’t put up with his moaning and wanted to be shot so they didn’t have to hear him. Who knows? Never hedge your bets on one species just in case, always try to have a back up plan to have a half decent day, and if you do shoot alone, try going after squirrels with a mate, you may be surprised! ■

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SO CLOSE AND YET YOU MISSED

Keith Warburton explains the tricky subject of parallax error

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arallax error is often blamed when someone misses a target they felt they should have hit – usually a close one. So what exactly is parallax? It might help us shooters if we renamed it Head Position Error, HPE for short. It means that if your eyeball isn’t in exactly the same position as when you originally set the scope’s parallax (range) at your zeroing distance, you may induce an error. The error is likely to be worse on close targets than on distant ones. A definition: ‘Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines.’ By the way, since parallax is an error in itself, parallax error is a tautology, saying the same thing twice.

DIY You can demonstrate it for yourself. With one eye closed and with your arm straight, point at something in the middle distance and sight along your arm and finger. Now keep your

arm and finger motionless move your head from side to side and you’ll find you are pointing at different things. The further you move your eye away from its original position the greater the amount of apparent shift - and that’s parallax. Now point at the object again and consider your arm to be the riﬂe barrel. Move your head to the side and you are pointing off target even though the ‘barrel’ is still pointing at the target. If you now move your hand to point at the apparent new position of the target, thus correcting for the movement of your head, and pull an imaginary trigger you’ll miss the target because the barrel is actually pointing off to the side and, of course, it isn’t just a side-to-side effect; vertical HPE has the same result. Open sights virtually eliminate the potential for HPE. You have to align the front post with the rear notch, and with your target. It is then relatively easy to align front and rear sights on the third point, your target. The further apart the two sights the easier it is to align them. That’s why

30 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Main: A scope maximiser, or pig’s ear, can improve head positioning

Above: Yes, you can see it, but is it where you think it is?

the front and rear sights on riﬂes are set as far apart as the gun maker can achieve, commensurate with the eye and brain’s ability to focus on three things at the same time. Whilst it is easy to align three points accurately, with scopes you only have two points, the reticle and the target, and the reticle is quite close to your eye, and that’s potentially not good for accuracy. With scopes, this is cancelled out by the magnification lenses’ capacity

“The error is likely to be worse on close targets than on distant ones”

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Left: The MTC Connect forces you to touch the scope, for a repeatable head position

Left: The cheek piece on the Grand Prix helps with consistent head positioning

“you’ll miss the target because the barrel is actually pointing off to the side” for accuracy, provided you keep your head in exactly the same position as it was when you originally zeroed. This is when things start to get a bit trickier to explain.

Re figures 1 & 2 In both illustrations, point A represents our eye at the centre of the scope, and B and C shows our eye moved to the edge of the scope. Our target is O, placed either at T distance (fig. 1) or at T1 (fig. 2). We now fire at the target and adjust the windage and elevation of the reticle until the pellets land in the centre, when the centre of the reticle is also in the centre of the O. The scope is therefore zeroed and, in effect, parallaxed at T distance. Importantly, even if we move our eye to points B and C at the periphery of the scope, the cross hair of the reticle will still appear to be over the centre of O, and therefore at our zero distance (whether T or T1), and so HPE is not a problem; the pellet will still hit somewhere in the target, if not the exact centre.

definition, but it’ll do for now. You will also see that a close zero distance has less point blank range, and is therefore less forgiving for shooters, and also that the effect of HPE is greater. In figure 1, with your eye at B and the target placed at T3 distance, it will appear to you to be at point F. In figure 2, even with the target a lot closer, at T4, and with your eye at B1 the target will appear to be further to the right than F, at point H. Finally, eye relief comes into the picture. This is the point behind the scope where the image from the ocular lens is focused. Simply put, if your eyeball isn’t at the point of focus you won’t see anything, which is why, when you are trying someone else’s riﬂe you sometimes have to search for the image, moving your head in every direction until you find it, and when you find it, tiny movements of your head have the potential to induce HPE even though the image appears to be clear. Which is why some shooters benefit from an adjustable cheek piece and/or a ‘pig’s ear’, or a scope which forces you to have a very exact eye placement, because they all have the potential to reduce parallax - and now a question: If I know all this, how come I still keep on missing those ‘easy’ shots? ■

D

F

T3

The shaded areas illustrate that if your zero distance is close, then you have less ‘point blank range’, within which you potentially don’t need to make any adjustment or allowance for HPE. I realise that I’m not using the term point blank range in its exact

Fig 1

Fig 1 g d

f

h

T4 T Right: This diagram helps make it clear...I hope

Left: How many of these misses by good shooters are down to Head Position Error?

T1

B A C

B1 A1 C1

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THE GOLDEN TICKET The editor joins some lucky winners as they tour the Air Arms factory

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any of you will have seen the Air Arms Golden Ticket competition in the magazine and perhaps wondered whatever happened, so let me tell you. On the 2nd of February, the ten lucky winners arrived at the factory in Hailsham for what turned out to be a truly interesting day, and I tagged along with camera in hand to see how they got on. It was clear that everybody who had won was a super-keen airgunner and that the range of experience and knowledge amongst the visitors was huge. This had a benefit for the Air Arms team because, as the day went along, they regularly asked for opinions of the guests on products and ideas, and I can assure you that no punches were pulled with the answers. After being welcomed by the lovely Claire West, the MD, the day began with Alan George, the General Manager, taking us on a highly detailed tour of the machine shop, explaining how their massive investment in machinery allows them to produce almost everything in house, except stocks and barrels. This gives them total control of the raw materials used, how they’re machined and then finished. He truly loves making precision equipment and you’ve never seen a man more happy in his work. Despite the impressive size of the building it’s full to the brim with equipment and busy men, hard at work.

The afternoon Top: A room full of very happy faces was a joy to see Above: The guests were shown the manufacturing process in incredible detail

Right: Look what I found to play with

32 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

After a delicious lunch, Alan Dennis, Airgun Production and Design Manager, took us around the assembly and testing area where we saw how chunks of metal and wood become the rifles we know and love. As with the machine shop, attention to detail is paramount here, and systems and procedures support the skill of the workers to ensure that each and every gun meets the very highest standard before it passes through the factory door. If any parameter is even in question, the gun goes back to basics until it’s spot on. Perhaps the most striking impression I came away with was the belief and passion exuded by

“…attention to detail is paramount here and systems and procedures support the skill of the workers”

the Air Arms team. Sure, there was plenty of leg-pulling, but it’s as clear as day that they really are a team. Their drive to make the very best guns they can came through in every conversation throughout the day, and a willingness to listen to constructive criticism shows them to be determined always to improve. I’ll openly confess to being a fan of the brand, having used their rifles for over 12 years, so I know what they can do in the field. I was really glad to see that the guests enjoyed their day and now understand Air Arms that much better. The huge goodie bag that they each left with might have added to their smiles a little bit, as well. www.air-arms.co.uk

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PIGEON

PARADISE Jim Chapman strikes it rich in a pest control nirvana

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fter many years spent on the road, my outlook towards travel can be jaded at times, but whenever I find myself landing in South Africa, something takes hold and I’m like a wide-eyed kid once more. I am captivated by the wildlife, the land, the people, and regardless of whether its big game hunting with centrefires, small game with airguns, or just being out trekking, I cannot get enough. I was visiting a friend’s sheep farm on the Eastern Cape a while back, and the opportunity for some airgun hunting came along. The feedlots and stockyards draw large numbers of rock pigeons that ﬂy in to forage before, during, and after the sheep have been fed. Wave after wave of these native pigeons ﬂy in to rob the animal feeders, taking a substantial amount of grain with each raid. I have hunted this area several times in past years with various airguns in .177, .22, and .25 calibres, but on this outing chose to use an old standby from Crosman. The Benjamin Marauder is a multishot, pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air riﬂe released to market a few years back, and I leave a couple of these M-rods at a relative’s house for those

shorter visits when I don’t want to be burdened with transporting guns and gear. I like this riﬂe for a couple reasons; first is that the shooting gets fast and furious with birds coming in from all directions, making a highly reliable, 10-shot magazine, and the ability to do a quick reload, a desirable attribute. It’s worth mentioning that the magazines are inexpensive so I’ll keep five or six loaded and ready to go. Whilst this is not what most

34 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Main: Blinds made of baled hay worked very effectively, not only for pigeons but also for crows and guinea fowl

Below: A hornbill drops in to see what’s going on

would consider a high-end riﬂe, and it perhaps lacks the aesthetic appeal of some of my other guns, both the riﬂe and the magazines are very robust and reliable. This is important when one is a long way from spare parts or support. The accuracy and power are all that could be asked for in both calibres; the .177 calibre riﬂe coupled with the 10.3 grain and the .22 calibre with the 14.7 grain Crosman Premier pellets, are accurate and produce excellent terminal performance.

Rock pigeon The African rock pigeon, also known as the ‘speckled pigeon’ is a large bird that will gather in huge numbers around agricultural areas. Taking these winged pests in quantity serves to reduce the impact of local populations, because they can eat a significant amount of feed, and foul what is left behind. In addition, these grain-fed pigeons are pests that can be eaten, and are good in stews, roasted, or made into a pigeon pie. Typically, I keep some for our table and distribute the rest to the farm workers, which is always welcomed. My approach to shooting these birds

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“…whenever I find myself landing in South Africa, something takes hold and I’m like a wide-eyed kid” is either to hike out with gun in hand, picking off random pigeons whenever I sneak into range, or alternatively, to set up an ambush. Stalking is a greater challenge and more fun, though, and there is no arguing that the ambush set up is far more productive. We have patterned the birds and found that at specific times of the day they will fly in large numbers to certain feedlots. An effective tactic is to capitalise on their routine, setting up a shooting blind at the feeding area. We’ll select a spot and build a blind from hay bales, which hides us from view as incoming birds are picked off. In one such set-up, the bales were stacked behind a wire fence, with 2x4 beams placed across the top, and additional bales stacked on to give support and hold the blind together. There was a shooting window facing the field that contained the animal feed bins. Some old grain bags were hung from the door to prevent incoming sun from backlighting us and giving our position away. There were a couple spaces left around the enclosure that created small viewing/ shooting portals and allowed a 360-degree view of surrounding areas. I have also used this blind and others like it to shoot Egyptian geese, guinea fowl, and other quarry, and often the same spot will work for the various species though they may appear at

different times in the day. I start off by shooting a few birds and positioning them around the yard as decoys. This will invariably bring in more birds that, once shot, add to the decoy population. I’ll often enhance the decoy set by taking a 14” length of wire and shaping it into a cradle, which will hold the dead birds in lifelike positions. This is a trick I picked

Above: Living conditions on the Hounslow farm are a very nice break from the more rustic hunting environs

Below: A 14-inch piece of wire was bent to form a cradle into which a recently shot bird was laid

up a few years ago from a British hunting acquaintance, and although quite simple in hindsight, is not one that I’d thought of! These were stuck into the ground around the hide and worked brilliantly. As soon as the decoys were out and I was in the blind, the birds started flying in, sometimes a small group of five or six birds, sometimes as many as a hundred would land at once. I would shoot a magazine then reload with a fresh one and continue. Being selective and taking my time, I could easily average 40 birds an hour!

Pellet performance

“I start off by shooting a few birds and positioning them around the yard as decoys”

Though I primarily used the .177, the .22 was noticeably more effective on the body shots, with the majority of birds dropping immediately on impact. The accuracy was such that headshots at 50 yards were very doable with either calibre, and a good thing about the headshot option, is that as a rule, the result is either a clean hit or a clean miss. At one point, I started shooting the closer birds out of the air as they hovered in place over the decoys looking for a landing site. I know this sounds counterintuitive to an airgunner, but sometimes these birds would hover with the chest and head virtually stationary, allowing plenty of time to get on target. On another morning I was hiking a

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“They will never stop these birds from winging in, but by keeping up the pressure they can restrict them”

rock-covered hillside above the farm, looking for a duiker I’d spotted the previous evening, when I stumbled into a stand of trees where the pigeons had been roosting, and birds exploded every which way. My friend, Rob, and I went back later that afternoon with our air rifles and tucked in along the fence line, setting our rifles on fence posts while we waited. As the pigeons flew in, they would land on the tall spikes of the aloes that served as a staging area, before going to roost. We took a couple of dozen birds each in about an hour, shooting anywhere from 40 to 70 yards.

What a day! At the conclusion of one exceptional afternoon hunt I hauled in a few

Above: Having a few extra mags’ keeps you in the action as things heat up! Right: The Marauder .177 worked a charm on these birds; flatshooting, accurate, powerful, quiet and reliable

Below:The pigeon pies made from the birds I shot were very tasty, and were a good comfort food on the cold nights we experienced during the hunt

bags containing just under 50lbs of pigeons. These were processed and we kept some of the meat for ourselves, and distributed the rest amongst the farmhands. The next evening we returned to the farmhouse from a kudu hunt to ﬁnd an appetiser of pigeon hearts and onions, along with a main course of pigeon pie awaiting us. This was a ﬁrst for me, and it was very tasty. On other pigeon shoots I’d had the birds roasted and stewed, but think the pigeon pie would have to be my favourite. Whilst the primary goal of our pigeon shoots was to reduce the number of birds around the working areas of the farm, being able to convert the kill into an excellent

36 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

source of protein was a big plus, in my view. I’ve rarely shot in a more targetrich environment, and can say without exaggeration that it would be possible to shoot several hundred pigeons if that was the focus of the hunt. Even as a couple of hours break from big game hunting now and then, I was racking them up in big numbers. I left behind my two Marauders for the farm-owners to use in their continuing pigeon control efforts. They will never stop these birds from winging in, but by keeping up the pressure they can restrict them from certain areas. I must say that not being able to eradicate them is OK with me, because on my yearly trips out to the Cape this is a shoot I really look forward to! ■

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Charlie Portlock investigates a little used area of his permission

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he recent combination of cold weather and relentless rain has meant that I’ve spent more time planning hunting trips from my desk than I have in the field. Having said that, I’ve discovered a great new location that could almost have been designed for ambushing rabbits. Although I normally prefer to spot and then stalk up to an individual animal, the saturated ground has made moving through mud a noisy

unable to head out during my free afternoons because I’m either working the beating line or cautious of causing disturbance. The pheasants become understandably wary of human activity and my late afternoon wanderings beneath their roosting trees runs the risk of scattering them before the next day’s drive. The recent abundance of local game birds and gifted wildfowl meant that I hadn’t enjoyed a rabbit

Above: I felt that this was perfect for a rabbit ambush Below: These rabbits also feed next to the road

always productive when outwitting rabbits and squirrels. For starters, the animals in one area will soon become sensitised to being preyed upon regularly, so it’s a good idea to

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“I’m often guilty of returning to the place of my most recent success” and messy affair so I’ve been waiting for mild, overcast afternoons when the rabbits are active and I don’t run the risk of getting the rifle plastered with mud. In addition to the joys of the British weather, I’ve had some other challenges to overcome and negotiate. At the time of writing, the game shooting season is just drawing to a close, and much of my permission lies on or adjacent to pheasant and partridge drives, so I’ve often been

for some time, and after a day of eating a slow-cooked Canada goose for breakfast, lunch and dinner I was definitely ready to cook something without wings.

Breaking the habit I can’t speak for other hunters, but I’m often guilty of returning to the place of my most recent success. If you shoot from cover at a bait point, or set decoys along a flight line, then this makes sense, but it’s not

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vary your approach and your ground as much as possible. Secondly, it’s easy to miss new opportunities if you always stalk the same hedgerow or lucrative feeding area. We all want to return home successful, so it can take a concerted effort to break with habit. If I’m not actively searching out alternative routes or angles of approach, I can often find myself on the same old beaten track without really thinking about it. For this trip, I wanted to investigate the remains of an old barn that forms a collection of unusually raised tussocks and mounds at the south-eastern corner of a sloping field. The southern edge of the field borders a busy road and the eastern edge is difficult to access quietly due to a very steep bank, but these

field boundaries are teeming with rabbits, even in winter. However, the prevailing wind makes it a challenge to approach the warrens undetected so I planned to arrive early, climb the bank and allow the area to settle as the light began to fail. I only needed one rabbit and I hoped to have a few to choose from. With sunset predicted for 4.44pm I knew that if I were in position for 4.15pm, I would have around an hour of light to shoot by. I normally walk to my permissions, but in order to avoid disturbing the pheasants this meant a trip along a busy road, with the riﬂe in its case. This is perfectly legal but I’m always sure to keep the riﬂe slung on the hedge of my body, barrel down, and to take off my hat to ensure that I’m recognisable.

Cold comforts Background: The game-shooting season is almost over

Below: This was a safe position despite the nearby road and houses

The last time I’d hunted this particular part of the field I’d come out with inner gloves that were still quite damp from the morning session. This proved to be a big mistake because as the temperature dropped to near freezing, the wind chill picked up, and I began to lose sensation in the tip of my trigger finger despite my outer gloves. It became so painful that I if I hadn’t been yards from taking my shot I’d have given up. The medical term for this is ‘frostnip’ and although it’s the mildest kind of Freezing Cold Injury (FCI), it can be a problem, particularly if your vascular efficiency isn’t great. We can sometimes forget that although hunting in the British climate is relatively tame by Nordic or North

“I began to lose sensation in the tip of my trigger finger despite my outer gloves” 42 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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American standards, there are still health risks when we venture out in the cold or the wet and it pays to be prepared. Speaking of being cold, I’d like to talk trousers. I’m normally reluctant to bestow direct praise in my articles unless some piece of equipment is truly exceptional, but my current trousers (Seeland Marsh) are such a big step up from my old pair that they’re worth a public thumbs up. They’re designed for beating, and rough wetland shooting, and are

Into position Luckily, the weather had been relatively dry for the last few weeks and this meant that climbing the steep bank to enter the ﬁeld would be a bit easier. I never attempt anything like this with a loaded rifle because it only takes one mistake to lose balance and be out of control. I’m in the habit of uncocking the rifle whenever I need to jump a stream, cross a fence or climb anything challenging, and from the amount of times I have taken a tumble, I’m glad that I do

Left: My Seeland Marsh trousers are almost barbed-wire-proof

Top: A day spent beating will make the keeper happy Above: Do squirrels eat snails?

“Turning my head slowly to my rear I saw three rabbits grazing at about 20 yards” the closest thing to being barbedwire-proof that I’ve ever worn. They’re rugged, hardwearing and almost indestructible and although they’re not as quiet as some stalking trousers, they’re not meant to be. They’re ideal for sitting in wet woodland waiting for squirrels, retrieving kills from thumb-thick brambles, and forging through briars in the beating line. They’re lined and warm enough for cold weather, but I always wear long johns underneath which keep out the frost completely. The design is well thought out and sensibly, uses press studs in place of the dreaded Velcro on pockets and pouches, so that you can get to your rangeﬁnder without drawing too much attention.

so. Accidents always seem to happen when you least expect them. Climbing as quietly as possible, I wormed my way through thorns and rusted wire to reach the top of the slope, and although I’d been loud by my normal standards, I still made sure to cross the fence gently. After I was loaded and ready, I made my way over to the ﬁrst mound where I could shoot downhill from cover as the rabbits emerged to feed from the bank. There were houses and a road in this direction so I made certain that there was plenty of rising ground to act as safe backstop, and that I was at last 25 yards from the centre of the road. It was still relatively light, so I made myself comfortable and with the rifle rested beside me I took a short snooze.

When I awoke the gloom was already gathering, but there was nothing in front of me; perhaps I’d been too noisy climbing the bank. As I turned my head slowly to my rear, I saw three rabbits grazing at about 20 yards and I wondered how I was going to manoeuvre into position for a shot. I began to move my arm, and one animal hopped under the hedge, unsure of exactly what it had seen. Rather than spook the others, I resolved to wait 10 minutes for the rising darkness to cover my slow crawl around to the opposite side of the mound, where I could shoot my new target from cover. I’d be relying on my 50mm objective and a lower magniﬁcation setting to gather enough light for the shot and I was grateful for the option to illuminate my reticle, which would further deﬁne the kill zone. I made slow progress on my belly, but once behind the mound I slowly raised my head to see that both animals were undisturbed. I drew the rifle gently back to my shoulder and opened my palm to take a fully rested, 25-yard shot to claim my supper.

On its way Snowdrops are already emerging from the sodden ground and the daffodils that follow will soon form the vanguard of spring. The ever-changing seasons bring all kinds of rewards for the airgunner, both in terms of shooting and wildlife observation, so let’s hope that the weeks of unrelenting rain are soon to be behind us and that we can all look forward to some longer, lighter evenings and some increasingly active quarry. Happy hunting! ■

Right: I like Canada goose, but you can have too much of a good thing

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SPRINGSVs RAMMERS The editor runs a head-to-head shoot-out to answer a tricky question

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e and my big mouth! I seemed to have developed the knack of irritating the MD of BSA Guns recently. My last faux pas was to say that I didn’t think that gas-rams were as good as springers. He’s well known for, shall we say, speaking his mind, and he defended rammers with some conviction. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, or something a little more colourful. I know that as an engineer he’d never defend something that wasn’t technically correct, so I offered a challenge. I suggested that he send me two guns, identical in every way, except in their power plants. He suggested Lightning XLs, which would even wear identical scopes and mounts. It looked like the challenge was on! When they arrived I built them up, and they were indeed identical in balance and feel; but cocking them immediately showed a difference. The springer had that familiar soft start to the pressure that built progressively until the sears latched. The GRT gas-ram took a firm pull right from the start and felt more linear. It’s hard to say whether one was easier to cock than the other because the feel of the stroke was so different. Both were smooth and

Main: I used my very best technique for every shot

quiet with no appreciable spring noise or vibration, feeling well engineered and assembled.

Variables To eliminate variables I zeroed them, which gave some running-in time, and then put them through my trusty SKAN chronograph with pellets from the same tin of Air Arms Field .22s, my standard test ammo. After I’d averaged the velocities from 30 shots I was truly surprised; both delivered 574 fps with a velocity spread of 6fps. I’d never have believed that could happen, but I saw it with my own eyes. The playing field was as level as a snooker table, which pleased me because now I was free to concentrate on the quality I really wanted to understand. All spring and gas-ram rifles share one quality, or perhaps challenge, which is that they make lots of different movements and vibrations BEFORE the pellet leaves the barrel. The spring or gas-ram drives a heavy,

“I suggested that he send me two guns, identical in every way, except in their power plants”

steel piston along the air chamber, increasing the air pressure until the pellet starts to move. As the piston gets to the end of the cylinder, the compressed air slows it before it finally comes to rest. The pellet is still moving along the barrel at this time and the vibrations caused by all this excitement are ringing every component. The trick to shooting this type of gun well is to hold it very lightly and allow all the movements to happen in a similar way every time. If you grip it tightly for one shot, and hold it lightly for the next, the recoil pattern will be different and the barrel will be in a slightly different position for each shot, so logically, the pellet will land in a different place. So why am I explaining this when the question was ‘are spring guns better than gas-rams?’ Well, it’s been my experience that gas-rams are more ‘hold-sensitive’ than the oldfashioned springer. In my lifetime, I’ve had the chance to shoot a large number of the guns that have come on to the market, and over time I’ve formed an opinion about which ones I can hit with and those from which I struggle to achieve consistent accuracy. When I was young, springpowered guns were all you could buy, Ô

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and they were what I learned to shoot, so I’m not a stranger to them. Today, I almost always shoot pre-charged pneumatics which don’t suffer from the same difﬁculties, so my technique isn’t what it was, but it’s good enough to show me what’s going on.

Steady rest To eliminate as much human error

as possible, I shot from a bench off a soft fore end bag that allowed the riﬂes to move freely. I held the butt pad in very light contact with my shoulder, and the pistol grip as softly as the triggers would allow. This is when a variable tripped up the test; the trigger on the springer was set much heavier than the one on the gas-ram, but I did my best to allow for it. I was surprised at just how similar the

“At 30 yards I was able to get two or three pellets touching, but almost always then had one that opened up the group size”

Top Right: Group sizes were almost identical Above: Identical, apart from the power supply

Inset Left: Both guns liked the Air Arms Field pellets

Below: Is a gas-ram as easy to shoot as a spring-piston gun? We’ll ﬁnd out

ﬁring cycles were, which allowed me to concentrate on shooting for pure accuracy. Remembering everything I know about proper technique, I set about shooting a group from the springer and then a group from the GRT riﬂe. To learn anything meaningful, it’s vital to shoot a good number of groups and then average the results. This eliminates any random ﬂyers caused by, say, a damaged pellet, and the shots that are ‘pulled’ by me. At 30 yards I was able to get two or three pellets touching, but almost always then had one that opened up the group size. That being said, both riﬂes shot ¾” groups, which I have to say impressed me. These are relatively light break-barrels with very modest scopes on board, yet they produced hunting accuracy consistently, and I’d have no hesitation taking them into the ﬁeld. However, like all recoiling guns, any failing in my technique was punished with a poor shot So the $64,000 question is which was better? In terms of pure performance I can’t separate them, but I will say that I feel that I shot just that little bit better with the springer – just. It looks like I’ll have to take my assertion back. I’ve proven to myself that the Lightning XL GRT shoots just as well as the springpowered version, so in this gun at least, gas-rams really do work. ■ www.bsaguns.co.uk Lightning XL SE – RRP £323.00 Lightning XL SE GRT – RRP £319.00

46 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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YOU CAN WIN! This exciting new rifle represents the next chapter in the Brocock story. It blends the benefits of a bullpup with light weight and superb handling to

Scope and mounts not included

ENTRY FORM This is a snippet from a picture printed elsewhere in this issue. Can you spot which page it’s on?

Name Address Postcode

Daytime Tel

Email Prize to be sent to: (Name and address of your local gunshop) Postcode If you are under 18, an adult must sign on your behalf and give his/her name and address Name Address

BASA members can enter using one of their special ‘FREE ENTRY’ tokens

Postcode Closing date: Tuesday 23rd April 2016 Tick if you have a subscription to Air Gunner Anyone involved in the preparation of this competition may

I’ve spotted the shot on page...

Archant Ltd, publisher of Air Gunner, would like to keep you up to date with any special offers or new products/services which might be of interest. Please tick if you DO wish for Archant Ltd to contact you in this way by email SMS. Please tick if you would prefer NOT to receive information by post phone. We occasionally pass your details onto carefully selected companies who wish to contact you with information about their products/services, please tick if you DO wish to be contacted in this way by email SMS. Please tick if you would prefer NOT to receive such information by post phone. Prize must be claimed within one year of the declared closing date

Send your answers to: April Jigsaw, Air Gunner, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, RG40 2EG 48 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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A BROCOCK COMPATTO SEMI BULLPUP PCP WORTH £580! make a truly excellent hunting gun. The brand new multi-shot, bolt-action will fire 10 shots as quickly as you need them through a fully-shrouded barrel. An all-new trigger system is another vital part of this gun’s excellent accuracy, as is the distinctive, synthetic stock. The groundbreaking gun has created a whole new class of rifle and you could win one for just £1.50!

THIS SUPERB RIFLE COULD BE YOURS FOR JUST £1.50! HOW TO ENTER By Post Check out the jigsaw piece printed on the entry form below and see if you can spot from which main photo elsewhere in this edition it has been taken. When you have found the full picture, write down the page number on which it appears in the answer box below and send your completed entry form to the address at the bottom of the page. Entry costs just £1.50 per go cheque and postal orders payable to Air Gunner - and you can enter as many times as you like. As a bonus though, for every five entries you submit, you get another one free - i.e. six entries for £7.50 Closing date for entries is Tuesday 23rd of April one entry free provided the entry form is submitted with a validated ‘Free Competition entry’ token from their membership pack. Multiple entries allowed. If you do not wish to destroy your copy of the magazine you can send your entry on a separate piece of paper. Photocopies are also allowed. In the event of a tie, all correct entries will be put into a hat and there will be a draw to decide the winner. Prize is supplied on behalf of Air Gunner by the manufacturer. The prize will be sent to the winner’s designated gun shop which may levy an administration charge for handling.

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ARMEX

A brand new loyalty scheme comes to airgunning

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s many readers will know, Armex is the official UK importer for Umarex guns and products. This is a highly prestigious account to hold because Umarex is a true airgunning giant of a company, with a huge catalogue of rifles and pistols, plus an extensive range of accessories to support them. In a first for the airgun industry, Armex has launched their ‘Privileged Member’ club card, which is perhaps best described as a ‘luxury loyalty card’. These are very popular across many industries looking to reward their most loyal customers with benefits and discounts on a whole range of services and products. They already have 11 companies signed up to recognise the card and allow you to enjoy all sorts of things, from group discounts on paintballing events to £50 off a case of wine. This list will grow and grow as more partners come on board. On top of these, there’s a whole list of other perks such as monthly news and reviews, exclusive membership offers and a monthly prize draw. On their birthday, members will receive a surprise - sounds intriguing - and once a year there will be a grand prize draw. On and off throughout the year there will be other free promotional offers that might well offer members great products at attractive prices. From the first of March if you buy a branded product (excluding accessories) from Armex you’ll find a uniquely numbered registration card inside the box, which you complete and return to become a member instantly, and from that moment, the benefits begin. You’ll also receive all the warranty support that only the official importer of these fine products can offer. If you already own Umarex guns and don’t plan to buy any new ones soon, don’t worry about being left out. If you look at the opposite page you’ll find an advert that has an application form to complete, so that you can receive the same benefits as buyers of new guns. Armex plans to welcome every Umarex owner into the club, so if you have them in your gun safe, sign up today. ■

PRIVILEGED MEMBERS CARD CLUB

53 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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have recently started to believe that obtaining shooting permissions is very similar to waiting for a bus. You wait for what seems like ages, and then two or three arrive together. I spent almost three years looking for new shooting permissions, but didn’t manage to find any, and then in the space of a month I managed to obtain two new ones. Just after I gained permission to cull the grey squirrels discreetly in a friend’s garden, my brother Kevin, an amateur beekeeper, suggested that I should talk to the farmer who owns the land where he keeps his beehives. Kevin thought there was a strong possibility that I’d be able to obtain this new shooting permission, albeit in Dorset - some 100 miles away from where I live. Fortunately, I was due to visit my brother for a couple of days, the week after he spoke to me It’s important never to lose sight of what a shooting permission is; you are asking someone for permission

looking for a shooting permission, then a good start is to ask family and friends if they know anyone with access to land upon which you can shoot.

Farmer Bill

to roam unsupervised on their land with a firearm - the land that they live and work on. If you’re a complete stranger to the landowner and arrive at the farmhouse dressed in full camouﬂage with an air riﬂe in hand, your chances of gaining permission are going to be from very slim to non-existent. A professional manner and shooting insurance will help, but an introduction to the landowner from a friend or family member is always going to increase greatly your chances of success. If you are

Above: Taking an elevated shot, you need a good backstop to avoid putting a hole in the roof of the shed

Below: I’ll be able to use farm machinery as cover

My introduction to Bill, the farmer, was over a cup of coffee in the farmhouse kitchen, where we discussed the vermin problems he had on his farm. Bill keeps poultry, so rats will always try to steal an easy meal from the chicken feeders, and if they get the chance they will take an egg from the nesting boxes. During the winter, rats raid the farmyard to take easy pickings from grain stores, spilt animal feed and rotting silage, and pigeons and magpies are attracted to the stock sheds where they steal the cattle food and cause health problems when they defecate in food and water troughs. Unfortunately, a recent outbreak of myxomatosis had almost wiped out the local rabbit population

BEE HAPPY!

Russel Webb uses his contacts to land a brand-new permission

“You are asking someone for permission to roam unsupervised on their land with a firearm”

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on the land Bill owns. I used our first meeting as an opportunity to explain that a modern, sub 12ft.lbs., pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air rifle is the perfect tool for pest control because it discharges a soft lead pellet which poses very little threat to property or stock if used accurately. Additionally, the discharge of such a rifle fitted with a moderator is highly unlikely to cause any distress to animals in the farmyard or paddock. For this initial visit I left the air rifle and the camouflage gear safely locked up in the boot of my car, dressed smartly, and concentrated on making a good impression on Bill. The best way to convince any landowner that you are a responsible person who is serious about shooting is to obtain insurance. An annual payment will insure you against damage or injury to machinery, buildings, livestock

and people. I showed Bill my BASA insurance documents and gave him a copy of them. This professional approach paid dividends when Bill signed my permission slip and told me I would be welcome to shoot around the farm buildings as well as on the land he owned. For more information about BASA insurance please visit www.airgunshooting.co.uk/ basa-membership. When I obtain permission to shoot I always get it in writing because this validates my insurance and is very useful if someone questions my right to be there when I am out hunting. BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) have a permission slip on their website that is free to download. www.basc.org.uk/ shooting/pest-and-predator-control

Guided Tour When Bill gave me a guided tour of

Above left: Vermin is attrected to old farm buildings all year round

Below Background: The landscape in Dorset is very different to that of Cambridgeshire

Bottom left: I took time to put in some practice

his farm, I asked him to point out the boundaries of the land he owned and where any public footpaths crossed his land. This is important because it is an offence to allow pellets to stray beyond the land where you have permission to shoot, or to fire your air rifle within 50 feet of the centre of a public highway, bridleway or footpath, if this could be deemed as causing anyone danger, injury or interruption. As we walked around the farm, I was struck by how very different my Dorset shooting permission is from the one I have in Cambridgeshire. In Dorset, the countryside consists of small fields surrounded by hedgerows and woodlands, in stark contrast to the vast featureless arable fields in Cambridgeshire. The small fields also contained a variety of sheep, horses and cattle, which again, is something that I not am used to seeing on the arable farm.

“For this initial visit I left the air rifle and the camouflage gear safely locked up in the boot of my car” 56 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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Using my air riﬂe to control the vermin around the farmyard would be a new challenge for me, but it was something I was looking forward to. The farmyard environment was going to be completely different to the arable ﬁelds in Cambridgeshire and it would require a much higher level of risk awareness. Bill’s farm buildings are occupied by a random but regular selection of family members, farm pets, farmworkers and livestock. The farm buildings are also used to store expensive machinery, fuel, and animal feed - and have glass windows and roofs, all of which can be damaged by a stray pellet. As with any shooting environment, careful and thorough reconnaissance is the key to success.

Safety first Whilst Bill gave me a tour of the farm buildings, I began to plan where my backstops would be to minimise the

Above right: Poultry will always attract hungry rats Above background: There are sheep grazing in one of the fields on my new permission Below right: On my recce I was soon enjoying the views Below: I asked Bill to show me where public footpaths crossed his land

“Using my air rifle to control the vermin around the farmyard would be a new challenge” effects of any ricochets, because any stray pellet ricocheting off an obstruction is capable of damaging a chicken or inﬂicting a wound on larger livestock. Bill showed me several feral pigeons sitting on the steel roof supports in one of his cattle sheds; the roof supports would provide an excellent back stop, but I knew I would need careful shot placement if I wanted to avoid putting a hole in the roof of Bill’s shed. As we walked back to the farmhouse for another cup of coffee, I began to consider the differences between my two shooting permissions. My Cambridgeshire permission is much larger, but I believe that the Dorset one will have more shooting opportunities because

Bill’s farm is a far more welcoming environment to all forms of wildlife than the intensively managed Cambridgeshire grain prairies. My initial visit to Bill’s farm took place on the ﬁrst day of a long weekend visit to my family in Dorset, so this gave me the opportunity to shoot at the farm on the following two days. As a bonus, this meant I was not available to accompany my wife on the shopping trips she had planned over our long weekend. I did however visit the local off-licence to buy Bill a very good bottle of French red wine as a way of saying ‘thank you’ to him for giving me permission to shoot on his land. I’ll tell you next time about the weekend I spent on my new shooting permission. ■

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 57

AS This month Neil gets a rare, but high-quality competition rifle back into the game This is another beautiful, singlestroke pneumatic, 10-metre air rifle from the 1980s,. This one, however, had hardly any compression. Sometimes there was no compression at all; other times it would compress to about half stroke, and then have no resistance for the rest. When this happened it shot at around 3.2 ft.lbs., when it should have been around 6 ft.lbs. No doubt about it then - it has to be taken to pieces.

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First remove the rear dioptre sight by loosening the knurled turn-screw, sliding it from the rear of the action, and put it somewhere safe.

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With a flat-blade screwdriver, remove the front screw from the underside of the stock and the rear trigger guard screw, and the stock can be removed from the action.

3

With a 7mm A.F. spanner take off the locknuts from the firing valve transfer lever and then unscrew the bolts and remove the trigger plates.

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With a 10mm A.F. open-ended spanner take out the pillar nut and lock washer from the rear of the trigger assembly. Then remove the two small slot-head screws, one from each side of the trigger assembly, and then it can be removed.

5

With a 4mm A.F. hexagon drive key remove the two shoulder bolts from the top of the action.

6

With a cross-head screwdriver remove the screw in the keeper plate and then remove the plate.

7

The whole cocking lever and piston assembly can now be

removed from the rear of the action.

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8

Remove the hex-head caphead screw from the front of the firing valve bracket and remove the bracket and linkage.

9

Slide the compression cylinder rearwards until the cylinder handle retaining screw can be seen through this hole in the action.

10

Remove the screw with a flat-blade screwdriver and remove the handle.

11 12

Behind the handle there is a small slipper plate …

… and a tiny tension compression spring. Be sure to find these.

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Slide the compression cylinder rearwards until the firing valve assembly lines up with another round opening in the action. There is quite a bit of spring tension behind this so keep your finger on top of it when it gets near the opening or it can shoot out at a great rate of knots and travel for yards.

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The firing valve and spring assembly can now be safely withdrawn from the compression cylinder.

15

Slide the compression cylinder rearwards again until the guide screw lines up with the opening in the action.

16 17

Remove the guide screw with a flat-blade screwdriver.

The compression cylinder can now be withdrawn from the rear of the action. Ô

58 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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60 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

2 T R A P I S A UPER MATCH

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“…if BSA is using the Gold Star brand for this gun, they must have high hopes for it” my opinion, the best-looking of the three; third is the classic walnut, and that is the rifle I have on test.

Classic configuration

STAR PERFORMER Gary Chillingworth brings us an in-depth review of BSA’s competition PCP

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have said many times that owning a BSA is like owning a piece of British history. BSA is one of the oldest arms manufacturers in the world, and they have produced everything from the rifles used by the infamous Light Brigade during the Crimean War, to the Browning machine guns used in Spitﬁres during WW2. So, when a company with this sort of pedigree brings out a new rifle, people sit up and take notice, and when this rifle is targeted at the world of HFT, I especially sit up and take notice. A year or so ago, I wrote an article on a development rifle, which was based on the Scorpion SE, and I

am pleased to say that the fullproduction version has now arrived. It’s called the ‘Gold Star’ and for those of us of a certain age, the name ‘BSA Gold Star’ evokes certain memories. Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the BSA Gold Star 500cc motorcycle was the benchmark for speed and performance, and if BSA is using the Gold Star brand for this gun, they must have high hopes for it. It comes in three very distinctive guises, the ﬁrst of which, and probably the most famous, is the red, white and blue laminate; this rifle stock is bright, bold and brash; the next, is a very nice, black pepper laminate, this stock is subtle and in

Above: Gary was a happy shooter with his Gold Star

When you open the box and look at the Gold Star, you discover the classic lines of a PCP. It is very much a sporter rifle, with a sumptuously curved stock and an action with a deep, black shine. As you lift the rifle from the packaging and pull it to the shoulder, the balance is almost perfect. It’s slightly front heavy, but this will be ﬁxed by the addition of a scope and depending on where you ﬁt the scope on the 11mm dovetail rail, it should have perfect balance. Now, many shooters will tell you that having a heavy rifle is an advantage in the world of competitive shooting and in certain disciplines this is true, but a heavy rifle is only good if you have perfect technique and a body that is at the peak of physical ﬁtness, and then it’s only a real advantage on one target out of 30. The Gold Star is light; it weighs in at just over 7lbs (un-scoped), so, if you are a hunter and have to trek miles upon miles over muddy ﬁelds, a light rifle is perfect. If you are a younger or older person, a lady - sorry for being sexist - or like me, a person who suffers with joint pain, then a light rifle can be a real boon. When you are taking a prone shot, the weight does not matter, and nor does it matter when you taking a supported shot, or even when you are taking a supported kneeler. When having a heavy gun can help, though, is when you are taking an unsupported standing shot. The theory is that a heavy gun will be more stable because any micro twitches caused by a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles will not have enough energy to move the gun. On paper, this may be true, and if your name is Larissa Sykes and you are a Commonwealth 10m shooter, the weight will help, but let’s face the truth - most of us struggle with free- Ô

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standers, and to be honest, the Gold Star is so well balanced that I ﬁnd it easier to use on standing shots then my Steyr. Having got a feel for the gun, I scoped the rifle with my competition Hawke Tac-30, took it to the range, and after ﬁlling the rifle to 190bar (the max ﬁll is 232bar), I started to shoot. The ﬁlling is done through twisting the front end of the cylinder where the air gauge is, which exposes the ﬁlling port, and then it’s a simple matter of inserting the probe. With a 190 bar ﬁll, I got 40-plus shots, and if you ﬁll it up to 220bar, then you should get at least 70 in .177. The rifle was zeroed very quickly and after giving the barrel a clean I batch-tested ﬁve types of diablo pellets - these were JSB, Air Arms and RWS - and I found that both the JSB and the Air Arms gave a similar group, which was 10 shots each, about the size of a penny at 45 yards. The RWS Superdomes did not fare as well, but they were an old batch of pellets. From people I have spoken too, I am told that the Gold Star is not pellet-fussy, and it likes any form of diablo pellet. The Gold Star has a cold hammerforged barrel and like the legendary barley-twist barrel of Steyr fame, it has a reputation for being very effective in crosswinds. I took my Steyr out and with an anemometer (wind speed reader) I waited for a 15mph crosswind and shot a control group with the wind right to left, and then again, left to right. I did the same with the Gold Star. I will be honest and say that I expected the Steyr to be better because it’s a rifle that costs twice as much and its ability to shoot in the wind is

legendary, but the Gold Star was every bit as good; in fact, unlike my Steyr which takes more wind from left to right than right to left because of the way the barrel twists, the Gold Star took a consistent amount of wind from both directions -16mm at 45 yards in a 15mph crosswind.

b A ve:o silencer makes the perfect hunting riﬂe

“The Gold Star has been designed to service both camps; the target shooter and the hunter” Compete or hunt The Gold Star has been designed to service both camps; the target shooter and the hunter. What I like from a target shooter’s point of view, is the adjustability of the stock. The Gold Star comes with an adjustable hamster and cheek piece and a butt

64 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Below: Jill Cochrane is a champion shooter and a loyal BSA user

pad that can move up and down and from side to side. The hunter will love the multi-shot capability, the shot count, the weight and the prominent safety catch that can be thumbed across with ease. The rifle is also very compact at just 35.8” and because of this, it is perfect for being used in tight conﬁned spaces, likes barns and woodland, and with the addition of a ½” UNF thread on the end of the barrel, the fully adjustable air stripper that comes with the gun can be removed and a silencer ﬁtted. From a target shooter’s perspective, I like the regulator, because this will ensure that I get consistent velocity from the barrel whenever the ﬁll pressure is between 110bar and 230bar. I also like the fact that the G lo gun does not appear to be pelletfussy. If you couple this with a highquality, adjustable match trigger and a price of under £900 all in, then you have a very competitive package. In my opinion, the only way to test a rifle properly is in competition and to do this I attended round 7 of the Southern Hunters series. I had put less than 100 pellets through the gun because I wanted to test it right out of the box. My aim was to keep up with the shooters who score about the same as I do when I am shooting with my Steyr, and I am pleased to say, that I was only one point behind Steve Edmonson and Jill Cochrane, who are two of the top BSA shooters in the country. The Gold Star is a good rifle. To be able to compete at high level, right out of the box, is impressive and when you have settled in with the gun, anything is possible. In .22

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calibre, Edward Tandi took the 2015 UKAHFT title and is odds-on favourite to win the .22 category at the 2016 HFT World Championships. In .177 Barry Smith has taken local wins and has shot well in the HFT Masters series, and Simon Howarth has been regularly knocking on the door of UKAHFT wins with his Gold Star. As more and more people buy these rifles, I have no doubt that they will start to appear at the top of the leader boards on a more regular basis. The Gold Star is a great all-rounder; 20-stone idiots like me and waif-like

Above: The adjustable cheek piece is a must for competition rifles Above: Edward Tandi is the UKAHFT .22 champion Right: The Gold Star is a classy rifle

“I had put less than 100 pellets through the gun because I wanted to test it right out of the box” ladies like Jill, can shoot it, and in the hands of juniors it will be a devastating tool. Moreover, after a week’s hunting, the magazine can be removed, the single-shot adapter fitted, and HFT titles can be won. This is a rifle truly worthy to inherit the Gold Star name. ■ RRP £899 For more information contact www.bsaguns.co.uk or to buy, why not give the Airgun Centre in Rayleigh a call, or visit them online at www.theairguncentre. com/goldstarse

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LOFTY IDEAS!

DIY can sometimes be just what’s needed - as Jamie Chandler found out

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s I write this, it’s almost 12 years to the day that one of the great supernovas of the airgun and fishing world, legendary Air Gunner writer and personal inspiration, John Darling, died. I never met him, but through his columns, DVDs and books, like many others I learned so much about airgun hunting, and still refer back to his timeless writing as much for pleasure as to learn. I mention this not only because I feel that his massive contribution to our sport should be remembered, but also because I was, once again, watching one of his DVDs on YouTube - this one about lofting decoys - and wondered how successful it would be. After a quick Internet search I realised

that lofting poles were about £50 and decided to see if I could come up with a cheaper alternative. The first idea I heard about was using a light fishing weight and line, then firing the weight over a chosen sitty tree branch, with a fishing catapult, and attaching the other end of the fishing line to the hoop in a fullbodied decoy’s back. The main problem with this otherwise awesome idea is that without fingers, tying fishing line is a pain because it’s not that bendy, firing a catapult is a bit hit and miss and possibly involves teeth, and finally, I had bought some of those decoy socks our revered editor mentioned a couple of

Above: When getting on aim time stops Below: Another falls for the decoys

issues ago, and they didn’t have a hole in them for the loop.

K.I.S.S. Binning that idea I decided instead to look at something simpler, and pole related. A quick search of the garden shed revealed some 7-foot bamboo canes, and a further quick rummage through my wife’s art kit (at least she claims it’s an art kit) and I had some black duct tape. How hard could this be? It turns out, very hard! Maybe not ‘hard’, but oh so frustrating because once again I had planned the whole thing in my usual way, like I had full dexterity, and it was only when out in the field, Ô

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miles away from anything useful to hold two canes to each other so I could tape around them, that it dawned on me that I didn’t. I think and plan like I have hands and it’s only when seemingly doing a lone homage to 50 Shades of Grey, wrapped in more tape than is on the intended canes, that it becomes apparent that I don’t! Struggling on like a true stubborn donkey, an hour and a half later, having covered the whole lexicon of swearing, I ﬁnally had two 21-foot poles crafted, on top of which to stick two decoys. I intended to make more, but the idea of making two more poles had worn a bit thin, so I hoped just two would be enough. I had thought the whole thing would take about ten minutes, but was now beginning to think that ‘thinking’ was not my best asset! Actually lofting the decoys, resplendent in their aforementioned photo-real socks, was again another learned knack, and with the poles bending and a relatively strong wind, I discovered it required more of a

flick than a push. I’d watched this particular hedge line for a while and not only seen pigeons bee-lining for this tree, but also bingeing on the ivy berries covering it, and using ‘the facilities’, so at least I knew I was in the right place! Once the decoys were balanced and resting on a branch facing the wind, the poles blended in and the decoys sat well enough, one looking like it was tucking into the berries on one side, and the other resting and moving in the wind like the real pie ﬁllers I was looking to fool. It’s funny how 21 feet sounds relatively high, but really isn’t when compared to a bloomin’ great oak tree. That said, the decoys looked great at opposite sides of the tree and in plain sight, so I went and got comfy about 25 yards away under the bough of another oak tree. I was now relying on the cover of the foliage around me and the English Oak pattern of my clothes to hide me where

Below: My first kill of the day

Bottom: 20 feet sounds high, but is it?

I had hoped to have time to build better concealment, but as I was now in danger of running out of time, with three and a half hours before sundown, I decided just to remain still and hope that the wind being in my face would bring the crop robbers in with their backs to me. Although I’d checked the zero on my R10 at the beginning of the day, as we all do, I spent a few minutes plinking at the algae patches on the sitty tree’s branches, to ensure that I was aiming off enough to compensate for the relatively steep trajectory; then came the waiting game.

“I feel that his massive contribution to our sport should be remembered”

68 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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My first opportunity came in relatively quick time, after about 15 minutes. The pigeon flew low over my ‘hide’ and headed straight for the target area, landing with its back to me. Lifting the rifle, I put what I’d learned by plinking into action and aimed half a mil-dot down, controlled my breathing and sent an H&N Field Target Trophy flying to its target. There was a slight ‘crack’ and the pigeon headed skyward as, through the scope, I watched a mistimed twig fend off my pellet. I spat a few choice words and relapsed into a trance. I was snapped out of it a few minutes later by an odd sound that I realised, from reading Charlie’s recent article, was a squirrel call coming from above me. I couldn’t see it through the ivy and branches, but the ‘chirp-chirping’ obviously meant something was annoying it. After another ten minutes or so, three pigeons circling into the sitty tree turned my attention back to dinner.

High alert The wind had dropped and the pigeons sat facing three separate directions, scouring their surroundings for danger. I watched with little movement for five minutes as they settled down and only after being sure that none were wise to me, I raised the R10. I flicked the safety and, again, sent a pellet pigeon-wards toward the middle one. A ‘crack’ and flapping wings indicated a good shot as the pigeon flopped to the ground. I was confident in the shot, but didn’t want the pigeon to put others off by landing on its back, so I broke cover to retrieve it. I had worried unnecessarily and could have probably left it there, but removed it anyway and continued my vigil. Another excellent chance came as 15 pigeons descended at once. I raised the gun, but as I got it in to my shoulder I realised that I was being watched and froze, sadly too late as the pigeons crashed out of the tree toward safer climbs. I was left with

Inset below: This was the ideal way for me to load pellets

Bottom : If M&S made socks like these ...

“I spent a few minutes plinking at the algae patches on the sitty tree’s branches, to ensure that I was aiming off enough”

the nuthatches and woodpeckers for company as I reloaded my magazine, but I found a new use for the folds in my jeans - to hold the pellets, making it easier for me to get hold of them brilliant! I was stiffening-up nicely as the combination of no back rest, a cold breeze, and damp floor, started to annoy, when I had my final chance; four pigeons flew into the branches on my right with their backs to me. At 27 yards and about 40 degrees, it was a textbook shot that bought my second of the day down to the floor, unceremoniously crashing through the branches and landing on its side. I gave in to my stiffness and with two in the bag called it quits. The basics of airgunning never change because the basics of hunting never do. All the technology in the world can’t bring more success without the skills with which to use it. John Darling taught me to use those skills, and I hope he will go on doing so for many others, then his 55 years of expertise will carry on through us all. ■

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 69

MPX .177 OR 22 £300.00 (Available mid March)

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Sig 226 .177 blow back

£130

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01628 474 187 [email protected] Browse our Gun Room at www.emmettandstone.co.uk Wilton Farm, Marlow Road, Little Marlow, Bucks, SL7 3RR

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www.woodysofwembley.co.uk AIR GUNNER 71

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Above: A few unusual, yet easily bought ingredients make this meal special

Above: Making the pastry seperately guarantees results

Below: I like button mushrooms left whole

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AIR GUNNER 75

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DREAM GUN The editor gets to grips with setting up the new rifle

L

ast month, I gave you an overview of my new gun and the on-paper performance of the high-power Daystate Huntsman Regal .22. This month, I’ll show you the custom modiﬁcations I’ve made and how testing is coming along. From the picture you’ll have seen what, for me, is the biggest improvement I believe that you can make to any gun, which is to have an adjustable cheek piece ﬁtted. It’s not a job to take on unless you have some serious workshop skills, so I didn’t even try. Luckily for me, I have a friend whose skills and workshop facilities are ﬁrst-class, so I asked him to undertake the job. Taking a beautifully ﬁnished, walnut stock and slicing through it would scare me silly, but the cut he made was neat and complementary to the lines of the Huntsman’s stock, adding to its good looks. I consider this stock to be one of the best I’ve ever used, providing excellent handling allied to stability on aim, all in a neat practical, package that works where it counts – out in the hunting ﬁeld.

Above: My personal touches have made a real difference, I’m convinced of it

Below: These stainless steel mesh vents allow high-pressure air to dissipate

76 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

PART TWO The only way it could be improved, in my eyes, was to ﬁt the cheek piece adjustment, which would then make it support my head exactly as I needed. When the comb of a cheek piece is set at the correct height, it guarantees that my eye will align with the central axis of the scope’s body. You’ll always ﬁnd an adjustable cheek piece on a serious competition riﬂe, because the advantages are so well known. It brings many beneﬁts; ﬁrstly, it

promotes consistent mounting - a foundation stone for all accurate shooting. Next, it adds comfort and reduces tension in the neck muscles, which, in turn, makes it easier to hold a steady aim. Then we come to the little-understood issue of parallax error. In simple terms, unless the scope is perfectly focused on the target, it’s possible to look through the scope at an angle and miss your target. If the cheek piece keeps

“… the biggest improvement I believe that you can make to any gun” you correctly aligned, the error is reduced.

Feel The difference in feel you get from a correctly ﬁtted stock is signiﬁcant,and one that I treasure. I feel strongly that all high-quality riﬂes should have an option to allow us to buy a stock with an adjustable

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Huggett The second dream upgrade I wanted for

my gun was a full-length Huggett shroud and silencer assembly. These are made in England by some clever engineers who combine high-tech CNC machining with hand-finishing skills, to make the ultimate silencer. The standard shroud and Daystate Airstream 6 screw-on silencer did a good job, but I wanted a Huggett. A chap has to have a few luxuries in his life, doesn’t he? The Huggett set-up has a solidity and rigidity that really appealed to me. My guns go into the field and suffer all the knocks and bangs that

Above: With the cheek piece set for me, the handling improved no end

Below: The end cap of the silencer is no higher than my hat when the rifle is on its sling

dispersed, and they look cool too. Noise suppression was top-drawer, being no louder than my 12 ft.lbs. Huntsman, to my ears at least. At the end of January, the gameshooting season will be over and I’ll once again be free to roam the woods in search of my number one quarry, the invasive grey squirrel. All the signs are that I’m heading in the right direction, with my choices and the build all looking good. Next month, we’ll see just how my idea of perfection performs in the field. ■

www.daystate.com

“The difference in feel you get from a correctly fitted stock is superb” cheek piece. Yes, it would add to the cost, but not that much compared to the final price of a top-end rig. I’m not sure why this isn’t an option already. Everybody who understands stock-fit knows the benefits, and yet they’re a rare commodity in our annual Buyer’s Guide that lists every rifle on sale in the UK today. The mechanism my friend used is as simple as can be and very light, so has minimal downsides in terms of weight and price. While he was in the workshop, I asked my friend to fit sling swivels to the stock; every hunting gun needs them. I was concerned that because the fore end is quite slender, getting enough depth of wood for the sling stud might be an issue, but my pal said ‘no problem’ and fitted a standard stud with no worries.

hunting inflicts, so I want kit that can take a bump and still shoot to zero, and I felt strongly that the Huggett would offer that to me. The look and finish immediately caught my attention and as it was fitted, the engineering felt just right. It’s on sale from your local gun shop for £145 or if you prefer a simple screwon it’s £90. Interestingly, the zero was only slightly different despite the far more meaty construction of the Huggett, and I also noted an improvement in accuracy. I truly love accurate guns, so as the fifth pellet went through the same calibre-sized hole at 25 yards, I knew this set-up was going my way. In the silencer and at the back of the shroud are vents covered by stainless steel mesh. These are integral to the process of allowing high-pressure air to slow down and be

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 77

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78 AIR GUNNER

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AS GOOD AS A LACE UP? F

or most of my shooting life I wore wellingtons, but around three years ago I discovered the benefits of proper laced-up, leather stalking boots. I love the support, warmth and grip they offer, but in deep winter mud they’re quite a challenge to maintain properly and I have to say that they’re a bit of a drag to get on and off. What I was looking for was a pair of wellies that offered

The editor asks, can a welly perform as well as a lace-up boot?

and I was impressed with just how well it worked in the revolting clay that blights every one of my shooting permissions. Any sole that finds grip in that stuff will find grip anywhere. The upper boot is of natural rubber that was

“Even after a really long day in the field I didn’t suffer the tired, achy feet that other wellies have caused” some serious grip and support, and would also keep my feet warm. The Harkila Forester wellingtons are far more substantial than most green wellies and are rated down to -30 degrees. Inside they have 3mm neoprene, which is very warm and adds support and comfort. This is backed up with Thinsulate, one of the best insulators gram-for-gram in the business. The biggest difference this boot brings over more conventional ones is that the sole unit is much more like a walking boot, adding stability and serious grip. The unit chosen is Harkila’s proprietary Power Bridge Icetrek, which as the name suggests, works on ice and snow

thick enough to give support, whilst inside, the Ortholite foot bed soon moulded to my foot. A very clever yet simple innovation that’s built in to the Foresters is the inclusion of a second plane foot bed which allows you to adjust the volume of the boot to suit the thickness of the sock you choose. Very thick socks that make the boot too tight restrict blood flow to your feet and can actually make them colder. This is typical of the clever thinking and attention to detail that I’ve come to expect from the

Above: The natural rubber upper boot is well insulated against the cold

SPECS Manufacturer: Harkila Model: Forester 17” 3mm H-vent 400g Web: www.harkila.com

Cost £179.99

Left: The Icetrek sole offered good support and superior grip

79 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

brand. Having worn them for several months now, I’ve come to the conclusion that lace-up boots still offer more control and the best fit, but of all the wellies I’ve ever worn, these are the best. Even after a really long day in the field I didn’t suffer the tired, achy feet that other wellies have caused and the grip was first-class. At no time, even standing in ice-covered puddles, did my feet feel cold, so in this respect they did match the lace-ups. Of course, they’re much quicker to put on and take off, even when you’re really tired. They’re not a cheap buy, but judging by just how little wear they’re showing from months of hard use, I’d expect them to last well. ■

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 79

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HAENAL MOD 1

OR IS IT? Steve Prime investigates a lovely German springer

F

ancy a challenge? Well, I gave myself one with this article. It all began so well when earlier in the year we had a vintage junior riﬂe HFT - remember that? I came home immediately thinking of writing an article on the Haenal model 1 that I had just shot. It was great fun - a wonderful riﬂe of a bygone era - and its owner, Andy Brown, whetted my appetite, giving me a low-down on its history, as he knew it. All systems go! With a great German riﬂe, and Christmas only a few weeks away, the

Two things went wrong; ﬁrstly, I missed the deadline for the Christmas issue, and then my favourite source of information – Google - drew a blank. Well, not entirely a blank, but the information I required was, let’s say, a little lacking and I was left wondering whether or not to bother putting ﬁnger to keypad. I knew I wanted to write a piece on this lovely little riﬂe, though, so I delved a bit deeper and found a translated conversation on Google between two Germans. One had found

Above: The Haenal proved popular

“I needed to find answers for myself so that I could once again sleep at night!” content of an article was all there, starting with the history behind a German Christmas; stollen, Christingle … followed by the history of a great junior riﬂe. It would be a brilliant piece for a Christmas special in our favourite magazine.

a riﬂe in his attic and had no clue to what it was, but as the messages between the two continued, they discovered that the ﬁnd was a Haenal Model 1, and may have been pre-World War 2. DRB is actually the German Patent initialling and it would appear

80 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Right: It’s a goodlooking riﬂe

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from the conversation that the ﬁnd was, in fact, pre-war. This didn’t add up because Andy had told me his rifle was dated 1938, and in fairness, I was none the wiser until I stumbled on the conversation between the enthusiast and a ﬁnder the ﬁnder thinking that he may have found a pot of gold! The enthusiast then asked the ﬁnder one question; had his ﬁnd got the Haenal badge on the left-hand side of the rifle butt? If so, it was a post-war model and not pre-war. Andy’s has the badge, so something did not ring true because his rifle surely could not be dated to 1938 - or could it? Had I now hit another blank? I needed to ﬁnd answers for myself so that I could once again sleep at night!

Enough history We will leave the history there for now and talk more about the rifle, after all that is what I ﬁrst intended. It all began with the article written by John Atkins about post-war plinkers. I had set out a previous article for vintage HFT with two of

the rifles that John had mentioned in his article - the Original 22 and the Webley Ranger. When Andy found out what I was up to, he asked if I would like to include the Haenal Mod 1 for the article because he had one. I jumped at the chance, and on the day, I loved the experience of shooting all three guns with my colleagues. That’s when the penny dropped and the article had to be born. The Haenal felt a lot heavier than the other two rifles in the test, and it had a quirky feature with the barrel release - a little lever to drop the barrel open ready to cock it. There is no tapping the end of the barrel as we have with most springers, to see the breech. Why have manufacturers stopped including this in modern day springers? It is a brilliant idea and makes the process of charging the piston by spring that little bit more genteel. The overall feel of the rifle was surprisingly, one of quality, with a lovely balance, and it had

“…is the German enthusiast correct, or has Andy got a pre-war example?”

Above Left: The asterisk denotes a rifled barrel Above: I found the sights clear and practical

the accuracy to match. I suppose we should expect this of German engineering because they make such high-quality airguns.

Never give up

Left: What does the maker’s badge here tell us?

Below: The safety was highly unusual

Not one to give up, I trawled Google for some stats and again, drew a blank. In desperation I contacted my good friend, Phil Savidge, who loaned me the ‘Big Blue Book Of Airguns’. Success! or so it seemed. A bit of information has risen from the ashes - not a lot, but enough to ﬁll the spot. It also answers another question, that of dating the rifle. The Haenal name has changed hands through ownership on many occasions, but is now in the hands of Waffentechnik, in Suhl. The book suggests that the identity of the company itself, and all its records, were lost when the ﬁrm integrated into the communist state-run ﬁrearms industry in the late 1940s. Because of this, accurate dating of Haenal airguns is almost impossible. All Haenal guns are stamped with the name Haenal and a model number. The model 1 was listed in the 1926 catalogue, but the 1937 catalogue only lists the Model 10 and 1V ER and VR. Confused? Good - now you know how I feel! Is the German enthusiast correct, or has Andy got a pre-war example? To conclude, the Haenal Model 1 DRB of Andy’s is .177 calibre with rifled barrel, as indicated by the asterix - with a blue ﬁnish, beech stock and no safety, according to the Blue Book. It weighs in at 4.6lbs and has a 38.3-inch overall length, producing around 4.5 to 5ft.lbs. How do we explain the safety on Andy’s Model 1? It does look out of place in the photo, but it is deﬁnitely there - and it works. Now I am confused, and my only conclusion - despite all the conflicting information – is that whatever Andy has, it’s a beautiful rifle to shoot. ■

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 81

SWAP SHOP REMEMBER you DO NOT have to be a registered firearms dealer (RFD) to sell your airgun as part of a private transaction, and this transaction DOES NOT have to be ‘face to face’ – although you must ensure that the buyer is over 18 years of age. Are you looking to sell a gun? Dedicated gun enthusiasts read Air Gunner every month; if you’re looking to sell then they’re looking to buy! Alternatively, is there a gun you’ve been trying to find? Are you a collector or just looking for a particular treat? For all your buying and selling needs, Swap Shop is here! For only £4.00 (40 words max) your advert will appear in the next issue of Air Gunner and on our website. We are now able to accept your advert at www. airgunshooting.co.uk or by post addressed to Air Gunner Swap REMINGTON EXPRESS .22 fullpower £70, SMK 3-9 X 50 £40, silencer £15, laser sight £20, bipod £20, Remington gun bag £15, sell the lot £150. Extras Nikko Stirling 3-9 x 40 £50,BB handgun Co2 4.5 metal slide and Remington capsules £30. Tel: 07542 738640 (Merthyr Tydfil). THEOBEN RAPID 7 .22 FAC mod, Hawke Nite scope 3-9 x 50, 2 x 200 buddy bottles, 15 ltr air bottle tested, 1 x 12 + 2 x 7 shot magazines. Good powerful long- range riﬂe £650, collection only. Tel: 01823 662963 / 07979 376532 (Somerset). AIR ARMS TX200 SR MK1 in .177, in mint condition. Shoots as well as a PCP, comes with original receipt and instruction manual, £475 ono. Face to face only. Tel: 07549 761580 (Leeds). WANTED: FORESIGHT for Webley Omega riﬂe. Back sight for Webley Ranger. Foresight protectors for Airsporter MKI and MKII. For sale: Webley Raider stock, unused. BSA MK4 + MK5 stock. Webley MKI Vulcan stock. Webley Hawke MK3 stock. All open to offers. Tel: 0121 4779401 (Birmingham). NITESITE VIPER. Warranty, free postage £325. 12 litre 300 bar cylinder fittings. Buyer collects, 6 months old £125. Hatsan AT44

.177 synthetic, bi-pod, pump, spare cylinder, Hawke Sport IR 4-12 X 50, many extra’s £250. Also scopes + camo gear. Tel: 07852 149760 (Staffordshire). WEBLEY HURRICANE .22 air pistol in presentation box with telescopic sights, targets, pellets, strip down chart, ‘O’ rings, Allen key, all original, only used once or twice in pristine condition, buyer collects. Offers over £325.00. Ring 01634 408837 (Kent). COMPLETE COLLECTION of Airgun World magazine from August 1977 – 2015 including special editions. Offers, buyer collects. Tel: 01993 868994 (Buckinghamshire).

Shop, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, RG40 2EG. Please include your name, address, telephone number and a maximum of 40 words and make all cheques or PO’s payable to ‘Air Gunner’. Get your information to us and we’ll publish it in our next issue. We cannot guarantee which issue your advert will appear in. Please note that we cannot take your advert over the phone, though for any further information call Sharon on 01189 742 524 BERETTA 92FS XTREME .177 Co2, boxed kit with silencer and electronic red point scope and Co2 cartridges. Used once, buyer collects £175. Tel: 01252 872467 (Hants). WANTED DIANA Model 15, 16 Junior BSA, Webley or similar. Tel: 0161 9694606 (Cheshire). DIANA MOD 27 1963 near mint £95, original MOD 35 VGC £100, Haenel MOD 11 1927 VGC £120, BSA Cadet, good condition £70, early Meteor ﬂuted stock no rear sight £60. Tel:01777 708504 (Notts).I

CROSMAN NITRO Venom .22, hardly used, new condition less than 50 pellets fired. Complete with scope, pellets and ﬂeeced lined bag. Tel: 01484 710455 (Yorkshire).

WANTED: Foresight for Webley Omega riﬂe. Backsight for Webley Ranger. Foresight Protectors for Airsporter MKI and MKII. For sale: Webley Raider stock, unused. BSA MK4 + MK5 stock. Webley MKI Vulcan stock. Webley Hawke MK3 stock. All open to offers. Tel: 0121 4779401 (Birmingham).

WANTED; OLD GERMAN 1930’s air riﬂe call the Prescision .177, lift a lever to open the barrel or break barrel. Anything considered including relic condition. Tel: 07909 766687 (Suffolk).

NITESITE VIPER. Warranty, free postage £325. 12 litre 300 bar cylinder fittings. Buyer collects, 6 months old £125. Hatsan AT44 .177 synthetic, bi-pod, pump, spare cylinder,

AIR ARMS TX200 MK3 left hand walnut .177 with Hawke 4-12 x 50 AO IR scope and cocking aid. Barely used. Buyer collects, £335. Tel: 01252 872467 (Hants).

Hawke Sport IR 4-12 x 50, many extras £250. Also scopes + camo gear. Tel: 07852 149760 (Staffordshire).

WEBLEY HURRICANE .22 air pistol in presentation box with telescopic sights, targets, pellets, strip down chart, ‘O’ rings, Allen key, all original, only used once or twice in pristine condition, buyer collects. Offers over £325.00. Ring 01634 408837 (Kent). COMPLETE COLLECTION of Airgun World magazine from August 1977 – 2015 including special editions. Offers, buyer collects. Tel: 01993 868994 (Buckinghamshire). CROSMAN NITRO Venom .22, hardly used, new condition less than 50 pellets fired. Complete with scope, pellets and ﬂeeced lined bag. Tel: 01484 710455 (Yorkshire). FALCON HAWKE .22, good condition £300 inc postage. Wanted genuine Bobcat Stalker .22. Tel: 07977323504 ( Conwy ). AIR ARMS S410 .177 Walnut, left hand with sling + bipod, hardly used, excellent condition. Fitted with Simmons 4-12x40 Range Finder scope £600. Tel:07737936515 (Esssex). WEIHRAUCH HW99S .22, good condition, used in field so minor knocks to front of stock. Chrono at 11.25ft lbs. New scope and bag £160, buyer collects. Tel:01268 680826 (Essex).

The editor reserves the right to edit adverts as may be required. Swap Shop is a service offered to readers who wish to undertake private transactions between themselves. There is no need for such transactions to be made face to face (unless an airgun is FAC-rated), but Air Gunner requests that all due caution is excercised when buying or selling an airgun. You must adhere to the current airgun laws. You can’t buy an airgun if you are under 18 years old. The Swap Shop is not offered to those who sell airguns as part of a business.

82 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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AIR GUNNER 83

hpyn|uGjvsslj{pvu Figure 8

Figure 9

sold in auction, and rather curiously, it no longer housed the expected air pistol with blued outer chamber but now contained one with a nickel-plated cylinder. See Figure 7 - a photograph by James McCoull, kindly supplied by Rod Meek of Anderson & Garland, Auctioneers, showing the ﬁne outﬁt. I can’t explain this but it appears that David (or someone else after his departure) had swapped over the pistols in that Fireﬂy box; or far less likely, David nickel-plated the once-blued cylinder of no. VIII to match the description of ‘Highly Plated Air Tube’ stated in the pasted-in tray label. John McCrossen once showed me his redboxed, blued-cylinder Fireﬂy, whilst the box literature still referred to a ‘plated air tube’so the same wording was used irrespective of the cylinder ﬁnish. The outer label was missing from John’s lid, so maybe the gum used simply lost its strength down the years. The Fireﬂy pistol also appears in Dennis Hiller’s ‘Air Pistol Collecting’ later guides and in The Blue Book of Airguns, and is also mentioned in Airgun World in May 1984 in Part 1 of my large and fairly detailed account of the relationship between the 1901 M&G lever latch guns and similar ‘Ansonia’ riﬂes -

when I stated (as an aside) that some Fireﬂy models ‘had no trigger guards, whilst others are remembered as larger with trigger guards’. Later, in Air Gunner November, 1993 in my 1920s gunmaking articles conclusion, I told how Bernard Hinchley remembered stripping a Fireﬂy with trigger guard nearly 60 years before and how it had the slender, ﬂexible spring to keep the loading plug from being lost. This information had been gleaned from private correspondence to me from the late Bernard Hinchley, the well-known Birmingham gun researcher. The presence of the guard may have given him the illusion that they were larger - because he would not have seen them at the same time and maybe even decades apart!

Safety Model Firefly When I relayed this information in the articles, a handful of collectors were sceptical about Bernard’s recollection of the addition of the guard to a revised iron grip frame. Two suggested that he was getting confused with the cast frame early ‘Briton’ (seen middle of Figure 2) that had appeared about the same time as the Fireﬂy shown below it. I have to admit this thought had already crossed my own mind … although I was always fairly conﬁdent that Bernard’s excellent memory would not have failed him. I realised that only photographs to show the guard, in order to make new collectors aware of the variation (as one to try to ﬁnd), would prove that Bernard had been right after all these years and dispel any

Figure 8: The ‘Fireﬂy’ variant with trigger guard I first mentioned in ‘Airgun World’ 32 years ago. but only now am I able to show photographs. The inside lid wording replicates the wording on the now missing outer label, informing the year 1925 and the manufacturer [Photograph courtesy of Stephen Rollins] Figure 9: The rather battered lid of the original carton containing the ‘Fireﬂy’ with trigger guard shows evidence where a label was once pasted [Photograph courtesy of Stephen Rollins] Figure 10: The heavy ribbing has been extended forward above the trigger for the new-look ‘Fireﬂy’ frame with the wording: “THE FIREFLY” AIR PISTOL on two lines being located forward [Photograph courtesy of Stephen Rollins] Figure 11: Unlike the guardless model, the ‘Fireﬂy’ with trigger guard has no markings on the right-hand side of the pistol [Photograph courtesy of Stephen Rollins]

lingering doubts that this pistol was mythical! I’m now ﬁnally able to show photographs of this pistol I ﬁrst mention 32 years ago in Airgun World after a variation of the Fireﬂy with guard ﬁnally surfaced, complete with box, to conﬁrm that my researcher friend Bernard Hinchley was correct about some versions having guards and, thanks to the owner, Stephen Rollins, I can now document the piece. I’m grateful to Stephen for sharing the news of the variation I’d long known had existed - and for the photographs detailing it at long last. The Fireﬂy was also very well covered in Prof. John Grifﬁths’ spring-piston, air pistol book: The Encyclopedia of Spring Air Pistols. Because no old advertisement is known showing a Fireﬂy complete with a guard, John, although probably slightly doubtful

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Figure 11

Figure 10 www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR AIRGUNNER GUNNER87 www.airgunshooting.co.uk 87

hpyn|uGjvsslj{pvu Figure 12 Figure 13

Figure 14

of the variation, also had enough conﬁdence in Bernard and me to mention the guard version in his ﬁne book - having got the information from my articles in 1984 and 1993. As usual, I’m pleased to say, time has proved Bernard’s valuable information to be more-or-less correct. John Grifﬁths’ wonders if the plated Fireﬂies were more common than the blued ones. In John’s own archive of photographs they are about 50:50, but he has so few that probably means little. I’m unable to say; they don’t feature in my ‘Serial Number Study’ register because they don’t have true serial numbers, but details of any further specimens with or without Roman numerals will be welcome. The inside lid wording seen in Figure 8 replicates the wording on the now missing outer label, conveniently informing the year 1925 for the Fireﬂy Figure 12: Underside of the safety model ‘Firefly’ showing the cast trigger guard [Photograph courtesy of Stephen Rollins] Figure 13: Rear view showing the breech plug eye and the cylinder rim hole to attach the ends of the now missing coil spring tether to prevent breech plug loss [Photograph courtesy of Stephen Rollins] Figure 14: ‘Firefly’ breech with inserter pin/plug removed; also showing the simple fixed rearsight produced by drilling, cutting and bending up the rear top section of the cylinder [Photograph courtesy of Stephen Rollins] Figure 15: Top: The early cast iron ‘Briton’ pistol, nickelled without trigger guard. Lower: Blued example (presumed later) with factory addition of a steel strip guard

88 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

and the manufacturer, E. Anson, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham. The addition of the cast trigger guard to the iron frame improved the appearance, in my opinion. The rather battered lid of the original carton containing the Fireﬂy with trigger guard shows evidence of where a label was once pasted (see Figure 9). The ribbon pull probably perished on the ammo compartment lid rendering it hard to lift, leading to it being discarded and lost. The heavy ribbing has been extended forward above the trigger for the newlook Fireﬂy frame with the wording: ‘THE FIREFLY AIR PISTOL’ on two lines being relocated forward as you can see in Figure 10. ‘ANSON’S O.K’ endorsement also appears stamped on the left trigger side and this might have been a ﬁnal inspection mark. Unlike the guardless models with ‘FIREFLY’ on the trigger frame, the version with trigger guard has no markings on the right-hand side of the pistol (Figure 11). An underside view of the Fireﬂy showing the cast trigger guard appears as Figure 12 whilst rear views Figures 13 and 14 show the breech plug eye and the cylinder rim hole to attach the ends of the now missing coil spring tether to ‘keep’ the breech plug and prevent loss, and also the inserter pin/breech plug removed, plus the simple ﬁxed rearsight produced by drilling, cutting and bending up the rear top section of the cylinder. Comparative dimensions: Stephen has measured his guarded Fireﬂy and the dimensions are shown below, compared with my own guardless model: Length overall uncocked/ﬁred: SR’s 175 mm. JA’s 177 mm (7 inches). Length of cylinder tube: SR’s 134 mm. JA’s 133 mm (5.25

inches). Length of body casting: SR’s Just under 125 mm. JA’s Just under 125 mm (nearly Figure 15 5 inches). Length overall when cocked including breech pin in place: SR’s Just 151 mm. JA’s 152 mm (6 inches long overall). Height from base of butt to top of cylinder measured vertically: SR’s 110 mm. JA’s 110 mm (c.4.3 inches).

In other words, they are virtually the same - as suspected by the scale judged in the cartons - assuming both Stephen’s and David’s boxes are identical in size. Bernard Hinchley, despite his useful noting of the model variant with guard, was mistaken in his thought that the model with guard was of a larger size. Bernard had dismantled a variant with guard many years before seeing another - this time with the more usual guardless trigger - so he certainly didn’t have them to compare directly. As I said, the presence of the guard must have given the illusion that the pistol seen earlier was larger.

Up for grabs Stephen Rollins informs me that he wishes to dispose of his unusual Fireﬂy with guard, to the highest bidder. I won’t be making an offer myself, or getting involved with the sale in any way - apart from being happy to forward, at my own expense, any postal letters from collectors interested in making a serious offer for it. Letters only please, (not emails to the busy Editor) marked ‘Fireﬂy’ on the envelope - should be addressed to me c/o Air Gunner. On receipt, I will re-post them unopened to Stephen - so he can make direct contact. The nickelled Briton pistol without trigger guard is contrasted with the blued example (presumed later) shown below in Figure 15 with the factory addition of a steel strip guard. I think it’s safe to assume that the specimens with guards were later models. The only British push-in barrel cocker of the time not to later receive the addition of a guard, presumably added as a safety necessity in the latter days of these pistols, would have been the Lincoln Jeffries’ ‘Scout’ ﬁrst appearing c.1922 - the safety precaution being added to both the Anson and the Clarke models at about the same time. If production of the Scout had continued much past c.1926, then it would, no doubt, also have received the reﬁnement of a guard for safety reasons. Maybe accidents were recorded using these pistols with no guards. ■ REFERENCES: Articles and books as mentioned in the text. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thanks to collectors Brian Uprichard for initially alerting me to a guarded variant Firefly having ﬁnally surfaced, and also to Danny Garvin acting as an intermediary between the owner and me, for his considerable efforts in obtaining permission to use the Firefly with guard photographs in this article. Also to Stephen Rollins for his excellent photographs and his assistance. My thanks also to Rod Meek and James McCoull of Anderson & Garland, Ltd., Auctioneers, Newcastle Upon Tyne and to the late David S. Swan.

UK T: 0044 (0) 151 604 1788 M: 0044 (0) 7768 406377 E: [email protected]

FRANCE T: 0033 (0) 3277 45145 M: 0033 (0) 6500 74421 E: [email protected]

Tel: 0208 289 2993

UK T: 0044 (0) 151 604 1788 M: 0044 (0) 7768 406377 E: [email protected]

FRANCE T: 0033 (0) 3277 45145 M: 0033 (0) 6500 74421 E: [email protected]

AIR GUNNER 89

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SNOW PATROL Jerry Moss gets wrapped up warm to enjoy a snowy hunt

I

am glad to say that there has been a change from the very wet weather we have had this winter, here in the Eden Valley; we finally had some cold and frosty mornings, followed by a few days of snow. The snow is not for everyone I know, but I love it for hunting. There is something about being out in the woods, with the trees and woodland floor covered in snow giving that silence like no other, as if a cotton wool blanket has been thrown over the area. The fresh, cool feeling and having to wrap up is just something special for me. Okay, you have to take care whilst stalking through the woods because it can be slippery underfoot, plus you can’t see some of the holes and rocks on the floor, but all that makes it interesting and sharpens you up.

The recent snow came late one afternoon, and for the rest of that evening I was like a kid, backwards and forwards to the back door every half hour to see how much more we’d had. I was already planning my next morning’s hunt. I was so pleased that I had been around a few of my woodlands and forests, just the day before, to check and fill the feeding areas. I gathered my gear together that evening so I would be all ready for a quick get-away early the next day, and at 6.30am the alarm went off and I was on my way. I got all the gear packed in my pick-up and, of course, the flask was one of the most important items not to forget. It was just a short drive to the first woodland and the views across to the fells were stunning.

Above: I’m getting to grips with the Pulsar and it works well

Top up I filled a feedbag so I could top up feeders along the way, grabbed my Daystate Pulsar and set off to the gate. The first thing I noticed was fox tracks under the gate – that’s another reason that I like snow; it gives you chance to do a bit of tracking so you can see what is about. Before I went any further,

“The snow is not for everyone I know, but I love it for hunting”

Below: I love the silence that snow brings

I phoned the gamekeeper to tell him about the tracks because this particular woodland is right on the edge of the estate and I am probably the only person that ever goes near it. I wished I had also picked up my shotgun in case I got a chance at a fox, but I continued on my way to the first feeding area. I approached slowly, using trees as

“I sent the .22 Sovereign pellet on its way and it hit home with a smack that seemed loud”

90 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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Above: With just a light fall of snow my English Oak camo still worked well Above right: I’m always happy to see a red squirrel. After all, that’s what my work is all about Left: The hard weather brings the animals to the feeders

Left: With so little snow I could still get my truck off road

INFORMATION As always, we welcome your thoughts and ideas. Get in touch and tell us about the methods that work for you.

Follow Jerry on Facebook For more info:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ Penrith-and-District-Red-SquirrelGroup/487229667979369?fre f=ts Below: A good snowy day’s work

cover, and I could see the little birds were very busy taking advantage of the squirrel feeders, which was great to see because birds are another passion of mine. Regular visitors to feeders are coal, blue, great and long-tailed tits; nuthatches, robins, chaffinches and pheasants. I settled in, leaned on a fallen tree, and planned to watch the area for around an hour. About 20 minutes in, and on the ground in the distance I could see a grey squirrel making its way toward the feeders. I was concentrating on that when, out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement. It was a grey that just appeared on the nearest feeder to me. As it lifted the lid, I moved slightly and got the cross hairs of the Optisan MTC EVX scope locked on. It sat sideways to me and with a slight adjustment I sent the .22 Sovereign pellet on its way and it hit home with a smack that seemed loud, but that would be to do with the deadly silence in the wood. I quickly looked over to where I had last seen a tree rat making its way along the ground, and found it straight away. It had just clamped to the base of a tree about three feet off the ground, and was well within range at approximately 25 yards off. I placed the cross hairs on the base of its skull and squeezed the trigger, to watch it drop the short distance to the ground.

In the bag I picked up the bagged greys and went on my way toward the next feeding area, about a 10-minute walk off. As I approached this area, a grey darted across the track and went up toward the canopy of a large beech tree on the edge of the wood. Luckily for me, it came out and sat nigh on perfect on a branch. Free-standing, I took the shot and that was another in the bag, and I had another hour or so looking about this wood before I made my way to other conifer forests. In the next area, I am pleased to say, many reds were seen, and in the last woodland, I bagged another two tree rats, which were at the feeders having their last feed of the day. A bit of cold weather certainly brings the animals in for an easy meal, but the snow has all gone now and it’s back to wet, winter days. See you next month, and until then - happy and safe hunting. ■ www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 91

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“SiG’s handguns have a reputation with elite military units for being rock solid and totally reliable”

SIGS PISTOLS I

ﬁrst saw this pistol almost a year ago at the IWA show in Germany. Well, actually I very nearly didn’t see it because the SiG Sauer stand was absolutely huge with hundreds of different models of rifles, sub-machine guns and handguns on display. Many were targeted at military and police buyers, but as I walked by, the word ‘airgun’ just caught my eye. A short while later, I was having a long and detailed discussion with the head of SiG’s airgun development team, who turned out to be from the airgun world, not the ﬁrearms one, and so he understood what’s what with pellets and air. They’re made by SiG, so these aren’t copies; they’re precision versions in terms of size and weight, and that shows from the second you handle one. I’ve been lucky enough to ﬁre 9mm versions of this very pistol and I can vouch for the realism. Apart

Above: Now that’s what I call fun! Below: The grip shape worked well with my two-handed combat hold. Note the bobbed hammer

92 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Never mind the BBs, here’s a proper pellet firer as the editor tells us

from the lack of noise and recoil, the ﬁring experience is very similar. I’ve been told that part of the logic used in developing these airguns is that they’ll be used as training tools for military and police recruits as they

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Elite choice SiG’s handguns have a reputation with elite military units for being rock solid and totally reliable in the worst possible conditions. I feel that’s one reason why so many people aspire to own one of these incredible guns. The 9mm models I ﬁred were accurate and slick, just what an ‘operator’ would need in the ﬁeld in a life and death situation. Sig has several models in the upcoming range, including an incredible, air-powered, sub-machine gun, the prototype of which I ﬁred briefly and I have to say that I was deeply impressed. The ﬁrst production gun to arrive on these shores is the P250 pistol, which is very handsome and uses modern materials in its high-tech build. The working blow-back slide is metal, whilst the frame is polymer, as are

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Left: The double-ended magazine slips in just like a full-bore one

SPECS Manufacturer SiG Sauer Importer Highland Outdoors Web www. highlandoutdoors.co.uk Tel 0845 099 0252 Model P250 Length 8” Weight 1.4lbs Type Blow-back Power source 12-gramme Co2 Ammo type .177 lead pellet Colours Black and olive drab green (ODG)

Cost £99.99

Below: Let ‘er rip! Fast-fire fun all the way

“The fun soon began as I tried different drills of single shots, double-taps and, of course, shoot-as-fast-as-you-can blasts” so many modern pistols. It uses a double-ended rotary magazine to offer 16-shots, all powered by the ever-popular, 12-gramme Co2 capsule that, of course, is carried in the grip. Blow-back Co2 pistols are simply brilliant fun, so I was happy to have a sunny winter morning to head to the range and have a blast - literally. Despite the near freezing conditions, I was looking forward to getting some lead in the air. ‘Lead’ is the operative word, because our club, Bisley, quite rightly prohibits the use of steel BBs. These rebound off any hard surface and our excellent pistol range is packed with all kinds of targets, many of which are steel, and a BB hitting me in the face is something I can do without. Lead pellets are much safer, but a rebound is always possible, which is why eye protection for everybody on the range is a rule that’s never broken. Even spectators are obliged to don a pair of safety specs’ before they enter. The downside of a plusone-degree morning is that the cold reduces the performance of every Co2

However, once the ﬁrst shot is ﬁred the subsequent shots are in singleaction mode, with a short, light trigger action. You can manually cock it by pulling the slide back, which is what I chose to do, and I recommend that you do too. The fun soon began as I tried different drills of single shots, double-taps and of course, shoot-asfast-as-you-can blasts. The blow-back is quite soft, but still satisfying and I suffered not one jam that morning. I was also pleased to see that the dotenhanced, ﬁxed sights were spot on for the ASG Diablo wadcutter pellets supplied. The cold weather robbed me of a few shots, but I made sure that I had plenty of capsules with me, to ensure that nothing interrupted my fun. Interestingly, the slide-style safety works as a de-cocker, a system that’s so popular with European handgun manufacturers, adding authenticity. These great pistols come with an unusual guarantee, which is that they’ll ﬁre 15,000 shots without any worries, a fact that speaks volumes about the build-quality. It’s great to see one of the most prestigious gunmakers in the world come into airguns, and if this pistol is anything to go by, I can’t wait to see what they’ll bring us next. ■

gun. Roll on those hot summer days when the gas expands and we get the very best from our Co2 guns.

Gas ‘er up To install the 12-gramme capsule, the ‘back strap’ of the grip is pushed down toward the base, exposing the chamber. You then drop in a capsule and turn the winged grip that compresses the neck onto the piercing probe, allowing gas to flow into the action. Next, load 8 pellets into each of the rotary drums on the ‘stick’ magazine. I like this system because the mag’ loads into the frame just like a full-bore mag’, meaning very quick, comp’- style changes are easily possible. However, you must ensure that the mag’ is facing the right way, or it won’t ﬁre. The trigger action is typical of a double-action semi-auto, being quite long, but thankfully quite light. The hammer is ‘bobbed’ meaning that it has no spur extension for your thumb to cock it with, which is because this model is double-action only, so you cannot cock the hammer manually.

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 93

GUN SHOPS Directory Key: Trade Associations:

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Items stocked:

Airguns

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MELBOURNE TACKLE AND GUN

Scotland

64 Church Street, Melbourne Derbyshire DE73 8EJ Tel: 01332 862091 Email: [email protected] Web: melbournegun.com Opening hours: 9.00-5.30 every day except Sunday Credit cards:

Northern Ireland North

A busy gun shop established for over 20 years, selling an extensive range of new and secondhand shotguns, sporting rifles and air rifles with all ammunition and equipment. A large range of outdoor waterproof clothing. Part exchange welcome. Secondhand guns wanted. Gunsmith available.

CITY AIRWEAPONS LINCOLN LTD

Central East

154a Newark Road, Lincoln LN5 8QJ Tel: 01522 576238 Web: www.cityairweaponslincoln.co.uk Credit cards:

Wales

London & South East

South West

Mail order to other RFDs. Theoben Specialist including FAC. Combo deals available on new and used air weapons. Probably the best prices in the area. Cash for Airweapons. Part X welcome. Specialist repairs. Classic airweapons bought and sold. FAC conversions. On-site charging facilities. Large selection of pellets, quantity discounts.

IBSTOCK GUN & TACKLE

Isle of Wight WALES DRAGON FIELD SPORTS 8 Egerton Street, Wrexham Town Centre Tel: 01978 290990 Fax: 01978 311141 Email: [email protected] Web: www.dragonfieldsports.co.uk Opening hours: Mon - Sat 9am - 5pm Credit cards:

Full range of: Air Rifles, Air Pistols, CO2 Pistols, Shotguns, Firearms. Also: Scopes, Lamps, Ammo, Camo Clothing, Archery. Servicing and Repairs.

BROM SPORTS Brom Sports, 66 Widemarsh St Hereford HR4 9HG Tel: 01432 344610 Web: www.bromsports.co.uk Email: [email protected] Opening hours: Open 9 ’till 5 Tuesday to Saturday Bank holiday Mondays 10am - 3pm Credit cards: HEREFORD’S AIRGUN SPECIALISTS. A large range of Air guns and accessories available including: Air Arms, BSA, Daystate, Webley, Crossman, SMK, Hawke and many more. Also available, Air Cylinder charging, Archery, Crossbows, Soft Air, Repairs & servicing and much more. A family friendly outlet, with help and advice always available.

KEXBY FIELD SPORTS VALLEY ARMS Bolero Camp, Park Road, Ruthin, Denbighshire LL15 1NB Tel/Fax: 01824 704438 Email: [email protected] Web: www.valleyarms.co.uk Opening hours: Mon - Fri 9 - 5.30 Tues & Thurs 7 - 9pm. Sat 9 - 4.30 Credit cards:

Largest selection of new and used guns in North Wales. On-site indoor range. On-site workshop. Full range of accessories. 90 years of shooting experience at your disposal. Part exchange welcome.

CENTRAL WALKERS OF TROWELL Nottingham Road, Trowell, Nottingham NG9 3PA Tel: 0115 9307798 Credit cards: Stockists of: Daystate, BSA, Weihrauch, Air Arms, Umarex, Hawke, plus a large range of Pellets & Accessories. Fishing Tackle & Outdoor Clothing.

94 AIR GUNNER

High Street, Kexby, Gainsborough, DN21 5LZ Tel: 01427 787157 Mob: 07776 282324 Email: [email protected] Opening hours: 8.30-7.00 Mon-Fri. 8.30-5.30 Sat 9.00-12.00 Sun Credit cards:

New and used air rifles. Most leading brands stocked. Part exchange a pleasure. Try before you buy. Scopes, lamps, slings, gun bags, clothing, boots, wellingtons, camo nets, poles, decoys etc. Everything you need to get started or uprade!

SHOOTING SUPPLIES LTD 38 Sherwood Road, Bromsgrove, Worcs B60 3DR Tel: 01527 831261 Fax: 01527 832007 Email: [email protected] Web: www.shootingsuppliesltd.co.uk

61-63 Chapel Street Ibstock Leicester LE67 6HF Tel: 01530 260901 Web: www.Ibstocktackle.co.uk Wide range of air rifles, scopes and accessories at discount prices. Daystate stockist. ALL REPAIRS UNDERTAKEN Guns always wanted - Cash paid

LONDON & S.E.

CRAWLEY SURPLUS STORE DBL SUSSEX LTD Unit 2 Access House, Stephenson Way, Three Bridges, Crawley RH10 1TN Tel: 01293 525880 Fax: 01293 522749 Email: [email protected] Web: www.airpistols.co.uk Opening hours: 9.30 - 5.30 Mon - Sat Credit cards:

We have moved to a larger showroom with a testing range and free parking. Always a large range of CO2 pistols, rifles, airsoft guns, gas blow back pistols. Major brands stocked, SMK, Umarex, Weihrauch, Air Arms, Gamo, BSA, Brocock. Large range of clothing and accessories. Visit online www.airpistols.co.uk.

C&H WESTON 12 East Street, Brighton, Sussex BN1 1HP Tel: 01273 326338/733832 Fax: 01273 720107 Email: [email protected] Web: www.chweston.co.uk Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9-5.30. Sun & Bank Hol 10.30-4.30 Credit cards:

Credit cards: Open: Tues-Sat 9am-5.30pm, Fri 9am-7pm The Midlands largest gun shop. Main agents for Air Arms, BSA, Brocock, Daystate, FX, Umarex, Weihrauch. Over 200 new guns always in stock plus a good selection of secondhand. Extensive range of scopes and accessories with clothing and footwear from Seeland and Laksen. Helpful expert advice for the perfect combination.

Established 1819, C&H Weston offer a friendly service. We stock all good brands such as Air Arms, BSA, Daystate, Falcon, Brocock, Weihrauch, Gamo, Theoben, FX. Massive pellet range, chronographs, scales, gun cabinets, servicing. Scopes by Lightstream, Hawke, Nikko, BSA, MTC, Nikon, AGS. PX a pleasure.

Services offered:

& Compressed Gunsmith Repairs Servicing Air

Power Testing

Range Facilities

Credit available

To advertise your gunshop on these pages please call us on 01189 742525

PARK STREET GUNS

G. E. FULTON Bisley Camp, Brookwood Woking, Surrey GU24 0NZ Tel: 01483 473204 Fax: 01483 475011 Email: [email protected] Web: www.fultonsofbisley.com Opening hours: 9.00am - 5.30pm Mon - Sun 7 days a week Credit cards:

Stockists of BSA, Air Arms, Daystate, Gamo, Weihrauch. UK importers of Feinwerkbau. New and used air rifles and accessories. Scopes. Fitting service. Pre-charged, CO2, spring power. Service and repair of all guns.

1-2 Park Street Lane, Park St. St. Albans, Herts AL2 2NE Tel: 01727 872646 / 872669 Fax: 01727 875449 Email: [email protected] Web: www.gunshot.co.uk Opening hours: Mon - Fri 9 - 5.30 Sat 9 - 5 Credit cards:

SCOTLAND COUNTRYSIDE

ALLIANCE

We sell all major makes of airguns including BSA, Weihrauch, Gamo, Daystate, Umarex and more. All pellets and decoying equipment. Also in-house airgun smith service and power testing facilities. Friendly and knowledgeable service – always!

CHICHESTER ARMOURY 43 West St, Chichester, Sussex PO19 1RP Tel: 01243 774687 Email: [email protected] Web: www.chiarm.co.uk Opening hours: 9.30-1 2-5.00 Credit cards:

COUNTRYSIDE

ALLIANCE

Good selection of new and used air rifles, stocking spring and pre-charged guns. Help and advice always available.

Wilton Farm, Marlow Road Little Marlow, Bucks SL7 3RR Tel: 01628 474187 Email: [email protected] Web: www.escountrysports.co.uk Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm Credit cards:

South of Scotland’s largest gun and fly fishing retailer. Large selection of new and secondhand spring and pre-charged air rifles, scopes and accessories. Repairs carried out on the premises. Instruction given.

RONNIE SUNSHINES 4 Canalside, Northbridge Road Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 1EG Tel/Fax: 01442 872829 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ronniesunshines.com Opening hours: Mon - Sat 9 - 5 Credit cards:

EMMETT & STONE COUNTRY SPORTS

BORDERS GUNROOM Main St, St Boswells, Melrose, TD6 0AA Tel/Fax: 01835 822844 Email: [email protected] Opening hours: 8.30 - 5.30 Credit cards:

Hertfordshire’s leading Airgun Specialists we stock Weihrauch, Daystate, Air Arms, BSA, Logun, SMK, and many more. Plus a large range of CO2 pistols, scopes, clothing and a comprehensive stock of airgun accessories. We are also Bushcraft and Survival specialists supplying all the kit you need to survive. Come and visit our shop and Try before you buy on our purpose built indoor range. Or visit our website www.ronniesunshines.com

RIFLE SPORTS

WONDERLAND MODELS 97 + 101 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AN Tel: 0131 229 6428 Fax: 0131 229 7625 Email: [email protected] Web: www.wonderlandmodels.com Opening hours: 9.30 - 6.00 Credit cards: Edinburgh’s leading air rifle, air pistol, airgun pellet and accessories supplier. We are dealers for Air Arms, Anics, BSA, Crosman, Gamo, Sportsmarketing, Umarex, Webley and Weihrauch. We also stock BB guns, pellets and targets. We stock the full range of Barnett slingshots and archery equipment.

SOUTH WEST

Unit 59, Globe Industrial Estate Grays, Essex RM176ST Tel: 01375 658000 Web: www.riflesports.co.uk

Stockists of: Minox, Daystate, theoben, BSA, Weihrauch, Air Arms, Urmarex plus a wide range of pellets & Accessories. Please ask for further assistance and goods.

MAY OF LONDON LTD 21-23 Cherry Tree Rise, Buckhurst hill, Essex IG9 6EU Tel: 0208 504 5946 Email: [email protected] Web: www.mayoflondon.com Opening hours: Tues - Fri 9.30am - 6pm Sat 9.30am - 5.30pm Credit cards:

Air rifle and pistol sales and servicing. Dive cylinders and filling station on-site, indoor range, vast range of goods and accessories. Expert and friendly advice always given. We also sell shotguns, rifles, cartridges, ammunition, clays, cabinets and clothing.

GREENFIELDS AIRGUN CENTRE The Shooting Grounds, Sturry Hill, Sturry, Canterbury CT2 0NG Tel: 01227 713222 Fax: 01227 710611 Email: [email protected] Web: www.greenfieldsshooting.co.uk Opening hours: Tues - Sat 8.30am - 5.30pm.

COUNTRYWIDE Airguns, Rimfire ammunition and accessories including: Scopes, Bi-pods, Lamps, Night Vision, Airgun Pellets & much more. Scopes by Bushnell, Nikko, Sabre, SMK and Nikon

PORTSMOUTH GUN CENTRE 295 London Road, Portsmouth, PO2 9HF Tel: 02392 660 574 Email: [email protected] We stock rifles, pistols, shotguns, airguns and black powder weapons. Keeping the leading brands in stock, the business can accommodate all enquiries from customers and shooters alike. Complimenting the vast range of firearms, Portsmouth Gun Centre also carries a large amount of accessories, ammunition, clothing and miscellaneous shooting equipment.

STRINGTOWN SUPPLIES 29 High Street, Polegate East Sussex BN26 5AB Tel: 01323 488844 Email: [email protected] Web: www.stringtownsupplies.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ stringtownsurplus Opening hours: 9.30-5.30 MON-SAT 10.30-2.30 SUN Credit cards:

Sun 9.00am - 1.00pm. Closed Mon

Credit cards: Stockists of BSA, Webley, Air Arms, Logun, Weihrauch, Gamo and many more. Helpful Friendly Advice Always Available.

Bradford Road, Melksham, Wiltshire, SN12 8LQ Tel: 01225 701473 Email: [email protected] Opening hours: Mon - Fri 8.30-18.00, Sat 8.30-17.30, Sun 10-16.00 Credit cards:

Why not visit our amazing shop (“The Aladdin’s Cave” as its known!) Secondhand and new airguns. Air Arms, BSA, Crosman, Gamo, Hawke, SMK, Umarex, Webley, Weihrauch etc. Plus: Army surplus, camo clothing, Jack Pyke, archery, crossbows, airsoft, de-acts, paintball. Mail order service. Also dealer to dealer.

Offers a great selection of new & used air guns. Stockists of Weirauch, BSA, Air Arms, Daystate, Gamo, Umarex, SMK and Crosman. Gun repair on site. Good selection of scopes on site. Other stores located in Bearley, Bourton on the Water, Chepstow, Chipping Norton, Gloucester, Ledbury, Melton Mowbray, Salisbury and Thornbury.

RONNIE SUNSHINES - DEVON 1 & 2 Sabre Close, Heathfield, Newton Abbot, Devon GB, TQ12 6TW Tel: 01626 242971 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ronniesunshines.com/devon Opening hours: Mon - Sat 9 - 5 Credit cards:

Devon’s leading Airgun Specialists we stock Weihrauch, Daystate, Air Arms, BSA and many more. Plus a large range of CO2 pistols, scopes, and a comprehensive stock of airgun accessories. We are also Bushcraft and Survival specialists supplying all the kit you need to survive. Come and visit our shop and Try before you buy on our purpose built indoor range. Or visit: www.ronniesunshines.com

TO ADVERTISE YOUR GUN SHOP ON THESE PAGES PLEASE CALL US ON

01189 742525 AIR GUNNER 95

GUN SHOPS BASC Trade Member

Directory Key: Trade Associations:

GTA Trade COUNTRYSIDE Countryside Alliance Member ALLIANCE Trade Member

Items stocked:

TO ADVERTISE YOUR GUN SHOP ON THESE PAGES PLEASE CALL US ON 01189 742525 Airguns

Pistols

Optics

Clothing/ Footwear Knives

Decoys Pellets & & Hides Accessories AirSoft

Archery & Equipment Gun safes

MANCHESTER AIR GUNS 470 Oldham Road, Failsworth, Manchester M35 0FH Tel: 0161 681 7947 Web: www.manchesterairguns.com Email: [email protected] Hours: 10 - 5 Mon - Sat. Open most bank holidays until 2 Credit cards: All credit cards accepted

North

Britain’s first Airgun Only Gunshop (since 1977). Large stocks of airguns, scopes and pellets. Servicing, repairs and re-blueing. Free advice with pleasure!

Central East

BROWN TROUT

Wales

London & South East South West

Isle of Wight

NORTH SUNDERLAND SCUBA CENTRE 4A Atkinsons Buildings, Trimdon Street Sunderland, Tyne and Wear SR4 6AH Tel: 01915 670147 Email: [email protected] Web: www.sunderlandairguns.com Opening hours: 9.00-5.30 Mon-Fri | 9.00-4.30 Sat 10.00-3.00 Sun Credit cards:

PHOENIX FIELD SPORTS SUPPLIES 37-41 High Street, Old Town, Bridlington East Yorkshire YO164PR Tel: 01262 605512 Email: [email protected] Opening hours: Wed - Sat 10am - 5pm (Closed Monday and Tuesday) Credit cards: Shooting, Fishing & Archery Equipment - Air rifles: Weihrauch, Crosman, Hammerli, Kral, Diana and Remington. Shotguns: Sabbati, Investarm and Walther etc. Pellets: RWS, Crosman, Walther, Lanes, Remington and Diana etc. Working dog equipment: Whistles, dummies, leads, sticks, etc. Also: Cartridges, gunslips, Hawke optics, clothing and footwear. Jack Pyke stockists Clulite litelamps, battery packs, torches, bags, equipment, safety eyewear, ear defenders, camo nets and decoys.

MOOREDGES AIRGUNS The Chantreys, Mooredges Road, Thorne, Doncaster DN8 5RY Tel: 01405 741706 Fax: 01405 740936 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Mooredges_info Web: www.mooredges.com Opening hours: Open 6 days a week, closed Tuesdays. Mon - Sat 9.00am - 5.30pm. Sun 10.00am - 4.00pm. Open Bank Holidays Credit cards: Extensive range of all leading airguns, scopes and accessories. Also a wide range of camo clothing and footwear available.

96 AIR GUNNER

Air rifles from BSA, Air Arms, Stoeger and other big brands. Superior optics by Hawke, Meopta, Nikko Stirling and Zeiss Full range of mount, lights, lasers and other accessories. Servicing and repairs of spring PCP rifles. Finance available. Recharging of air rifles and pistols on site.

EAST

WARRINGTON GUNS 53 Norris Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 7RJ Tel: 01925 415901 Email: [email protected] Web: www.warringtonguns.com Opening hours: Mon - Fri 9am - 5.30pm Sat 9am - 4.30pm Credit cards: Selection of air rifles including BSA, Air Arms, Daystate, Cometa, Brocock, Webley, Weihrauch, Edgar, FX, Walther and more. Rimfire and centre fire rifles, shotguns, ammunition and cartridges available here.

BURY AIR GUNS Stockists of Weihrauch, Webley, BSA, Norica, Gamo, Hammerli, scopes, lamps, pellets and accessories. Airsoft guns stocked, crossbows & archery available. Guns serviced and repaired. Airgun and cylinder refills to 300 bar.

26 Cold Bath Road, HARROGATE, North Yorks HG2 0NA Tel: 01423 709741 Email: [email protected] Web: www.browntroutonline.co.uk Credit cards:

12 Bolton Street, Bury Lancashire BL9 0LQ Tel: 0161 764 1915 Web: www.buryairguns.co.uk and www.burysports.co.uk Email: [email protected] Opening hours: 9.15 - 5.00 Closed Sunday Credit cards:

CHURCHILLS OF DEREHAM 24 Norwich Street, Dereham, Norfolk NR19 1BX Tel: 01362 696926 Fax: 01362 854489 Email: [email protected] Web: www.onlinegunshop.co.uk Opening hours: 9am to 5pm Mon to Sat Credit cards:

Large stock of New & Used Guns. Full Gun Repair Service – On Site. Clay Shoots/Lessons Arranged. GUNS WANTED – CASH PAID. FREE POSTAGE ONLINE!

COUNTRY SPORTING GUNS Cannons Cottage, Punchbowl Lane, Brothertoft, Boston, Lincolnshire PE20 3SB Line 1: 01205 311246 Line 2: 01205 369470 Email: [email protected] Web: www.countrysportingguns.co.uk Opening hours: Mon - Sat 9am - 5.30pm We now sell impact airguns!!

The North’s largest airgun, sports and trophy store established 1959. Only fifteen minutes from Manchester city centre, Junction 2 M66, opposite the East Lancashire steam railway.

TONY’S CAMO & AIRGUN CENTRE Saltney House, Chesterbank Business Park, River Lane, Saltney, Chester, CH4 8SL Tel: 01244 681191 Web: www.tonyscamo.co.uk Opening hours: Tue - Sat 9am - 5:30 pm

Indoor range open 6 days a week. See website for more details.

We supply airguns and shooting accessories, stocking all major air rifle brands, optics and silencers. Setup and tuning service. We are selected BSA area dealers. Sporting rifles and shotguns including ammo. New and secondhand rifles and shotguns. SHOOTING RANGE. We buy airguns. This is the home of the Grand European 80 Varmint air rifle.

T.R. ROBB 316 High Road, South Benfleet Essex SS7 5HB Tel: 01268 752888 Web: www.trrobb.com

Full range of air rifles and pistols. Soft-air and Simmons scope specialist. Tuning kits and Customising Service.

WIGHILL PARK GUNS Wighill Park, Nr Tadcaster, North Yorkshire LS24 8BW Tel: 01937 833757 Fax: 01937 530563 Email: [email protected] Web: www.wighillparkguns.co.uk Opening hours: Wed 9-5, Thurs late night 9-8pm. Fri and Sat 9-5pm. Credit cards:

Visit one of Britain‘s best stocked Airgun Shops in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY ON OUR INDOOR RANGE. Part exchange a specialty.

TO ADVERTISE YOUR GUN SHOP ON THESE PAGES PLEASE CALL US ON

01189 742525

Shooting this weekend? Are you insured?

BASA MEMBERSHIP Just £19.95 for 12 months BASA membership by Direct Debit Or £23.95 for 12 months membership by credit/debit card or cheque

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS • Up to £2 million third party liability insurance#, covering FAC Airguns and Airguns • Shooting permission slips • Discounts off Archant books & DVDs • Photo ID card and proof of insurance

COVER INCLUDES: ✓ FAC Airguns ✓ Airguns

• SPECIAL OFFERS from selected retailers • FREE entry in Airgun World competitions

Join today for instant cover Current members can also take up this offer by extending their membership

www.subscriptionsave.co.uk/AGN/BA 01858 438840 quote CBA6G04A

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 97

#Third party liability indemnity – excess £250 property damage only. The public liability insurance is arranged by Arthur J. Gallagher insurance brokers limited who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Lines open 8am-9.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Saturdays. T&Cs: Direct Debit is a UK offer only and will be taken annually. Details of the Direct Debit guarantee are available on request. Allow up to 14 days for the preparation of your membership documents. You will be instantly insured subject to your payment being successfully processed. You will need to provide your BASA membership number to benefit from the special offers, for more information please visit www.airgunshooting.co.uk/basa-membership. OFFER ENDS 19/04/16.

NEXT MONTH

MAY ISSUE ON SALE 22 MARCH 2016

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HIDDEN TREASURE Jamie takes his favourite springer to the woods 98 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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