Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2016 i Shooting Gazette

JOHN RIGBY & Co. has produced a special set of Jim Corbett’s work to mark its acquisition of the author’s.275 Rigby bolt-action rifle. The limited edition five-book set, produced by Safari Press, comprises: Leopard of Rudraprayag Vol. II, My India Vol. III, Jungle Lore Vol. IV, Man-Eaters of Kumaon and Temple Tiger & Treetops Vol. V. The individually numbered leather-bound hardbacks are limited to 275 sets and are priced at £299 per set. A proportion of the profits from sales will be donated to The Jim Corbett National Park in India. The .275 bolt-action rifle was presented to Corbett for killing the dreaded ‘man-eating tigress of Champawat’ in 1907. For more information, visit johnrigbyandco.com.…

What was your first shotgun? My first gun was a Gunmark Black Sable which was adjusted to be left handed. I gave it to my godson who is also left handed. Where was your first shoot day? My first shoot day was with my father on a walk one stand one shoot at Verdley in West Sussex, a wonderful shoot with some challenging drives and some formidable characters who were great company. Do you remember your first bird? Yes, it was a hen pheasant that appeared over some trees very quickly. It was extremely unlucky. Who is your shooting mentor/who's been the biggest influence on your shooting? My father and I have shot together for over 30 years and we have travelled all over Britain to some fabulous shoots. He…

Hare pie Ingredients • 600g diced hare• 100g diced onion• 50g diced carrot• 50g diced leek• 50g diced celery• 50g butternut squash• 10g chopped garlic• 200ml game stock• 200ml fresh tomato sauce• 100ml red wine• 400g potato puree• Cornish sea salt• Milled black pepper Method Season the hare and sauté in a hot pan. Remove from the pan and allow to rest. Sauté the onion, carrot, celery, butternut and leek and place the hare back in the pan. Add the garlic then add the stock, wine and tomato sauce. Reduce to simmer for four hours, adding extra stock if needed. Correct the seasoning and remove from the heat. Place into serving dishes and top with the potato and grill until golden. Serve with corn on the cob.…

Dear Uncle Giles On a single gun day this season two of the other guns had friends with them on the peg and, as the day progressed, they were not even trying to hide the fact that their companions were in fact stuffing for them. This was a let day and by using a stuffer these guns clearly had an advantage over the rest of us. What could we or should we have done? ENA, by e-mail Uncle Giles writes On a let day – which is how many of us shoot – the arithmetic of the day is simple. There is a target contracted bag of X and a line of participating guns Y. Divide the former by the latter and you will find – anybody will find –…

This team of guns enjoyed a stunning high-bird day at Littledale Hall in Lancashire, which is featured on pages 24-30 of this issue. From left: Joe Gibbons, Phil Hart, Jim Apperley, Richard Drinkall, Mark Halstead, Guy Gardener, Neil Leeming, John Hall, Joe Gibbons & Jim Hart. Mick Dacres (front left in tweeds) and his experienced team at Littledale. This team enjoyed a memorable day at Thistleton in Rutland. The bag was 179, comprising mostly partridge with a few duck and pheasant. The shoot supper was at the Berkeley Arms in Wymondham, run by Louise and Neil Hitchen. The team: Jo Collingham, Will Hiscock, Greg Chamberlayne, George Bereton, Ali Edwards, Myles Strange, Henry Kilmister and Phil Crawley. Also in the picture are Mark Bygott, Paul Kilmister and Willow the lab. Twenty-five…

The Trough of Bowland in Lancashire is a beautiful part of the country with some well-known shoots and grouse moors, including Abbeystead, the moor owned by the Duke of Westminster. The Littledale Shoot neighbours Abbeystead and up until now has been a rather well-kept secret. In fact this is the first time the shoot has featured in a magazine. Approached through some pretty countryside, the entrance to Littledale Hall is promising. Two large stone pillars guard the drive, which takes you through some steep woodland and follows the path of a stream. After a final bend, the eponymous house looms into view and it’s an imposing sight. Built from the local dark stone, it boasts spectacular views, nestled at the bottom of a high fell. The house used to be…

Regular readers may have gathered that I have a bit of a Scrooge mindset when it comes to January shooting. When guns rhapsodise about the high-flying birds that have evaded the best guns all season, wonderful wintry weather etc. etc., my response is “bah, humbug”, since for the shoot owner January is a month more of complications than compliments. We start with the shortest days, which can present a logistical problem. Not being a fan of shooting through, we need to ensure we can get a decent day’s shooting in without running into dusk and this requires a slightly different approach to managing the day. I make a point of not overtly chivvying the guns, but the laid-back approach has to be modified. Cut short the chitchat over coffee at…

The deepest, darkest days of midwinter can provide some rare opportunities. Out on the back hill, the snow often lies for several weeks while the lowlands wallow in dribbling slush, and the shapes of the Galloway hills are sometimes strewn with wreaths well into the spring. Crisp, crunching carpets of deep snow run for thousands of acres, and in this pristine wilderness it becomes wonderfully easy to spot a fox. Not only do they run together in January, but a pair of foxes is often more active by day as they struggle to keep up the calories by hunting in the short windows of light. They are often easy to find on the open hill at dawn, curled up in some sheltered spot where the sun can melt off the…

Human Can there be anything in the shooting field more frustrating than having someone else pick up your birds? OK, apart from not being able to hit any birds, which really is very frustrating and leads to many periods of quiet contemplation while those around rejoice in their bounty. So, apart from not hitting anything? Yes, dropping birds stone dead and then not being able to find them is also infuriating but that is why we have a dog, isn’t it? Leaving your cartridge bag in the gunbus after elevenses and running out of shells mid-drive is also irritating, I agree; and so is having a mainspring go in the midst of a pound-seat big first half closer; and breaking down on the way to the shoot; yes, and breaking…

The most common military rifle as opposed to the smooth-bore musket in the early 19th century was the Brunswick belted ball rifle. Two deep rifling grooves accommodated a belted ball that was easy to load. However, it’s accuracy and range left a lot to be desired and several inventors attempted to improve upon it. One was Colonel John Jacob of the Scinde Irregular Horse in north-west India, who experimented at his own expense to improve upon the Brunswick. John Jacob was a prominent soldier who achieved great distinction to the extent that an area, Jacobabad, was named after him. Knowing the quality of G.H. Daw’s Volunteer rifles, he asked Daw to build his own design of rifle for his trials. He invented a four-grooved rifle with corresponding four-winged bullet. The…

Most of us involved with pheasants started in late October or early November, when we faced very different problems to those that January may throw at us. Or did we? Certainly in Sussex the early part of the season limits the use of a number of drives, the leafy canopy in one of Britain’s most wooded counties (I think neighbouring Surrey is the UK’s tree capital) renders several drives unshootable until the winds and frost have done their job. Ground cover is also an early season issue. Flail or strim too much and January will be left with cold, draughty woodland bottoms. Flail too little and the beaters really struggle. Then there is the issue of the seemingly never-ending Indian summers, so much a feature of our global warming. Though…

Bill Elderkin's prediction that the gun would shoot tighter patterns than you would expect from the standard quarter and three quarter chokes was borne out, and I found the AYA simply demanded my attention on a very blustery day at Grange Farm Shooting School. The balance is right at the front of the hinge-pin and it feels surprisingly lively in the hand considering its weight. Mounting was fast and consistent and the gun moved beautifully fluidly, feeling quick but very easy to keep on the line of the target. The slim straight-hand stock is extremely comfortable and allows for easy access to the double triggers. The front trigger has a pleasing weight to it and I found the rear trigger to be usefully snappy when going for a second shot…

Matfen Hall Hotel won the Large Hotel of the Year 2015 at the Visit England Awards and it is just 15 miles west of Newcastle in the charming village of Matfen. This makes the ancestral home of Sir Hugh and Lady Blackett rather handy for most of inland Northumberland. The stately home is set in 300 acres of parkland and has been a hotel since 1999, with 53 bedrooms, individually decorated in traditional and contemporary styles. It might not have the cosy charm of the village pub but it’s certainly got the grand appeal of the classic English country house.matfenhall.com…

Forecasting future values for farmland is far from easy, particularly following a year when a wide range of sale of prices were achieved. Agricultural incomes are under pressure as some commodity prices are back to 2008/2010 levels. Debt may increase the number of farms marketed, although if this is the case it is likely to be smaller farms. Overall, we don’t expect supply to increase significantly unless there is a threat to direct farm subsidies from the UK exit from the EU or a significant negative change in the capital tax treatment of farmland. In the short-term, demand for farmland will be more localised, with areas of strong and weak demand often quite close to each other. Top-performing farmers will continue to be in the market for the right opportunities.…

THE WESTERN Counties and South Wales Spaniel Club held its open cocker stake at Lower Blannicombe Farm near Honiton, Devon, by kind permission of Misselchalke Gundogs, writes Maurice Stanbury. Not only was it the first open cocker field trial of the season in the South West, it was also the first stake to be held on this shoot. It proved to be a glorious autumn day when game was in good supply, with both pheasant and partridge being put in the bag. No doubt this will become a popular venue among the spaniel fraternity. The cockers had to show their versatility by being asked to work in a mixture of thick bramble, wide hedges and wet rushy ground to find and flush game – a typical walked-up shooting day in…

HOW TO WIN For your chance to win a Ridgeline smock in this month’s competition, email your high-resolution pictures to: katemaxim@outlook.com. Please put “Gundog Picture of the Month” in the subject line. The winner will be chosen by the Shooting Gazette judging panel. Good luck! The prize will only be posted to winners with a fixed UK postal address.…

This book was first published in 1965 and, apart from a new preface written by the present Earl of Lonsdale, it hasn’t changed - but that doesn’t make it any less fascinating. Hugh Lowther was born in 1857, the second son of one of the wealthiest families in the land, and from a young age he displayed a more than reckless streak. After Eton he joined a travelling circus for a year before spending months buffalo hunting in America. He also sold his reversion (his birthright) to invest in an ill-fated Wyoming ranching project. When his elder brother died this decadent youth took control of the whole Lowther estate. In sporting terms he was first and foremost a brilliant horseman who achieved his lifelong ambition to become Master of the…

Q How do you like your partridges presented: in coveys over hedgerows and rolling fields of stubble or high off moorland banks and wooded hillsides? Paul Molyneux posted: “In the last couple of seasons I have taken early partridge days with the main of them being in Northumberland with the birds being beaten off moorland over ravines and tree lines. This makes for fabulous grouse-like shooting with a good proportion of high birds thrown in. I had my first "traditional over hedges" day this season and to be honest I wasn't impressed. As I stood on my peg I soon realised the day was not going to plan and the shoot was struggling. Hopefully this was a one off. For me, though, I'll stick to moorland.” Barry Luckhurst posted: “In…

Of all the many books written on the subject of big game hunting in Africa, only a few really stand out. Not many have stood the test of time as sport has changed, and most of these dusty volumes exist now in a rather obscure niche of the collector’s library. This book takes the form of an autobiography detailing some of the most notable and exciting episodes from a long and thrilling life in East Africa. Born and raised near Dumfries, the young Hunter was bundled off to Africa when he appeared to be showing too great a fondness for the local womenfolk, and he forged his way in the world at the age of 18 with a Purdey under his arm and a .275 Mauser on his back. His…

Q: Can you clarify the different drink driving laws between England and Scotland please? When I was north of the border shooting this season I was told that even one drink would tip me over the edge. Is this true? And if so, what a strange situation… A: Your informant is entirely correct. The new law, which came into force at midnight on the night of December 4/5, 2014, reduced the legal alcohol limit for Scottish motorists from 80mg to 50mg in every 100ml of blood. That means that even a single glass of wine or pint of beer may put you over the limit. Motorists are advised to have nothing to drink before driving and to be careful the morning after the night before. One unit of alcohol is…

TRAVEL Littledale Hall is 10 miles east of Lancaster, so if you travel by road, the M6 is the best approach, whether you are coming from north or south. Come off at junction 34, head east on the A683 and then turn right shortly after the village of Caton onto Littledale Road. From the east, the A65 Skipton to Kirkby Lonsdale road will also give you access. The nearest railway station is Lancaster (10 miles) and Leeds/Bradford airport is the most convenient, although Manchester is not much further. Guns either walk to the drives or are ferried around by ATV. STAY There are a number of decent places in Lancaster, The Sun Inn being at the heart of this famous northern stronghold city. But if you want something a bit…

How can I start to tell you about 39-year-old Joe Smith, the current leaseholder of the Sutton shoot and owner of Fosseway Game on Manor Farm in the North Cotswolds? If I just described him as a father, a husband, a shoot manager or a game farmer, you might think to yourself 'fair enough but not unremarkable in this magazine'. Then it occurred to me while driving away from the shoot that I could try and persuade you that he is Joe the grafter or Joe the survivor. By my journey’s end I realised however I referred to him in this article, this modest man would probably just shrug with a polite smile and say that he’s just plain and straight “Joe”. I’ll let you decide for yourself. Joe’s journey…

Providing clients with a combination of quality, value and variety has always been the goal for William Evans, an English gun manufacturer involved in making quality sporting arms since 1883. That practice continues today and a key factor in turning what was once a traditional English gunmaker into a contemporary company with a diverse product range has been its identification of strengths in other gunmakers and suppliers, both in the UK and overseas. Working in partnership with them enables William Evans to offer a much wider range than would otherwise be possible, at highly competitive prices. “Our clients are the driving force behind what we do,” explains Alastair Phillips, general manager of the London-based company. “We appeal to those who prefer dealing with a small, bespoke manufacturer which treats them…

It is a trick as old as the hills – think up an exciting name for a product and soon you are well on the way to creating interest and increasing sales. Gunmakers are no exception and over the centuries have thought up some wonderful names to excite the imagination. Examples include Boss’s “Desideratum” ejector, Holland & Holland’s “Paradox”, Westley Richards’ “Right and Left”, W.J. Jeffery’s “Sans Pareil” and the Midland Gun Company’s “Sudden Death”. I just love the description that Holt’s expert Robert Morgan has given to single-barrel large-bore percussion rifles. His phrase stands out instantly in the catalogue, grabs your attention and could be straight out of 19th century gunmaker literature. His headline, “For dangerous game”, conjures up the scene of an intrepid explorer or hunter in deepest…

G.H. Daw rubbed his hands with glee when he bought the rights to the Schneider centre-fire gun and cartridge in 1861. Daw was a great self-publicist and ensured that the new gun and cartridge received maximum publicity. There was no doubt that the new system was quite rightly acclaimed and George Daw looked forward to the financial benefits this would bring. He thought he had a monopoly over the centre-fire system and scared off any competitors with threats of litigation. This only worked for a short period and when the big cartridge manufacturer Eley Bros. began to make centre-fire cartridges in quantity in 1865, Daw was forced to take them to court. The case was heard in November 1865 and Daw won. Eley then altered the design slightly to evade…

Any sportsman or woman looking to buy a new side-by-side will almost inevitably find a gun from Aguirre & Aranzabal entering their thoughts whilst perusing the shelves of the local gun shop. Yet there is plenty of competition for a side-by-side at this sub-£10,000 price point. There are a vast number of second-hand English guns on the market, and recent years have seen a number of English gunmakers jumping into bed with continental manufacturers to produce a range of affordable shotguns, such as William Evans’ Connaught built in conjunction with Grulla, or E.J. Churchill’s Regal, built with Arrieta. However, the name AYA has a sense of permanence about it – its guns somehow stand apart in a crowded marketplace. In a sector seemingly dominated by highly competent guns marked with…

Q Sometimes when I shoot with friends we get a little competitive and this means I try to take the birds a bit earlier than normal. Have you got any tips for taking them early? A Some light-hearted competitiveness in a line of guns is more than welcome and if this means you try to shoot the birds a little earlier then that’s no bad thing either. And I don’t say that for the sake of it; after all, somewhere in the region of 80-90 per cent of game shooters regularly take the shot far too late. Next time you are out on a day, look around and you will see that most people shoot their bird when it is behind the line of guns. To put it another way:…

SPECIFICATIONS 2.0d SE 163PS Price: £29,775 Top speed: 132mph 0-62mph: 7.9 seconds Combined: 75mpg CO2 emission: 99g/km I do try not to preach in these pieces, but the Jaguar XE is a very important car for the British motor industry, so you’ll have to forgive me this time. Jaguar and Land Rover, once parts of poor old British Leyland, are now owned by the Indian company Tata, which rather surprisingly has turned out to be the best possible custodian of the marques. It has fostered the brilliance of the people across the West Midlands and the old Halewood plant in an atmosphere of ambition and huge chequebooks, told them to bring out a new range of cars – and then left them to get on with it. Land Rover was…

Sixty-five lots from the John Bunney Collection were amongst more than 300 offered during Gavin Gardiner’s sale of Modern & Vintage Sporting Guns & Rifles, held at Sotheby’s in early December. One lot from the collection was this rare 15 bore double ignition flintlock sporting gun with 33” Damascus twist barrels by Ezekiel Baker, built for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the Prince Regent. Estimated at £10,000 - £15,000 the gun, inlaid with gold Prince of Wales feathers above a presentation inscription "Gift to My Friend Bob" actually failed to sell on the day, though it will surely pique the interest of some of our readers. For more information on the sale, visit gavingardiner.com…

The Pegamoid from Daniel Fraser of Edinburgh and London (1900); the Purple White from MacNaughton & Son of Edinburgh and Perth (1900); the Creast from Crockart of Sterling (1900) and the Extra Special from Chas Smith & Sons of Newark-on-Trent (1910). The Special Oxford from J. Venables & Son of Oxford (1910); the Red from Grenfell & Accles of Birmingham (firm dissolved in 1896); the Brown Deep Brass from Trulock & Harriss of Dublin (1910) and the Reliable from Francis Nelson of Sligo (1910). The Invincible from Paragon Gun Specialist of Belfast (1926); the Brass from H.W. Roberts & Co. of Rhyl (1900); the Club from Fussell of London, Abergavenny, Port Talbot & Newport (1927) and the Special Sixteen from S. Chambers of Cardiff & Bristol (1910). A TIN POT…

THERE WERE lots of partridges, good shooting and some super dog work at the novice a.v. retriever trial for the Cheshire, North Wales and Shropshire Retriever and Spaniel Society at Checkley Wood, Cheshire, writes Gaynor Bailey. The day was by kind invitation of Ivor Beavis. Judging on the right were Terry Bailey and Anna Licciardi, with Gaynor Bailey and Scott Marland on the left, walking up in crops with an abundance of ‘fat hen, much loved by partridges. Commencing with a fourth-dog eye-wipe by Steve Cullis’s Suthcharic Levi of Tagabea on a dead bird, it was disappointing for him to be shortly eye-wiped himself by Ken Littlemore’s Labdom Scoter of Middlebrook. Three dogs were required for the run-off, with Mike Tallamy’s Birdsgreen Taggart of Brindlebay being quite outstanding. Results 1…

Can you believe it? We are approaching the end of the trialling season, which for some has been a great year, while others will be reconsidering their dogs, and all of us will be revising training plans for the year ahead. Spring litters will be on a lot of people’s minds, and seeing dogs run in trials is a great way of considering which dog to use at stud. I don’t mind admitting the first time someone brought a bitch to my stud dog I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. At home we have a very exacting professional routine for mating. Nothing can ever guarantee that a bitch will be in pup at the end of it, but if one does…

THE SECRETARY of State for DEFRA, Elizabeth Truss MP, was presented with a brace of oven-ready pheasants outside the Houses of Parliament as part of Great British Game Week in November. The brace was presented by Jose Souto, game chef and chief lecturer in culinary arts at Westminster Kingsway College, and Dan Reynolds, BASC's England South East director. Great British Game Week was run by BASC’s Taste of Game campaign and the Countryside Alliance’s Game to Eat campaign from November 22-29. The aim of the initiative is to introduce game meat to a new audience and encourage businesses to join together to promote both its purchase and its consumption. Annette Cole, Taste of Game's development manager, said: “Game sales are increasing year-on-year as the popularity of game increases. We were…

38% PERCENTAGE of respondents to the 2015 Game Shooting & Fishing Census who said they'll spend more on shooting this season compared to last season. £4,700 THE FUNDRAISING target of the GWCT’s new British Woodcock Appeal on justgiving.com (GWCT) 81 THE NUMBER of different bird species identified by ecologists to be either breeding or feeding on land managed for grouse at Invermark Estate in the Angus Glens. (The Gift of Grouse/ Scottish Moorland Group) £5,533 THE AVERAGE spend per head, per annum on game shooting alone (2015 Game Shooting & Fishing Census) 1,300 NUMBER OF grouse shared between food banks and other charitable causes through the Game Share Initiative last September (Daily Telegraph)…

A good shoot day is all about pace and timing – it can’t be crash, bang wallop all day long. And the elevenses break comes as the perfect opportunity to stop and reflect on the privilege of spending a day in the field. So in recognition of this most excellent of sporting traditions we have teamed up with Foxdenton, makers of traditional drinks for the perfect elevenses and famous for their Goliath bottle, to select one shoot to feature in excellent elevenses each month. This month our winner is the Newhouse and High Laver shoot in Essex. For a few words of explanation we turned to shoot captain Simon Clarke: “Our grog stop has developed over several seasons into the most successful and consistent drive on the shoot and is…

In some parts of rural England, police officers are so rare people have taken to sending out unicorns to find them. As resources have been squeezed by central government, constabularies have had to prioritise and frequently, the man whose dog, diesel or quad-bike have been purloined from his barns by villains is a long way down the response food chain. For Hampshire’s chief constable, Andy Marsh, solving rural crime is a priority, but according to some, other bits of the portfolio have apparently been suffering, licensing of firearms and explosives being one. The most recent review into the practice of firearms licensing and response times by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) drew from 43 forces, and suggested that Hampshire is high in the pantheon of constabularies that take their…

Have you done much this season? “Sadly not as much as I’d have liked. It’s been pretty manic with the £1m refurbishment of the Cinnamon Club. I’ve only had one day, an event organised by the Boisdale boys. It was for the chefs a couple of months before the season began; we went clay pigeon shooting. Apart from that I haven’t been shooting at all this year, but I do have one day lined up this month.” So last season was more fruitful? “Oh yes. I was very lucky last year; I shot four great days. Some grouse early on and then later on in the season some lovely high pheasants up in Northumberland. I was the guest of a great friend of the Cinnamon Club.” Where did you go…

In his column this month Will Garfit writes eloquently about the joy of spending a day shooting with some young shots. As it turns out one of the lucky youngsters managed to do something very few people get the chance to achieve, namely wiping the Great Garfit’s eye. I know from personal experience on a number of occasions that Will does not miss very often, so I would advise the sharp shooting young gun to cherish the memory. One of the reasons Will doesn’t miss very often is that he is decisive. He shoots a lot, has natural co-ordination, good eyesight and he has been shooting for a very long time, so he has a huge wealth of knowledge to draw on to determine almost instantaneously whether a bird is…

TRAVEL The Sutton Shoot is located near Sutton Under Brailes. Although it feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere when you arrive – which isn’t a bad thing – you are not too far from the A429 which leads to Woldsian gems including Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the- Wold and Shipstonon-Stour. The drive from our base in the East Midlands took 90 minutes via the M1 and M40. If you’re planning on coming here next season then don’t be afraid to ask for directions to the shoot well in advance. STAY The shoot’s proximity to Stow-on-the-Wold makes the Porch House ideal for an overnight stop before or after a day in the field. We stayed here in late summer 2014 and we couldn’t help but single out the small hotel’s ancient Wolds…

DON’T MISS WILD BIRDS IN TARZAN COUNTRY Greystoke shoot delivers some special sport HOW TO KEEP THE BEATERS HAPPY Top tips for harmony on the shoot PLUS THE AULD ALLIANCE LIVES ON How one passionate Frenchman is breathing life into a Scottish estate AMERICAN BEAUTY Galazan guns make a splash on both sides of the pond MAKE MINE A MARCO POLO Fabulous hunting adventure from Kyrgyzstan PERFECT FOR PIGEONS All the kit you need for the hide THE FEBRUARY ISSUE IS ON SALE FROM THURSDAY JANUARY 28…

It was a wonderful last shot of the day – no, not mine, but my neighbour’s, 15-year-old Archie Jamieson on his first day’s driven game shooting. He wiped my eye. It had been a day of exciting partridges and a few early pheasants and I was a guest of Malcolm and Joanna Green on their farm in north Norfolk. The day took place during the half-term holidays so there were a number of young guns in the line, including the Greens’ son, also called Archie. The partridges buzzed in the wind, making great sport: many were testing for experienced guns let alone the youngsters. On this last drive I had been really thrilled as partridges high and fast kindly dropped to my shots. Then at the end a hen pheasant…

This is a fine example of the No.2 de Luxe. The 30” chopper lump barrels have 2¾” chambers and choke set at ¼ and ½ – though you will probably find this a little tighter than equivalent English guns and it will throw a smaller, denser pattern. There is a nice, flat concave rib braised onto the barrels, meaning you can shoot the guns very hard but keep the ribs sound. The gun is a copy of the nine-pin Holland & Holland sidelock action, with further Holland & Holland influence found in the diamond inlay in the fore-end. These guns have a 15” stock as standard and wood-to-metal fit is very good. There are disc-set strikers with locking screws at the side – all very straightforward and easy for any…

The Los Angeles Motor Show hogged the new car limelight last month and some of its biggest stars were 4x4s from major manufacturers. The Range Rover Evoque convertible is the first properly luxurious, properly capable drop-top SUV. In theory, you won’t even need to get out of your car to shoot now… In other news, Mercedes-Benz showed its facelifted 4x4 flagship, called the GLS. This should be more luxurious than any other seven-seater SUV and yet should also get you to tricky pegs with all the locking diffs and bash plates you can eat available on its options list.…

Field trials are, by any reckoning, a very distinctive sporting activity. Nobody pretends they are not a sport in their own right, but neither would anybody be reluctant to acknowledge they derive their ultimate rationale from another sport, namely game shooting, and thanks for that community’s perennial generosity are anything but token. A hoped-for outcome – and it was clearly the aim of those who instituted such public examinations of gundog competence – is the improvement of dogs for shooting. Accordingly, judges are required “to have the interest and future of the breed or breeds at heart, since final placings may influence breeding plans and so determine the course of breed development”. What certainly needs adding, though, is that trials are an all-but unique sporting activity. Quite apart from their…

Q I have spent a long time training my dog and have just been invited to a local shoot for the first time. I feel nervous. What are your thoughts? A IT’S A very normal reaction. Dress code, etiquette, terminology, unknown people, process and, of course, your expectations around how your dog will be. Hopefully it is not too formal and remember it is always best to keep to what you know your dog can do. It will have strengths and weaknesses that you are aware of, which are either installed by you or exist within the dog. So ask some questions: is the dog steady to standing guns and falling birds? How does it work a hedge? Does it work well in a crop at close quarter? How much…

THE LABRADOR Retriever Club held a 15-dog novice labrador field trial at the Hopton Shoot, near Ludlow, Shropshire, by kind invitation of Peter Vale Esq. and the Hopton Shoot. The trial was judged by Arlene White and Rueben Mort on the right, and Gaynor Bailey with Nicola Reynolds on the left of the line. All dogs were taken into line for the first drive, one dog ran in but the others completed excellent retrieves of pheasants and partridges out of thick nettles and brambles in the wood, or long retrieves on more open ground. Headkeeper Dave Morris was most accommodating and stopped the beating line three times, allowing the judges to complete the first and second rounds, as the guns were shooting so well there were plenty of retrieves available.…

THE OPEN cold game test at Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire, was held by kind permission of Robert Bealby, writes Phil Wagland. The judges were David Haycock and Andrew Slingsby. Walked-up in line in the beet, the retrieves were orchestrated by the signals of chief steward Mick Newsam. Three guns saluted pigeons thrown forward on the flanks or centrally behind. After three retrieves in the morning walk-up, 12 dogs were called in for two more retrieves in the second field of tall, leafy beet. Conditions were tough. At this point two dogs were put on ice because of excellent work throughout and eye-wipes. Four dogs were given one more retrieve to decide the minor places. Some other dogs were also deemed worthy of certificates of merit. Our hosts Mr and Mrs Bealby attended…