Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2015 i Shooting Gazette

THE LATEST PRODUCT from Hull Cartridge has been billed as “the ultimate grouse load” by the Humberside-based company. The Driven Grouse cartridge was developed with input from grouse specialists, estate owners and moorland keepers over 12 months and is loaded with electroplated copper shot, which is said to produce a harder shot that penetrates deeper into the quarry. The Driven Grouse cartridge, which is already on sale, comes in 28gram No.6½ shot and 30gram No.5½ shot. For more information on the cartridge, visit hullcartridge.co.uk…

SALES OF THE 110th edition of Eley Hawk’s Shooters’ Diary have raised £7,536 for the Stroke Association. The charity received £1 directly from the sale of each diary with the cartridge maker matching it with a £1 donation of its own each time. The first Shooters’ Diary was launched in 1905 by Eley and now contains information on subjects including The Code of Good Shooting Practice, proof marks and pellet sizes. Eduardo Hernando, managing director of Eley Hawk, said. “We are very proud to have been associated with the Stroke Association for this year’s diary. But even more amazed at the generosity of the shooting community who each year have rallied round bought the diary for family and friends and have helped us reach this total.” Louise Riddick from the…

In the 11 years I’ve been a sporting agent, I’ve seen friendships and marriages forged and splintered, tear-inducing, sportingly heroic acts and diva-like strops you simply wouldn’t believe. One dynamic I never tire of is one estate owner being hosted by another estate owner or an old connection. And it isn’t that rare an occurrence. One such encounter involved a lady estate owner - she, heir and spare delivered and Liberty prints covering the tramp-stamp these days. And he, a wealthy paying guest and host - bright, very suave, wire-rimmed specs and an impressive shrub under his nose in support of Movember. Seemingly, they’d met, even danced a little, previously, before her elevation. The measured deportment and somewhat icy persona Her Ladyship had carved for herself worked beautifully; her evolved…

PICTURE OF THE MONTH A dinner jacket and bow tie are not the usual attire for a day’s shooting but they proved to be right on target for Paul Cadge and his team from The Myddelton & Major Salisbury office. Paul, James Lewis and Rob Hitchings won the prize for top scorers and best-dressed team at this shoot at Knowle Farm, Bowerchalke. The event was in aid of the Toby Mann Fund, which pays for a scholarship to support a pupil at Milton Abbey School near Blandford, Dorset. Pictured, from left: James Lewis, Paul Cadge & Rob Hitchings. The Elaine Paige Clay Pigeon Shoot at Holland & Holland Shooting Ground raised £10,500 for The Children’s Trust, the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury. Elaine Paige, who has been…

The annual Starlight Shooting Challenge took place on June 10 at Highclere Castle to raise funds for Starlight Children’s Foundation, the UK’s leading wish-granting charity for children and young people with serious and terminal illness. Twenty teams of four shot 800 clays over five simulated game drives across the 7,000-acre Highclere Estate. The winning team was the Bradley Bunch captained by Nicky Martin; each team member won a Magnum of Chateau de Sours Bordeaux Rose. After the shoot, the teams returned to Highclere Castle for a Champagne reception and a two-course seated lunch in the castle library. Following lunch there was an auction; prizes included a Sunseeker yacht experience day and the use of a Rolls-Royce for a weekend. The event was sponsored by Ron Randall of Blue Waters and…

With the season nearly upon us, excitement levels are starting to rise. But for the shoot manager there are the same looming uncertainties that lurk in his breast at the start of every season and resolve themselves (or not) as the season develops. What are they? The main one is the quality of the birds. We have done our best on the rearing field and there have been no significant problems, but it is only when they are made to fly when one sees whether they are fit for purpose. We have had years when the partridges have been better than expected, others when they have been worse, so there is no way of knowing what sort of vintage 2015 will bring until we start drinking it, so to speak.…

‘Suddenly, and without warning, the great bear stepped out of the bushes and trod across the pine-needles with such swift and silent footsteps that its bulk seemed unreal. It was very cautious, continually halting to peer around; and once it stood on its hind legs and looked down the valley towards the red west.’ The grizzly bear was not given long to enjoy the glorious Montana sunset. ‘As it reached the carcass I put a bullet between its shoulders. It rolled over, while the woods resounded with its roaring...’ So wrote Theodore Roosevelt in The Wilderness Hunter, one of a series of hunting memoirs he penned during an extraordinarily full life, one that took him from reformist New York State politician to cowboy, soldier and finally to the White House.…

Due to the deficiencies of the standard military .577 Enfield rifles and the difficulties in their mass production, the government asked Joseph Whitworth to improve matters. He knew nothing about gunmaking but was intent on making a thorough study of the process and conducted countless trials and experiments. He came to the conclusion that the 1853.577 Enfield left almost everything to be desired and recommended that to achieve the highest degree of accuracy, the flattest trajectory and the greatest penetration, the bore size should be reduced to .451 with the rifling twist increased from one turn in 78” to one turn in 20”. He also advocated a hexagonal rifling system with a corresponding hexagonal bullet to ensure maximum grip of the bullet. In a series of trials conducted at Hythe…

The Hunter GTX Extreme® from Lowa is the boot of choice for guns and keepers who demand strength and comfort when out in the field. Handcrafted in Germany using the finest leather, SPS midsole technology and Vibram outsoles, your feet will be stylish and well-supported, while the PRIMALOFT® insulation and GORE-TEX® waterproof lining will keep your feet warm and dry. For more information visit lowa.co.uk. To win a pair of these Lowa boots find the 11 listed words and send the completed entry form to: Wellysearch, Shooting Gazette, 7th Floor, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU. Entries to arrive no later than September 30. The first correct entry to be drawn will win. July’s winner was John Barnett from Tadley in Hants.…

A Rochester boxlock that once belonged to an RAF pilot with a unique link to the fictional adventurer “Biggles” is up for auction at Holt’s on September 17. The 12 bore single trigger was once the property of Air Commodore Cecil George Wigglesworth, affectionately known as “Wiggles” to friends including Captain W.E. Johns. The captain sought Wigglesworth’s permission to use his friend’s name (which he later altered) for his iconic character, and used Wigglesworth and other airmen as role models in his books. Lot 1700 is valued between £800 and £1,200 and came into Wigglesworth’s possession during a duck shoot in Turkey. Not having luck with his Purdey, Wigglesworth exchanged his gun for a Rochester belonging to an American in his party. Such was the dramatic improvement in Wigglesworth’s shooting…

The 828U seemed quite at home at Grange Farm, feeling easy in the hand. Instructors Ed Smith and Steve Wood looked immediately comfortable with the gun mounted, and I certainly found it came up the shoulder consistently well. In spite of the low weight for a 12 bore, the gun was easy to keep on line and moved naturally. Trigger pulls were good, and the gun dealt with felt recoil well – however it must be noted that shooting with it was actually quite an unusual experience. Most game shots, certainly those well versed with overunders or side-by-sides, will be used to shooting guns with a certain sense of rigidity about them. This is not to say the 828U felt in any way loose or flimsy, rather that inevitably one…

It's been the turn of Mercedes-Benz to launch lots of new 4x4s. Following hot on the heels of the A Class-sized GLA is the C Class-sized GLC. Priced from £34,950, this new Disco Sport competitor is a good-looking SUV which, uniquely for the class, comes with air suspension in the off-road pack – and that should see it be nearly as good off-road as a grown-up Discovery. Mercedes has also face-lifted the ML, and, in a fit of Teutonic logic, re-named it the GLE, because it’s the same size as an E Class.…

We all reach a point where our working day no longer excites us. Perhaps it’s a symptom of the modern world, but it is not uncommon to find oneself with itchy feet after more than three years in the same workplace – for some it takes even less time. Only a few, however, take the chance to step out of the corporate shadow and take on life under self-employment. So, when the call of the countryside becomes too great to ignore from behind your office desk, what is to be done? If one were to leave with a considerable sum burning a hole in one’s back pocket, one might consider a look into the venerable world of horse racing. Currently on the market for a guide price of £3,000,000, the…

There are few places where food and shooting collide so impressively as on the Welbeck Estate in the Dukeries area of north Nottinghamshire. This old country residence of the Dukes of Portland is right at the heart of Britain’s new artisan food and drink movement, being the location of the School of Artisan Food since 2009 and one of the UK’s best farm shops since 2006. The estate is also home to Stichelton Dairy (where a raw milk version of Blue Stilton is made), a bakery, the superb Harley Café, several farms producing excellent meats, Welbeck Abbey Brewery, a chocolate maker, a marshmallow producer and a coffee roaster, with more to come. The creation of a rural food hub at Welbeck is a fascinating reinvention of an estate that had…

“ There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies.” That was one of Winston Churchill’s less celebrated observations, made during a broadcast on March 21, 72 years ago. You might say the same about puppies. But once their mother has done her stuff and they’ve been weaned, what then? There is no single answer to the question: “At what age should I start training?” That’s because dogs develop at varying rates and their readiness to absorb our educative efforts has to be assessed case by case. More important still, though, is to recognise that the question is essentially silly because while we may think of ‘training’ as a separate and distinct activity, pups do not compartmentalise their lives in that way. Whether we like it…

Q I want to be properly prepared for the shooting season. Is there an optimum number of dogs that a handler should have in their picking-up team, and what clothing should be in their wardrobe? A I have been working and trialling dogs for over 25 years and I still get caught out; this could be anything from not putting enough dogs in the trailer, or not taking the right clothing and a spare whistle. You are better to have too much of everything and taking it back home rather than not having it there in the first place. When I first started, I took two or three dogs as my picking-up team because it was all I had, but now I take seven or eight dogs, especially early season…

TIM BONNER HAS described his appointment as the new chief executive of the Countryside Alliance as “a huge honour, but most of all a huge responsibility”. The Countryside Alliance’s director of campaigns will take over from executive chairman Sir Barney White-Spunner, who is stepping down after three-and-a-half years as executive chairman, and will take up his new post following the Countryside Alliance ’s AGM on September 15. Mr Bonner said: “This appointment is a huge honour, but most of all a huge responsibility. I am constantly aware of the hundreds of thousands of our members and supporters who rely on us to give them a voice. The Alliance will always focus on the core political and campaigning work it does best, but must also change to face new challenges.” Sir…

THE ANNUAL CLAY shoot hosted by Peter Jones CBE at the Royal Berkshire Shooting School has raised £145,000 for the foundation bearing the name of the Dragons’ Den star. The event, attended by guests from across the business world, saw a morning’s shooting followed by an aerial performance by the Royal Navy’s Black Cats helicopter display team and an auction conducted by presenter Jonny Gould. Auction lots included an exclusive dinner cooked by Levi Roots and a commissioned artwork by Alexander Hall. Mr Jones said: “I’m delighted that so many friends have turned up to show their support of the Peter Jones Foundation. We have been working for a decade now to put enterprise and entrepreneurship at the core of this country’s education system and we really are making a…

Q: What are the rules regarding where my shotgun cabinet needs to be located in my house? Does it have to be out of sight? A: There are rules. They are the Firearms Rules 1998. They prescribe the safe keeping conditions on your certificate. Paragraph (a) provides for the firearms and ammunition to which the certificate relates to be stored securely at all times except as provided in paragraph (b), so as to prevent, as far as is reasonably practicable, access by an unauthorised person. There is a joint publication available on the web for free called the Firearms Security Handbook. It’s produced by the BSSC, ACPO and the Home Office. The law requires you to keep your guns securely but does not tell you how you should do that.…

At about this time of year, we shooting folk have taken a couple of lessons to remind the brain of its role and are preparing with untrammelled glee to get back amongst stubbles, fields, moors and forests. All is potentially peace and joy in our world, though the same cannot be said for our political elite. It is a generally accepted fact that politicians of whatever strain and in whichever forum just cannot get things right, take Liz Truss MP and her cohorts at DEFRA for example. Farming in the Thames Valley, we used to ranch Apis Mellifera Ligustica Italiana, and unlike their human counterparts, in the heat of the day these Italian bees did not consume half a litre of Chianti and fall asleep beneath a tree, but industriously…

Get our act together or shooting is doomed Richard Clifford (Letters, August 2015) asked some pertinent questions about the lead shot issue, which should have been addressed long ago. The setting up of the LAG was at the time of John Swift’s retirement from the BASC, and it was amazing that he should have been appointed chairman, without the slightest sign of a qualification on the subject. This committee, which operated secretly behind closed doors with no communication with the real shooting world, has now haemorrhaged members like rats from a sinking ship when the only person to leave should have been Swift. It is about time the shooting world got its act together or we are all doomed from the likes of DEFRA, RSPB and other ‘numpty’ groups. Mark…

When a stalker friend invited me up for a stag last autumn, I leapt at the chance. My experience of stalking is usually bound to roe on the heather hills of Galloway, so the prospect of a beast on the slopes of Sutherland came as a welcome change. The day arrived, and we spied the steep faces from the floor of the glen as the sun came up behind the cloud and the ground rang with the tortured yell of roaring stags. Set on a large group of deer, we decided to work in towards them for a closer look. We slithered through the red grass, rattling the empty asphodel seedheads as we went. Dry flowers hung on the heather, and the moss wheezed pints of cold water down the…

Whitworth’s .451 rifle was finally rejected by the military in December 1859. However, Whitworth knew that his rifles were superior and decided to market them commercially, offering a very attractive edition of the military rifle and a sporting rifle in his .451 hexagonal bore. With the Volunteer Movement in ascendance it was a fortuitous time to introduce his new rifle to a nation enthused with rifle shooting. Volunteer competitions were specifically for .577 military bores and the .451 was relegated to the “Any Rifle” competition. However, due to its quality and incredible accuracy, the Whitworth rifle was bought in large numbers by Volunteer officers to practise their target shooting. Using such rifles, matches were shot at ranges between 800 and 1,400 yards; one gentleman fired seven shots at 1,100 yards…

It is always good to accept new challenges and my editor Will Hetherington allowed me to do just that by suggesting we hold a pigeon shooting masterclass for Shooting Gazette readers. Just as with a day’s pigeon shooting itself, reconnaissance and planning was going to be important for success. An obvious venue for both my morning demonstrations and an afternoon shooting simulating pigeons was the Long Acres Shooting Ground near Newmarket, run by Sam Grice, widely regarded as one of the top coaches in the business. The day dawned and preparations were in place. The weather was wonderful and the dedicated pigeon men started to arrive. Some I had met before but many were new faces from far and wide. Austin Baker had been the first to enroll, a devil…

This new over-under shotgun represents something rather rare in the world of sporting shotguns: the new and unusual. Of course, all gunmakers continually innovate in shotgun design and manufacture, but most changes tend to be incremental. The 828U offers something completely different. It is the first ever over-under shotgun from its maker Benelli, the Italian manufacturer known for its range of semiautomatic shotguns. Moreover, it is also a design quite unlike any other over-under shotgun I have ever seen. Visually, the gun’s heritage is quite clear and it is certainly a handsome beast in the anodised, satin-black finish we tested. There are some surprising touches that give the gun the air of a modern sports car, such as the inclusion of a carbonfibre top rib, a smart aesthetic choice that…

Engineering: An ingenious new concept, very well executed. 9/10 Handling: Generally very good, if quite a different experience from most other shotguns. 8/10 Looks & finishing: Good wood and modern design choices make for a very striking gun. 8/10 Reliability & customer service: No reason to believe it should be anything other than reliable. Importer GMK is generally excellent. 9/10 Value: Looks good value for money, though long-term prospects will depend on market penetration. 8/10 Overall: 42/50…

ShootingUK.co.uk hooted loudly when Dan Prince, head chef of the Old House Inn over the border in West Sussex, rustled up a recipe for grouse with crispy polenta and sweetcorn late last year. While his kitchen is moments from Gatwick Airport, this is no sanitised flatpack affair aimed solely at weary travellers. On the contrary, this six-bedroom hotel is festooned with items that nod to the natural environment and is every bit a modern country pub as anything you’d find farther away from civilisation. Cost: From £130 Contact: theoldhouseinn.co.uk…

The Brass Case from W. Horton of Glasgow (1880); the Brass Case from C. Playfair & Co. of Aberdeen (1880); the Marksman Smokeless from James Kirk of Ayr (1910); Kirk’s Special, also from James Kirk of Ayr (1910). The Dark Blue Quality from J. Turner of Penrith (1910); the Special Brown 2” from A.J. Jewson of Halifax (1910); the Leader, also from A.J. Jewson of Halifax (1910); the National from Joyce of London (1890). The Triumph from P.D. Malloch of Perth (1927); the Imperial Pheasant from H.W. Barford & Co. of Coventry (1927); the Pheasant from S. Troughton of Blackpool (1910); the Special Pheasant from S. Entwistle of Blackpool (1927). A closer look at the Leader from A.J. Jewson of Halifax (1910). Dates in brackets are the first year the…

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Mark Whitehouse Mark is an A-panel Kennel Club judge for spaniels and has represented England six times in international gundog events. He trains and breeds labradors and spaniels at the Cheweky Gundog Kennels in Yorkshire. Jeremy Hunt Jeremy has been breeding labradors for more than 25 years through his kennels, Fenway Labradors. He lives in Lancashire and is well known as a writer on country sports and rural issues. Cross breeding can be a risky exercise Q I have a labrador bitch and an English springer dog. I want to breed a litter and have considered producing cross-bred springadors because there seems to be a good demand for them and it means I wouldn’t need to have my bitch’s hips tested. What would you advise? A As always there are…

THE SHERBORNE Country Fair, held in the picturesque grounds of Sherborne Castle, is a great day out and run entirely by volunteers who raise a large sum of money for children’s charities, writes Maurice Stanbury. The event gives the general public the opportunity to see working gundogs in action with the Team Challenge, which was again organised by BASC and sponsored by Chudleys and Hi lost. A total of 16 teams participated from clubs across the south of England and Wales, with a grand parade of all competitors and their dogs in the main ring at the end of the afternoon for the presentation of the awards. The retrievers had four tests in the deer park during the morning, under judges Roger Phillips, Simon Hansell, Diane Stevens and Gillian Yates.…

THE BUCKS Area of the URC held an intermediate and veteran working test at Harecramp Estate near High Wycombe, by kind permission of Mr D. Barratt and generously sponsored by Skinner’s, writes Lorne Kentish. The judges for the day were Chris Aston and Mike Rollinson. Results INTERMEDIATE 1 Derick Buckland with lab.b. Milfordheath Rose 2 Jacqui Crew with flatcoat.d. Casblaidd Quill Hogan 3 Amanda Sherriff with lab.d. Chisbrook Jigger CoM Mavis Stokes with lab.b. Endacott Serin CoM Doug Leake with lab.b. Smithsteads Viola VETERAN 1 Marilyn Squires with lab.d. Dipplelodge Bramleyapple 2 Mike Waldren with lab.b. Gameflight Naf 3 Peter Buckle with lab.b. Cypher Black Cobra…

A STUDENT’S passion for breeding and training gundogs has been recognised by her university – seeing her achieve the ‘featured student of the month’ award, chosen from more than 2,000 peers. Harper Adams University student Jo Blakely found a perfect escape from the city to the countryside aged just eight years old, when she began to compete with gundogs. Twenty-year-old Jo has lived in a city all of her life, but has always taken an interest in agriculture and the countryside. It was through competing with gundogs that she was given a route into rural living. Jo, from Southampton, said: “I wasn’t born into the countryside, but have still made a success from showing and competing with gundogs. By the age of 12 I was sponsored by a professional handler…

THE VALE of York junior handler day was held at Castle Howard by kind permission of the Howard family and with the help of head keeper Clive Harrison, writes Carol Parsons. The judges were Margaret Pearce, Paul Stogden, Janet Ireland and Neil and Ann Stead. Fifteen dogs completed four tests and a timed scurry. The prizes were kindly presented by Clive Harrison and sponsored by Top Spec. Junior competitors received certificates and medals, with goody bags generously donated by Skinner’s. Results 8 - 11 YEARS 1 (& Winner’s Trophy) Siobhan Shepherd with Sammy 2 Daniel Fotheringham with Bertie 3 Siobhan Shepherd with Sky 12 - 15 YEARS 1 (&Winner’s trophy) Georgia Cairns with Zak 2 Michael Magee with Murphy 3 Georgia Cairns with Joe Best Golden Retriever Trophy was awarded…

ENGLISH BUSINESSES CONNECTED to shooting are being encouraged to apply for a share of a new £24m fund available through the new DEFRA Growth Programme. Grants worth over £35,000 are being offered through nine Local Enterprise Partnerships which each have priorities for the rural economy. Areas earmarked for grants include food processing, business development and tourism. Richard Ali, the chief executive of BASC, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for those involved in shooting to secure funding to expand their contribution to the rural economy. Businesses processing game, landowners diversifying into shooting and those promoting commercial shooting could all benefit. Shooting already contributes £2bn to the rural economy. These grants could help that figure grow.” For more information, visit gov.uk…

SHOOTING GAZETTE RESIDENT instructor Edward Watson has purchased a new pair of Grulla Armas side-by-side shotguns from William Evans. He has decided to take the leap and go back to shooting side-by-sides for game shooting. Edward started his game shooting life with a side-by-side as a boy but switched to an over-under as an adult. He said: “There is no doubt it is easier to shoot with an over-under but I just love shooting with a side-by-side. I like the feel of it in my hands and I think the overall look with the elegant lines is what makes me think this way. I started shooting with a side-by-side so it just feels right to go back to it” “Last season I shot a drive on a grouse day and…

The vast and expansive world of African hunting literature covers every possible angle of sport in the Dark Continent. With two centuries of fascinating writing in the archives, there is more than enough to keep even the most diehard enthusiast entertained, with big name writers from Selous to Paterson, Hemingway and beyond. One of the more recent and controversial literary figures has been Peter Hathaway Capstick, whose writing details his life as a hunter during the last few decades of the 20th Century. Capstick was a Wall Street stockbroker who traded his life in the city for a career in shooting and fishing, and he spent much of his time as a writer exploring the precise nature of death from the perspective of one brought up in a quiet New…

Dear Uncle Giles Following on from the recent loading versus stuffing debate, is it proper to have someone stuff for you on a modest sort of pheasant shoot? Especially if it is a let day when everyone else is single gunning? AJDS, by email Uncle Giles writes There can be no doubt that having an assistant slotting home the cartridges for you greatly increases your firepower. Not quite to the extent that having a loader – or two – would, but a good deal nonetheless. And extra firepower must be used with a degree of discretion. Especially if not everyone has equal resources. When invited, perhaps by a kind and generous friend, for an outing on his farm shoot it is, for example, not at all the thing to shoot…

The Glorious Twelfth provides the theatre around the start of the game shooting season, but let’s face it, for most of us the real start of the season is more likely to be September 1 on partidges or perhaps a spot of duck flighting. This year I will have marked the Glorious Twelfth with a grouse dinner cooked by Simon Davis at the Yew Tree Inn in Highclere. The grouse served beautifully on my plate will be the closest I get to this wild bird on the moor this year. However, on September 19, I kick off my season with a partridge day at Challacombe. A legendary shoot, it presents some of the highest birds in the country. I’ve spent a fair amount of time on Exmoor recently and it…

Sir Edward Dashwood’s West Wycombe Estate hosted the annual Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) 2015 Charity Shoot in June. Twenty teams of four guns, including Sir Jackie Stewart OBE and David Coulthard MBE, enjoyed five simulated drives laid on by EJ Churchill. Last year’s champions, the Defenders, captained by Paul Walsh, retained their title just ahead of John Davison’s Ham Farm B team. A fine lunch was provided in the romantic setting of the house’s South Colonnade. Before the auction, guests were addressed by DofE Gold Award winner Thomas Richards-Vassell, who gave a moving account of the life-enhancing experience of achieving his award. Some £80,000 was raised for the DofE Charity, which gives 14-24 year olds from all backgrounds the opportunity to develop their confidence, gain valuable skills for life…

WIN A PAIR OF DUBARRY BOOTS THE AUTHOR of the Letter of the Month will receive a pair of Wexford boots from Dubarry of Ireland (RRP £325). The knee-length side-zip boots– designed for both men and women – are handcrafted from waterproof Dry Fast-Dry Soft™ breathable leathers. The high quality of the boot is reinforced throughout with an insulated GORE-TEX® lining that wicks moisture away from the foot, ensuring the wearer remains dry and comfortable all day. Dubarry’s new hard-wearing durable outsole gives maximum grip whatever the ground conditions. I READ that the number of shotgun certificates issued has increased and now stands at approximately 750,000. We know that over 250,000 supporters turn up on Boxing Day to celebrate the survival and growth of hunting in spite of the incompetent…

Human I was walking dogs with a friend the other day and we came, as one does, to a field full of sheep. He called in his dog and put it on a lead. I called in my dog and told it to “Heel!”. And as we made our way through the field, his dog strained away on the end of its leash while he yanked and hauled and berated and roared and peeped, and my dog dogged my heel. I mean really dogged it. Nose down close to my ankle, to about an inch, looking neither right nor left, much like a pilgrim in a forest of temptations. As we shut the gate at the other side, my friend explained that his dog was far from reliable with sheep.…

My job at John Dickson & Son in Edinburgh continues to be a bad influence on me. There is constant temptation to feed an already addictive habit. A regular customer came in the other day and mentioned he had spotted a nice percussion military-style rifle in a gunshop in Perth. I asked him if it bore a maker’s name and he thought it might be Aston. My eyes lit up, as James Aston of Hythe was one of the best makers of Volunteer military target rifles in the 1860s. My thoughts immediately turned to a visit to Perth the following day. In the 1850s, James Aston was armourer to the British School of Musketry in Hythe, Kent. He had already been responsible for a new design of ramrod incorporating a…

In addition to the Whitworth, several other muzzle-loading rifling systems were in use in the 1860s and can be ranked in order of popularity: Whitworth, Henry, Turner, Kerr, Rigby and Metford. The main threat to the Whitworth was the Henry. Alexander Henry, the Edinburgh rifle maker, had taken out patent no. 2802 on November 15, 1860, which created Henry rifling. This rifling quickly became known for its accuracy and not only was it used initially in muzzle-loaders, but also in breech-loaders. It was adopted by the British Army in 1871 when the Martini-Henry rifle was introduced, and continued until the end of the century, when the new nitro powders rendered it obsolete. Henry rifling was a close adaptation of Whitworth’s rifling but was far shallower. The rifling system comprised seven…

It was 35 years ago that I saw my first pine marten, and what a thrill it was. Working for the Irish Government, my official job title was trapper, though it mostly involved using a rifle and shotgun. By far the greater portion of my time was spent shooting sika deer in the breathtaking forests and mountains of County Kerry, but on this occasion I was following vast herds of feral goats in County Clare. With only a tent and backpack for company, I would stalk these terribly destructive animals that were damaging not just thousands of trees, but vast tracts of natural vegetation. I simply shot the goats and left them where they fell; the herds numbered in their hundreds and there was no way of extracting carcasses, and…

There are a lot of clever things going on with this gun. These range from components seen more commonly on semi-autos – such as a system of shims inserted between the stock and action body – to the patented new locking mechanism. The free-floating steel action face is a locking surface with four points of contact with the barrels, resulting in a tight seal to the monobloc barrels. This allows for the use of a light aluminium frame. Indeed, the 6lbs 6oz weight is a major plus as it is very unusual for a 12 bore with multichokes to come in much under 7lbs without making some sacrifices in terms of felt recoil. Though the gun is only available with 26” or 28” barrels, it should nevertheless be attractive to…

QI have shot with an over-under for the last 20 years but still have the old side-by-side in the cabinet and I fancy using it again. Any top tips? Is it OK to switch backwards and forwards between the two? A I too have shot with an over-under for the last 25 years, having started my shooting life with a side-by-side. I made the switch to an over-under to improve my all round shooting when I was doing my apprenticeship to become an instructor. There is no doubt it is easier to shoot with an over-under and I have often written about why they are easier to shoot and why all the top professionals use them. But (and it is a big but) I love shooting with a side-by-side. I…

SPECIFICATIONS 508 RXH 2.0 Diesel H4 Price: £35,845 Top speed: 132mph 0-62mph: 10.1 seconds Combined: 72.4mpg CO2 emission: 109g/km Ben Samuelson is the managing director of PR and events agency Samuelson Wylie Associates. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/bensamuelson I really, really wanted to like this car. When I was growing up, most people drove Fords, Austins or Talbots, which were almost exclusively terminally uncool. German cars hadn’t really been invented yet so, other than the Beetle (which was just weird), no-one drove Audis or BMWs. Japanese cars were still novelties, which rusted a lot. Italian cars were cooler novelties, which rusted even more. But French cars? French cars were redolent of summer holidays in the Ardeche and ineffably stylish men in white suits smoking Gitanes. And nothing summed this…

When considering the rural property market it is appropriate to look at the three main sectors: country houses, agricultural land and estates. These markets differ considerably in more than just the purchaser profile. The country house market has many driving factors such as the quality of local schools and proximity to family. Purchasers will be influenced by issues as various as roads, railways and footpaths. This market, while affected by regional variations, remains strong, and demand is varied depending on location. Agricultural land, meanwhile, has been and remains extremely strong. It did not miss a beat both in the lead up to and during the Election, and has only recently levelled off. Following an average rise of 2.6 per cent in the second quarter of this year, prices have risen…

Ingredients Serves 4 • 12 boneless partridge thighs• 50g diced onion• 50g diced sweet potato• 50g diced butternut squash• 50g diced tomatoes• 10g fresh coriander• Garam masala• Cumin• Cornish sea salt• Milled black pepper Method Season the thighs and fry in a hot pan for two minutes with the garam masala and cumin. Remove from the pan. Sauté the onion, potato and squash, then add the tomatoes and put the partridge thighs back in the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Add some stock if it’s looking a little dry. Add the fresh coriander and spoon the spiced partridge into the bowl and serve with rice, Indian flatbread and spiced aubergine.…

A glance at the diary entries on the desk at Bridgecroft Kennels in Hengoed, south Wales, reads like a who’s who of field trialling. Bridgecroft is one of the nerve centres of the UK trialling scene. Mark Bettinson was born three miles from the kennels and Jamie, his son, just down the valley. But the real star of this story is Dawn Bettinson. Never was the saying “behind every successful man...” more apt. When Mark was made redundant from the National Coal Board he and Dawn bought Bridgecroft Boarding Kennels and their success in the gundog world escalated from then on. But in Mark’s own words: “Dawn’s the boss!” And to reiterate this point, I ask Dawn: “I let Mark wear the trousers but I tell him which ones to…

THIRTY MEMBERS enjoyed the training and informal match at Atterby, writes Gilly Bell. This is always a popular venue as it offers water training in a large reservoir with easy access for puppies at one end and a steep bank for the more experienced dogs at the opposite end. Sue Lowe trained the puppies and Julie Campbell the inexperienced novice dogs. Andy Slingsby and Ray Newell trained the novice and open groups respectively. At lunchtime we were delighted to welcome the East Midlands representative of the Teenage Cancer Trust who came to receive the cheque for £1,215, which had been raised at our charity working test at Raithby. She thanked the members and friends who had been involved in raising this incredible sum and described the work of the Trust…

THE KENNEL Club held its gundog working test at the Chatsworth House Estate, which saw some of the top working gundogs from the UK and eight other countries compete with their handlers. The focus was a series of competitions designed to further sound gundog work and encourage the natural working abilities of retrievers, spaniels and HPR breeds. The five-day event, sponsored by Eukanuba and R N Golden Limited, involved a number of gundog tests, including a young handler test, novice and open retriever tests, spaniel and HPR tests, as well as the popular international retriever team event, which saw the UK compete against Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Finland. The event opened with a specially designed gundog training day, which included training sessions for novice handlers…

THE UNITED Retriever Club (North Midland Area) held an open working test for a.v. retrievers at Warren Farm, Haughton in Nottinghamshire, by kind permission of the owner Mr T. Banks and Richard Inger, the farm manager, writes Phil Wagland. The prizes were generously sponsored by Alpha – ‘the food of champions. Results 1 Paul Birkbeck with lab.d. Warrenbank Fen 2 Russell Hodgen with lab.b. Partridge Flush of Russjancoe 3 John Cardno with lab.b. Kilnpotlees Harris Hawk 4 Sue Lowe with lab.d.Lowsommer Seven Seas of Rhye (Lincs) CoM Bob Robinson with lab.b. Henwinshire Harbor Lass (Lincs) CoM Charlotte Smith with lab.b. Derrity Rose CoM Anne Crookes with gr.b. Mistybrook Maive of Moscargrange The Water Cup was awarded to Russell Hodgen with lab.b. Roselea Zara…

I like hunting, but what is hunting? My personal definition is ‘pursuit to the achievement of an objective’. To me this could mean that if you wish to use a tool, such as a camera, to achieve the intended result of capturing an image of say, a deer, you may be said to have been hunting. Similarly, searching woodland for edible fungi can also be referred to as hunting and if, like my wife, you have seen a particularly stylish pair of shoes, but don’t know where to source them, it is the pursuit of the location for a stockist that may yet again be described as ‘hunting’. I am not a ‘trophy’ hunter, and although I would be disappointed not to have a photograph by which to remember a…