If you’d asked me 30 years ago if wearing shooting glasses would make any difference to my shooting, I would have thought the question slightly ridiculous. Certainly, back then if…
Simon Reinhold
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A conference on grouse moors – attended by well-known Shots and keen rewilders
There was determination and exasperation in his voice in equal measure: “You’re definitely coming, aren’t you?” In truth, I wouldn’t have missed it. The chance to spend even a few…
Don’t get choked up about changing chokes
Choke isn’t what it used to be. While the measurement of it has stayed the same, much has changed since 1931, when Major Sir Gerald Burrard wrote The Modern Shotgun…
Semi-automatics on driven days? Yes, says Simon Reinhold
This is likely to upset some of you, but I can see no logical reason why semi-automatics on driven days can’t be used to shoot a pheasant. In fact, if…
Would you shoot better with a side-by-side?
There are few certainties in life, but one is that if you book a clay shooting lesson, you’ll be handed an over-and-under. You can understand why. To begin with, a…
Testing non-lead alternatives to steel: when steel won’t cut it
Lead has governed the sport of shooting since man first encased gunpowder in a steel tube and set match to it in the hope of downing his quarry. As with…
Clay loads: is bigger better?
We have a natural tendency to believe that bigger is always better; that more pellets are always superior, but is that true? Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (CPSA) competitions in this…
What is the best shotgun for wildfowling?
Wildfowlers are a loose collection of tribes and mystics. While the tribes jostle for imaginary points over which is the best gun or calibre to use, the mystics are the…
How to shoot your best at charity clay days
Every year, millions of pounds are raised for good causes at clay shoots run all over the UK. I can’t help but think it is a missed opportunity that the…
Why Norfolk is the perfect sporting county
A ribbon of life runs north outside Fakenham in Norfolk on its way to the sea. Either side of the River Stiffkey, well-drained land rises and falls, giving the lie…
The drawbacks of the back-gun
I have a confession: wandering with the beaters is one of my favourite places to be on a game shoot. I say that even as a member of the gun…
Clay guns put to the test; here’s how to choose the best for you
Competition clay shooting is about controlled levels of focus. This is also true when it comes to choosing suitable clay guns for the task, given the bewildering range of guns…
Black powder muzzle-loading: loud, smoky, dirty and slightly addictive
Black powder muzzle-loading is loud, smoky, dirty and slightly addictive. I’ve worked in the gun trade for nearly a quarter of a century but there are still things that I’ve…
A clean kill is what should be aimed for every time
What marks you out as a Gun who knows what they are doing? What separates a good Shot from a bad one? If you ask a member of the picking-up…
Get better at game on clays
It’s that time of year when an invitation to shoot rolls into the inbox and stings the average game Shot into confronting the fact they haven’t picked up a gun…
Best steel shot for pigeon shooting: what’s recommended?
Some of the most highly experienced pigeon Shots I know of were discussing their preferred steel shot for pigeon shooting loads and their opinions blew holes in some of the…
The history of gunfit
It’s quite easy to look at a Best hammerless sidelock ejector and admire the perfection of form and function. It’s far harder to admit that the French have greatly influenced…
Why there should be no snobbery about semi-automatics
Semi-automatics are enduringly popular with the gun-buying public. For people coming into the sport of shooting, they tick many boxes. Advantages of semi-automatics They are relatively cheap, so first-time buyers…
Judging speed of birds
It’s only when you drive down a country road and you have a pigeon fly parallel with your moving vehicle that you come to appreciate its true cruising speed —…
Partridge-like and high crossers
The pigeon have abandoned my favourite pigeon roost shooting wood of 10 years. Looking back through my records, 40 to 60 birds on an evening outing was not unusual. And…