No other animal in the British countryside has played both hero and villain like the rabbit. The great warrens of the sandy Brecks in East Anglia were constructed to serve…
Simon Reinhold
How to tackle January pheasants
Many of the best Shots whose opinions I most respect won’t shoot a pheasant in October. For the very lucky, August and September are for grouse, October is for partridges…
How to think positively on a shoot day
We’ve all been there. We were shooting perfectly well and then, on one drive, we inexplicably have the equivalent of a batting collapse. Just as perfectly competent batsmen seem incapable…
Why the best Shots start out as rough shooters
Very often you will see a person’s true character when you drive game over them on a peg. It’s difficult for anyone to hide it. If you are greedy, lack…
Why do you miss when shooting?
You will probably have heard it at some point on a clay ground from the back of the cage: “You’re behind it, mate.” While it is meant well, there is…
Giving the very high birds your best shot
High bird shooting is a specialist subject. Some devote themselves to nothing else, but is there an optimum barrel length for it? It might surprise you to learn that the…
The evolution of an Italian design classic
It’s one of the best-known, best-selling shotgun designs of all time, but does that make the Beretta Silver Pigeon or 68 series one of the best guns of all time?…
Should you buy the best shooting glasses you can afford?
We all know the type: he usually shoots a Perazzi or a Krieghoff and unfailingly has a pair of those ludicrously expensive coloured shooting glasses on his head. Those of…
Four steps to shooting partridges like a pro
Good partridge shooting is about giving yourself as much time as possible. When you watch a professional athlete performing at the peak of their powers, people often comment about how…
What are the choices available if you’re looking for lead-free ammunition?
Like many people, you may be considering trying some steel shot for your game shooting this season. But with so much misinformation available online, how do you know where to…
How does your shot measure up?
Like much in game shooting, our choice of shot size has evolved. The era before international corporations dominated the UK shooting market, and US-style marketeers brought professional persuasion to an…
Top tips for a Glorious season
As a game shooter living in deepest partridge country, I consider any time spent on a grouse moor as a treasured experience. The chance to shoot grouse in that landscape…
How to buy a gun that will hold its value
Investing in a gun might seem daunting but if you know what you’re looking for and what you want, it’s a good start, says Simon Reinhold
How to practice your shooting during lockdown
Many of us have a lot of time on our hands at the moment so why not get some shooting practice in at home, suggests Simon Reinhold
Steel yourself
Twenty years ago, when restrictions on the use of lead shot on the foreshore came in, the steel shot cartridges commercially available to wildfowlers were not good enough. Steel shot…
One barrel is all you need
A single-shot, single-barrelled shotgun is not popular these days. The guns are looked down upon as somehow ‘less than’. When I began my shooting life under my father’s instruction, I…
Beaters’ day – time to get back to basics
Top tips to do yourself proud on beaters’ day Get your shooting kit ready the night before Practise mounting in the mirror 10 times Count 10 breaths in and out…
Steel-proofing for a Spanish side-by-side
Anyone with even a vague interest in live quarry shooting will be aware that there is an ongoing conversation about the continued use of lead shot. The centre of…
Turkish shotguns – definitely worthy of consideration and here is why
Buying your first gun is a genuinely exciting feeling and one of the great pleasures of taking up shooting as a new hobby. A first gun is almost always bought…