![To have and to hold – safely](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5179/743426/6152aa3dde84b/To-have-and-to-hold-safely.jpg)
It was Mark Hanbury Beaufoy (the Liberal MP and vinegar manufacturer) who wrote the now-famous poem A Father’s Advice in 1902. Framed and illustrated it graces an inordinate number of loos and boot rooms, and remains universally applicable today. The first verse is particularly pertinent when it comes to how to hold your gun safely in the field:
Never, never let your gun
Pointed be at anyone.
That it may be unloaded be
Matters not the least to me.
The first shotgun I fired was under the watchful eye of a great family friend and my shooting mentor, the late ‘Uncle John’ Pickering. He, along with my father, was my instructors and between them ensured that the importance of safety was clearly understood. To this day, I remember being told that nobody should ever find themselves looking down the barrels of my gun. If they did, the only person at fault was going to be me. They were my barrels and I was responsible for where they were pointed. Decades later, having worked in the shooting world for more than 20 years, there have been too many times when I have found myself looking down the barrels of someone else’s gun.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2021-Ausgabe von The Field.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2021-Ausgabe von The Field.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
![Helping hot dogs chill out](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5179/1730728/5irat8pXt1720173886466/HELPING-HOT-DOGS-CHILL-OUT.jpg)
Helping hot dogs chill out
From cool coats to clippers, there are a whole host of ways to keep your canine companion comfortable as the summer heat intensifies, says David Tomlinson
![Art in the field](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5179/1730728/2jA3Ejnz11720173711703/ART-IN-THE-FIELD.jpg)
Art in the field
Sculpting his wild subjects from life, Fred Gordon is breaking new ground in bronze, says Janet Menzies
![How to canapé](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5179/1730728/3uHQxYLWu1720173396081/HOW-TO-CANAP.jpg)
How to canapé
A summer celebration is nothing without these tiny works of art. Devised by the country's best canapé cooks, they are just the thing to make your party swing
![Ginger-beer childhoods](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5179/1730728/GBiR3_9Aa1720173019473/GINGERBEER-CHILDHOODS.jpg)
Ginger-beer childhoods
Summer holidays filled with outdoor adventures are the perfect way to foster a love of the countryside and a lifetime enthusiasm for the field
![Glamour, intelligence and drive as standard](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5179/1730728/JPlhHRNHQ1720172553467/GLAMOUR-INTELLIGENCE-AND-DRIVE-AS-STANDARD.jpg)
Glamour, intelligence and drive as standard
Retrieving birds with pace, energy and undeniable elan, these sporting poodles are winning over even traditional gundog breed enthusiasts
![The cycle begins](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5179/1730728/zFa07PuJt1720172195147/THE-CYCLE-BEGINS.jpg)
The cycle begins
Though it may lie forgotten for much of the year, the kennel bicycle is indispensable in summer when hound exercise gets under way
![Turning the tide on the Tyne](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5179/1730728/ssaj004tV1720171829137/TURNING-THE-TIDE-ON-THE-TYNE.jpg)
Turning the tide on the Tyne
The industrial age brought prosperity to Newcastle but at great cost to the Tyne and its salmon. Today its waters are a haven for fish and anglers alike
![En garde: a guide to fencing](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5179/1730728/-ACb9XpaI1720171481095/EN-GARDE-A-GUIDE-TO-FENCING.jpg)
En garde: a guide to fencing
Not just a clash of swords and some fancy footwork, this ancient sport is an art form that demands agility, discipline and control
![Who was Baron Pierre de Coubertin?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5179/1730728/1OqPSNemM1720171376732/WHO-WAS-BARON-PIERRE-DE-COUBERTIN.jpg)
Who was Baron Pierre de Coubertin?
It was a diminutive, 19th-century French aristocrat, Baron Pierre de Coubertin (pictured, left), who came up with the idea of reviving the Olympic Games while studying in Paris. He was a sporting sort himself, and had also long despaired of what he perceived as French degeneracy; his country had been humiliated by the loss of the Franco-Prussian War and he attributed this to his countrymen's lack of moral fibre.
![A gold-medal guide to Olympic shooting](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5179/1730728/VOHyFpkMX1720170750608/A-GOLDMEDAL-GUIDE-TO-OLYMPIC-SHOOTING.jpg)
A gold-medal guide to Olympic shooting
Everything you need to know, from history, disciplines, rules and regulations to the British sportsmen and women striving for glory