These days, many of us will go our whole shooting career without experiencing a misfire. However, should we be unlucky enough for that phenomenon to occur, nine times out of 10 – if not 99 out of 100 – it will be a fault with the gun that caused it.
Despite the dizzy heights to which cartridge prices seem to have risen today, for the money they cost they are an incredibly reliable item, especially when one considers what goes into making one. An MD of a cartridge company once told me that they would expect a one-in-20 million failure rate, and that was quite some time ago. I fully expect that reliability is even better now. Alas, shooters of muzzle-loaders in previous centuries were not so fortunate and there are many recorded incidents of flintlocks and wheellocks being fired as matchlocks when flints were exhausted or spanning keys lost.
Our ancestors also had another problem to contend with: availability of components.
Triple chance
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Esta historia es de la edición October 2020 de Sporting Gun.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Thermal spectrum
Paul Austin explores both ends of the thermal market with latest high-end release from Zeiss alongside a surprising entry-level offering from Xinfrared
Roe, rucks and new ground
Jon Snowdon and his team have much to keep them busy and a new tool to help them
Tales from a lifetime of foxing
Join Mike Powell as he explores the evolving world of fox shooting, drawing from a career that spans seven decades
Fox rot about Charlie
Patrick Hook responds to claims that fox numbers are dangerously on the wane
The sniff of success
Join Ryan Kay as he navigates the fascinating dynamic between a handler and their canine companion
Adventures of Nick & Ted
A new chapter in the histories of Sporting Gun and Sporting Shooter has Nick Ridley reflecting on the dogs he has trained over the years he has been associated with the magazines
The problem: Inflammation in the nervous system
Vet's advice
Gundogs Q&A
No problem goes unsolved as Sporting Gun puts your questions to the gundog experts
Stop-start!
Fran Ardley continues her training tips on disciplining your dog to the stop whistle and the exercises you need to do
Gundogs at the Game Fair
Organising the Game Fair's prestigious gundog competitions: behind-the-scenes with Francesca Prentice
