Hide to seek
Shooting Times & Country|March 10, 2021
Handcrafted leather gun slips are a joy to behold; Jamie Tusting looks at the process
Hide to seek

When out on a shoot day, I am often asked where my gun slip is from. I proudly reply that it was made in my grandfather’s leather goods factory on the border between Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire.

A well-made gun slip really is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, but it is hard not to feel like some of that artistry has been lost when you see the generality of mass-produced alternatives. Endless identical slips cause great confusion and sometimes embarassment when you walk to your peg with someone else’s gun.

It’s not that I have a problem with the fact that many people use a gun slip that has been mass-produced. But it does make me wonder whether the skill involved in the handcrafted masterpieces, seen on shooting fields not so long ago, might have been lost.

The heavy leatherworking industry gathered pace in Walsall in the mid-19th century. With the invention and development of the sewing machine in the 1870s came the mechanisation of stitching.

The small leather-working workshops that had dotted the streets for centuries gave way to much bigger factories as the Industrial Revolution swept the country and Walsall became the centre of production for heavy leather products, such as saddles, bridles and harnesses.

The issue for gun slips, though, was that there was no machine that was able to stitch the cup on to the bottom of the slip, so this process had to remain a hand-stitch job, making mass production more difficult.

Denne historien er fra March 10, 2021-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March 10, 2021-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYSe alt
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023