Mike presents what is, in his opinion, the perfect gun for the average game shooter. Can you see yourself shouldering this decorative 20-bore Browning next shoot day?
Usually in a Sporting Shooter gun test I select a make and model, put the gun through its paces, and come to a set of conclusions after considering its engineering and shooting performance.
Well, this month I thought we would break with convention. The gun I’ve selected is a Browning 725 20-bore Hunter model with 30" barrels, which I already know to be very good because I have shot a significant number of them. The article this month is intended to answer the question that is often posed to me by people: what gun should I buy for days when I am game shooting?
Well, the 725 30" 20-bore is one of my top picks, like the Browning 525 and 725 30" 12-bore sporters (you read that right). The 12s just mentioned would be great for all-round shooting (I prefer them in sporting form), but this little 20 is just the ticket for the average driven day, for pigeon shooting, or for walking up, and is great fun on clays as well.
It is a lovely little gun from a handling point of view, is well made and good value. There are, of course, some other excellent guns out there from different makers, not least the ubiquitous Beretta Silver Pigeon, and I will be considering them in future issues.
Our little 725 was borrowed off the shelves of Atkin, Grant & Lang at the Broomhills Shooting Ground near St Albans, who often facilitate my tests. Both the ground and the shop are well worth visiting because they are run by enthusiasts with a real passion for the sport.
Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av Sporting Shooter.
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Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av Sporting Shooter.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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RSPB gives mixed message on shooting
Having recently attended the RSPB’s virtual AGM, Conor O’Gorman discusses the outcome of the charity’s year-long review of game bird shooting
Causeway for concern
Alan Jarrett’s renewed interest in reading takes him down memory lane to an offshore island duck flight that very nearly ended in disaster
Through a purple patch
The Garrows Estate is taking a conservation-focused approach to restoring the wildlife populations and biodiversity on the Scottish heather moorland.
When the wheels fall off
Losing form on a day’s shooting can be infuriating, especially if you’ve been shooting like a god up to that point. Simon O’Leary looks at some common causes and how to remedy them
Beaches, books & bad behaviour!
The annual Kay family vacation to Northumberland offers a chance to give the cockers a blast on the beach – although they don’t always shower themselves in glory, as Ryan Kay recalls...
Using the Stop whistle
Now you’ve instilled the basics, it’s time to up the ante with some more tricky distance work. Howard Kirby explains how to take the core Stop whistle command to the next level
The humble teal
They may be tiny, but as far as Rupert Butler is concerned, the appeal of this little duck is huge. He recalls some of his most memorable nights in pursuit of these aerial acrobats
Fab all-rounder
Mike is impressed with the Fabarm Elos B2 Field Notte, which offers great value for money, is suited to fieldwork or clays and is future-proofed for use with steel in all choke constrictions
CALL OF THE WILD
Dom Holtam reconnects with one of the purest forms of shotgun shooting as he walks-up woodcock over pointing dogs in the Scottish Highlands
A yen for the Fens
Tony Jackson recounts a memorable duck flight over an area of Fenland in Norfolk with his friend and author, the late Alan Savory
