I bought the gun seven years ago from a retired gamekeeper. It was supposed to be a 28-bore. It isn’t. He told me he sent a friend ‘down south’ to buy it when it was advertised in Shooting Times 30 years earlier. His friend brought it back. Then they discovered a 28-bore cartridge didn’t fit. It was too big. A .410 cartridge was also too big.
Without any ammunition to feed it, the gun sat in a cabinet until I was presented with it. I bought it, telling myself I’d work something out. Well, today it came back from the proof house ready to be used. The gamble was to bore out the chambers to 3 .410, then submit it for re-proof (after lapping out some pits). Thankfully, it passed and now we have a serviceable shotgun – actually, quite a desirable one. I never did work out the original calibre as it was not stamped on the barrels and nothing I had as reference fitted the chambers, but I suspect it was a .360. These were made in small quantities as overseas ‘collector’s guns’ for the shooting of taxidermy specimens, with tiny shot.
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Sporting Shooter.
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Denne historien er fra November 2020-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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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
