September 2019

Sporting Rifle

For shooters of calibre

Sporting Rifle3 min read
A Decade At The Helm
This issue marks my 10-year anniversary as Sporting Rifle editor, and what a milestone it is – and apt that the magazine has been produced with a gatefold cover for the first time. Forgive the cliché, but it seems like only yesterday that I took the
Sporting Rifle2 min readPolitics
Fight For The British Shooting Show
The British Shooting Show needs your help to fight off pressure from antis on its host venue, the NEC. Campaigners against field sports succeeded in getting the local press to run a number of attack pieces on the show, quoting protestors who labelle
Sporting Rifle1 min read
Could Licensing Finally Get Sorted Out?
The government has finally opened its long-awaited consultation on medical involvement in firearms licensing. The Home Office call for evidence opened on 23 July and will last for around eight weeks. The aim is to produce statutory guidance to docto
Sporting Rifle1 min read
Get The Most From Your Rigby
John Rigby & Co. has launched a service to help its users get the best possible performance from a rifle and diagnose and remedy any issues they may be having with accuracy. As part of the service, the rifle will be tested at a range to identify whe
Sporting Rifle2 min read
Shooting Boosts Conservation – But Gets More Expensive
Most shooting estates are involved in conservation work, according to the results of the Shoot Benchmarking Survey 2018/19. In the latest edition of the yearly survey of shoots, 74 per cent said they were using land covered by a stewardship scheme,
Sporting Rifle2 min read
Law And Disorder
Dear Sporting Rifle, I was a serviceman for 25 years of my life, and I can honestly say that’s why I’m still a very keen rifle shooter. Now in my current role of health and safety manager, I very much like to keep within the required guidelines – but
Sporting Rifle6 min read
Silent But Deadly
I have used a few variants of the Blaser straight-pull rifle over the years – I never owned one, but always enjoyed getting my hands on one. The first time I shot one was at Swarovski’s underground range; a ragged one-hole on a chamois target will al
Sporting Rifle5 min read
Red Alert
September can be a mixed bag for us. The roebucks are usually starting to move again after the rut and we are anticipating the red rut starting, and therefore find we have clients booked in for both species. We monitor our ground throughout the year
Sporting Rifle5 min read
Day One Dama Dama
The opening day of the fallow season, 1 August, and I’d arranged to meet my buddy Stuart back in Gloucestershire to see if we still had the skills to call in roebucks. We knew we might bump into a fallow pricket for the table also. Meeting at the woo
Sporting Rifle8 min read
Close Encounter With Creedmoor
Here in Ireland we have limited access to reloading, and owing to population density and a relatively small shooting fraternity, there is a limited range of ammunition readily available off the shelf. For these reasons, ammunition availability has al
Sporting Rifle6 min read
Clash Of Cultures
I crack the window slightly and drink in the fresh Scottish air as we cross the Clyde. The long drive from Ireland via Holyhead and Yorkshire is in its final stages, and the excitement of what lies ahead wakens my motorway-weary legs. My Yorkshire-bo
Sporting Rifle4 min read
Stalking Experience
My day at the stags was solo but supported. I would be stalking self-guided and the support would come, if required, in the form of an obliging keeper in his Argo. As I was going to be out alone, I checked my kit list carefully. I didn’t want to get
Sporting Rifle6 min read
Ask The Experts
Professional gamekeeper and foxing expert Big game hunter, author and editor of Sporting Rifle Rifle reviewer and experienced hunting journalist Auction regular and vintageguns. co.uk owner YouTube star and extreme-range foxer Target sports jour
Sporting Rifle6 min read
Field Foxing
I’ve still very few foxes to report but it’s been quite a year for squirrels, as I mentioned last month – they seem to have had an outstanding breeding season. Colin the keeper has been getting stuck in to the little so-and-sos and he’s had around 70
Sporting Rifle6 min read
What’s The Best Foxing Calibre?
Two questions I see crop up time and time again in shooting magazines or on the internet are what is the best calibre for foxes, and the distance at which you can shoot them. Both of these queries have multiple answers and are further complicated by
Sporting Rifle5 min read
ATN Abroad
Working at ATN over the past few years has provided me with some life-changing opportunities. One of the best was a trip organised by Real World Hunting International to South Africa in April of this year, which I took with several of the ATN team: T
Sporting Rifle6 min read
Tough Adversary
I was 5am and I was headed to the farm on probably my fifth visit after the same fox. Unfortunately this visit was to be just as fruitless as the others – but for a different reason. Five miles from the farm, as I was heading up a hill making the mos
Sporting Rifle7 min read
Predator Perfection
A revolutionary product, the Thermion is a thermal imager that fits into a standard day-scope design, unlike the bulky thermal units we’ve been used to. Across the five Thermion models in the range, you’ll find maximum detection ranges up to 2300m an
Sporting Rifle5 min read
The Edge Of .17
Since the first .17 HMR rifle appeared on the British market, it would be fair to say this calibre has had its share of ups and downs. The downs came mainly, it has to be said, where the ammunition was concerned. All started off well, with new owners
Sporting Rifle4 min readScience & Mathematics
Hawke Takes Off
Hawke’s latest flagship Frontier range has recently been complemented by a 4-20x50 Riflescope with a first focal plane (FFP) reticle that can fulfil multiple sporting and target roles. Developments in reticle etchings and precision adjustable turrets
Sporting Rifle3 min read
The Calibre Hunter
Here is a question for the readers. Who uses one of the WSM range of cartridges? Not a cartridge I have ever owned, though I have used one a few times in the form of the .300 WSM, they have gone from being the next best thing to relative obscurity in
Sporting Rifle3 min read
Game Fair greats
Boots were naturally popular throughout the weekend – and there are few better than Ariat’s impressive range of wellies and hill boots. At The Game Fair, they told us they’ve just launched women’s versions of their popular Catalyst Defiant hunting bo
Sporting Rifle5 min read
Target News
Glyn Barnett was chaired off Stickledown Range as the Queen’s Prize winner on 27 July, crowning the 150th Imperial Meeting with his third personal Queen’s victory. Dr Barnett had won back-to-back Queen’s Prizes in 2002 and 2003, and ended his 16-year
Sporting Rifle5 min read
The Tip Of The Horn
More than half an hour had passed since the shot. The strike had been good; there was no doubt about that. Yet, still we followed on, tracing the spoor through the dry, dusty earth of the Namibian bush. How far could it have possibly gone? We had lik
Sporting Rifle5 min read
Safari Surprises
It had been a long stalk, the dust of the bushveld coating my Courteney boots and a thousand thorns puncturing their solid leather soles. Solid leather soles are essential when hunting Africa because they offer the quietest tread – silent footsteps i
Sporting Rifle5 min read
Ups And Downs
Driven by his urge for survival, Poul Relund stretches as far forward as he can. With a shaking hand, he grabs the grassy patch at the edge of the rock and pulls it away in a slow movement. From here he has a free shot at the bezoar ibex, which is si
Sporting Rifle2 min read
Fact File: Bezoar Ibex
A large male bezoar ibex weighs up to 80kg, has a maximum shoulder height of 80-90cm and can achieve a horn length of over 140cm. The species is the largest member of the ibex family when it comes to horn length in relation to body size. In addition
Sporting Rifle3 min read
Free Reader Ads
Brno .22LR bolt action with Leupold VX1 3-9x40 scope and Parker Hale mod. £200. Gavin Jones 01646 603814 07967 284704 (Wales) CZ452 American .22RF bolt action 10-shot mag. BSA Sweet17 3-12x40 scope and moderator (bipod not included). Good condition.
Sporting Rifle3 min read
Where To SHOOT Guide
Chinese water deer and muntjac specialist. We manage over 30,000 acres of land in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. We can offer 1:1 guided stalking to all capabilities and training for beginners. We have a zeroing range up to 250 metr
Sporting Rifle6 min read
Shooting Courses
Stalker training and firearms safety, guided training outings for anyone wishing to experience a deer stalk, through to candidates wishing to complete their DSC 2 certificate. Training courses from £80 per 3-4 hour outing, with the possibility to tak
Sporting Rifle2 min read
Almanac
For most of my life September has been my favourite month as far as shooting is concerned, mainly because for many years much of my life revolved around gamekeeping and in particular, pheasants and partridges. Although I have always run my fox contro
Sporting Rifle3 min read
Dr Ray Jansen 1968 – present
My first conversation with Dr Jansen was via WhatsApp text, having been introduced by Francois Meyer (who previously featured in my article on pangolin conservation). I was keen to meet him in person next time I visited South Africa, and as luck had

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