Airgun pellet gel test
youtu.be/yF7oJwvzfac How good are these pellets at killing?– H&N Baracuda Green– Webley Velocipell– Webley Mosquito Express– Webley VMX PellAirgun expert Johnny Muston from R&K Stockcraft puts them through their paces on ballistic gel to find out. For more from R&K Stockcraft, visit RKStockcraft.co.uk
How night vision has changed the rules for rifle fit
Gun fit is a big issue in shotgun shooting, but people forget it’s important for rifle shooting too. Your cheek needs to be resting nicely on the comb, so your head is always in the same place in relation to the scope for the best accuracy and consistent groups. That’s a problem where rifle stocks […]
Copper bullet accuracy test
youtu.be/OM0o97qkwiE We test six copper rounds for accuracy. This is part of a project run by Tim Pilbeam where 13 deerstalkers keep diaries of how copper bullets perform for them. Stalkers include Steve Goodwin, Steve Bull, Alison Otway of OtwaysMeatandGame.co.uk, gamekeeper Rob Beeney and David Sadler set about finding out about copper ammunition. We will […]
Leica Amplus 6 riflescope – review
youtu.be/R98moTyIQKU Leica has a new entry-level riflescope. Of course, entry level to a top-end name such as Leica does not mean it is under £1,000. However, Tim Pilbeam says that for the money – £1,400 – you get all the Leica quality most of us could want. Tim tried out the 2.5-15×56, which has 6x […]
What to do with a pellet stuck in an airgun barrel?
youtu.be/qF1X_xOi_TQ Airgun expert Johnny Muston from R&K Stockcraft explains how to clear your airgun barrel – and tells a few horror stories about barrels that are past saving. For more from R&K Stockcraft, visit RKStockcraft.co.uk
Catching rabbits at a turf farm
The lovely turf at Wembley and Wimbledon comes from turf farms, and turf farms are magnets for rabbits. The South Somerset Ferreters answer the call to ferret the rabbits at a turf farm. It’s the first sporting action this turf will see – and it’s just as exciting and active as a cup final. Find […]
Winter pigeon and rook shoot – big day
Rooks and pigeons are hitting a maize crop. With the cost of feed, Paul Childerley is especially keen to shoot a few of them, so he has built a socially-distanced pigeon hide on his ground in Bedfordshire. Plus he shows how to call in the corvids. Find out more about Paul’s sponsor Shooterking clothing Click […]
Fieldsports Britain – Paul’s uncanny wildlife calls
Did you know he could make the noise of a frightened Chinese water deer, a chattering greylag goose and even a randy woodpigeon? And all of them using only his mouth? Paul Childerley is the Alistair McGowan of the animal kingdom, all of which we learn while he is in a hide on a pigeon […]
Sab thugs attack hunts again – Fieldsports News, 27 January 2021
Here are the links: Trespassing sabs incite ‘common assault’ – Facebook Time-wasting new system added to individual licence applications – Fieldsports News Scottish Gamekeepers plan #RWP21 Edinburgh protest – SGA Grey squirrels to go on the pill – Daily Mail Big cats to ‘replace’ Scottish deerstalkers Antis shun criminal sab Luke Steele to hold on […]
Gun auctions review 2021
Why buy a gun at auction? how? and what gun? If those are your questions, this is the right page for you. Our gun experts Diggory Hadoke from VintageGuns.co.uk, Bill Harriman from BASC and the BBC Antiques Roadshow, and others offer the answers. Below you will find the stories of indvidual guns that come up at […]
Game exports resume as vet untangles EU red tape
Gamedealers throughout the UK breathe a sigh of relief as a Wiltshire vet and a Hampshire gamedealer have successfully fought their way through the EU export paperwork and sent wild venison and game birds to European markets. The two stars of the gamedealing world are Rita Alves from Daltons Game Consultancy in Amesbury, Wiltshire, and […]
Claysports
What do pigeons cost farmers?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIt7B9qJnCI How much does a pigeon eat? And what are you saving a farmer when you shoot a pigeon? While in his pigeon hide, shooting in Kent, Andy Crow finds out – and turns the answer into a homeschooling maths question that any keen shooter will be keen to answer. Here’s the full quiz – […]
Wild Justice whipped in Wales – Fieldsports News, 20 January 2021
youtu.be/fO__qZ5knBE Here are the links:Wild Justice loses Wales pest control lawsuit – Fieldsports NewsScottish cops deny freedom of information request over ‘deer-in-water-gate’ – Fieldsports NewsChannel 4 airs pro-shooting documentary series – Channel 4Packham picks on prince over ‘trophy’ hunting – Daily ExpressBison rangers wanted: no experience necessary – The GuardianBASC encourages shooters to fill in […]
Lockdown walked-up recreational exercise shooting
Under lockdown rules, Ollie Williams can take his daily recreational exercise with dogs and a shotgun. He walks around the family farm on the lookout for pheasants and – what he really wants to shoot – grey squirrels. ▶ For Ollie’s sporting agency, visit CornishSportingAgency.com ▶ Click here for more films with Ollie, visit or […]
Fieldsports Britain – homeschooling with Andy Crow
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjkNK16l8Xg We’re not just pigeonshooting with Crow in this week’s show. We’re also helping everyone who is homeschooling kids who would rather be pigeonshooting. Crow comes up with questions such as: if a single pigeon eats 50g of wheat a day, how much does it costs the farmer? Crow is doing the maths while knocking […]
Shooters beat Packham in Wales
Wild Justice has lost its court case to limit pest control in Wales. In a High Court judgement, Judge Jarman QC rejected all three of the anti shooting lobby group Wild Justice’s claims that the legal process of controlling pest birds, known as the general licences, are not lawful. Page one of Judge Jarman’s judgment […]
Fieldsports Britain – five deer down
Paul has a job on his hands. David follows him out culling deer on his ground – a single day’s work that culminates in stalking four species of deer: roe, muntjac, fallow and Chinese water deer, with five animals on the ground. Meanwhile, Charlie is on a mission to find out about pheasants and what’s […]
A day in the life of a deer manager
youtu.be/-T_A5WyO1gk Shooting deer is hard work. Paul Childerley has his work cut out thinning the various deer species on his ground in Bedfordshire. Paul is also putting Sako products through their paces, shooting a Sako Powerhead Blade round in .308 and Sako S20 rifle. In the end he shoots five animals from four species: fallow, […]
Grouse go to Westminster – Fieldsports News, 13 January 2021
Here are the links:Parliament sets date for driven grouse debate – GWCTWildlife celeb caught twisting truth – again – Twitter This is incorrect. We have not said this. — National Farmers' Union (@NFUtweets) January 11, 2021 Some antique guns obsolete and illegal under new firearms rules – Fieldsports NewsSabs salivate over two-year-old Countryside Alliance doc […]
Lockdown walked-up pheasant shooting
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wrCQvp6fUs We can go walked-up shooting – it’s part of a healthy lifestyle, says the government, and it is OK in England and Scotland, even during this January 2021 lockdown. So that’s what we are doing with Tom Davies in Devon, on a shoot on the edge of Dartmoor. But what of the pheasants that […]
Swarovski updates its dS riflescope to gen II
by Charlie Jacoby The Swarovski dS scope is growing up. The technical marvel that is the gen II dS has a slimmer look, though the same 40mm tube, a choice of six reticles, and more customisable features such as the ability to switch off the wind bars. It comes with an alignment indicator, which gives you […]
Swarovski updates its CL pocket binos range
by Charlie Jacoby All the expensive optics manufacturers have the same problem: should they launch cheaper models? If they do, it opens them to the charge of going downmarket. Also, they may have to cut costs in the manufacturing process, which could bring with it a quality issue. All of the expensive optics manufacturers worry […]
Browning B525 Ultra XS Pro shotgun – review
Is there such a thing as the all-round shotgun that will do everything and still look the part, from knocking over vermin around the farm to bringing down rocketing driven pheasants or bagging the silverware at a major clay shooting championship? There’s no-one better to ask than Sam Green, a true all-rounder. A […]
We can go roughshooting, wildfowling and deerstalking
Here’s what lockdown means for shooting sports. On 6 January 2021, shooters were resigned to the new coronavirus lockdowns stopping most UK recreational shooting for the rest of the season. However, the anglers in England negotiated an exemption for their sport on 7 January and, later in the day, the shooters in England did the same. […]
Fox and squirrel shooting
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY8KvExA1K0 It’s a multi-storey job. Roy Lupton is looking for deer and foxes at ground level, squirrels in the trees and feral pigeons under the eaves of farm buildings. To do that, he has a Sako 85 in .25-06 and a Brocock Commander XR air rifle in .22. Aimpoint Acro Aimpoint.comBrocock Commander XR Brocock.co.uk Buy […]
Driven gameshooting cancelled – Fieldsports News, 6 January 2021
Here are the links: Lockdown stops driven shooting in the UK – Fieldsports News ITV News wages war on trailhunting – ITV Antis expose West Country farmers who support hunts – Innocent Badger Vegans mark Christmas by attacking butcher – Fieldsports News Celeb Packham challenges Scottish beaver cull – The Times Police investigate man killed […]
What’s killing off the capercaillie?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMHf83s9U54 by Ben O’Rourke In the 1970s, there were more than 20,000 capercaillie in the UK. “Now there might only be 1,000,” says Ian Coghill, chairman of the Coordinated Upland Partnership. The RSPB goes even further. In 2022, it released figures claiming there were only 542 capercaillie left. The responsibility for that lies at the […]
Northern Ireland mulls foxhunting ban – Fieldsports News, 30 December 2020
Here are the links: Antis push for Northern Ireland ban on hunting with dogs – Fieldsports News + video from Facebook Irish coursers annoyed after lockdown ban – Irish Coursing Club Scottish Green Party wants to replace foxhunting ban – Aberdeen Evening Express Scottish charity ‘bullied’ into refusing game meat – Aberdeen Press & Journal […]
Ferreting an old people’s home
The South Somerset Ferreters – that fun-loving group of ferret owners from Ilminster – have found a new spot. It’s an old people’s home that wants a vegetable patch. But there will be no veg while Peter Rabbit and his gang own the garden. Jaf and the gang unleash nets, dogs and ferrets on […]
Fieldsports Britain – fallow and ferreting
We’re on Dartmoor on a meat hunt, culling fallow deer for the freezer. Tom Davies of Dartmoor Deer Services is out with Ollie Williams from Cornwall (where fallow deer are an exotic animal). Plus they show when to and when not to use a thermal spotter. Just over the county line, the South Somerset […]
2020 Fieldsports News review
It was meant to be the year of the gamekeeper. Instead, 2020 was they year of the armchair environmentalist, as people confined to their homes took to their keyboards to vent their frustrations. News editor Ben O’Rourke looks back on the ‘year of the epidemic’ and forward to what 2021 will hold. Stories we […]
FORM Chieftain custom air rifle stock – review
A new stock could transform your trusty air rifle, improving accuracy and ease of use and giving it a whole new lease of life, not to mention a stunning modern look. If that’s your aim, look no further than this pistol grip style thumbhole FORM Chieftain air rifle stock, available for the Air Arms […]
The evolution of the airgun – Fieldtester, episode 4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeVqLp-iYAQ In this month’s Fieldtester show, our kit gurus Roy Lupton, Johnny Muston and Tim Pilbeam come together with host David Wright to discuss the evolution of the airgun. That’s not all. Johnny Muston from R&J Stockcraft says how to choose the perfect airgun pellet, and shows off his shooting skills putting holes in Polo […]
Best airgun pellet for 2021
This is the Fieldtester survey where we asked you to tell us about your kit back in 2020, and you responded: 3,500 completed surveys came back to us, 10% of which are about PCPs, 10% of you told us about your airgun pellets, only 5% are about spring-loaded air rifles, which is why springers didn’t […]
Pellet power and performance: putting a hole in a Polo
Johnny Muston from airgun shop R&K Stockcraft is supergluing Polo mints to the top of a wooden batten. Why? To check his accuracy with his airgun of course! A pellet can just pass through the hole in the middle, but he’ll have to be super-accurate. “This is part of my mis-spent youth,” he jokes. But […]
Airgun law UK – what you can shoot in your garden
Airgun law UK: What can you shoot with your airgun in your back garden in the UK? It’s a garden, it’s a private premises where you have permission, and you are happy with your backstop and that backstop is in your garden. What birds can you shoot? We will come to those in a […]
General licences
Delicious roast venison squashes – easy recipe with Tim Maddams
Top chef Tim Maddams shows how to cook delicious butternut squashes stuffed with venison, in a cream and mushroom sauce, while Country Food Trust chief executive Tim Woodward gets in the way – and explains the work of the charity, feeding the nation with game meat. Ingredients 2 butternut squashes 1 large onion, finely […]
Vegan tries deerstalking
Katie Hargreaves goes deerstalking with Paul Childerley. What’s unusual is that Katie is a vegan. She sees sustainable hunting as part of her veganism. Paul and Katie are out after Chinese water deer in Bedfordshire. Katie is also a wildlife artist, drawing her inspiration from deer and other animals. Here are some of her […]
Fieldsports Britain – we’re a little bit veggie
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQHbdG4I_g0 Paul Childerley takes a vegan out to shoot a deer. Katie Hargreaves is a properly woke wildlife artist – but she is connected enough to the augment to understand that hunting has a place in veganism. Find out how she gets on shooting her first Chinese water deer. Taking the deer process further, we […]
Gun price changes after a no-deal Brexit
What are WTO rules and how will they affect UK shooters? When it comes to buying guns, Simon West from the Gun Trade Association spells it out: the World Trade Organisation tariff on importing guns is 3.2%. The tariff on imprting gun and ammunition parts is 2.7%. These are prices that the gun trade […]
H&M owners abandon roots to ban trailhunting in Wiltshire
The family behind fashion chain H&M is banning trailhunting over 16,000 acres it owns in Wiltshire and Berkshire. The ban is the latest move in a media campaign by ITV News to force landowners to ban trailhunting in England. Former H&M chairman Stefan Persson is behind the ban. Persson’s father Erling Persson founded the shop […]
Wharfedale gamekeepers to thank for hen harrier sightings
Anti-shooters who spot hen harriers on the Denton Park estate in Wharfedale can thank gamekeepers for the conservation work that brought them back. A story in the Yorkshire Post suggests that shooting is banned at Denton Park. The newspaper quotes convicted animal rights extremist Luke Steele, saying: “It’s fantastic to see these magnificent birds of […]
Fabulous duck flighting at dusk
Gamekeeper Paul Childerley goes duck shooting. There’s a pond on his shoot in Bedfordshire that’s away from the main duck ponds, and it is attracting wild duck, including widgeon and teal, which are a delicious addition to the Christmas dinner table. He calls them in then, as it gets dark, takes his thermal spotter […]
Cattyshack Wayne’s amazing squirrel shot
It’s world-class precision slingshot hunting, as Cattyshack’s Wayne Martin and friend Matt Lower go out for pheasant, dove, rabbit and squirrel on a permission in Sussex – and Wayne gets a stunningly (literally) good shot on a squirrel. For Wayne’s catapults, visit Cattyshack.co.uk
Fieldsports Britain – expert catapult hunt
Wayne is one of the country’s top slingshot hunters – and he shows off his skills with his buddy Matt Lower. They are on a mooch around a Sussex farm permission looking for a pheasant for the pot, squirrels, rabbits and feral pigeons. That’s not all. Bedfordshire gamekeeper Paul Childerley completes his rounds with […]
BBC flogs puppies for fun – Fieldsports News, 9 December 2020
Here are the links: BBC exploits lockdown dog price hike – BBC and petition Bird flu prompts Britain-wide ‘protection zone’ from 14 December – government press release Pressure grows on arrested Liverpool mayor to go – Fieldsports News Thousands of fish die after canal breach – Leicester Mercury Pet flea chemicals are poisoning rivers […]
Roe doe double
Ollie Williams has a target to meet: two-thirds roe does to one-third tree bucks. It’s the doe season and he is out on the family farm in Cornwall to meet that target. To go shooting or stalking with Ollie, visit CornishSportingAgency.com For Seeland clothing, go to Seeland.com Buy Ollie’s’s Seeland Hawker jacket on Amazon […]
Game-changing government rules could take pheasant off pub menus
Ben O’Rourke You know your local pub where they serve pheasants from the local shoot? That may be about to stop. The Food Standards Agency is thought to be preparing to tighten up the rules on game meat, so only ‘approved’ gamedealers will be able to sell it to ‘food businesses’. British Game Alliance […]
