James Marchington – Fieldsports Channel

Squirrels Look Out!

August 8, 2018

James Marchington is back on his permission with his break-barrel Crosman, but first he is playing…

Airguns James Marchington Squirrel hunting

Stalking squirrels

August 8, 2018

James Marchington is walking and stalking with his airgun. He is hunting squirrels… This item appears…

Airguns Crosman James Marchington Squirrel hunting

More bad news for Mr Squirrel

July 24, 2018

James Marchington may have parakeets on his mind, but there is still a horde of squirrels…

Airguns James Marchington

Shooting Parakeets in London

July 24, 2018

We are out after ring-necked parakeets which have been stealing fruit in the London suburbs. The…

Airguns BSA James Marchington Squirrel hunting

Squirrel’s last nut… airguns

July 24, 2018

It’s Grey Power vs the power of a BSA sub 12ft/lb airgun. Wave after wave of…

Airguns Crosman James Marchington

Mammal = head shot / Bird = body shot

July 11, 2018

James Marchington is bringing in all kinds of birds and animals to within range of his…

How to shoot James Marchington Pigeon shooting

How to be a Pigeon Shooting Expert with James Marchington

June 27, 2018

It’s the preview film for our fabulous new DVD “Pigeons, the Experts’ Way”. Sporting Shooter editor…

Airguns James Marchington Ratting

Close range ratting with a springer

May 18, 2018

We are spring-loaded and after rats at a local aviary. James Marchington doesn’t have to be…

Airguns James Marchington On Test Squirrel hunting

Crosman 2250 Ratcatcher airgun on test

October 9, 2014

James Marchington is testing the Crosman 2250 Ratcatcher on squirrels. His dogs chase them into trees…

Airguns James Marchington Rabbits

80-yard Rabbits with an Air Rifle

September 25, 2014

James Marchington is hunting rabbits on the Isle of Skye at long distance with only a…

Airguns James Marchington Rabbits

Airgun Long Shots on Skye

September 11, 2014

James Marchington is creeping up on rabbits that are plaguing the sheep pastures of the Isle…

Airguns James Marchington Rabbits

Shooting Scottish Redheads

August 28, 2014

James Marchington is on the Isle of Skye after unusually-coloured rabbits with his Benjamin airgun. he…

Airguns James Marchington Squirrel hunting

Don’t use a squirrel as a backstop

August 14, 2014

Shooting squirrels? Make sure you know what’s behind them. Even a squirrel’s skull won’t stop a…

Airguns James Marchington Squirrel hunting

Garden Squirrel Control – The Bird Table of Doom

July 17, 2014

The urban grey squirrel population is out of control. James Marchington has created the perfect feeding…

Airguns Crosman James Marchington

Airgun back yard pest control

July 3, 2014

James Marchington’s garden is rigged for death. That’s death to vegetable-raiding rabbits, nut-pinching squirrels and egg-nicking…

Airguns James Marchington Squirrel hunting

Beautiful back garden pest control – Slo Mo

June 19, 2014

Airgun expert James Marchington is getting some extraordinary images of British wildlife using his garden as…

Airguns How to shoot James Marchington

Easy airgun holdover tips

May 18, 2014

Here are a few simple tips for any new air rifle owner. James Marchington shows us…

New launch: Merkel K5 break-barrel rifle

December 5, 2019 1:00 am

by Charlie Jacoby Generally, I like the sleek, new single-shot break-barrel rifle from Merkel. The company lent it to me for a week of red hind stalking in Argyllshire (my film is at the bottom of this review). It is designed as a ‘mountain’ rifle: lightweight and with the break-barrel rifle’s reputation for greater accuracy than the bolt-action. It is Merkel’s go at matching the Blaser K95. I prefer the K95 (disclosure: Blaser sponsors films on Fieldsports Channel, Merkel does not). The K5 grew out of the K120, the rifle Merkel produced for its 120th anniversary. Compared the the K3 and the K4, the stock shape makes it look prettier. Here is Sebastian von Stauffenberg from Merkel to talk through the rifle: It is a hogback stock with a Bavarian cheek piece. The stock has a double fold. This is both goodlooking (as Sebastian says in his film) and an important consideration. You are probably going to put a scope on it. Check this stock shape works for you and your chosen scope. The stock on this rifle is in wood and has ebony finishes, which gives it a sense of contrast. Merkel has now changed the ebony to palisander wood for the finishes on the fore-end, pistol grip and the release. The trigger system is adjustable longways and sideways. It is also wider than usual Merkel triggers, which I like. Merkel has developed a silent new handcocking system for this rifle. Decocking is simple and easy and is more secure than a simple safety-catch. The gun simply can’t fired with cocking it. It has a jaeger tilted block breech which locks steel on steel. One feature is that the block is removable. You simply take off the fore-end, take out the barrel, you push back the breech, click a …
Swarovski Z8i

November 23, 2019 6:00 pm

by Charlie Jacoby This is one of the big three: the Z8i is the scope to have if you don’t want the Zeiss V8 or the Leica Magnus. With an 8x magnification, this scope takes your target from 1.7x to 13.3x. It is aimed at both short range driven hunting scope and for long ranges around 400m. Lightweight, it has a ballistic turret with a personalised ring. You take the ballistics of your bullet – the calibre, muzzle velocity and ballistic coefficient (all of these available on your box of ammo plus you can check them yourself on a range) – feed this info into the Swarovski website, pay your money, and a week later a special ring turns up for your ballistic turret in yards or metres that you can click to match the range of your target. So your zero is spot on at 100m, you rangefind your deer at 300m, you click the turret round to 300m, and the scope will hold the zero. The luminous dot is pre-set in two positions for day and night. You can dim it or increased in brightness via pushbuttons on the scope. Here is Michael Ott from manufacturer Swarovski to explain the scope: Want to see the Swarovski Z8i in action? We take it on a hind cull in Scotland: Thinking of buying a £2000+ riflescope? Have a look at our price and capability comparison here:
Swarovski EL and ELO Range binoculars

November 23, 2019 5:58 pm

by Charlie Jacoby Swarovski EL and ELO Range binoculars are designed to combine Swarovski quality with a range finding capability. They come in the standard deerstalking sizes of 8×42 and 10×42 and include an easy-to-use rangefinder. Simply point them at your target, click the button on top of the binos, release, after a couple of seconds, you get the range in metres. The ELO – the ‘O’ stands for ‘orange’ – are that colour so if you put them down on the hill you will easily be able to find them again. Here is Michael Ott from manufacturer Swarovski to explain them: Buy it on Amazon: Want to see these Swarovski binos in action? We take them on a hind cull in Scotland:
Swarovski modular ATX spotting scope

November 23, 2019 5:53 pm

by Charlie Jacoby For the big game hunter who likes to see their distant game up close, this is the Swarovski spotting scope to choose. Zoom is from 30x to 70x. This one has the 95mm objective lens. Modular means you can take the headpiece off and replace it. As you would expect from Swaro, the light transmission is outstanding. The resolution you get out of it is terrific, not only for spotting when I go hunting but also to take pictures. Swarovski sells a special adaptor for your phone that attaches it to the scope. Here is Michael Ott from manufacturer Swarovski to explain them: Buy it on Amazon:
Merkel HLX suppressor

November 23, 2019 3:04 pm

Merkel has gone into partnership with military moderator manufacturer B&T to make a moderator for the hunting market. 200mm long, it has steel baffles, which allows up to 30 consecutive shots without waiting for it to cool. It fits on every barrel with a M15x1 muzzle thread. Merkel claims its moderators reduce sound by more than 30dB. For cleaning, just soak the moderator in soapy water, rinse it out and dry it with a compressor (if you have one) or leave for 24 hours on a warm radiator. Here’s what Merkel says. Want to see the Merkel HLX in action? We take it on a hind cull in Scotland: