Fieldtester looks deeper, so you choose smarter
Ballistic is a much over-used word. You may associate it with nuclear weapons. The word is pointlessly used to describe long-range missiles with nuclear warheads. It has nothing to do with the power of the payload. When you use it with the word ‘missile’, ‘ballistic’ means there is a
What’s the difference between target and hunting rounds? Sako Cartridges’ Aki Suvilahti says the biggest difference is in the manufacturing process. The hollowpoint boat-tail bullets that Sako makes for its hunting cartidges have to be manufactured more precisely than solid target ammunition. “Production consistency is all about accuracy,” he
To a non-shooter, all bullets seem the same, but there are hundreds of different calibres out there. ‘Calibre’ is based on (but not always the same as) the diameter of the bullet in millimetres. Are you choosing the right calibre for your shooting? You’ll probably get different answers from
You pull the trigger – and a lot of chemistry and physics takes place in a split second. Aki Suvilahti from cartridge manufacturer Sako says there are, generally, three different types of primer. For calibres such as .222 and .223, there is ‘small rifle’ primer, which has low energy.
Hot or not? That’s the question Paul Childerley puts to Aki Suvilahti of Sako Cartridges. Paul likes hot rounds in his chosen calibres of .22-50, 70-grain .243 – but like all shooters, he has doubts. “So,” he asks: “lighter bullets, faster charge, is it good or is it bad?”
If you’re still finding your way around your rifle, you may want to know what ‘head space’ is. Aki Suvilahti from Sako Cartridges explains. “Head space is a measure, in the rifle, from bolt face to chamber. It is in the part of the chamber that stops the
In March 2020, more than 500 of you filled out our shooting and hunting clothing survey, telling us which jackets and trousers you wear and why you like them. The big prizes are your favourite jackets and trousers. And here are the winners. Top manufacturer for jackets is Deerhunter but
Deer manager Paul Childerley describes what a bonded bullet is good for: “More weight behind it, more stopping power.” Sako’s Aki Suvilahti perfers a more technical definition. “Bonding means that as there is lead core in the bullet, it is chemically fixed to this copper jacket,” he says, referring
Which semi-autos do the Fieldsports Channel audience prefer? We sent out surveys in March 2020 and more than 3,500 of you filled out the questionnaires (it’s as if you had nothing better to do). Of those nearly 500 semi-auto owners responded. The most popular semi-auto among our viewers is,
From Fieldsports Channel’s Fieldtester Scroll down to watch our video reviews of top rimfire rifles The humble rimfire has long been a favourite of farmers, gamekeepers and pest controllers. It’s cheap to shoot, accurate and deadly on pests like rabbits and squirrels. Rimfires are versatile too. Shoot subsonic hollowpoint .22
We tackle vehicles in this survey: the big vehicles you go shooting in, and the little UTVs and quad bikes you use to get around your ground. We carried out this survey in March 2020 when everyone was trapped in lockdown, and 3,500 of you responded. Nearly 400 of you
www.dailymotion.com/video/x7vo4kz What do you wear on or in your ears when you go shooting? Listen up: out of the 3,500 of you who responded to our lockdown kit survey in the spring, 435 completed the survey on hearing protection. It’s something we have been pushing on Fieldsports Channel, especially with
In the first test of its kind, firearms experts Andrew Venables from WMSFirearmsTraining.com and Tim Pilbeam try out nine brands of copper bullets at 100 metres/yards and 250 metres/yards. With more UK venison processors demanding deer are shot with non-toxic bullets, they look at what you can buy in
It’s the first episode of our new monthly Fieldtester kit series, which comes with a whole Fieldtester section of the website devoted to shooting/hunting kit reviews. Visit Fcha.nl/fieldtester In this film, Andrew Venables from WMS Firearms Training and Tim Pilbeam conduct the most comprehensive test of copper bullets they
Thinking of getting started in clayshooting? Or simply want a cheap, knockabout shotgun? Paul Hodson from Staffordshire gunshop Shooting Sports UK gives his opinion on the best shotgun for under £500. For more from Shooting Sports UK, visit ShootingSportsUK.co.uk
What happens when a gun can’t take the cartridge you put into it? Marcus Simpson from Cambridgeshire gunshop Simpson Brothers shows off a hammergun that exploded, alongside other gun horror stories which include; a Browning with mud in its barrel, homeloading mistakes and scope mountings made from plywood. Looking
Professional deer manager Jason Doyle bashes his boots to bits. He explains how to make sure a boot fits you, before you commit to buying it.
www.dailymotion.com/video/x7vj9m6 First it was foxshooters who discovered how useful night vision is. Then badger cull contractors were trained in its use – and night vision went insitutional. Now deerstalkers use thermal for spotting animals. So, which thermal and night vision do you all use? For popularity among Fieldsports Channel viewers,
Browning calls its B525 series its ‘DNA’. Perhaps ‘favourite grandchild’ is more accurate. If you want to unlock that DNA, looks first at the B525’s locking system. There is a wide, flat bolt, under the chamber. There are two wide surfaces on the back of the hooks, which contact
The automotive industry has moved from ‘any colour as long as it’s black’ to any colour. At the same speed and over the same timescale, the gunmaking industry has moved from ‘it goes bang’ to ‘what do you want to shoot?’ When a gunmaker launches a new mass-market shotgun,
Which do you buy? World Champion Amy Easeman uses a B725 (Sporter Black Edition) for all her clayshooting and pheasant shooting. World Champion Sam Green uses a B525 (Ultra XS Pro) for all his clay and game shooting. Both guns clearly work. The B525 is the classic ‘school gun’
All you need to know about riflescopes youtu.be/YgcwiZ-mvco Can you buy a decent riflescope for under a grand in 2022? Absolutely says Dan Bibb of Shooting Sports UK – and he pulls three examples off the shelf to prove his point. Each one offers terrific optical performance and will almost
You have a buck in your scope at 200 yards, and you call it in to 50 metres. It’s time for the Aimpoint Acro to swing into action. The new sight from Aimpoint sits on the side of your scope, ready for you to take a snap, action shot.
Rabbit shooting just got easier, as Andy Crow finds out. The Pulsar Helion 2 makes nighttime ‘like daylight’ says Mrs Crow, so when Andy is out shooting, he can see just how bad his rabbit problem is. Click here for the Pulsar Helion 2 XP50 at Thomas Jacks
This is the Fieldtester survey where we asked you to tell us about your kit back in 2020, and boy did you respond. 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
It’s the results of our massive dog questionnaire, covering dogfood, dog breeds and dog boxes, and thanks to all who took part in it. Our Fieldtester surveys prompted 3,500 responses, which has given us some of the most comprehensive information about who owns what and what they think of out
Firearms expert Andrew Venables and deer manager Ben Heath put two copper bullets head to head. Commenting on YouTube, several viewers give their favourite copper rounds. They are .243, 80-grain “80-grain in .243 sounds good and it will be interesting when Andrew goes with the .308 110-grain and 120-grain
We surveyed you for shooting kit in March 2020 and 3,500 of you told us what you use. We had more than 1,800 responses to our surveys for clay, game and pigeon shotgun cartridges, and here are the results: We asked you to give us a star rating for
Andrew Venables has cooked up what he reckons is the perfect copper varminting cartridge, using the Barnes Varmint Grenade. He looks at how the Varmint Grenade works and how to get the best from it. Click here for Andrew’s film about the perfect copper deer bullet. For more from
Cai Ap Bryn has a rabbit problem. Happily, Thomas Jacks has a new thermal unit that’s refit for shooting rabbits. Cai gives it a go on the range and then takes it out on live rabbits. For the Pulsar Thermion, talk to ThomasJacks.co.uk Click here for all our films with
It’s the results of our massive airgun questionnaire and thanks to all who took part in to. Our Fieldtester surveys prompted 3,500 reponses, which has given us some of the most comprehensive information about who owns what and what they think of out that the shooting industry has ever seen.
It’s a lovely afternoon’s pigeon shooting. Some birds are close – some are far away. So how does a pigeon shooting expert like Andy Crow choose his chokes? Here is his guide. Using a decent cartridge on decoys, Andy uses quarter chokes in both barrels. He is shooting long
It’s our Fieldtester binoculars survey. We sent out the survey during coronavirus lockdown and got more than 3,500 responses. Of these, we had over 600 responses to our binoculars survey. And the results? You certainly spend money on optics. Around half of you own one of the three most
Got your shotgun licence? Want to buy a shotgun? Baffled by the choice? Here is what the viewers of Fieldsports Channel shoot. We put our Fieldtester survey in front of you in March 2020 while lots of people were twiddling their thumbs in coronavirus lockdown, and 3,500 people got back
Sometimes you shoot an animal at a good range and you are pleased with the result. Sometimes, the animal emerges from the bushes just in front of you. And occasionally, both can happen at the same time. Swedish gunsight manufacturer’s her Aimpoint reckons it has found the solution. We
Do you have old, out-of-shape pigeon decoys? Do you have anything even vaguely crow-shaped you can use instead? You can use it to make your own crow decoy, says our viewer Tim in Essex. You need a black bin liner and black insulation tape. That’s the hard part. Cover the
Sporting Shooter magazine editor Dom Holtam takes the Winchester Blindside shotshells out for a roadtest on some pesky geese. Andy Crow has been suffering from 150 geese plundering his young crops. But they are wily birds and every cartridge has to count. This item appears in Fieldsports Britain, episode 265
There are so many walking boots, so many makes and models. So which do you choose? Well, there is one clear winner among Fieldsports Channel’s viewers, with nearly a quarter of the market. And we will come to that at the end of this piece. Out of the 3,500 responses
Jaf Jefferson talks about the Yukon Photon XT, its drawbacks and why he likes it, plus what he would like to see improved. Here is our film of the Photon XT in action Click here to go to the Fieldtester night vision and thermal front page
by Charlie Jacoby A post on the Lamping Foxes Facebook group got me thinking. It read: ‘My son turned 11 today, and as a dad I made a promise that when he reaches 11 we will get a o/u .410. So if anyone has any tips on what to get
Used by Fieldsports Channel’s Scandinavian viewers, who hunt deer and moose, the Norma Oryx is designed to knock down animals that have a reputation for being ‘armour-plated’. It is called the Oryx for that reason. The gemsbok is not an easy antelope to kill. Fieldsports Channel surveyed its viewers about
The Precision Hunter cartridge from Hornady is only the delivery vehicle for its ELD-X bullet range. Anything you read about Precision Hunter should dwell on the ELD-X and so that’s what we are going to do here. ELD-X stands for ‘Extremely Low Drag – eXpanding’. It’s Hornady’s all-range plastic-tipped hunting
Fieldsports Channel’s viewers are loyal to their ammunition brands and we have the proof Once they find a rifle cartridge they like, they stick to it. During the coronavirus lockdown of 2020, we surveyed our viewers about the kit they use. We received more than 3,500 responses. Of these, 616
Firearms expert Andrew Venables has a guilty secret (innocent secret?). He prefers copper bullets to lead bullets. In this film, he puts copper bullets through their paces on a range, showing how they win on both accuracy and fillability. Thanks to Tim Pilbeam for letting us use his range.
Meat damage is one of Andrew Venables’ primary reasons to move away from lead bullets. For him, the argument revolves around weight retention. “You’ve seen the x-rays, you’ve seen the ballistic media, the different pictures going around on social media. 40% of that bullet is left in the animal. Copper
Like every ethical hunter in the Western World, Andrew Venables wants a clean kill. The firearms expert reckons the bullet that does that best is not made of lead. It’s made of copper – because it’s such a fast bullet. “Having spent a lot of time shooting lead bullets,
In the 1990s, Andrew Venables was at a US gun show where a mini revolution was taking place. He had no idea at the time that the non-lead bullet Barnes was launching there would change his deer stalking. He says it took about two years for the Barnes bullet
It’s been a long day shooting clay or game, you probably want to slip into something more comfortable than your all-weather gear. In our survey, Ryan from the UK calls it a, “nice lightweight jacket easy to move in”. Deerhunter says it is “the perfect after-shoot jacket” and our survey
When analysing reams of spreadsheet data for trends, it’s always easier when one name appears nearly twice as often as any other. That was the case with our wellies survey. To the relief of the team trawling through information supplied by hundreds of Fieldsports Britain supporters just like you (thanks
Steel has well-documented benefits and drawbacks for shooting pheasants and pigeons – but how about rabbits. Simon Whitehead tries out steel shotshells on ground game at his home in North Yorkshire to see how they perform, plus he cuts open the rabbits to look at the terminal ballistics of both
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