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matt_hooks

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Everything posted by matt_hooks

  1. matt_hooks
    Batteries in the right way round? Batteries in at all come to that? If new batteries, inserted the right way round don't work, get in touch with whoever you got it from.
  2. matt_hooks
    So about 1371fps. With a 37gr pill that works out at 150 ft.lb, pretty impressive for a .22LR, must be pushing the edge of the pressure envelope for a rimfire!
  3. matt_hooks
    At the end of the article "the best thing to use is a water pistol" Erm... Nope. 42 grams of SSG shot at 1000 fps is the answer!
  4. matt_hooks
    The "amp" value that you quote is actually "amp hours" so a bigger number will allow the battery to deliver a given current for a longer time. The power output is linked to the bulb resistance and the voltage of the battery. Power is equal to voltage times current. Voltage is equal to current times resistance. Therefore power is equal to current times current times resistance. The resistance is effectively a fixed value, and there is no way of controlling the current directly. The only way to change the power output for a given bulb is to change the voltage of the power supply. Pra
  5. matt_hooks
    Could just be that the gun doesn't like the 17gr bullets. From what I hear they're all made in the same factory.
  6. matt_hooks
    In direct conflict with the HO guidelines. And that's why. It actually is counterproductive, and forces you to spend more money and hold more firearms. And a good all rounder it is. The police abuse the caliber table from the HO guidance without bothering to read the bits around it, and the other guidance. Dead is dead. "Overkill" is utter bull! Tell them you want fox on your .308, or AOLQ. You don't want to have to buy and carry several rifles (with the resultant security issues) and ask them to read the HO guidance properly!
  7. matt_hooks
    Worthy, that is perfectly legal, as long as they are in season. Any other LAWFUL quarry is the condition, as someone pulled me up on in another thread. Not that it makes a jot of difference to what you can shoot. It is perfectly lawful to shoot a fox with a .22LR, as long as you are on land that you have permission to shoot over, and have permission to shoot foxes on it, and you don't cause un-necessary suffering. The permission goes to the lawfulness of the quarry. If you have permission to shoot over land, but that permission doesn't cover foxes, then it is not lawful for you to take fox
  8. matt_hooks
    Midnight, please don't construe anything I say as having a go, or discouraging the asking of questions. Stalking in the UK is based largely on tradition. In the past rifles weren't generally as accurate as they are today, and so shorter ranges were the norm. Yes, it's possible to shoot them at much longer ranges, just look at what some of the Americans do, but for me the thrill is getting in close, and I think most stalkers feel the same. I make no assumptions about your level of knowledge, or history. As for ballistic tips, some do, some don't. There's not so much of an advantage wit
  9. matt_hooks
    For everything that's not full bore, in this country I assume you mean .22LR, possibly .17HMR and air rifle? With these you are shooting smaller quarry, but the sensible ranges are still a necessary part of shooting them. A .22LR carries enough energy to kill a rabbit for several hundred yards. Does that mean it should be used at these ranges? Of course not. Some very good shooters can use it effectively out past 100 yards, for most 60 to 70 is the limit. Deer "STALKING" is the term used to describe what most people here do. That's not "Deer long range shooting". The skill, and the thrill
  10. matt_hooks
    Shouldn't be a problem. As long as the cabinet is secure, the house is secure and the only person who will have access to the keys is you.
  11. matt_hooks
    If they try it I'd resist as much as possible. As long as you can show that you can decide what is, and what isn't a safe shot you should get the land approved. No land is inherently safe, or unsafe, for any calibre. It's up to the person behind the trigger to decide if a shot is safe or not.
  12. matt_hooks
    You have a few options. The main way to improve safety on very flat land is to elevate the shooting platform somehow. Off the back of a truck, high seat, even off sticks will help to give a decent backstop.
  13. matt_hooks
    Don't say that to the FEO! A hedge is rarely a suitable backstop. Even a good old fashioned "Cornish" hedge (read earth bank) is not a good backstop, you need to be able to see what you are shooting into, you can't see through a hedge.
  14. matt_hooks
    Nothing in law that says it's illegal to shoot on, near or over a footpath. Whether it's cleared or not. To be safe stick up signs each end stating shooting is in progress, and always be aware where the footpath is and that it is clear before you squeeze the trigger. The only rule regarding shooting near rights of way relates to "highways" which are defined as vehicular, mettled roads. In that case it is illegal to shoot within 50 feet of the centre line of the highway without lawful excuse, where by doing so you cause someone to be "injured, interrupted or endangered".
  15. matt_hooks
    Or go for a WMR. The same .22 bullets as the LR, but running out at 300ft.lb, a very flat trajectory (ok, not QUITE as flat as the HMR, but flat enough) and better down range energy retention. Also far less wind affected (much better BC on a .22 bullet than the tiny .17). The WMR does both jobs excellently. You'll still need to head shoot if they're for eating of course, but ammunition isn't as expensive and good rifles are cheap as chips because for some reason it's an unfashionable round. The other upside, if you're in to it, is you can have the WMR in semi-auto.
  16. matt_hooks
    Whether you have a job, a car etc. is none of their business. You might have a problem if you don't have somewhere to live (bit difficult to secure the weapon) but otherwise, as long as you've not got a record as long as your arm, they should issue it. As an aside, the FAC is a whole different kettle of fish, you need to show good reason to possess, and the investigations in to your background are a whole lot more rigorous. Still makes not a jot of difference if you have a car, or a job.
  17. matt_hooks
    Elmer, your safest bet is either to hide the spare keys somewhere safe that they're not going to be found. Nobody who doesn't have a certificate covering all the weapons in the cabinet should have access to them. If someone knows where the keys are they are deemed to have access (short of them being locked in a safe deposit box at the bank) so if/when the FEO visits and asks your mum/wife/kids where the keys are kept, teach them the correct reply is "I've no idea".
  18. matt_hooks
    The whole ".17HMR is safer than .22LR" is a total crock. The .22LR with subsonic rounds has a muzzle energy of 100 ft.lb. The .17HMR has a ME of almost three times that. Of course, a .22LR might ricochet, but then so might the .17HMR, a .17centrefire or a .50 BMG. Any bullet can ricochet, so to say that a .17HMR gives more shot choice than a .22LR is nonsense. If it ain't safe for a .22, then it's certainly not safe for a .17! A safe shot is a safe shot, an unsafe shot is an unsafe shot. Forget the calibre and think backstop, backstop backstop (as well as the ground conditions, anythi
  19. matt_hooks
    Distance above/below the crosshairs. Set the laser to be on the cross hair at a know range, say your zero range. If the laser is above the scope, then at ranges closer than zero the red dot will appear above the crosshair. For ranges beyond the zero range, the red dot will appear below the crosshairs. If the laser is below the scope then the reverse is true. Now you set out paper at different ranges, then note down or remember where the dot appears at the different ranges, a mildot reticule would help with that.
  20. matt_hooks
    dedger, have you ever weighed empty cases? I've found that there can be quite a range of weights between them, even from the same manufacturer. I use two trays. Empty cases to one side, charged cases to the other. I always work left to right. I also always have the radio on, or some music. It doesn't distract me at all, in fact it helps me to concentrate.
  21. matt_hooks
    Teg, that's not true, or at least in Thames Valley it's not. The FEO job has been reduced to a purely evidence gathering roll, they have NO decision making powers at all. They can recommend, or otherwise, but the people in the office are the ones who make the decisions.
  22. matt_hooks
    You can go off people you know!
  23. matt_hooks
    A 3" pistol barrel with a 1 in 15 twist will still get a bullet spinning. As long as the bullet engages properly with the rifling, then no matter how short the barrel the bullet will have the spin. The only problem with very short barrels is getting sufficient acceleration. You may well have burned all the powder, but it's still expanding and has more energy to give right out to 16 or 17 inches, maybe further. The increase in velocity per inch will decrease as the barrel gets longer, but it will be there. That said, if you are bunny bashing at normal ranges then you won't notice the reduct
  24. matt_hooks
    Paulus, you forgot the biscuits! A plate of nice biccies, none of your digestive rubbish, bourbon and jammy dodgers at least, hob nobs go down well too! He'll ask you a few shotgun related questions, like "what's the effective range of a shotgun/how far away is a shotgun dangerous. (NOT the same question. The effective range, though dependent on the cartridge used, will never be more than about 50 yards. A shotgun cartridge can be dangerous for several hundred yards, especially a fibre wad cartridge which can suffer from gas passing the wad and melting the shot into a solid lump, which can
  25. matt_hooks
    Why not ratty? They're professionals, and they should be doing the job fairly and treating people equally. If you have cause to challenge something, they shouldn't be taking exception, or getting upset about it. If they are behaving like that then they need to be reported to their superiors for unprofessional behaviour. In my experience the FEO's on the ground are good men and women, it's the office staff that make the decisions (and cause most of the problems). If any decision, condition or whatever is unreasonable then it should be challenged. No point jumping through hoops and hopi
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