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matt_hooks

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Everything posted by matt_hooks

  1. matt_hooks
    A quick thanks to Davey for a great night out last night. A full write up and pics to follow shortly.
  2. matt_hooks
    Ha Ha...such is life, if we agree so be it, nothing personal here anyway, was there an issue? ATB!! Of course not, you have some very good ideas (the ones that agree with mine) and some not so good ones (the ones that don't!)
  3. matt_hooks
    Deker, are you actually agreeing with me on something? Wonders will never cease! As you say, it's all about getting the right tool for the job in hand, including taking in to account the lie of the land, the likely ranges to be shot over etc. etc. etc. I would suggest that the HMR doesn't really give any significant benefit over a WMR, but I can see the appeal of having a round that shoots that flat.
  4. matt_hooks
    I'd wonder whether they affect how easy it is to break the clays? Unless it could be proven that they had no effect, positive or negative, I can't see them being used in competition. They do look pretty good though, wonder how much they'd add to a days shooting? Just had a look, and these things roll out, at their cheapest price, at £49.95 for 40 targets, so considerably more expensive than the clays themselves. Good to add a bit of excitement to a day, but you wouldn't want to use too many of them!
  5. matt_hooks
    The voltage is the important measure. The amp/hour measure is just an estimate of the power reserve available, a bit like the capacity of the fuel tank in your car. A larger Ah value means you can do more work before the battery is exhausted. A 40Ah lead acid battery will be pretty heavy though, so only good if you don't need to carry it too far!
  6. matt_hooks
    Yes, I understand what overkill means, but I don't understand how you can have "too much power". You suggest that you should shoot only with the absolute minimum possible power necessary? I would say that anything that has enough power is fine, and if it has too much power, what of it? As long as you follow safe shooting practices, with a good solid backstop etc. then there is no added risk to having more power than necessary. Of course bigger, more powerful rounds will generally burn more powder and therefore be more expensive, and a high powered round on small game such as rabbits ma
  7. matt_hooks
    There's some good advice on the BASC website. Advice on FAC applications and Advice on SGC applications From what I remember, one of your FAC referees can be your SGC referee too (you only need one SGC referee, not two) but the requirements are different. The FAC they want people who know you personally, whereas the SGC requires someone of a certain professional standing (doctor, lawyer, judge or someone of similar standing, but NOT a serving police officer). It shouldn't be a problem using your land owner, as long as he's known you for two years. As for the pics, I got 5.
  8. matt_hooks
    I never understand "overkill". You can't make it any deader than dead! The WMR packs a fair old punch, so unless you can place all your shots in the head area, you risk losing a lot of edible meat, but if you want foxes at range, then you don't have an option. Not sure if your FEO will approve a WMR purely for rabbits (though there is the "it's a rimfire" argument that says you can hold one on a .22rf slot)
  9. matt_hooks
    A good choice. Though I use a .22LR semi auto, which I find perfectly capable out to any reasonable range, and you can get three or four bunnies without the hassel of having to rack the bolt. Me, lazy?
  10. matt_hooks
    All the police forces seem to be quite busy at the moment, so things are taking a little longer than usual. For a fairly simple application, you will be looking at anywhere between one week and a couple of months before the interview, then you'll also need to get the land checked, so it'll probably be a minimum of a couple of months before you have a yes/no, and maybe another month before you actually have the cert in your hand. Not wanting to be unrealistic, it CAN take an age (and it SEEMS so much longer too!) but the sooner you get the forms in, the sooner you'll be able to go shopping!
  11. matt_hooks
    Nope, co-termionous is £60. That's set by the government and is the same everywhere. FAC is £50 SGC is £50 Co-terminous is £60 So you save £40.
  12. matt_hooks
    Not necessarily anything genetic in it. If people are shooting the normal coloured rabbits, but not the blacks, that will immediately act to select for black pelts, so the genes might not be stronger per se, but the actions of man make being black a good thing. If people suddenly decided that black pelts were bad and should be shot with the same regularity as regular pelts, the balance would be redressed quite quickly.
  13. matt_hooks
    Hmmm, not many would give you a second look if, when asked what you liked to do, you said "stalking"
  14. matt_hooks
    There was a big long thread on this a while back. Basically get some fine wire wool, or (better in my opinion) scrunch up some tin foil. Rub the rust gently and it should clean off. I prefer to use aluminium foil as it's softer than the barrel metal but not the rust, so it cleans off the rust without damaging the good metal. If the rust is superficial, as it probably is, then this should sort it out. Give her a good wipe over with an oily rag when you've got the rust off to stop it coming back. If the bluing is damaged, a gunsmith should be able to restore it, or you could try some of
  15. matt_hooks
    With regards the fox conditions, this is one area where TVP are fairly good. My .22LR is conditioned for shooting "all legal quarry" rather than specifying species or classes of animal.
  16. matt_hooks
    The LED lenser torches are something else, unfortunately they're not exactly cheap! I have the P17, which was the best part of £60, I also have the M14, which seems to have disappeared from their product line but is still available on eBay for about the same. I also have one of their head torches, which is also great! The cheap eBay special lamps are ok, but you get so much more functionality with the lenser torches. The only disadvantage with the LED lenser stuff is that it doesn't have the option of a remote switch.
  17. matt_hooks
    For trains, the relevant document is the "national rail conditions of carriage" It states that unloaded guns can sometimes be carried, at the discretion of the train company. The relevant part is sec1:25, page 27.
  18. matt_hooks
    SGC, if you have reason to hold, and there is no reason not to issue it, then they have to issue it. I'd go for the coterminous, it saves you a load of cash!
  19. matt_hooks
    Because steel is much lighter than lead, it has to come out of the barrel faster to get the same energies. Hence the chamber pressures are extremely high, and so the gun has to be proofed for that. Steel shot are fired either with a plastic wad with a cup that contains the shot in the barrel, or a fibre wad that does the same job, so the steel shouldn't come into contact with the barrels. Some of the other lead free options are very good. Bismuth shot is denser than lead, and can be very effective, if not a little on the dear side!
  20. matt_hooks
    Ah you'll be fine then! I'd put in for the coterminous certificate, it's only £10 extra, and having the SGC is another string to the bow, and makes for some good pest control and hunting!
  21. matt_hooks
    Absolutely it's worth trying for. As long as you don't have a history of violent crime or a history of clinical depression you should be fine! If you've been shooting loads with the air rifle and can get a letter from the land owner saying that you've been safe, and he's an FAC holder in good standing, then that should be plenty of proof for them. Get those form filled in and sent off! Edited to add, how old are you fella?
  22. matt_hooks
    Wrong place mate, this needs to go in the "for sale" section!
  23. matt_hooks
    Re the trains, in theory you need to contact the train company and get their permission to carry an air rifle on their train. Or you could do what a certain helpful forumite does, and get a big holdall bag so people can't tell what's in it, hey Tony!
  24. matt_hooks
    If you're looking for some paid stalking, then I'm sure people can recommend a few good places. If you let us know what you're looking for (species, male/female, trophy heads, tough terrain or shooting from the road etc.) and a rough idea of your budget and how far you are willing to travel (be sensible!) and I'm sure people will be able to advise you. There's a lot of paid stalking available in the highlands of scotland, and a few of the islands too. Also a fair amount in the rest of the country, but all dependant on what you're looking for. Your question about big numbers of deer cou
  25. matt_hooks
    My pleasure guy's, You won't get stick from people in this section, we are all very proud to be called "The Boy Scouts" of THL We do give stick, but only in a friendly way, and the odd one that does try to give out crap, we generally get shut of quick sharp What many people forget, is 'we were all new at one time or another', I have learn't a heck of a lot from the people on here, as have every one of the regulars and we all have three things in common, our love of airgunning and our liking to pass on our knowledge and our passion for encouraging others into airgunning, be it pa
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