A few hours out with Davyt63 tonight

[pianoman 3,586]

Well, All the way from bunny bopping in his native Swindon, Davy is up working in God's county doing a job just half an hour's drive North from me, so, after a phone chat and a PM, he's brought his Air Arms S410, MTC Mamba scope and ammo and at just after 18:30 he was at my house ready for a shooting foray.

 

A thirty five metre zero session in field No1 got his Air Arms Pre-charged rifle and my HW77 spring rifle singing on single-hole precision zero on my third mildot. That also gives me 7 to 25 metres dead-on centre-to-centre with just a centimetre's holdunder/holdover difference. I set up an empty pellet tin at 70-metres by Davy's rangefinder. If our mildots are calibrated right at 35, this tin should be no problem with 7 mildots holdover. Once again the myth of the PCP being more accurate than a spring rifle gets whacked as we both hit it straight off it's standing stone. Davy's rifle is .177 my spring rifle is .22. Both are equally as accurate and either calibre is equally effective. No questions there!

 

With a day of blustery winds and a light shower receeding, the conditions at 7:30pm have becalmed to a gentle breeze across the open fields and we take a slow, steady stalk down the barley field, now showing a healthy turn of green, growing shoots, along the forest edge.

 

Now, I'm no lamper, by my experience of it which is not that much. But Davy's rifle is ready rigged with red-filtered lamp, a good torch and, in the pocket of his jacket, one of those legendary night-vision monocular units that Aldi, of all places, are currently selling! The dusk is settling and my scope is running out of gathered light. I resolve to let Davy have the shot if we see a decent rabbit at close or medium-ish long ranges and we stick together. No sense in splitting up now.

 

The permission is showing more and more signs of rabbit activity as the green shoots of barley are taking more of a hold through the soft soil. As we approach the paddock at the bottom corner, a good half mile on, I spot a scut in the dusky half light. Another darts back into cover of the forest. It's amazing how good a rabbit's grey/brown coat-colours mask it against the colours of soil and barley shoots in such low light. In the event we reached the paddock with no shot fired. A hop over the fence and we are snug down covering a good warren and the forest edge. After ten minutes I spot a woodpidgeon fluttering into a tree top about thirty metres away into the forest from us. Davy didn't see it as he scanned the hillside warren but, I see it's silhouette in the last vestige of light.

 

I load up the HW77 and swing on from a sitting position scanning for it. I find it again and lay my crosshair just at the base of it's neck. Shooting on this angle of incline will bring my shot onto the birds head, right on the level with it's eye. It hops onto another branch and settles itself around. I rest the whole weight of the 77 onto my shoulder to relieve my arms just a moment and retook the aim ...Fire! THWACK! The pellet clips a twig but hits the bird through it's upper back. It flaps clear out of the tree for several metres and then, drops straight down dead, lost into the darkened river valley below. Bugger! Oh well, a free woody supper for a hungry fox.

 

We chat quietly about the shooting we like to do and I am astonished to learn Davy has only returned to serious shooting some five years or so ago, after shooting with a Diana and a Gat air pistol and a BSA Meteor rifle during his teenage years. He shoots as well, if not better, as anyone I've seen with years more hard practice and training under them. He had his rifle into a precise zero in short order and whacked the 70-metre pellet tin with his first shot. A naturally gifted marksman.

 

The warren at the paddock proves nothing happening, and the breeze is freshening to a wind again so, at just about 10:15pm we stalk back the half-mile to the vehicle at field No1. Up the rise in ground and there, with the ALdi Night Vision monocle, Davy spots four rabbits out in the field. He switches on his gunlight. Four red shapes scamper back for the forest edge. We silently move in the darkness to about where they exited the field. He switches on his NV monocle and scans the woods. Even in this dark I can see his face beam in a smile. He drops to one knee and switches on his lamp.

 

Almost immediately he fires the shot...!

 

There comes an immediate, unmistakable THWACK of .177 pellet on a rabbit skull. YES! a definate kill! I watch as he goes off into the undergrowth to get his rabbit.... I'm chuffed to bits both for Davy in bagging a rabbit for his first visit with me and finally, my permission is starting to come alive as a favourable source of food for the rabbits starts to appear plentifully in the soil of the fields.

 

He spends a good ten minutes searching the spot where it was hit but, there is a thick carpet of green plant foliage growing on the forest floor. It's no-where to be found and probably deep hidden under the green. He finally gives the rabbit up as "unretrievable!"

 

Oh well, not the most profitable night's sortie but, in the few hours we spent out in the fields, I've learned a very effective method of lamping by night, a bit of action a-piece and meeting and shooting with one of airgunning's top blokes; something I would never have missed for a whole field full of bunnies to myself!

 

Really great to meet and shoot with you Davy. Come see us again here whenever you can, and see you with the other lads here at the meet, when I come down with Andy!

 

All the very best.

 

Simon

Edited April 6, 2011 by pianoman

[Karpman 44]

As always with out compromise.a.enthralling read.

 

Nice one fellas, six blank sessions for me so far.

 

Karpman

[markha 99]

A nice account mate, and nice to hear the land is coming alive. Have a point

[zini 1,939]

Nice read Simon buddy and good to hear that your permission is starting to come alive

 

Hard luck Davy pal, the rabbit could of been near its hole when you shot it and just made it down the hole that was hidden in the greenage when your pellet impacted.

 

Its really annoying when this happens.

 

ATB

 

Si.

[rossy08 33]

nice wright up there as always Simon.

 

it seams that there are a lot of us getting about a bit at the min,,,,,it good to see,hear and read that good freindships can be fordged from behind the screen,,,,not just arguments...

 

all the best lads..

 

Andy

[cmuzzy 6]

Nice write fella , sounds like a good night out and the added bonus of permission coming back to life ... Chris

[77 si 21]

great write up that Simon, nice1.

[davyt63 1,845]

Hi Simon

thanks for inviting me over really enjoyed it.after a hard stressful day at work!

Next time i pay you a visit,i know exactly where i am going to static shoot from! If that's ok buddy.

 

Will put a more detailed reply when i am home Friday I

 

many thanks again

 

regards

 

Davy

[Marksman 934]

Davy is a great guy and showed nothing but precision marksmanship on his visit to us too.

 

Glad you 2 had fun and some great banter!!

 

Darryl

[gurtwurz 792]

excellent read simon, i reckon with your shooting knowledge and turn of phrase you should put yourself forward to the magazines mate, you'd be a great airgun journo(and get freebies to boot!)

 

great to see two top shots enjoying each others company, and doing the business proper style(between yourself,andy,si and davy i reckon this site has some of the most underrated shooters on the net, as well as phantom, marksman and festa,who regularly show us mere mortals how it should be done)

 

respect to you all,

 

wurz

[festa 206]

cheers simon mate i enjoyed that ive just realized where you are our office was in ferrybridge .. its moved now just up the road its at morley now ,,, if you ever fancy a run up north me and wor kid is only 1hr30 from you

 

 

atb gary

[andyfr1968 772]

I'm really glad you had a good time, chaps and I'm sorry I couldn't make it this time. No joy on the baby sitter front I'm afraid...

 

It was a bit of a coincidence that Davy phoned me on Monday when I was sitting under that tree in the padock!! What were the chances of that??!!

 

Davy, I'll see you in a couple of weeks all being well and Simon, if you're up for a shoot over the weekend give me a shout

 

Cheers.

Edited April 6, 2011 by andyfr1968

[pianoman 3,586]

Wow hey Gentlemen thank you each one and all for the kind responses to this outing. It's only a shame we couldn't have spent longer out, or the bag would be much bigger I'm sure. I know exactly where you will be static next time Davy ; a good hot-spot that, on that particular field. That leaves me with another I know of to cover ! Si might be right, your kill could have dropped into a hole, there's more than enough of them around there. It'll have joined my woodpidgeon on Charley's freebie dinner mooch by now if it didn't.

 

An airgun Journalist. God Wurz I'd love that mate, I really would. Maybe I should write a letter to the editors together with a test article; see what they think? Ive certainly got a great permission here to write from. The trouble I see with the current two mags are that they sing the praises of every piece of tat and duff scope, pellet and rifle that comes along because they want the manufacturers spending money on the advertising spaces. If I shot with a rifle that was pure poop, I'd have to find whatever positives I could to say for it, as a plinker alone. That's why I treat much of what they publish with a healthy dose of scepticism. I wonder if I could provide a more honest approach, as John Darling always did. No names but some I've read nowadays are a bloody waste of print.

 

I can only say it is a really marvellouse thing to be able to meet with, shoot with and discuss shooting with some terrific lads on this forum who are really into their sport and do it with a brilliant skill and knowledge that leaves me feeling a right lemon among the pros.

 

Reading about Darryl and Gary's lamping night rabbit foray into the heavy snow last winter was a bloody inspirational piece. The vids of them ferreting and shooting together I thoroughly enjoy. I would be more than delighted to make a run north to meet you two lads and shoot with you both. Thanks Gary that's really kind of you to offer mate.

 

All the very best for now.

 

Simon

[pianoman 3,586]

By the way Gary and Darryl.

I used to go to an aunt's near Newcastle for holidays when I was a very young lad with my family. I remember we would go to a big swimming baths and pool on a place called Leem Lane, or Leam lane, at Felling. Is that near either of you?

 

Simon

[Marksman 934]

Leam Lane us about 10 mins from where Gary lives now Simon. I'm about 20-30 mins further North but we both know it well...... Small world eh!!

 

We'll definitely sort something out for you to come up here though

 

Darryl