Foxes don’t like....

[cragman 2,629]

Buffalo BBs! Didn’t take long. Farmer spotted this vixen going into cover this morning but I couldn’t get over as I was working. Small chance she’d be there this afternoon but she was. She must have been lying up in it for the day. Terrier into cover and out she flew

[Stavross 13,706]

Quality there’s nowt more exciting than bolting foxes from cover to shotguns 

[Meece 1,957]

They definitely don't  like an ounce and a quarter of cold lead up em capt manwarring, sir.

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Wow, a fox!

Not seen one for weeks.

Found some tracks yesterday, the first for ages.

Any pictures of the terrier?

[Meece 1,957]

That Charlie looks in good condition. That would have Been a top pelt back when we used to cash them in and have a fox shooters dinner in the local working men's club at the end of the season on the proceeds. Those dinners were a good laugh ... until one of the bright sparks wives insisted that she came along also because her ole man went to a strip night at the club and another bright spark let the info slip out.  It all went downhill after that because there were so many bodies with everyone's wife and girlfriend ect at the dinner that had no relationship with anyone else. It degenerated into the atmosphere of a school dinner in the canteen.  This bloke used to shoot with us on our shoot and his Mrs was a right miserable cow. Every shoot day he was constantly checking his watch from two o'clock onwards. He was gone home by four and mised out on the duck drive and flighting.  When I him asked why he said his Mrs didn't want him out after dusk. How old was she, 12 ?  I don't think that we'd have gotten ten Bob for her pelt. And that would have been robbing the game dealer.

Ps. I think that I've still got best part of a slab of ounce & quarter Buffalo BBs in stock. And #3s also.  BB in left and #3 in right.   BBs and all heavies are a rare commodity now because of the wilfowl lead ban no one stocks BBs ect and the cost per box is enormous.  Homeloads ✌

Edited December 1, 2019 by Meece

[Rimfireboy! 1,463]

16 hours ago, Stavross said:

Quality there’s nowt more exciting than bolting foxes from cover to shotguns 

Absolutely

[cragman 2,629]

11 hours ago, Sausagedog said:

Wow, a fox!

Not seen one for weeks.

Found some tracks yesterday, the first for ages.

Any pictures of the terrier?

It was the farmers Heinz 57. Rats a bit, herds in a fashion, chases walkers dogs etc I’m without one at the moment

[Alsone 789]

10 hours ago, Meece said:

That Charlie looks in good condition. That would have Been a top pelt back when we used to cash them in and have a fox shooters dinner in the local working men's club at the end of the season on the proceeds. Those dinners were a good laugh ... until one of the bright sparks wives insisted that she came along also because her ole man went to a strip night at the club and another bright spark let the info slip out.  It all went downhill after that because there were so many bodies with everyone's wife and girlfriend ect at the dinner that had no relationship with anyone else. It degenerated into the atmosphere of a school dinner in the canteen.  This bloke used to shoot with us on our shoot and his Mrs was a right miserable cow. Every shoot day he was constantly checking his watch from two o'clock onwards. He was gone home by four and mised out on the duck drive and flighting.  When I him asked why he said his Mrs didn't want him out after dusk. How old was she, 12 ?  I don't think that we'd have gotten ten Bob for her pelt. And that would have been robbing the game dealer.

Ps. I think that I've still got best part of a slab of ounce & quarter Buffalo BBs in stock. And #3s also.  BB in left and #3 in right.   BBs and all heavies are a rare commodity now because of the wilfowl lead ban no one stocks BBs ect and the cost per box is enormous.  Homeloads ✌

I always used to use No: 1 in a heavy load, typically 42 grams although they don't seem to exist in 3 inch No: 1 anymore. No: 1's seem out of fashion. Not sure on the availability from all brands, but more shot to a cartridge and they still hit very hard. Never wounded a fox with No: 1's but equally I always kept to 3/4 choke / full and to around 30 yds max.

Hull cartridge still make a non magnum 42gr BB and a Magnum 50gr BB in lead. Gamebore make a "Mammoth Magnum" in 50gr (3") BB or 60gr (3.5") BB or the rare No: 1's. I'm guessing the issue is finding a dealer nearby who stocks them.

Edited December 1, 2019 by Alsone

[Sausagedog 7,381]

3 hours ago, cragman said:

It was the farmers Heinz 57. Rats a bit, herds in a fashion, chases walkers dogs etc I’m without one at the moment

"Chases walkers dogs" excellent

[Meece 1,957]

9 hours ago, Alsone said:

I always used to use No: 1 in a heavy load, typically 42 grams although they don't seem to exist in 3 inch No: 1 anymore. No: 1's seem out of fashion. Not sure on the availability from all brands, but more shot to a cartridge and they still hit very hard. Never wounded a fox with No: 1's but equally I always kept to 3/4 choke / full and to around 30 yds max.

Hull cartridge still make a non magnum 42gr BB and a Magnum 50gr BB in lead. Gamebore make a "Mammoth Magnum" in 50gr (3") BB or 60gr (3.5") BB or the rare No: 1's. I'm guessing the issue is finding a dealer nearby who stocks them.

I had a look online and I reckon that you'd be lucky to find any dealer that carried stock of something like 36gm BB on the shelf. Because the only use for them now is fox shooting.  Cant use them for wildfowl. Smallest amount is 250 at about £110. Thats nearly £14 a box. Now even the most active Fox shooter who is a regular standing gun is going to use more than a box a year. So there aint many dealers gojng to hold stock that has so little use.   Still, years ago when Eley were THE cartridge  brand they used to recomend #4 for fox out to about 40 yds.  Home loads  .  I QUITE like 1.1/4 of #3.  Enough punch and impact combined with a better pattern and more hits out to 30 to 40 paces which equates to woodland distance or when charlie comes slipping through cover or breaks out the side along the hedge. I have even knocked them over with #7 out of a 20 when I've been standing at the end of hedge waiting for a flushed cock and  matey broke close enough to use a 410 !! Tell the charlies that have been taken that wont do the job. Just got to be sensible and be selective. You can always come back at night with a rifle.

Edited December 1, 2019 by Meece

[Sausagedog 7,381]

To be honest give me a normal load of #4 for fox any day.

They don't take that much stopping and multiple strikes win any day.

[Meece 1,957]

12 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

To be honest give me a normal load of #4 for fox any day.

They don't take that much stopping and multiple strikes win any day.

Yeah. The pelt of One that I shot with #7 looked like it had, had an agument with a sewing machine there that many pellet holes in it !!  Took the whole pattern.

[Alsone 789]

That's exactly it. Many people make the mistake of going for the largest shot they can get their hands on. The reality is, a single strike from and SSG or BB is unlikely to kill. A shotgun relies on multiple strikes to impart enough shot to kill. Better off with 1's or 3's in my opinion.

As for availability, I agree, the issue is not the manufacturer but finding a dealer who stocks them. Maybe it's time to try to steel wild fowling loads, albeit the chokes will have to be more open than what I would use. Nothing wrong with 1/4 and 1/2. I just prefer if going out specifically for fox to use a tightly choked gun. It guarantees either a slug like ball of shot or more hits.

[Born Hunter 17,622]

I've had foxes run on after being clipped by #4 at relatively close range, never had one run on when clipped by BB.

Owt will kill em when it all goes right. It's when it doesn't you want the right load and imo that is BB through a half choke. 

[Meece 1,957]

Like everything you have to put the lead on the target. The amount of Charlie's that I have seen shot in the arse. One old keeper remarked " I see they all surrendered arse first again".   You have Got to lead the head,  Like geese.  On one shoot a Charlie was bowled over from about 25 paces and to all intents dead. Suddenly it got up and raced off across a field. Unluckily for the fox it ran straight into wire at full chat. a gun went and dispatched it. One of the keepers decided to skin it and to his surprise he only found a single #7 pellet in the lower wrist area. The bloke who shot AT it swore blind that he had used BB. Some people can  be standing guns and others are best off walking. We had a bloke who insisted on being a standing gun but it was always a quick Bang, Bang. A sure sign of a double mis.  He'd always have some lame excuse like he was distracted and that he saluted it as it went over the horizon.  He had all the bad traits.  Smoking, not staying where he was put,  wandering over to the next gun and having a chat leaving a hole in the line. Always having his cock in hand pissing  up a tree,  right when Charlie slipped through. Swinging the gun through the line and low shooting in towards the beating line and firing at unidentified objects.  A real liability.  He even nearly peppered his own son by shooting across a lake towards the other beaters on the other side.    In the end he wasn't told that there was going to be a shoot or that it was going to be somewhere other than the real place.  When he asked why we were somewhere different he was told that he must have misheard or that the place was changed at the last moment and he couldn't be contacted or a similar equally lame reason.  No signal, no credit,  flat battery ect.  Eventually he got the message.