Sporting Gun

Sporting Gun is the leading monthly magazine for clay, game and rough shooters. With editorial offices in the Lincolnshire countryside, it can justifiably claim to be at the heart of the shooting community. Monthly features range from gundog training to pigeon shooting, game shooting to wildfowling – along with sound, practical, advice on equipment and techniques to help the beginner, intermediate or experienced shot get more enjoyment from their sport. Sporting Gun is a must for anyone who invests time in and money on their shooting.

Pigeon patterns

Ed’s welcome • The Game Fair at Ragley Hall is nearly here and we hope you will come and visit us on Gunmakers Row on stand J291.

SNAPSHOTS • All the month’s news, pictures and more

NEWS IN BRIEF

EVENTS

Lead shot Part 2 • In a follow-up to our July issue, Dr Conor O’Gorman, head of policy and campaigns at BASC, answers some more of your questions and concerns about the Health and Safety Executive’s proposals for a lead ban in the UK as part of the settlement of the country’s post-Brexit UK REACH regulations

Have your say

All the fun of the fair • Get two free tickets to The Game Fair and come and see us on our stand

Hunger game • SJ Hunt, chief executive of the Country Food Trust, talks of the challenges it faces and her delight at being the official charity of the fair for the second year running

Up in the air • Robin Scott is not reassured by the shooting organisations’ response to the Health and Safety Executive’s recent pronouncement on the future of lead shot

What’s in my bag • Tom Sykes runs through the decoy equipment he packs for action during the summer

STANDARD GEAR CHECKLIST

By design • Peter Theobald explains the tried-and-tested methods that have helped him and his partner Paul achieve success over a period of many years

Bone age man • Jon Snowdon on the time-tested method he employs to accurately gauge how old deer are

Tasks in hand

WE HAVE A SQUATTER

That’s your Lotte

Barbecue venison skewers • A summer sensation

Below the surface • EdCook takes a break from his day job as a rabbit and pest controller to enjoy one of his favourite pastimes

Pintail Anas acuta • Charles Smith-Jones looks at this handsome surface-feeding duck that is regarded as top-notch table fare

PINTAIL FACTS

Winner takes all • Tactical target setting and exceptional performances came together to create another sensational Clay Shooting Classic, writes Jasper Fellows

SPORTING GUN’S CLAY SHOOTING CLUB DIRECTORY

Capital gains • Manager Oliver Jones guides Jasper Fellows beneath the instantly recognisable white canopies of the National Clay Shooting Centre

WHO’S WHO

A grand vision • Don’t let eyesight issues come between you and your target. James Simon asks sports optometrist Ed Lyons about solutions for some common vision problems

Free thinking • Paul Quagliana talks to Mike Appleby of the Honeycombe Shoot in Dorset about release pens, one of the key components of a game shoot

Mike’s Top Tips

Vision on • What you see when you shoot and how you see it is all important, as Tony Bracci explains

When the stars align • A lull in pigeon numbers and opportunities for sport lends Geoff Garrod some time to reminisce

Up close and personal • Patrick Hook says that you can have the best kit in the world but failing to practise shooting at closer ranges means that you are likely to miss

Patrick’s top tips

Pick and choose • Fran Ardley takes you through the steps to concentrate your dog on a single retrieve and how to avoid an embarrassing swap in a shooting field scenario

Character building •...