Targeting perfection
Shooting Times & Country|May 27, 2020
A switch to handmade ammunition is an eye-opener for Soldier Palmer
Targeting perfection

Having recently tried my hand at fly-tying, it was tempting to look around and see what other field sports-related hobbies were on offer, particularly as the virus lockdown compressed the days into a single, blurry and unvaried slog. For a time, I tried to act out a childhood fantasy of building my own bow and arrows, but that is slow work with wood to cut and season.

I found myself some nice yew boughs and brought them into the shed, but from what I was able to gather from the pages of an old handbook, only time can make a good bow. I felt like this was a matter of opinion and depended upon whether or not you had 1,000 French knights bearing down upon you.

I only wanted to fling a few arrows into a straw target, but rather than rushing to do half a job I parked my plans and waited for the wood to season. Perhaps the matter will be concluded in a future article, since I can’t believe that I am the only grown-up with a hankering for boyhood weaponry.

In the meantime, I followed my nose in a slightly different direction. A friend of mine has devoted his life to the pursuit of precision rifle shooting, and he is never satisfied by anything less than perfect accuracy. My idea of good rifle work is simply to deliver a quick, clean death to whatever fox or roebuck crosses my path, but he is niggled by even the smallest margins of error.

Marksmanship

It is his delight to fire round after round through his 25-06, inching his bullet holes ever closer in the ultimate hope that one day all his shots will pass through the same perforation. This has become his guiding obsession, but I am often comforted to find that he has not lost a practical touch — after a day on the range, he is still itching to get out and find a fox.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 27, 2020-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 27, 2020-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYAlle anzeigen
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023