Walking It Up

Whether you’re walking-up grouse, or any other gamebird, take Steve’s advice to ensure you make every shot count

More For Your Money

It may not be a tiny price tag, but it’s certainly not a huge one either, and this ‘clay-busting machine’ comes with all the bells and whistles, and shoots like a dream, writes Mike Yardley

Opportunity Of A Lifetime

An invitation to shoot driven grouse sends Tim Maddams into a bit of a panic, but a lesson at Calvert Sporting soon calms his nerves and proves to be an exciting experience in its own right

Bean And Gone

Andy finally gets a crack at a local stubble – but can he keep those pigeons within reach?

Urban Myths

Whenever our sport receives deceptive or misleading coverage in the mainstream media, the Countryside Alliance are on hand to dispel the myths and provide journalists with the facts 

Fit For Purpose

Can you work a trialling dog in the beating line? Is one job different from the other, and should you train them the same way? Ryan Kay gives his view on this much debated subject

Fair Weather Hunters?

Not everyone enjoys stalking in bad weather, but those that are keen to get out and take every opportunity granted to them should take this handy advice to help make it worth their while.

Hit Me Baby… One More Time!

This month our resident gunsmiths are educating us on the inertia-driven single trigger system, and looking at the all-too-common problem of the second barrel refusing to fire.

Food For Thought

The oversupply of game meat is a hot topic on shoots this season, and rightly so. Phil Moorsom looks at what efforts are being made to better utilise this healthy food source

The Mighty Oak

An iconic element of the great British landscape and an essential food source for wild creatures, the oak can, when the timing is right, provide some great pigeon shooting

How To Shoot Pheasants

We’re not talking Devonshire skyscrapers here, more your average 30-yard bird. But whatever its height – or your ability – follow Steve’s advice to ensure you kill it cleanly

Give Something Back

As a young Guns day at Whitehill stirs up fond memories of his own first shoot day, Jack Knott urges other syndicates to think about what they could do to encourage the next generation

Practically Perfect In Every Way

Mike Yardley is impressed with the mechanical and conceptual elegance of the Beretta 486 Parallelo, not to mention its excellent handling characteristics and lack of recoil

No Case Of Mistaken Identity

The Big Farmland Bird Count is nearly here. It’s not just for farmers, and your input is invaluable so, to help you along, the GWCT has set up some brilliant training days

The Rules On Beaters

Don’t get caught out by the legalities surrounding the employment of beaters and pickers-up on your shoot this season, warn legal experts

Saving The Black-Necked Pheasant

Excited to discover a tiny remnant of pure black-necks in the far north of Greece, the WPA speak to Emily Damment about how their new conservation project is breaking down barriers

Place Your Barrels

Thinking of switching from a side-by-side to an over-and-under? Or perhaps the other way around? Steve Rawsthorne guides us through the key points of difference to consider

Game Over

Phil Moorsom recounts the highlight of his season, where good company, terrific birds and youthful enthusiasm came together to make it a day to remember

The Roar Of The Tundra

The calls of a large colony of Brent geese transport Alan back to trips he enjoyed to that cold, barren landscape, and he takes more than a moment to reflect on the sport he so treasures

When The Wind Blows

Stormy weather can be a clear sign that there’s some epic sport to be had on the pigeons, so while most people are hiding indoors, Andy Crow has been making the most of the gales

This Choke Is No Joke

Andy is trying out a new patternmaster pigeon choke as he hits the stubbles.

African interlude

Alan takes a break from his impatient foot tapping – when will it be wildfowling season? – and heads to warmer climes in hunt of some exotic quarry to scratch the itch in the meantime.

Mine's A Triple!

Mike puts this impressive, yet slightly unconventional gun through its paces, finding it not only fun to shoot but well made too.

More Or Less?

Despite authorities stating a recommended number of birds per release pen, it is a frequently debated topic amongst keepers, and rarely is an agreement reached; Adam offers some advice.

Consistency is key

This month Vic presents the cartridges that make hard, consistent hits, providing the Trap shooter with the confidence to succeed.

An Egg-citing Start

Tim starts his gamebird rearing journey by finding out where the eggs come from, how they’re hatched, and what the alternatives are if you don’t have an incubator and unlimited time.

Spring Cleaning

In the first of a new series from The Gun Shop, the team at Botley Mills take us through some gun maintenance essentials now the game season is over.

The pheasant or the egg?

Have you ever stopped to wonder what it really takes to put birds over the Guns? Tim Maddams is on a quest to find out.

Goose Fever

For farmers, the sound of an approaching skein of Canada geese spells trouble, but for Owen Beardsmore it signals the start of one of his favourite periods in the shooting calendar

Early Season Birds

With the foreshore in full bloom and the promise of some long-awaited sport, 1 September can’t come soon enough for Alan, but not all aspects of those early-season days are anticipated in equal measure...