Mat Manning sets out on a farmyard foray to deal with flocks of feral pigeons that are posing a health hazard to livestock and workers Feral pigeons are a constant problem for many farmers. These birds love to nest up in the rafters of large barns, especially as there is usually an easy food supply nearby. This prime habitat makes for very comfortable living, and it doesn’t take long for populations to get out of hand. The farm I am targeting today is a mixed holding where avian pests have been attracted by animal feed and stored grain. Apart from eating valuable feed and produce, the birds a ..read more

Andy McLachlan explains what’s required to get your target rifle in tip tip shooting condition – and to make sure it stays that way Andy’s removed the hammer assembly from the action block of his Walther so it can be properly cleaned and inspected In my last article I wrote about the many considerations that the target shooter must take on board following the fall of some dropping shots. These are the individual shots that fall well outside of the point of aim and usually end up destroying the good work you have put into the production of a match-winning target card. We have already considered ..read more

Phil Hooper takes a look at some of the classic BSA air rifles dating from 1904 to the outbreak of the Second World War This Lincoln Jeffries-inspired BSA Improved Model ‘D’ of around 1912 is exceptionally well made and is a delight to shoot with excellent accuracy BSA are really well known amongst the airgun community for their high-grade PCPs, manufactured in Birmingham, and good value spring and gas-ram air rifles made by Gamo, their Spanish parent company since 1986.  They have numerous UK and overseas competitors – different from the market domination that this company had enjoyed in ..read more

Andy McLachlan can’t stand dropped shots that can ruin a match card, so he comes up with some pointers to help claw back the points Shot 15 didn’t even land in the scoring zone, but in the wilds of what Andy and his friends are now referring to as outer Mongolia! Long droppers? I don’t mean the result of worn-out underwear elastic, rather the unwanted appearance of a low pellet impact upon our target cards, or for that matter a long-range knockover target in a Field Target outdoor competition. Regular readers will be well aware of some of us in the Northwest of England setting up an indoor uns ..read more

Jonathan Young explains what it might mean for airgun shooters if lead ammunition gets phased out, and describes best practice for using lead Lead alloy isn’t the only material that’s been used to make airgun ammo – these pellets have been made of lead, but with a copper outer layer There has been talk for some time about the phasing out of lead in ammunition, but this is part of a drive to reduce lead pollution in general.  A press release issued by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs back in March 2021 laid out the process for an official review, this being a two-yea ..read more

The Brothers in Arms series of replica combat weapons from Lee Enfield (Guns) gets its first handgun in the shape of the blowback M1911 A1 The water-cooled M1917 machine gun in .30 calibre. The air-cooled M1919. The Browning M2 .50 calibre heavy machine gun. And the Browning Automatic rifle.  These are just a few examples of the spectacular firearms that were designed by John Moses Browning, but the one he’s probably best remembered for is the 1911.  This iconic handgun has sparked both powder-burning and airgun replicas, like the CO2-powered BB blowback seen here from Lee Enfield ..read more

Long-range expert Lee Watts shows that a tricky wind doesn’t have to mean game over – as long as you have the knowhow and the right gear for the job Modern airgun shooters are spoilt for choice when it comes to high-performance hardware and ammunition. Success in the field hinges on much more than just having fancy kit – it is knowing how to get the best from your gear and the fieldcraft choices you make. I was reminded of the importance of choosing the right tools for the job when I received a call from the farmer of one of my permissions regarding a rabbit warren on a large field.  He ..read more

The latest issue of Airgun Shooter is now available! Controlling grey squirrels is a job that needs to be done right through the year if you are going to make a dent in their numbers. The methods we use can vary from season to season, but there’s no denying that setting up a feeding station is one of the best whatever the time of year, so Mat Manning makes great use of these to keep the destructive greys in check. Tom Claycomb III is used to hunting all sorts of quarry in his native United States, but this time he goes large and seeks out an axis deer with the help of the mighty Umarex Hammer ..read more

Faced with a seemingly unstoppable influx of rats, Mat Manning heads out on a nocturnal foray with the Sightmark Wraith 4K Mini I have never known a time when rats were more abundant. The farms where I am tasked with controlling these disease-spreading rodents seem to be suffering bigger and more frequent infestations each year. And their numbers are not just spiking in the winter – even after months of heavy shooting, rats are still lingering around the farmyards as spring advances. There are probably several reasons for rats doing so well, and I expect that one is related to farming practic ..read more

Accuracy is everything, so Mike Morton runs through four key principles that help ensure those pellets land exactly where intended Marksmanship is a person’s ability to hit what they’re aiming at, and in order to achieve this there are four basic principles that need to be applied. I was recently asked to teach a lesson on this subject. That sounds easy enough, because we adopt these principles each and every time we compose and take a shot, don’t we? Hmm, maybe. Like many airgun shooters, I like to shoot several times a week, but rarely give much conscious thought to the way I’m doing it. An ..read more