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.

Talking stalking

I always love this time of year because it is full of promise, and the weather is getting better.

Call for stricter licensing following Plymouth inquest • All the month’s news, pictures and more

Conservation and biodiversity lauded at Purdey Awards

Lead shot phase-out fails to impress academics

NEWS IN BRIEF

EVENTS

Residents vote to keep deer on South Uist

Barbury triumphs at CPSA awards

Ned & Ted

An avoidable tragedy • David Frost on the failures of the police licensing procedure in the lead-up to the mass shootings in Plymouth in August 2021 in which five people and the gunman died

An invaluable opportunity • Louisa Clutterbuck, director at British Game Assurance, head of Eat Wild, on the launch of the Women Who Work in Fieldsports initiative that she helped to set up

Order of the boots • In the first of our occasional series on how things are made, Philip Reynolds visits Le Chameau’s factory

From the heart • Understanding your heart rate variability gives a valuable insight into your shooting performance, not to mention your general health, says James Simon

Old retainers • Tom Sykes explains why he still loves his old side-by-side, and why they are worth considering in a world of over-and-unders and semi-autos

Empty spaces • Peter Theobald wonders where all the pigeons on his permissions have gone. Paul, his shooting partner, may have some answers

Body of evidence • Jon Snowdon responds to a reader’s question about the fitness of a carcass to be placed in the food chain and eaten

Growth industry • Deer numbers have become a significant problem and much needs to be done to curb them, says Ed Cook

Woodcock Scolopax rusticola • Charles Smith-Jones investigates this prized bird that provides a notoriously difficult challenge for sportsmen, as well as their restraint

SPORTING GUN’S CLAY SHOOTING CLUB DIRECTORY

Northern star • Two years on from an eventful opening, Jasper Fellows visits EJ Churchill at the Swinton Estate

Modus operandi • Malcolm Plant on the similarities, differences and misconceptions of shotgun shooting

A HISTORY QUESTION

Much to do • Tony Bracci wonders if he has taken on too much at his new shoot as the pressing tasks mount up

The correct drill • As spring arrives it brings back happy memories for Geoff Garrod as it is his favourite time of year to do battle with the woodies

Size matters • Patrick Hook gets the measure of the different calibres used for foxing, which depend on the terrain and how close you are to your quarry

The foundations • In the first of a new series, Charles Smith-Jones takes you through how to get up and running as a stalker – stealthily, of course

Which trials? • Fran Ardley on getting in tune with the requirements of working tests and choosing one that is right for you and your dog

From cover to cover • After a month of medical drama with his beloved Ted, Nick Ridley discovers that protecting his dogs and his bank balance comes at a premium

The problem: Arthritis • My old lab is hobbling about now. What should I do about her?

Adventures...