| Shooting
Tailor made: In pursuit of the perfect ‘gun fit’ ‘Suits you sir’ - it’s just as important to get a well fitting gun as a well fitting suit! hat’s the first thing you do when you get into a new car ? If your anything but lucky, you will have to adjust the seat to achieve your best driving position or even a position that enables you to drive somewhat safely and comfortably from the first off point. If you are a shooter or maybe new to the sport or indeed, thinking of taking up some form of shooting then there are some similarities between both of these demanding activities. Clay pigeon or game shooting requires the use of a shotgun and the importance of a correctly fitting tool for the job is just if not even more important than with any other sport and just as in a perfect driving position required by car, a shotgun must fit nigh-on perfectly to obtain the best results possible. With shotgun shooting, the position of the gun in the shoulder, the position of the eye related to the barrel and the overall dimensions of the gun in question must be compatible with each individual shooter otherwise some
W
very poor results will be frustratingly experienced. Ever since shotgun shooting has been a sport, this ‘Gun Fit’ as it is known, has been recognised as possibly the most important factor in taking up the sport (other than professional lessons or coaching which is obvious in just about everything we do) and with the shooting sport, like many other activities we all get involved with nowadays becoming ever more competitive and perfected, a perfect ‘Gun Fit’ is absolutely paramount. There are many good coaches and shooting schools around the country offering this help but few offer the extreme ‘customization’ service that a man from Sussex does who runs a company called High Performance Shotguns. With 50 years experience under his belt, John Jeffries, the company boss, is recognised to have a really special knowledge regarding shotgun shooting covering shotgun fit, compatibility, size and calibre and is adamant that if you don’t get all these points
right just as in driving a car, you will never realize your full potential. He not only offers these important facilities when taking up the sport or purchasing a new gun, he even takes it a step further. He guarantees a perfect result too. John works with a shotgun manufacturer in Italy who are regarded as possibly the best factory shotgun manufacturers in the world, Perazzi from Brecia, (outside of some of our still famous British names for a fully hand made product) who also have nearly 50 years of manufacturing experience and he enhances their product by finally customizing and tuning every shotgun he sells to each particular customer. To perfect the fit of a shotgun, each individual users height, weight, face shape, strength and of course, gender all have to be taken into account before any final supply begins – yes it’s a great lady’s sport too. Experienced also as an instructor, John offers at least 3 sessions of practical help at his shooting range in Sussex with any purchase of one of his specialized shotguns -- all included in the price. There are no extras at all with John’s guns and he also visits the factory in Italy several times a year
to be sure that good wood (required to make the stocks and forends of a shotgun) are selected to make the result even more of a speciality. This year we are all getting excited about the Olympics and clay pigeon shooting is no exception here with all the world’s best shooters looking for a place on the rostrum. John too is quite excited here as he tells us that he has designed a new and somewhat controversial gun suitable for Olympic disciplines and he tells us that there is already good interest for his new competition gun that will be first seen around the Olympic time. Maybe this new model in the HPX range will be a contender for the number one spot. So, if you are thinking of taking up the sport, purchasing a new shotgun or getting your eye in for the local clay pigeon club or the annoying rabbit or for the demanding high pheasant, then take a look at John’s website, www.highpheasants.com and starting a new sport the correct way will surely give you the advantage over your friends and colleagues. As John says, a shotgun if for life and taking advice from an expert is surely the best way to start
BASC NI highlights threat to shooting in Marine Bill Potential restrictions highlighted with regards to wildfouling and other rural activities. he UK's largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has criticised the Northern Ireland Marine Bill for failing to take shooting interests properly into account. The Marine Bill has been introduced to improve marine nature conservation. The draft Bill is making its way through the NI
T
Assembly and is currently at the committee stage. BASC Northern Ireland has identified a number of clauses in the Bill which could potentially be used to restrict shooting and other activities in the future. BASC Northern Ireland is working with Countryside Alliance Ireland and has consulted wildfowling clubs and MLAs before responding to the Environment Committee’s call for evidence on
58 | Farming Monthly | May 2012
the Marine Bill. BASC Northern Ireland Director Tommy Mayne said: “BASC welcomes the opportunity to submit evidence to the Environment Committee and while we welcome some aspects of the Marine Bill which will benefit marine life and biodiversity, we are greatly concerned about certain clauses within the draft Bill that pose a potential threat to
wildfowling and other rural activities. Working jointly with Countryside Alliance Ireland, we have met a number of MLAs to highlight our concerns, and further joint meetings are planned for the weeks ahead. We must remain vigilant and seek to improve the Bill as it makes progress through the Assembly." Full details can be found at www.basc.org.uk
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk