How i store and carry my rifle.

Carrying on with yesterdays post i thought i would show you how i keep my rifle safely secured away, when at home and in the car. This first picture shows the top safe, code and key operated. This is where i store ammo, night hunting lamp and knives, this way i know everything is locked away and no-one can get hurt. Because it is a large safe i can put all my hunting gear in it, where it will sit out of sight until i need it.

I have added a large padlock to the rifle safe just to back up the 2 standard locks fitted to the door. This also acts as a visual deterrent to anyone who may try to break in to it. My rifle safe is securely anchored to both the brick wall and the concrete floor with 8 inch bolts making it impossible to remove, even with brute force.

And, even if the rifle is remover unlawfully from the safe, the trigger lock will stop unauthorised use.

When i take my rifle to any one of my shoots it is carried in a hard case. This is padlocked shut and is held in the boot with a wire lock, the kind used on cycles. It may sound a little OTT but i think like this....if it is locked to your car it will deter thief's from pinching it because its not so easy to pick up and run with. Keep it locked...keep it!

All in all its just about using common sense, not just knowing what to do but actually doing it.

Safe and Secure - Lock Time

'Safe and Secure'

In this months Airgunner, Matt Clark (Editor) looks at how we airgunners can get behind a new security initiative. This is a direct copy of the editorial from magazine to the DVS Blog.

At the mention of safety I am sure a fair few of you are already starting to turn the page. But STOP! Even if you think you know it all, or feel that this feature is going to include blindingly obvious information, read on because you might learn something that could prevent an accident.

Even if you know it all, you wont have heard of a new initiative called 'Lock Time'. Designed to eliminate the misuse of airguns by those who don't appreciate the rules of safety as much as we airgunners do, 'Lock Time' will raise awareness of safety and provide practical advice as well as the means to put that advice into action. Backed by companies that form the Airgun Manufacturers and Trade Association (AMTA) all members have agreed that they will supply, free of charge, a security lock with airguns sold in the UK. This will be backed by an information campaign, of which this article is part.

OUT OF SIGHT

One of the first steps to keep your airguns safe from people who would misuse them is to keep them out of sight. Most of us have to travel to our shoots, whether that is a club, HFT competition or farm. Naturally all of us travel with out airguns in a slip or bag because it is a legal requirement. But if you leave your rifle on the back seat of your car its an open invitiation for thieves and miscreants. After all, would you leave £500 (the cost of an average PCP) on the back seat and expect it to be there when you got back? Always travel with your rifles safely locked in the boot. If you have an estate car or 4x4 always make sure the parcel shelf or boot cover is pulled over the guns, so they are covered from prying eyes.

Keeping your airguns out of sight at home is equally as important. It's not a legal requirement to lock away your sub 12ft.lb. airguns but it is advisable to keep your airguns away from those who might misuse it. This includes your own children as well as thieves.

A purpose built gun safe or cabinet is ideal for this. These should be located inside your house rather than garden sheds, which are easy prey for burglars. It's also not adviseable to locate your gun cabinet in an attic. Yes, it's certainly out of the way but if it's difficult to get to, then it's unlikely you will bother to lock your airguns in there and you will just leave them lying around the house.

I lock up my airguns with my shotguns, which gives me peace of mind because the gun safe is bolted to the floor and main wall. But if you don't have a purpose built cabinet, or don't want to spend money on one, then there are alternatives. You can lock your air rifles in a wardrobe or cupboard. Some airgunners even use a ring bolt mounted to a wall (so long as it is out of sight) and chain their guns to it using the sort of locks AMTA are going to provide.

An added security measure is to use a trigger lock. This device ensures that your air rifle cannot be fired even if it is not locked in a cabinet.

One thing to remember is to keep the keys to your lock or gun cabinet in a secure place, not on the top of your gun cabinet or in the locks.

Your airgun pellets can also be stored in a locked cabinet with your guns, or you might choose to store them separately in a locked container so that if you gun cabinet is broken into the burglar can't load your rifle. A petty cash tin that can be bought from most hardware stores are good for this, or you can use any lockable box. Again this should be hidden somewhere safe.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

I'm sure many of you already know most of this, but the important thing is not just to know it, but to act on it. Airguns in the hands of people who know what they are doing are very safe, but we must act to keep them out of the hands of those who don't appreciate safety as much as we airgunners do. Become part of the Lock Time initiative and ensure your guns are securely stored.

I would like to thank Matt Clark for allowing me to replicate this article onto the DVS Blog, thus

allowing me to pass on news of the Lock Time initiative to everyone, not just those of us with access to the Airgunner magazine.

Targets.

I have been looking for some targets and i have found these few. I will post more as i find them. Remember, don't litter, take the used targets away with you and throw them away.

Shooting on friday.

It was a nice day to be out in the countryside today. I set off quite early to avoid the heat as the morning wore on. Now I know you are all up to speed with regards to the law and shooting on someones land but I thought i would show you how I prepare for a shoot. This farm has quite a bit of land to go at, many rabbits and wood pigeons as well as rats, but it has several footpaths that run through and around the fields where we shoot. So we have to make people aware we are there and what we are doing on the land. I take the car onto a patch of grass next to one of the more well used footpaths so people know some one is around.
Then in the window i display a notice so that people passing know who is in the area.

Also i hang warning signs around the area we are shooting.

I hang these smaller ones off the gates and fences around the shooting area too. This tells people that we have got written permission to be here and what is going on in the area.

It might seen a bit extreme, hanging signs up but i think that the safety of the public is paramount. If they have seen the signs and proceed in to the shooting area they are putting them selves at risk from getting injured.

I have in the car a map showing the boundary's and footpaths, therefor i know where i can and cant shoot. This is helpful if you are confronted by the police or a passing walker as you can show the clearly defined areas in which you are allowed to shoot.

Keep the shooting permission form, with the land owners signature on it with you or as i do in the car.This is clear proof that you have permission to shoot on the land you are on. This should show what pests the land owner has given you permission to shoot. Again this will help you if you are stopped or confronted by the police or a member of the public.

The signed shooting permission form.

Shooting insurance is a MUST if you intend to shoot on private land. This coveres you in the event of something going wrong. I know that some of you are thinking " i don't miss" or "it wont happen to me"...If you have insurance then this proves you are a responsible air gunner, and at £20 for the year is it worth taking a chance.

A first aid box/pack is also a must have in my opinion. Accidents do happen and you need to be prepared. It doesn't have to be to elaborate but i always take one with me every time i go shooting....you just never know what could happen.

Not forgetting my ballistol wipes. I have some in my kit bag, first aid pack and my rifle case.

Next comes the zero check. The farm has a nice area out of the way to set up a nice 30 yard range. Using a target, in this case a cattle feed beet, i set up and take 5 shots and check the grouping. Only then do i head out into the Fields looking for the rabbits and pigeons

From this bail to the target is 30 yards.

The target is behind the trailer at the end of the shed. The distance between the poles is just over 5 yards.

And as you can see all 5 shots hit almost hole on hole. I now know that myself and my rifle are are ready for the hunt and if i miss its down to me, not the rifle.

The result. Me 1 pigeons 0. Another nice plump bird for the freezer. Shot cleanly in the head from 47 yards. My rifle does the job quite easily and using a Simmons 6-18 x 42 scope helps too.

My HW80k and the pigeon who succumb to the speed and accuracy of such a nice rifle.

Another Backstop.

I have been at it again. I had some spare 4x2 and an odd bit of kitchen worktop in the shed, so i set about making yet another backstop.

This one is smaller than my others. At just 30 inches high and 16 inches wide it holds a A4 paper target well. The particle board ( worktop ), being 2 inches thick, provides a more than adequate substance to stop and hold pellets. My first backstop has only just gone through the first layer, despite having safely stopped over 2500 .22 pellets* from my HW80 k. (running at 11.7 flbs)

The inside measures just 12 inches. At this size A4 sheets fit just nicely.

Again, the 15 inches allows easy placement of paper targets.

Made from 4X2 fencing timber and painted with brown gloss to help repel water/rain.

Total timber needed for this project is :

9 foot of 4 x 2.

15 inch x 12 inch of kitchen worktop

Cut two lengths at 30 inch (2 foot 6 inch). These are the sides.

Cut four 12 inch (1 foot) lengths. These are the top, bottom and the two feet.
Use 4 inch screws to hold it all together and paint your chosen colour.

I added another strip of pine to catch any falling pellets and bits of paper/board. This also provides a nice place to stand bottle tops or other suitable targets.
If you want any further help of advice about buildnig your own backstops please feel free to email me with your questions.

rnpk-dvs@fsmail.net

I managed to get out for a few hours on Thursday. It was another hot day and i wanted to go have a look at how the rabbit population was doing at whitwell. There wasn't much about but there was plenty of evidence of activity under the hedges and the edges of the field.





I did manage to bag a few wood pigeons during my stay. They had been eating their way through the rape fields and i was sat beneath their favorite sitty tree, waiting for them to flock in. It wasn't long before the first one hit the floor, closely followed by a second. Fifteen minutes later the third sercum to the wrath of my hw80, hitting the ground from 35 meters up.

I will back out there again on Tuesday, providing the weather gets better, to see if i cant get some rabbit to accompany the pigeon on the BBQ, or i may even do a nice pie.

On the range...The New S16 Evo.

After i had set up the new Logun S16 Evolution it was time to see how it performed. It was throwing it down with rain so the test was all done in the comfort of my kitchen, shooting up on my back garden range ( the total length from my seated position to the backstops is 37.8 yards).

The first job was to see if the new bolt loading system was an improvement on the slide loading bar on its predecessor. This isn't a test per say but i wanted to see if the evo could cock, index and load each pellet without suffering a jam or double load situation. The first 8 shots took just under 8 seconds, 4 seconds to drop, turn and re-insert the 16 shot mag and another 8 seconds to empty the remaining 8 pellets. The cocking cycle performed without fault and felt extremely positive. No jams at all...unlike the older models.

With the scope set at 35 yards, the next test was accuracy. I setup 4 paper targets on the 3 backstops each with a 30mm kill zone and started to unload the s16 into them. I was sat on a chair and using the rifle on the bi pod off the kitchen table. The full barrel sound suppressor made firing the S16 a very quiet affair and the only noise you hear is the click of the trigger and a whisper as the pallet leaves the barrel. The grouping was incredibly good..pellet on pellet with-in the 35mm kill zone. This rifle provides clinical accuracy, ideal for close range ratting or longer range rabbit/pigeon hunting. The shot count on the rifle i tested was 249 on the one charge, so plenty of air for a good hunting session.

The Harris Pro Tilt bi pod helps immensely when taking those long range shots, but weighing in at 1.3kg i think it is a little heavy to have it bolted on all the time. It only takes a few moments to mount, so if you are stalking i would swap the bi pod for a quick realise sling.

All-in-all i would say that the new S16 EVO is now everything you need from a great rifle. Now that the Logun (owned by Webley) have sorted out all the problems what we have is a fantastic PCP for all areas of air gunning.

Verdict ; The All New Logun S16 Evolution is defiantly reborn and the people at Webley have worked hard to rebuild the reputation of this now fantastic rifle.

If any rifle deserves a place in your collection, its this one.

Richard