One last shot…

September 16th, 2008 sarah

Paul and dad have been talking about this great adventure now for ages. It’s finally here, and they all left on Monday morning, bright and early. I’ve been bugging Paul about updating this blog for ages, because it’d be nice to know a bit about the route they’re taking, the things they’ve put together to take, etc. On top of that,  the whole hunting aspect of the trip has been changed slightly because of caribou migratory patterns. Now, wouldn’t people like to know about all that? I think yes, but there’s not much I can do.

But, I do take photos, and I do know how this blogging software runs, so I thought I’d at least update some of the stuff that I can. With photos. Classic photos of Paul and my dad. An odder couple, I’m not sure it exists. So, here’s some pics with some commentary. Love you both lots.

The day after we got home, Dad had Paul shoot his gun. Paul didn’t have to buy a gun for this hunting trip, because my dad apparently had a spare. It was important Paul shoot the gun before they left for a multitude of reasons. I’ll let Paul fill you in on those reasons. I just like how my dad looks like he’s imparting all of his wisdom on Paul. Really, he’s saying: “You do know how this works, don’t you?”

Here’s another classic shot of Paul aiming and getting ready to fire. Actually, because dad doesn’t have his fingers in his ears, and I’m taking a picture, this leads me to believe that this was after Paul actually shot the gun, and he’s looking through the scope to see if he actually hit the target.

Here’s where he sent my father up to the top of the hill to retrieve the used target. Isn’t that awful of him, taking advantage of an old man like that?

And here’s the last picture I have in this series. It’s a bit of an odd site, and definitely not one you see every day. Paul holding a gun. You can tell he’s just posing – he doesn’t have his ear muffs on!

He did pretty well with the target shooting. I only hope he does so well when facing down a caribou.

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Shooting….at last.

July 19th, 2008 Paul

So, after applying for membership in April, it finally came through and I got to go along to the club and start shooting. My previous experience of shooting has been in the TA shooting the SLR. This was a totally different experience.

I turned up and asked for the Range Officer. Explained my situation and asked to borrow a gun. The only club guns with telescopic sights were Ruger 10/22′s which fire supersonic ammunition to operate the breach. As they were only shooting on an indoor 25 yard range this was not possible. In the end I plumbed for a .22 prone rifle with iron sights. Much fancier iron sighs than I had ever seen before though. The rear sight was a small peep hole and the front sight consisted of a ring within a ring (like this) that was just bigger than the target image.

After the rifle came the equipment. I was expecting just a rifle and ammunition so this part was a big shock. First came the jacket. This was a cloth jacket with a non-slip padded shoulder patch and elbow patches. Apparently leather jackets are a lot better for support but I am a long way from the choice of jacket making a difference. Next was the glove, a thick leather glove for my left hand that had a non-slip palm. The main purpose of this is to prevent the rifle moving after shooting and also, as my hand was right up against the front sling loop, to prevent bruising after prolonged periods of shooting.

Next was a sling. Not a sling that goes from the front loop to the rear loop of the rifle but a sling that was strapped to my left upper arm. This would then clip to the front loop of the rifle when shooting. Then came a spotting scope on a stand so I could see how I did while waiting for others to finish. Finally came the ear defenders and a mat to lie on as this was prone shooting.

Now I was all set and ready to go. I will talk about the actual rifle later, but it was similar to this. After a instruction on how to hold the rifle I loaded the first round, took rough aim, touched the trigger and…ooopppsss…the trigger was so light I barely felt it and the shot was fired. Try again. A bit more care in touch ing the trigger and things turned out not so bad for a first go, so I’m told. Here are the first 5 rounds fired:

I think the one that isn’t in the black was the rogue first shot but it is probably the one closest to the bull.

The problem with this first group of five turns out to be the way I was using the sling. For this it came from my left upper arm down the outside and under my hand to the sling loop on the rifle. The error of my ways was pointed out and the sling was soon coming down over the top of my forearm and then back around the right side of it and under.

I only fired five groups of 5 rounds but the difference in the last group is fairly obvious as can be seen here in the photo to the right.

The penny in the left hand corner is there to show the scale of the target. It doesn’t seem to be a bad group. Granted, it was only 25 yards but the target isn’t exactly huge.

Next visit will be to use a rifle with telescopic lens as I have never shot with one of those before.

Posted in Guns, Target Shooting, Uncategorized | No Comments »

It’s been a while…

June 22nd, 2008 Paul

OK, so I have not posted anything for a while, I know, I’m really lazy. Nothing has happened though. The references were received and returned a couple of weeks ago but I still haven’t heard anything about going to start shooting. This week though I’m sure…

In the meantime here is some information about how to get a gun licence in the UK.

If you want a gun you can have pretty much any type you fancy. All you need to do is show good reason for having it. So, if you can show a good reason you can own anything that is not a prohibited weapon. Self-defence is not considered a good reason over here in the UK though.

The main reason that owning a gun will be given is for target shooting. To prove this you need to be a member of a Home Office Approved Club. To become a full member you will need to pass a 6 month probationary period during which time you will have to have regular attendance. If you are a full member and don’t turn up for 12 months though your club has to report this to the police.

The other two reasons for owning a gun are vermin control and deer stalking. These reasons are slightly different from target shooting in that you don’t need to be a member of a shooting club. You do have to show that the weapon is suitable for the task, e.g. you will not get away with saying you want to hunt rabbits with a .303 calibre rifle. You also need to show that the land is suitable for the calibre and that you have permission to hunt there. Initially, when requesting a firearm for hunting you will only be permitted to hunt on a designated piece of land until you have proved yourself competent. This will not normally be considered until the first renewal of the firearms certificate. Permission to hunt will still be required from the land owner. More information on vermin control and deer stalking can be found here or here.

After you have done all that, you can then apply for a firearms certificate. After you apply an enquiry officer will visit your house for an interview and to advise on the security upgrades your house will require. This will definately be a gun safe and will also probably be improvements to your locks. The improvements to the locks should get your household insurance lowered so not all bad news

Posted in Application, Hunting | No Comments »

Not much news

June 8th, 2008 Paul

Only two bits of news today. The references have been received for the gun club. Hopefully these will be returned soon and I will be off shooting soon

The other bit of news, I have added a new page that will contain a list of web games. At the moment there is only one game there but I will be adding more. If you have any you think I should add then just let me know.

Oh yeah, Phil…why do I get the feeling you are a bit of a hypocrite? Unless, of course, you are a vegan who doesn’t own a leather belt or have leather shoes that is.

Posted in Games, Shooting | No Comments »

The Great Adventure Begins…..

May 18th, 2008 Paul

So, the Caribou hunt has now been booked and we have received the official list of what to take.

Sarah’s father (my father-in-law) asked me a while ago if I would like to go to Canada with him to hunt Caribou in September. I said yes and will now be going on my first ever hunt. Apparently this is a bigger deal than a local deer hunt but living in London anything like this would be a big deal.

We have booked with Drover’s Labrador Outfitters and need to get to the middle of nowhere (Schefferville) in mid-September. Just try to get Google maps to plot a route there for you….

The list of things to take is particularly useful….I need clothes, well, layers of clothes because the temperature could be anything from warm to sub-zero. Seems like we are guaranteed rain though. They also recommend a hat and outer shell of blaze orange. I am thinking of trying to get something like this. It will cover me for cold and wet weather and is also the required colour. What do you think, Roger? As my mentor in this I will await your conformation before buying one. Do you want me to get one for you while I’m at it?

We are also told to bring our sunglasses, camera and binoculars. Just where are they taking us that I need my orange suit, sunglasses and a camera?!?! It really isn’t a cool look, maybe it is a joke against us foreigners and we will be on YouTube.

I have now applied for membership at my local gun club. this will get me the required safety certificate and also make sure I can hit something other than my foot. I will post more later about what you need to do to get a gun license over here and also some information about deer hunting over here in the UK.

Keep checking back to find out how the preparations go. I will also post a picture of me in my suit as soon as I get it

Posted in Clothing, Hunting, Shooting, Travel | 1 Comment »