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Articles
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A new article on vintage guns, written by Diggory Hadoke, every month. The August Article is now showing.
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Pigeon Shooting Syndicate. We have 3000+ acres just north of London where we can offer good pigeon shooting year-round over crops of rape, wheat and, later in the year, cut cover crops. We are putting together a small team of pigeon shooters to tackle the pigeons and keep the farmer happy. We will organise days for multiple shooters - as we all know, it works best when you keep the birds moving. There is also the opportunity to shoot alone by appointment, or in pairs. The total cost is just £400 per annum and it offers a lot of shooting, when you consider that 'pigeon guides' these days charge up to £125 per day to put you in a hide. As always, contact me direct at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Guns 1. Dave Channon 2. Kiri Kythreotis 3. Steve Spriggins 4. 5.Here is a typical scene from the margins of one of our stubble fields. I took this 1950s William Powell live pigeon gun out and bagged 16 pigeons in 2 1/2 hours in August. We have a lot of arable crops and the pigeon shooting ebbs and flows but continues year-round with wheat and rape seed on the ground in the late summer and rape growing in the winter. Then, cut cover crops provide some sport in February. I like pigeon shooting as much as anything else and there is no better place to test a new gun than in the pigeon hide. It provides such a variety of shooting and gives you a really good idea of the characteristics of the weapon. DRIVEN SHOOTING
The Vintage Guns Syndicate 2010/2011 Days for this season are now annonced: Last season 2009/2010 was planned on a modest five driven days, plus some extras over Christmas. The Black Powder Shoot was held at Blackham again, with the addition of a couple of muzzle loaders to add to the fun. Driven days at North Mymms were planned for 100 birds and we shot 123 on day one, 78 on day two, 100 exactly on day three and 113 on day four. The standard of shooting was good or very good (John Watson is restricted to a single barrel this year! I’m also thinking of making him use a .410, and maybe a patch over his master eye). At Ampton Hall, we shot 150 and had a great mixed day at nearby Wretton, where the bag included woodcock, pheasants, teal and mink! I hope I speak for us all when I say that the spirit and sportsmanship was also excellent and I hope many of you made new friends. The duck shoot, deer stalking weekend and Christmas driven days and walked-up shooting at Ampton added a bit of icing for those who joined us. This season This year, the format will be the same, but slightly expanded. Many of you asked in February to be listed for this season so familiar faces will be with us, as well as some new ones. We will have four venues this season: Ampton Hall in Suffolk, near Bury-St-Edmunds, North Mymms Park in Herts, Blackham in Kent and Wattisham in Suffolk. All are within 60 minutes drive from London and we know the shoots well. Where I got it wrong last time was in expecting guns to bring a beater, as many were unable to and the beating line was short on the second North Mymms day. I have made sure we bring in sufficient for next time, but Guns are still very welcome to bring an extra body if they wish: the more the merrier. Dogs are also most welcome. Costs We have reduced the cost of each 100-bird day this season from £360 to £350 per Gun for North Mymms,£310 for Blackham and £380 for Wattisham and Ampton Hall, where days will be 140 birds. All are fully driven, with no overage up to 10%. Breakfast is provided, as are coffee and biscuits and sloe gin mid-morning. Please bring a sandwich for lunch, though we will provide a hot meal at the end of the day for the Blackham, Wattisham and Ampton dates. Rules We keep the rules simple: be safe, be sporting, don’t shoot quartering or low birds and be good company. I am very much looking forward to seeing you this coming season and if you have a friend you can vouch for who would like to join us, they will be most welcome. As before, book as many or as few days as suit you, first-come-first-served. Booking by cheque for 50%, balance of further 50% on October 1st. The 100 bird format means we get a fully driven day at an affordable price and with all the trappings of a proper day out. It does push the per-bird price up a little but keeps the cost of the day down significantly over a bigger day. We have added slightly bigger days at Ampton and Wattisham. This is primarily a vintage guns shoot so we would appreciate a side by side of British manufacture. Hammer guns, muzzle loaders and black powder are positively encouraged. Anybody who would like to try something out of the ordinary is very welcome to borrow a vintage gun from stock, just give me a day or two as notice. Non Toxic Shot Please bring a box of non-toxic cartridges with you in case there is an unexpected duck drive, which can happen; especially if weather conditions have been favourable and a lot of wild birds are on the lakes. It is important to comply with the law, so please do not attempt wildfowl with lead shot. Muzzle Loaders We had some excellent shooting last year with these old beasts and would welcome them again. As before, the form would be for two Guns to take the peg, one muzzle loader and one breech loader. The muzzle loader shoots the first bird and the breech loader takes his place while he is re-loading. This way the peg is always ‘live’. It is a great way to share the day with a friend and split the cost. The price for the peg is the same but a small contribution for food and transport would be appreciated from the extra person. Only one gun loaded at any time please. The Dates: Blackham, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent 1. Saturday 6th November 100 birds (pheasants and one duck drive) £310 per Gun 2. Saturday 11th December 100 birds (pheasants and one duck drive) £310 per Gun North Mymms Park, near St Albans, Herts 3. Wednesday 20th October 100 birds (partridges) £350 per Gun 4. Wednesday 17th November 100 birds (pheasants and partridges) £350 per Gun 5. Wednesday 1st December 100 birds (pheasants and partridges) £350 per Gun 6. Wednesday 29th December 100 birds (pheasants and partridges) £350 per Gun Wattisham, near Colchester, Suffolk 7. Wednesday 6th October 2010 140 birds (partridges and ducks) £380 per Gun 8. Wednesday 5th January 2011 140 birds (partridges, pheasants, ducks) £380 per Gun Ampton Hall, near Bury-St-Edmunds, Suffolk 9. Wednesday 15th December 2010 140 birds (partridges, pheasants, ducks) £380 per Gun 10. January 19th January 2011 140 birds (partridges, pheasants, ducks) £380 per Gun Just put a cheque in the post for 50% (made to vintageguns.co.uk) indicating which days you want to book or e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with any questions. As always, we will provide vintage and hammer guns to anyone, free of charge for the day. Black powder ammo is also available to those wishing to use it and add a touch of nostalgia to the day. We very much look forward to seeing you all again next season old members and new are most welcome. Anyone without experience of driven shooting please let me know in advance and I will provide a loader to assist yo with the safety, marksmanship and etiquette details that make the day fun for you and everyone. This service is free of charge.
Shooting Holidays with Training. England is the home of game shooting and best English shotguns but it is also the home of the English language. We offer the perfect study holiday for the international sportsman. Come and study English in London, enjoy the sights, the nightlife and the shopping, then have some shooting lessons or come game shooting on a famous English shooting estate. You can combine this with lessons in English: either join one of our multi-national groups for daily lessons or have a private tutor one-to-one. All lessons are taught by qualified native English teachers in a British Council Accredited college in London.
Left: A hammer gun and black powder driven pheasant shoot in November 2008 with clients from the UK and Europe getting together for some fun with old guns in East Sussex. To participate in a day like this costs from £300 per gun per day, including food, ammunition and loan of a gun for overseas clients. A day like this is a great basis for planning a trip to London. Book close to an auction date and come with us to look at the guns for sale, shoot at the weekend and see a few sights. If you need English lessons or want to book some shooting lessons, we can arrange it all. Choose from the following options:
You can:
A typical four day mini-study & sporting break:
This is just a sample of what we offer – we can tailor any programme to fit in as much, or as little, shooting, English tuition and shooting lessons as you wish. PROCEDURES. E-mail us at vintageguns.co.uk and tell us what kind of break you are interested in. We will speak to you soon after to discuss everything and then send you a course proposal exactly as we discussed on the ‘phone. Once you have approved the timetable and details, the course can be paid for and our driver will meet you at the airport when you arrive.
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On the left is 2008 client Peter - he spent a day pigeon shooting and bagged 75 pigeons with this Purdey we found for him.