The Gunmakers' Charitable Trust. Well worth a look here to see more bout the Gunmakers Company, the London Proof House ant the GCT. This is a charity set up to promote the apprenticeship of would-be gunmakers and the re-training of existing ones as new technologies become an increasing part of the trade. www.gunmakers.org/gcct.html

Firearms Forms. You can download application forms for a Shotgun Certificate, Firearms Certificate or Visitor's Permit etc by clicking on this link: http://www.met.police.uk/firearms_licensing/forms.html

Sporting Shooter
A great all-round magazine, published in the UK for shooting people. Diggory Hadoke contributes a monthly feature called ‘Classic Guns’. The editor is James Marchington.
www.sportingshooter.co.uk

Gun Mart
The best-selling UK magazine for shooters. It is packed with all the latest gear and offers. Diggory Hadoke contributes regular articles and vintage gun tests. The editor is Pat Farey.
www.gunmart.com

The Double Gun Journal
The classic quarterly for lovers of vintage shotguns and rifles; published in the USA and distributed all over the world. It has very high quality production values and historical and technical detail you will find nowhere else. Diggory Hadoke writes on British gun auctions for the DGJ. Contact: Publisher Daniel Cote.
www.doublegunshop.com/doublegunjournal.htm

Internet Gun Club
This site has a wonderful historical database and is very useful for researching your latest find. It is also home to some knowledgeable and passionate gun people who contribute their experiences and expertise in the forum.
www.internetgunclub.com

Holt and Company
The largest and most successful auctioneers of sporting guns in the UK. Holt’s hold London sales throughout the year and tour the world valuing and collecting guns for their auctions. You will find them approachable, helpful and not at all stuffy. Contact Nick Holt or Chris Beaumont.
www.holtandcompany.co.uk

Sotheby’s & Gavin Gardiner Ltd
Sotheby’s are very established gun auctioneers and offer an excellent service to sellers, with their smaller (around 150 lots) sales showcasing the guns very well indeed. Gavin Gardiner Ltd runs the Sotheby's sales and they hold two per year in London and one in Scotland, at the Gleneagles Hotel. Contact: Gavin Gardiner.
www.sothebys.com or www.gavingardiner.com

Southams
Based in Bedford, Southams is a typical gun trade auction where you need to know your stuff. Plenty of cheap ‘knock-about’ guns, fishing tackle and the odd gem. Contact: Nigel Croskell.
www.southams.com

Scotarms
A solid gun trade auction, based in Newark, and usually offering around 800 lots. Mostly low priced guns, parts and accessories. This is another place where you need to be knowledgeable to do well. Sales are three times a year. Contact: Mike Scott.
www.scotarms.co.uk

Gamebore. Our favourite producer of ammunition for vintage guns. Gamebore not only make the excellent 'Pure Gold' in true 65mm chambers with fibre wads and paper cases but they even sell ready-made game loads of black powder ready for use in black powder proofed guns. http://www.gamebore.com/game-loads.asp

GunShop.com
Probably the best site on the ‘net for swapping notes on collecting and fiddling with old guns. There are many American contributors to the ‘Double Gun BBS’ forum as well as those from continental Europe and the UK. It is a real on-line community of enthusiasts.
www.doublegunshop.com

Merlin Unwin Books
Coincidentally, now based in Diggory Hadoke’s hometown of Ludlow in Shropshire, Merlin Unwin is the publisher of his first book ‘Vintage Guns for the Modern Shot’ and retains options on his other books in progress. Merlin has a great range of titles for shooting and fishing enthusiasts as well as covering other countryside interests.
www.merlinunwin.co.uk

Big Game and Bird Safaris This outfit runing out of Maun, Botswana is under the ownership of Mark Kyriacou, who has decades of experience hunting and outfitting dangerous game and bird shooting safaris. His website provides all the information you need and please mention vintageguns.co.uk when making an enquiry.  http://biggameandbirdsafaris.com/ 

Positive Shooting
Mike Yardley is a friend, our shooting coach and gun-fitter and probably the most respected shooting instructor working today. Author of ten books and proponent of his well-conceived system for tackling Sporting Clays ‘Positive Shooting’, Mike is the shooting instructor’s shooting instructor. Say no more.
www.positiveshooting.com

The Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Firearms team is one of the best in the country. Knowledgeable officers, many of them shooting sports enthusiasts, provide sensible advice on all matters relating to legal ownership of shotguns and firearms in the UK.
www.met.police.uk/firearms-enquiries/

The Birmingham Proof House
The Birmingham Proof House operates a very helpful website and publishes and explains all the rules governing the proof of firearms. Everyone involved with British shotguns should visit this site once.
www.gunproof.com

Bonham’s
Bonham’s are well-established in the gun auctio business and are based in Knightsbridge, holding three Sporting Guns sales per year (150-200 lots), as well as selling Antique Arms and Armour. Contact: Patrick Hawes.
www.bonhams.com

Coys. Patrick Keen is working with Coys to hold regular sales of Sporting Guns, alongside their car auctions. They held two sales in 2007 and they plan to expand in 2008. Details can be had from Patrick Keen's website.                www.patrickkeenguns.co.uk  

Charlton Hall. Charlton Hall are auctioneers based in Columbia, South Carolina and are holding their first gun sale in December 2007. They intend to hold auctions of British and American sporting guns annually and will accept consignments from the UK or the USA.                                                                                                                                        www.charltonhallauctions.com

The Guntrade Association. The GTA links, represents and provides a code of conduct for reputable firearms dealers and those in related trades. We are proud to be members    www.gtaltd.co.uk 

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation. The British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC) provides membership, insurance and advice for all those interested and involved in country sports.                                                                                                              www.basc.org.uk

Grant Albers (Professional Hunter) Botswana, Africa. Grant is a top PH based in Botswana. We have hunted elephant, plains game and birds with him in attendance and can thoroughly recommend him to anyone planing a trip to a really wild part of Africa rather than the common game ranch type of shooting available elsewhere. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or at P.O Box 248, Maun, Botswana. Tel: +267 6800012. Mobile: +267 718 59945.

Lynne Moore Art. Lynne is a London-based artist specialising in landscapes with a natural or sporting theme. Interesting work done with a great deal of flair. www.lynnemooreart.co.uk

Mick Shepherd Antique Guns. Mick is now best known as the Elvis look-a-like who beat 23 trumped-up charges laid at his feet by Operation Trident at the Old Bailey. Mick is also a well-known firearms dealer and is incredibly knowledgeable on obsolete calibre rifles. www.micksguns.com