Sporting Gun UK – May 2019

instruction

Buying your first gun

Getsomelessonsandadvicefrom
a qualifiedcoach—therewillbeplenty
ofCPSAandBASCqualifiedcoacheslocal
toyou.Havingintroductorylessonsand
notspendingtoomuchonyourfirstgun,
especiallyata timewhenyourshooting
techniqueisstillinitsformativestage,
willbebetteruseofyourmoney.
Around£1,000willbuyyoua very
serviceablefirstgun,whichwillmoreorless
lastforever.Don’tdismisssecondhandguns
fromthewell-knowninternationalsuppliers;
youcangetgoodvalueinthepre-used
shotgunmarketif yougotoa reputablegun
shop.I wouldsuggestbuyinganover-and-
undershotgun.Mostpeoplefindthemeasier
to use as you are looking along the rib of

a singlebarrelwhenshooting.Themajority

ofusersfindthis“sight-picture”easierto

operatecomparedwiththelargerexpanse

ofhorizontalmetalofa side-by-sidegun.

Mostmodernover-and-undershavesingle

triggerswitha selectionswitchtodetermine

whichbarrelfiresfirst.Themultipurposegun

togoforwillbecalleda ‘Sporter ”if it isbeing

marketed for the clay shooter or a “game

gun”forthepigeonorpheasantshooter.

Theyareessentiallythesamething,though

theSportermaybeslightlyheaviertohelp

reducerecoilfatiguewhenshooting100-

or200-targetclaycompetitions.Thegame

gunwillprobablyhavea safetycatchthat

re-engagestosafewhenthegunisopened,

whereastheSporterwillprobablyremain

activeforfiringwhenreloadedandclosed.

A gunsmithcanmakeaninternaladjustment

andchangetoeither system on most makes

ofmoderngun.

Bemindfulthatthereisanelementof

fashioninvolvedinbarrellength.When

over-and-undersbecamepopularinthe

UK,thegunyouwouldseeeverywherewas

the Winchester 101, and it is still a very

Steponeinbuyingyour

firstgunistakingadvice

from someone you trust

“Mostpeople

findover-and-

undershotguns

easier to use”