Managed to ge the terrier out on the rats today. Bit of a video below of him in action. More to follow with him tomorrow if all goes to plan (less shots of his backside once we move from the compost heap to the actual chicken pens.
Wednesday 28 January 2015
Terrier ratting
Managed to ge the terrier out on the rats today. Bit of a video below of him in action. More to follow with him tomorrow if all goes to plan (less shots of his backside once we move from the compost heap to the actual chicken pens.
Friday 23 January 2015
Rat holes and chickens
Been getting the chickens settled in their new home today.... Or 'chasing cock' as Andrew puts it....
Moving the coops has revealed an even worse rat infestation than we first thought.. The war continues!
Lots of new rat holes. Shooting this week yet again then. 
For those in the Letchworth area:
We have far too many cockerelsMight have some free to a good home provided they aren't going to end up as a Sunday roast. Let me know if interested.
Thursday 22 January 2015
Exclusive Evanix Semi-Auto UK Legal Air Rifle
EXCLUSIVE TO A DIFFERENT CALIBRE LTD
The Evanix GTL480 is a UK legal Semi-auto .22 Air Rifle.
We have limited numbers of these in stock now and they are sold only at A Different Calibre ltd.
We are happy to courier to another gun shop for you to collect if need be (subject to any admin charge they make).
Limited stock available. See website for details. www.diffcal.co.uk
Monday 19 January 2015
Knives
We often get asked for all sorts of different blades, so we try to keep a good selection in stock.
Currently we have the Boker range in the cheaper end at only £20 each. These are fairly well made lock knives for general use.
Lots of people like the wooden handle traditional style. Easy to use and keep clean as they are varnished well.
Or if you prefer something a bit more stylised. The blades are slightly different, but they all do the same job. It comes down to personal preference really on the grip and blade shape.
When you're choosing a hunting knife, it's important to consider how you'll use it and the type of game you plan to hunt. Clearly, the hunter after deer will use a different type of knife than someone who hunts rabbits. And, if you think bigger is always better, you'd be wrong. An oversized knife will make cleaning small game harder, not easier, and increase your chances of cutting yourself.
These rather nice fixed blades have just come in. Hand made damascus steel. We only have these 2 in stock and so as a special offer they are up for only £50 each!
Of course we also stock the bigger blades such as machetes and full size hunting knives. Think about what you will need it for though before buying and remember you can't carry any of these in public without good reason.
See the link on our webpage for UK knife law.
www.diffcal.co.uk
Currently we have the Boker range in the cheaper end at only £20 each. These are fairly well made lock knives for general use.
When you're choosing a hunting knife, it's important to consider how you'll use it and the type of game you plan to hunt. Clearly, the hunter after deer will use a different type of knife than someone who hunts rabbits. And, if you think bigger is always better, you'd be wrong. An oversized knife will make cleaning small game harder, not easier, and increase your chances of cutting yourself.
Of course we also stock the bigger blades such as machetes and full size hunting knives. Think about what you will need it for though before buying and remember you can't carry any of these in public without good reason.
www.diffcal.co.uk
Sunday 18 January 2015
Pheasant day
Out beating on the estate this morning despite the snow! 
A really nice day out even if we aren't the ones shooting.
It came in quick and the everywhere in the woods got covered.
Spot the bird!
Strange how it was all gone by the afternoon.
Friday 16 January 2015
Rat trap
So busy, I don't have the time to sit and shoot the rats as they come out... as much fun as it can be.
The damage they have caused to our chicken coops this week has been extreme. You can see below the door where they have tried to bite their way through...... In my bigger houses they have chewed through the floors and got in, taken the eggs and even killed one of the hens.
As unsporting as it might be, we have laid down poisons. However this really hasn't made a difference and I am beginning to suspect they have become immune and bait shy to it.
The damage they have caused to our chicken coops this week has been extreme. You can see below the door where they have tried to bite their way through...... In my bigger houses they have chewed through the floors and got in, taken the eggs and even killed one of the hens.
As unsporting as it might be, we have laid down poisons. However this really hasn't made a difference and I am beginning to suspect they have become immune and bait shy to it.
The solution is a live capture trap. Again this isn't very sporting or particuarly much fun, but when overun with so many vermin there really isn't much choice.
This has been baited with chicken feed and some peanut butter and even a bit of cat food to lure them in. Once inside it should be a simple matter of close range air pistol or rifle dispatch. Updates soon.
Tuesday 13 January 2015
Evanix Sniper (UK Air Rifle)
The Evanix Sniper has been getting quite a bit of attention in the shop recently. It has the standard Evanix side lever action and comes in .22 and .177 with the possibility of 9mm (that's .35ish) coming soon (and that will be in UK legal 12ftlbs so no need for license.... just less range, but heavy hitting!)
The look is a bit different, even for 'tactical' rifles this one has a unique look and feel to it.
The rear stock is fully adjustable (removable even) and it will take an additional silencer if you really feel the need (but it has a shrouded barrel anyway). Great piece of kit that I'm looking forward to going out with soon once I have persuaded the boss that we should be completely 'familiar' with our entire range!
The look is a bit different, even for 'tactical' rifles this one has a unique look and feel to it.
The rear stock is fully adjustable (removable even) and it will take an additional silencer if you really feel the need (but it has a shrouded barrel anyway). Great piece of kit that I'm looking forward to going out with soon once I have persuaded the boss that we should be completely 'familiar' with our entire range!
Friday 2 January 2015
Rabbit food!
Rabbit food.... should be 'Rabbit as food'. Rabbit is rarely seen in UK supermarkets, but is
available from many butchers and food markets. Your alternative of course is to go out (on land you have permission to shoot on) and get your own. Interesting article in the Telegraph about where to get it and how to cook it if you are struggling.
A .22 air rifle at the UK legal limit of 12ftlbs (down to about 10) is sufficient to take rabbits from between 30 and 40 yards depending on how good a shot you are. You can go out further than this of course, however bear in mind that you are always after a humane kill. I was out for 'one for the pot' last night before dark and so didn't bother with my Evanix GTL480 semi-auto.
Instead a single shot break barrel Gamo Whisper Fusion with a Gamo 4x32 sight on it was more than sufficient for sitting out hidden away from the burrows. Bear in mind that you want to keep the quarry, so make sure the rabbit is far enough away from the burrow hole when you take the shot. Usually a head shot will drop them instantly but sometimes they get that final adrenaline burst which means they can bolt back inside the burrow and you will lose your dinner. I used my usual pellet of a BSA Storm .22 which I basically use for everything and in all my air rifles. (Too lazy to test out others and they are fine)
Rabbits are not pleasant to prepare if you haven't done it before. Head off, guts out and then remove the fur (plenty of videos on YouTube etc as to how to do it). It does get easier the more you do it. I prefer to drop the guts out in the field and leave them in the hedges for the foxes and crows but bear in mind lots of landowners and farmers won't want you doing this.
Ideally you want to use a rabbit size of around 1kg, anything smaller and it won't have much meat on it, bigger and the meat tends to be quite tough.
Rabbit meat is lean, but can be quite dry.... my answer is just to make the traditional British dish of Curry! Being lazy I just use a supermarket one.
My original plan was to eat outside cooking on an open fire with a bushfire pot .... but ended up in the kitchen as everyone else was moaning that it was cold. ...Curry came out okay though
A .22 air rifle at the UK legal limit of 12ftlbs (down to about 10) is sufficient to take rabbits from between 30 and 40 yards depending on how good a shot you are. You can go out further than this of course, however bear in mind that you are always after a humane kill. I was out for 'one for the pot' last night before dark and so didn't bother with my Evanix GTL480 semi-auto.
Instead a single shot break barrel Gamo Whisper Fusion with a Gamo 4x32 sight on it was more than sufficient for sitting out hidden away from the burrows. Bear in mind that you want to keep the quarry, so make sure the rabbit is far enough away from the burrow hole when you take the shot. Usually a head shot will drop them instantly but sometimes they get that final adrenaline burst which means they can bolt back inside the burrow and you will lose your dinner. I used my usual pellet of a BSA Storm .22 which I basically use for everything and in all my air rifles. (Too lazy to test out others and they are fine)
 |
| More preparation than this is needed! |
Rabbits are not pleasant to prepare if you haven't done it before. Head off, guts out and then remove the fur (plenty of videos on YouTube etc as to how to do it). It does get easier the more you do it. I prefer to drop the guts out in the field and leave them in the hedges for the foxes and crows but bear in mind lots of landowners and farmers won't want you doing this.
Ideally you want to use a rabbit size of around 1kg, anything smaller and it won't have much meat on it, bigger and the meat tends to be quite tough.
 |
| A nice Hertfordshire Rabbit. |
Rabbit meat is lean, but can be quite dry.... my answer is just to make the traditional British dish of Curry! Being lazy I just use a supermarket one.
My original plan was to eat outside cooking on an open fire with a bushfire pot .... but ended up in the kitchen as everyone else was moaning that it was cold. ...Curry came out okay though
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