Interesting incidents

Interesting incidents in the shop

www.diffcal.co.uk

We have had some interesting incidents in the shop recently so we thought perhaps that an article was in order. A lot of things reported seem to happen in American gun shops but we are equally 'blessed' in the UK as well. By all means, as a novice do come into our shops and get involved in the sport, but please ask for advice!

My personal favourite this week went as follows

Customer: “Is this knife sharp”

Me: “Of course”

-Customer proceeds to run his thumb along the blade

Me: “Would you like a tissue?”

Seriously this actually happened!

Handling a Firearm in a Gun Shop
 

There are four things you must do when in a gun shop that you can never forget and never fail to do.

Every time, with every firearm, regardless of the circumstances, check to make sure the firearm isn't loaded. If you don't know how, ask.

Point the firearm in a safe direction, down usually being the safest. Unless you intend to kill someone, under no circumstances is it ever okay to point a gun at someone even if it is ‘just an airgun’. Each of our members of staff are now running a tally in our break room on how many times they have been muzzle swept each week. Of course all guns in our shop are unloaded.

Stay with the member of staff. If you have a firearm in your hand, do not walk away from the staff unless you have been told you that it's okay to do so. Doing so will create a real weird -- and potentially dangerous -- situation in a matter of seconds. We had a customer a few weeks ago try and leave the shop with a pistol to show a friend who was outside smoking. (our doors are locked by the way and you can't get in or out without a member of staff)

Above all else, never load a firearm in a gun shop for any reason what-so-ever, never, ever. Please also make sure your gun isn't loaded if you are bringing it in (at least twice a week this happens!), and remember that the short walk from the carpark still demands that your gun is covered (gun bag or bin bag, whatever, as long as it has something over it).

Don't be a...

Clown: Very few things in life are more unnerving than the guy with a gun in his hand -- loaded or not -- that's just acting too excited. Don't be the guy waving the gun around and going, "bang! bang!" with a big smile on his face like he just got his hands on this year's most popular toy. Don't start jumping up and down like someone just handed you a box of puppies. Don't walk into a gun shop wearing a ski mask over your head (Seriously….it’s been done and it isn’t funny!) Asking our staff what they would do if you tried to rob us is also not amusing, we are surrounded with guns and knives.... what do you think the outcome is going to be?

Badasses and Experts: The guy that looks like he's walking in to rob the place, don't be like that either. There's no reason to walk into a gun shop with shades on and the brim of a baseball cap burying your eyebrows. Don't be the guy with his hands stuffed down his pockets that keeps looking over his shoulders as he mumbles and nods, pointing with your nose, "let me see that one there." Want to freak everyone out? Act suspicious in a gun shop.

Equally, don't be a know all... our staff work with this stuff everyday and are active in the shooting industry and sport, we tend to nod along politely (most of the time) with those that tell us how to do our jobs but you should realise that most of us have a background in using firearms be it competitively, ex-army, pest control or private security overseas. Equally there is no need to dress up in full camo gear to come into the shop (unless you happen to be off out shooting). 

Newbie: Don't be the tool that picks up a pistol by the muzzle -- so you're pointing it at yourself -- and then says, "oh yeah," and then turns the gun around so it's pointing at the member of staff behind the counter. Think someone is going to trust you with a gun if you if you act like you don't know your arse end from a hole in the ground? The member of staff is going to be thinking, "yeah, really want to send this guy home with a gun so he can leave it laying around the house for a kid to get hold of." If you aren't sure about UK laws about gun ownership please ask. We are quite happy for children to be in the shop and they are welcome to hold guns etc, but again, please keep particuarly young ones under control.

We Like...

Enthusiasts: Walk in with a smile on your face and visit excitedly, but quietly, ask about a particular firearm you're interested in buying. Don't ask them to pull it out of the display immediately. Ask them to tell you a little about it first. If you know something about the firearm, share with them. When you are asked if you'd like to handle one of the pistols, rifles or shotguns, simply say, "yes."

Serious Gun Owner: It's fine to have a serious demeanour. Being respectful of firearms is a trustworthy quality. If you act normal, a serious demeanour gives people confidence in your ability to handle a firearm. Explain to the staff behind the counter what you want, maybe say why you're interested in a particular model, and ask if they has any in stock. Look them in the eye when you talk and show interest in the information they give you.

Informed Novice: You're not going to turn anyone off by admitting that you know very little or nothing about firearms. By being honest, you'll develop a report with the staff and they will, more than likely, take measures to keep both of you safe as you're handling the weapon. By being mature and forthright, -- even though you lack knowledge -- you're going to learn a great deal more, a great deal faster, about firearms.

Finally, remember we are retailers and need to make some profit in order to still be here next year.... you wouldn't demand discounts from the supermarket so please don't do it with us. We try to keep our prices as competitive as we can and will always throw in some free bits and pieces if we are able to. If you can get it cheaper elsewhere, feel free to do so, shoving your phone in our staff's face with another retailers prices on it is not going to go down well and we simply don't tolerate rudeness from anyone. (again, this has happened this week... you know who you are!)

Thanks to all our customers that have supported us over the years. There is a big announcement coming at the end of the month which I am sure some of you are already aware of. Letchworth is about to get a new exciting facility! Watch this space and our website/facebook page for details. www.diffcal.co.uk

Second Hand airguns

Second Hand Airguns

www.diffcal.co.uk

Air rifles seem to be becoming extremely popular at the moment, whether it be for pest control or backyard plinking or for full on target shooting. At the moment we are getting a lot of emails and calls asking if we have any second hand ones in stock. The answer of course is yes..... however, a second hand airgun may well be more expensive than buying a new one and a new one is likely to have more benefits. 

Here's an example:

 This is an 'Original Model 50' in .22 made in the 1970s. It is in really good condition and we have it up for £170. Seems like a good deal? Well it is. If you want that specific gun. The reality is that it's power output is only 7.5ftlbs. Not bad, but ideally for pest control you want something at around 11ftlbs. Put in a new spring? £45 for the spring and then you will need a professional gunsmith to do the work as older airguns can have quite complex preload systems on them and you wouldn't want it to be over the 12ftlbs legal limit. Total spend would be around £270. Worth it if you are a collector perhaps, but for someone new to the sport a new Hatsan Breaker is only £99, full power and comes with a years warranty.

So. Something for people new to airgun shooting to consider.

 

Gun Lamps

Gun Lamps

www.diffcal.co.uk

Much of the shooting we do is at night given that most of the time we are out pest controlling on the farms. This means that a gun lamp or night vision is essential. There are loads of different varieties on the market at the moment at prices to suit all budgets. Traditional night vision scopes have been around for ages but I don't like them due to the ease of damage you can cause. (Friends have had some horror stories with earlier models!).

My own personal preference is the Nitesite Viper. This fits onto my day setup with no need to re-zero and suits my style of shooting. (Sit on my backside waiting for things to come out!).

The shooting position is completely weird, the tv screen sits atop the scope and with a bipod fitted I can sit back and simply hold the stock of my gun to aim.

It does look a bit on the bulky side and won't suit everyone, however the picture quality is exceptional and due to it being an IR camera and not a traditional 'night vision' scope you don't need to worry about having the lens cap on during the day. In fact, you can use this system in day time conditions, something a disabled friend of my mine finds most useful being partially blind.

Picture clarity is excellent.

The drawback of these systems is that you do get a glare off the screen. Whilst this doesn't seem to bother the quarry, it does mess up your own night vision and so walking around with one can prove difficult. (I walked into a tractors fork lift prongs the other night and took out my shins!) The battery lasts for 3-4 hours which is more than adequate for my night shooting, this takes about an hour to recharge. The mounting system is easy to use and takes just a couple of minutes to clip on to the scope. I have been using a standard BSA 3-9x50 Essential (no parralax) and it works fine with this, however a bit of focus control wouldn't go amiss.

Others in my group prefer to look down their scopes and shoot more traditionally. 

The Tracer LED range of gun lamps are a great cheaper option and do the job.

These come in a variety of sizes and prices. We have found that they do tend to chew through the batteries (c123 camera types) and this can get expensive unless you buy them in bulk. The light these give off is fine for up to 40 yards (listed as 100 but in reality it isn't practical). Everyone I know that uses these have fitted red filters to them so that the quarry aren't spooked so easily. Most of these lamps are detachable as well which is useful for storage if your gunbag isn't particuarly deep.

Finally there are the 'laser designator' lamps. We had a play with one of these last night.

 These give out a green laser light (which when looked through your scope looks like a traditional night vision set up). The light easily picks up quarry and their eyes reflect well off it. It doesn't seem to spook them in the slightest and we found that the adjustable sizing system for spot size worked really well. The power of this lamp is amazing and it produces a crisp circle of light well out to 100m which is not needed for our purposes, but good to know. It is rated as a cold weather lamp, but this doesn't bother us as we don't tend to shoot out in the cold anyway. The mounting system is a real pain to get on and off the gun, whilst the adjustable mount works well once installed the 2 screws are really fiddley to use which is a shame as the rest of the setup is amazing. It comes with a tough 'soft' carry case for storage and an optional pressure switch which can be attached if you don't want the light on all the time. More to follow as we go out an play with it more.

Rat round up

Rat Round up with the terrier

www.diffcal.co.uk

After last night's rat shoot I took my terrier Rufus to clear out the more awkward ones we couldn't get. Think we will need another night of shooting as he only managed to get 2...... Though the cold weather was starting to set in.

Rat Attack

Rat Attack

www.diffcal.co.uk

Out on the farm last night knocking over some rats with Joe and Ash. Photos below.

Joe should look happier having just hit a pigeon

Rats crawling on the girders in the barn

Joe was using his new Hatsan Striker Edge with BSA .22 special scope, Ash using a Gamo Whisper Fusion with Hawke 3-9x50 scope. I of course used my usual Evanix Sniper K with Nitesite Viper set up.

Double tapping the rats!

Grain Silos

Don't shoot the tractors

Airgun Silencers

Airgun Silencers

www.diffcal.co.uk

I've always used a 'silencer' on my rifles, especially my bigger calibres. It is an obvious thing to have on anything bigger than a .243 as it not only quietens the gun down, but also helps improve accuracy. To have one on a rifle, rim-fire or cente-rfire, there needs to be a slot on your firearms certificate specifically for it and the one you buy must be 'proofed' and marked as such for the calibre you are using.

My Custom Tooley .338 has a massive silencer on the end of it. I can shoot this with no ear protection and whilst it still makes a bang, is well worth having. (Yes I know it makes it heavy but you get used to it and I don't take standing shots with it anyway).

Over the top? Custom Tooley .338 with custom built sound moderator

So it might seem strange that you would need a silencer for an air rifle. After all, unlike firearms or shotguns, there's no real big bang going on.

 With an airgun you will hear a sharp crack from the muzzle. That's the compressed air expanding after it has pushed the pellet out of the barrel. This can disturb whatever you are shooting at or it can disturb your neighbours.

A lot of the cheaper air rifles come with a fully fitted silencer such as the Gamo Whisper X.

Pre-charged airguns can be more effectively moderated than spring- powered airguns as there is no real moving parts such as the spring with them but it is still worth having one on a spring gun  as what the shooter hears is not what will be heard downrange. A rat or rabbit will only hear the twangs of a springer as something distant and it is unlikely to bother them too much.
Silencers need to fit your gun perfectly. Fortunately most modern air rifle are 'plug and play' with  a thread already there to accept a screw on silencer quickly. It is well worth zeroing your rifle with the silencer on it as the addition of one can change your aim slightly (I never shoot without mine).

My Evanix Sniper Carbine is my 'everyday gun' for pest control, and despite it already being quiet I replaced the muzzle break with a BSA Silencer.

The only problem of  having a silencer is that it can make your rifle rather long and unwieldy and this would explain the move towards bullpups and carbine. This is one of the reasons I chose a carbine rifle myself. A lot of rifles these days are 'bull barrels' with an inbuilt silencer shrouding the barrel, however it is still worth putting on an additional one on.

Silencers start at around £35 for a basic one with a 1/2 UNF thread (the standard fitting of most modern airguns).  The one shown above is rubberised and works well with guns such as the Gamo Coyote.
Weihrauch make some very good silencers and these are available for between £50 and £60. These along with the BSA equivalent are probably the most popular ones we sell.

If you want a better look to your gun, there are all sorts available such as carbon fibre or camo covered ones

Overall there is no reason not to have one, especially if you are using a modern gun with a standard thread.

Farm ratting

A busy morning in the shop followed by some tree surgery for a friend... Big tree had come down into her pond! This was with Ash from The Garden Spider Landscaping company.

Dry suits on and chainsaws! Took us all day to get it out and chopped up, then up to the farm to shoot rats once we had dried out. (After discovering that the dry suit had a hole in it!)

Starting at the chicken coops where they have been causing problems, taking eggs and chewing the roofs to bits. 5 big ones were shot here using a Gamo Whisper Fusion and an Evanix Sniper air rifle.

Moving on to the grain barns. The minute we walked in the rats scattered! Ash managed to hit his first one with a 'hip" shot at close range (not even using his laser sight which we give him stick for having on a rifle) We shot 30 in the space of 2 hours here!

The mild weather we have had has meant the rats have been breeding more than usual. We have never had such a 'target rich environment' and could easily have doubled this number.. Just too tired from all that tree cutting to be out late.

We have been using the new Predator Polymag pellets for pest control and they are exceptional at dropping them instantly. On the Evanix Sniper we have mounted a Nitesite Viper. An excellent piece of kit. 

We shall be taking our pistols next time as the rats were running around really close, one was even trapped in the rubbish bin, dispatched with the rifle, but it would be so much easier with an air pistol.