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I mainly stalk muntjac, CWD and roe. Is the Butt Out worth the money, and is it the right size for the small species of deer? maximus otter

Literal translation: "If you spend loads of money on Gucci aftermarket parts for your .22 SLR, it can be as accurate as an out-of-the-box bolt action." Let two equally-talented riflemen select two .22LR rifles (of comparable quality) at random from the rack; one an SLR, one a bolt action. Let said riflemen experiment to find a brand of ammo that each rifle "likes". Let the two then fire groups at a respectable distance, e.g. 100 yards. I have a crisp £5 note that says that the bolt action will win every time. maximus otter

If you'd wanted accuracy you'd have bought a bolt action. maximus otter

Pip, Squeak and Wilfred. maximus otter

"Banned knives and weapons It is illegal to bring into the UK, sell, hire, lend or give anyone the following: disguised knives - a blade or sharp point hidden inside what looks like everyday objects such as a buckle, phone, brush or lipstick"https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives "Section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 provides that it is an offence to manufacture, sell or hire, offer for sale or hire, expose or have in his possession for the purpose of sale or hire of or lending or giving to any other person certain specified weapons. The Criminal Justice Act (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988 (S.I 1998/2019) (as amended) provides that the following are specified weapons for the purpose of section 141: d) the weapon sometimes known as a ‘belt buckle knife’, being a buckle which incorporates or conceals a knife..." https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/186911/Knives_and_offensive_weapons_information_GDS_FAQ.pdf Can we put this to bed now, please? maximus otter

It was s.141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 which specifically declared push daggers and belt buckle knives to be offensive weapons per se. maximus otter

Nope. Banned. maximus otter

Regrettably, as with so many other interesting and useful bits of kit, this is illegal in the UK under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 2002: The Schedule to the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988(1), which specifies offensive weapons for the purposes of section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, shall be amended by the insertion into paragraph 1 of that Schedule after sub-paragraph (n) the words— “(o) a disguised knife, that is any knife which has a concealed blade or concealed sharp point and is designed to appear to be an everyday object of a kind commonly carried on the person or in a handbag, briefcase, or other hand luggage (such as a comb, brush, writing instrument, cigarette lighter, key, lipstick or telephone).”. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/1668/article/3/made Welcome to the UK , where everything not compulsory is forbidden. maximus otter

Reload shotgun cartridges with long grain rice instead of lead shot and get in amongst them, you girl! maximus otter

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The rifle itself is perfectly legal. I'm pretty confident, however, that no land owner would allow shots at living creatures at the kind of ranges that you contemplate. The pro stalker who introduced me to red deer stalking had between 3,000 to 4,000 reds to his credit, and never took a shot at over 250 yards; even that range was only attempted occasionally and under absolutely ideal conditions. By the way, in the UK we have no "public land" for shooting purposes. Every square inch is owned by somebody, and you have to have their specific, informed consent to shoot over it. Even that doesn't take account of police/legal considerations as to whether the land is suitable for shooting and/or the calibre you intend to use. Land that might be approved for .17 HMR, for example, might well not be approved for .223 Happy hunting! maximus otter

Related question: Does anyone know the exact diameter and relevant height (for wrap width) of the elevation turret on a Schmidt & Bender 5 - 25 x 56 PMII (double turn)? I want to try and use this excellent step-by-step, but I've just hauled my 'scope out of the safe only to find that the battery in my digital calipers has gone flat... maximus otter

Neither. Both are far too specialised, and more than most people might ever require in the UK. You will get far more utility, far better service and far more value for money by carrying a Swiss Army Knife of suitable spec, plus a well-made simple survival-type knife. I'd recommend the Fällkniven F1: http://www.fallkniven.com/en/shop/details/370/24/fixed-blades/survival-knives/f1l maximus otter

1. Baldie Dave at Valkyrie, obviously: http://www.valkyrierifles.net/ 2. John Bradshaw at Oundle, Northants. Excellent stock, fair prices, friendly staff: http://www.johnbradshawguns.co.uk/ 3. Reloading Solutions. Knowledgeable staff and rapid delivery: http://www.reloadingsolutions.com/ maximus otter

The latest edition of Sporting Rifle (on W.H. Smith's shelves now) reviews and rates several .22 LR subsonics. Eley comes out on top for accuracy (way ahead) and expansion. There: that's saved you £4.75! maximus otter

Obviously I can't argue with your recollections, but I find it a challenge to believe that this Compton institute would be running what you imply is a secret project, yet: 1. Do their work where they can be seen by members of the public like you. 2. When spoken to, admit everything and show you their materials and paperwork. 3. Deliberately use rabbits of an unusual and memorable colouring for their "classified" experiment. Conventionally-coloured grey squirrels seem to be neither more nor less common than average around here. maximus otter

I'd like to see authoritative evidence for this theory, and I don't mean "Geoff down the pub says..." Black, or "melanistic" animals are not uncommon. Around here (Cambs.) I see many black squirrels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanism maximus otter

"13: Offence of having article with blade or point in public place. 4. It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that he had good reason or lawful authority for having the article with him in a public place 5. Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (4) above, it shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that he had the article with him—for use at work..." http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/section/139 maximus otter

Meindl: I run a pair of Burmas. Danner: I have a pair of Acadias and a pair of Jackals I use for stalking. The Jackals were cheap as chips in TKMaxx a few years ago. Gore-Tex and camouflaged nylon - superb. Danner Jackal maximus otter

Join the excellent British Blades forum. Keep your eyes out in the For Sale area; UKPKs and other EDC-legal knives often come up at competitive prices.: http://www.britishblades.com/forums/forum.php maximus otter

Here's a sample through my out-of- the-box Sako Finnfire Varmint, 23" barrel, SAK mod, off the bench at 55m using a bipod and back bag: After a brief, non-scientific test (and considering that I'm not the world's best rifleman), I got these results: Remington: Group size: 0.94" Average MV: 1057 SD: 16 Eley: Group size: 0.65" Average MV: 1059 SD: 7 Geco: Group size: 0.95" Average MV: 1125 SD: 14 CCI: Group size: 0.66" Average MV: 1066 SD: 11 Winchester: Group size: 0.98" Average MV: 1049 SD: 17 If I ever get a rabbit permission, I'll be using the Eley. maximus otter

Correct. The case is Harris v. Director of Public Prosecutions: http://www.hrcr.org/safrica/arrested_rights/Harris_DirPubPros.htm Quoted from Harris: "To be a folding pocketknife the knife has to be readily and indeed immediately foldable at all times, simply by the folding process. A knife of the type with which these appeals are concerned [a lock knife M.O.] is not in this category because, in the first place, there is a stage, namely, when it has been opened, when it is not immediately foldable simply by the folding process and, secondly, it requires that further process, namely, the pressing of the button." If the knife blade is capable of being locked open, in the law's eyes it's not a "folding pocketknife". maximus otter

I'm a retired bobby and a member of a knife collector/maker/user forum here in the UK: http://www.britishblades.com/forums/forum.php For anyone with concerns about carrying a street-legal EDC, e.g. a small non-locking Swiss Army Knife, Spyderco Pride, Spyderco Terzuola etc., here's a card with the relevant legislation printed on it (s.139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988): http://www.psittacosis.net/bb/S139CJA1988.pdf Print & carry it. In the (very unlikely) event that you're stopped and the knife becomes an issue, it could resolve the situation quickly and quietly. maximus otter

1. Correct. 2. It's possible, though your chances of being stopped, searched and prosecuted are tiny, especially if you're going about lawful business and are polite and reasonable. 3. Not apocryphal, though a quick Google hasn't turned up the incident. If I remember correctly he had a small Leatherman or Gerber-type multitool with a locking blade, and was daft enough to accept a caution "just to save time and hassle" despite there being no attendant criminal circumstances. maximus otter

There is the simple (s.139) offence of carrying a bladed or pointed object. No violence/intended violence involved. There is the offence of "possessing an offensive weapon" if violence/intended violence is involved. There is not a presumption in law that "carrying a fixed blade is automatically a criminal offence". s.139 (4) states: "It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that he had good reason or lawful authority for having the article with him in a public place." That covers, for example, deer stalking. maximus otter