Paul Cat

Thanks miki. Had a chat with the landowner today and it seems they are in and around the main yard (middle of the village) and another, remote one used for storing machinery. Meeting up for a look round in a day or so but from the sound of it there'll be little long range shooting unless I wait for them out in the fields, not sure letting off either the 243 or 308 while the burghers of the town are asleep will win me any friends so for that one I'll have to plan something. Finding their routes might be favourite.

(Apologies Kaboom, it's a meme based on an old UK series called Yes (Prime) Minister)

A goose feather? What do you think I am, some kind of weirdo?

I think it was here that my first post asked about the disposal of fox carcasses and saw me accused of being an 'anti' so let's see if I can stir you all up again. 😁 While I've taken one or two foxes over the last couple of years those have been targets of opportunity and not what I was out after. I actually quite like foxes but the owner of one permission who only a few months ago told me they weren't a problem (ewes are sent to a barn for lambing) now wants some dealt with as they're decimating the village's chickens. I have no problem with that but as I'm Nobby Nomates and always shoot alone I thought I'd buy a bit of help in the form of a caller. Should it be the Fox Pro, a bit of polystyrene and glass, a captive rabbit with nipple clamps or something else?

If you can connect your phone to your laptop you could transfer the pictures that way. Or (a bit long-winded) email them to yourself and open them on that on the laptop. I confess though I've no idea how capable a flip-phone might be, I thought Noah was the last to own one.😁

And there was me thinking they were a peaceful bunch.

Great, where are you?

Yeah, I did think that but I don't really want to put 500 rounds down the barrel just as waste disposal.

Last year I bought what was supposed to be 1000 x .17hmr. Having worked my way through some of it and not rotated my stock when topping up (I know, I know) I've only now discovered that the last 500 rounds are in fact .17 Mach 2. I've tried selling it, no takers. I've tried swapping it, no takers. I can't return it as it's been too long (and I got it in the US so there's not much chance of a return trip in the foreseeable future). I don't want to buy another rifle just to use it up and anyway the cabinets are full. I briefly thought about the 'light a bonfire and run away' method but I'm not really that daft. Apart from giving it to a RFD what can I do with it?

I heard there's going to be a public clapping session for her, similar to the NHS. Don't know where. Don't know when.

Speaking of which, met one yesterday on my drive in. She was crossing the bridleway but had come straight across a recently drilled field and was about to go through another. I politely explained where she could and could not go but she would have none of it. Apparently it was okay because she's been doing it for years. I'm seeing more of them since a new estate was built next to the land. People think that because it's unfenced it's their right to use it. Let's see how keen they are a few hours after walking through a load of glypho soaked weeds.

No idea what made me do it but at the last minute this evening I put the .22 back and took the .17hmr instead. Glad I did. Bagged some rabbits and was walking back to the car to move on, stopping every few yards to peek through the NV007. Earlier I'd seen a dog fox heading toward the paddocks where the lambs are. It was too far for a shot so I made sure he saw me, he made a wiiiiide detour but as he headed where I was walking I was in his way. Lost sight of him, assumed he'd buggered off, but he tried again and I spotted him from the car. Popped the rifle onto the bonnet, lit up the IR and there he was in the field with just head and shoulders visible and facing me. As soon as I drove off he'd be into the lambs. I'd always said I'd only shoot a fox with the .17 up to 100 yards and although judging range is tricky in the dark I reckoned he was close enough so took the shot. Pacing it out afterwards it was exactly 100 yards plus a size 9 boot. Beginners luck. Entry is barely visble on the bib but internally it did what it was supposed to do and there's a sizeable exit wound between the shoulder blades. He dropped on the spot. I wouldn't have taken the shot off my (2) sticks but with the bipod on the bonnet I was steady enough. Any doubts I had about the .17 for foxes have subsided a bit but I wouldn't be happy beyond (say) 120 yards. First thing tomorrow I'm putting in my variation for .308!

Thanks for that. I imagined that IF it were possible to shoot over the ranges you do in nil wind )how often does that happen?) then CF might be a factor but it would be so minor that in the real world, with even a light wind, the latter would be vastly more influential.

Can someone settle a pub discussion for me? Do long range shooters allow for the Coriolis Effect?

I can only speak from the limited experience of just over a year and +500 rounds with the hmr. I used to use this for longer ranges (than my .22LR) and where the noise wasn't a problem. I find now though that the .17 is my preferred rifle of the two, I've not used the .22 for about six months. Through the winter almost all of my shooting has been at night and the noise of the .17 just doesn't seem to spook the rabbits the same way it does during the day. I have yet to experience any ammunition problems. Well, apart from a run-in with Border Force when returning from the USA with a boxful. 😀 Just my 2p'worth.

I assume so. Better quality scope = better image. No?

If you "didn't need the lecture" why did you query my credentials? Are you dropping that now? Was it something I posted? Perhaps my link to an article showing that mis-communication kills people hundreds at a time like wot I rote? Oh hold on, I see you're deflecting now. Back to my original point which (bugger me) you agree with. That being the case, why launch at me in the first place? Is this your normal persona or are there menopausal influences? Please let me know so I can re-calibrate my 'tuwatt-o-meter'. Are we having fun yet?

Commercial aviation. The Tenerife crash in 1977 alone killed 583 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster Pilots failed to request clarification from Air Traffic and taxied onto a runway into the path of another aircraft. Plenty more examples if you'd like me to prove the four-figure tally?

A percentage point either way is irrelevant, the fact remains that if the recipient can't see the sender there's the potential for misunderstanding and in my industry that's cost hundreds if not thousands of lives so I tend to have a fairly good understanding of the concept. But forgive me for trying to bring some impartiality into a typical internet spat. I'm sure the lack of tone and body language here is in no way contributing to my interpreting your comments toward me as bolshie and confrontational. To avoid further misunderstanding perhaps I should send you a hand signal? I can think of a few that are quite unambiguous.

...

'scuse me, new bloke poking his nose in. 93% of communication is non-verbal. Yup you read that correctly, only 7% is verbal with 38% coming from voice tone and 55% body language. Emails, texts and internet forums are therefore a minefield sown with opportunities for misunderstanding, miscommunication, misconstrual and perceived offence. Just my two penn'orth.

Stop it the pair of you. I've only just been drawn into IR, my bank account has gone into hiding at the sight of this thread.

Has anyone else clicked on JB1's link above? It either brings up a link to a dodgy survey ("Congrats!! You've won a free phone") or a message saying we have nothing for you.