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News: Pellpax Joins Gun Trade Association

Pellpax can announce that it has become a member of the Gun Trade Association (GTA).

As a member of this association, Pellpax is an integral part of a nationwide network of organisations, dedicated to ensuring the safe use of guns and the continued health of shooting sports and professions.

The Gun Trade Association has been promoting and protecting the UK gun trade since 1912. Working closely with police and governmental authorities, the GTA offers its members support and advice in all areas of the trade, from licensing and insurance queries to issues of transportation and storage. As a council member of the British Shooting Sports Council (BSSC), the GTA co-operates with the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and the Countryside Alliance (CA), representing the gun trade in matters of legislation.

The GTA works closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Home Office, the Department of Trade and Industry, Firearms Licensing Departments, and HM Revenue and Customs.

The present GTA chairman is 77-year-old John Batley, a professional pigeon shooter since 1984 and author of The Pigeon Shooter: A Complete Guide to Modern Pigeon Shooting. This elegantly written book, first published in 1996, is as engaging to the layman as it is to the expert, and Mr Batley’s vast knowledge of the wood pigeon, in regard to both anatomy and habit, is testimony to his many years of dedication to the sport. In his introduction, he writes, “The wood pigeon has enabled me to feed and clothe my family, travel to fascinating places and meet many, many people.”

John Batley says, “The GTA exists today primarily to defend the interests of the gun trade by working closely with all official bodies that could influence or damage the industry.” He goes on to say that the GTA’s protection of the UK gun trade is, by definition, in the interests of all those who shoot in this country.

The GTA’s Code of Practice sets out clear parameters:

The safety of the public shall be a priority for the Association and its members.
All members must be acquainted with the relevant law and comply with it in all respects.
A primary aim of all our members is to give good service to their customers and to the public.
All members shall take responsibility for the products that they sell.
Members shall conduct themselves in a proper and professional manner in their dealings with other members of the trade and the public.
Members’ advertising shall be designed and worded so as not to bring the trade or its products into disrepute.
All members shall abide by the stated aims and objectives of the Association as published.
Members shall be held accountable for their actions by the Association.

Pellpax’s Managing Director, Darren Kirk, explained why it was important for Pellpax to be a member of the GTA:

“Membership of the GTA gives access to tools that help us promote the safe use of guns in this country, and we’re proud to be a part of maintaining the good reputation of the trade.” He added, “Safety of the public is our main priority in every aspect of what we do.”

Event: The Game Fair, 28-30 July 2017

The 59th Game Fair heads to Hatfield House in Hertfordshire between 28 and 30 July later this year.

With a wide itinerary of events that includes country pursuits, a focus on land and gardens, activities (including archery, 4×4 driving, helicopter flights, debating theatre and much more), it should prove to be a great summer weekend for families and those with a passion for hunting, the countryside and outdoor pursuits.

Gun and Accessories Brands In Attendance

Major gun and accessory brands will be in attendance including Croots, Elderkin & Son, Holland & Holland, Hull Cartridge, Sporting Shooter magazine, Airgun World magazine, Nitesite, and Weihrauch, as well as many others.

The event is sponsored by Subaru, who will be holding all wheel driving demonstrations during the weekend. Visitors will be able to jump aboard a Subaru Forester, Outback or XV, and experience the show’s specially designed off road course, which includes various obstacles and inclines.

The George Digweed Pigeon Challenge

Fieldsports Magazine will be launching the George Digweed Pigeon Challenge, where members of the public will be given the opportunity to beat shooting scores set by two of the best shots out there, on a grouse and pheasant range designed especially for the occasion. Top Gun will take away a special array of prizes, and to enter you simply have to head to their stand.

For animal lovers, there will be various other outdoor pursuits on display including falconry, gundogs, horse and hounds, pugs and fishing.

The event includes camping facilities and you can even enjoy premium eating and drinking facilities by upgrading to a Gold or Platinum package.

You can buy tickets for The Game Fair here. Learn more about the event by heading to their official site.

Event: Northern Shooting Show 2017

This year’s Northern Shooting Show 2017 will take place Sat 6th-Sun 7th May 2017, at the Yorkshire Event Centre, in Harrowgate.

In only its second year, the event comes with a host of exhibitors from world of airguns, shotguns, bushcraft, airsoft, gamekeeping and more. It promises to be one of the big events in the shooting and country calendar.

Wide Range of Exhibitors

Many major airgun brands will be at the show, including Airgun brands at the show – Air Arms, Bladetech, Brocock, BSA, Crossman, Daystate, Evanex, FX airguns, Gamo, Hatsan, Hawke, Pulsar, Stoeger, Tesro, Traser, Umarex, Walther, Weihrauch, Webley and more. Meanwhile, the shotgun world will be well-represented with ATA, Armsan, Benelli, Beretta, Browning, & Edmiston, Blaser, , Hatsan, Remington, Webley & Scott, Winchester and more.

There is also a 6,000 square foot airsoft ‘experience’ area, with lots of top airsoft manufacturers and companies including ASG, Airsoft Action, Airsoft Sniper Parts, Badgertac, Elite Shooting, Halo Mill, Nuprol, UKPSA, Stirling Airsoft & The Grange, with more to be announced.

New Deer Focus Area

This year, there will be a new area dedicated to deer, called Deer Focus, with a big focus on deer management, and educating visitors on the journey from ‘food to fork’. With members of the British Deer Society and BASC on hand, the importance of hunting, and showing people their food comes from will be emphasised. Mike Thornley of BASC will be offering a head & pluck deer gland check demo and Viking Arms will be offering a masterclass in how to shoot the perfect kill shot, with the assistance of a Simway simulator.

British Shooting Target Sprint

The Northern Heat of the British Shooting Target Sprint National Series will be held during the weekend, on site. This air rifle discipline combines target shooting intermittently with sprinting in three 400 meter bursts.

Gorgs Geikie, who is organising the events for the national body that runs the sport, said: “We feel this is an enticing way to get young people into the sport of shooting adding some much needed new blood, aswell as an open environment to welcome back shooting enthusiasts.” This Northern Heat at the show is open to Youths (11-15 years), Juniors (16-20 years) and Seniors (21 & over).

New Hall For 2017

A £12 million hall has been built by Yorkshire Agricultural Society, with 1,000m2 of space, and additional cafe & meeting rooms. This will provide the Show’s exhibitors with ample additional space, making the show considerably bigger.

Tickets for the event start from £10 for adults (under 8s go free) and you get them here. You can contact the show on 01472 809727 or email them at [email protected] for more information.

The Big Interview: Peter Glenser (BASC)

Peter demonstrates his BASC credentials with some hunting

This month, I spoke to Peter Glenser, Chairman of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), and regular contributor to The Shooting Gazette and other shooting publications. Often referred to as the UK’s leading firearms barrister, Peter plays a major role in firearm legislation, education, and recreation.

He has been described as one of the most respected and trusted defence barristers in cases involving firearms. Fifty-three-year-old Peter Glenser studied Law at the University of Southampton and qualified as a barrister in 1993. With personal experience of firearms and the countryside, he was soon acknowledged as an authority in this area of law.

I asked Peter if he’d had a job before entering the legal profession.

“Several and varied; I worked in sales and property and a few other things whilst I thought about what to do with my life. I spent a very enjoyable season working in Val d’Isère, in the French Alps, doing all sorts of stuff like cleaning, cooking, and maintenance, in exchange for a free ski pass. When I came back, I got a job working for a solicitor and decided my future was in law.”

Starting At The BASC

Peter was elected onto the BASC council in 2009, and has been chairman since May 2016.

“I became involved through the firearms department, which is staffed by experts in firearms and firearm law. Its purpose is to advise government, to advise and assist police forces, and, of course, to offer first-rate firearms advice to BASC members. Last year was a record for the department in that it dealt with more than 10,000 enquiries from members for assistance. That demand shows no sign of abating, but is evidence that members value the service. BASC is the only organisation in the UK that provides a team of full-time staff to deal with firearms enquiries.”

BASC began life in 1908 as the Wildfowlers’ Association of Great Britain and Ireland (WAGBI), to help and defend wildfowling – both as a profession and a sport. In 1981, WAGBI took on the role of being a single representative body for shooting sports, and the name was changed to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation.

Peter explained what the BASC does:

“Our job is to ensure balanced comment in the media, continued opportunities to go shooting, all-party backing for shooting, a strong and unified voice for shooting, and it ensures that high standards are maintained.”

Hunting

Peter is a quarry shooter (“No, I don’t think I’ve ever entered a target-shooting completion…”). A keen deerstalker and grouse shooter, he’s also rather useful in the kitchen. His culinary inspiration comes from his sister, Helen (“a serious foodie”), and his good friend, the UK’s most prominent game chef, Mike Robinson. Mike was recently named as BASC’s first food ambassador.

“I’m very keen on cooking with venison – ounce for ounce it has less fat than a skinned chicken breast, so we tend to have venison spaghetti bolognese, venison meatballs, venison en croûte, venison steaks … It’s full of B vitamins, zinc, iron, selenium, omega 3 … Basically, it’s a really healthy food!”

Peter’s shooting companion is Finn, an eight-year-old liver-coloured, flat-coated retriever, described by his master as “the worst-behaved dog in history”, yet “a tireless and enthusiastic worker – when he puts his mind to it”.

Although Finn has been known to display flashes of brilliance in his work, he is easily distracted by the ladies of his species.

“He prefers chercher les femmes to finding the pheasants! And he’s not above having a dominance competition with other males; as a result, he’s not always welcomed enthusiastically at driven shoots. He’s also a bit of a thief.”

Finn’s favourite lady is a lurcher called Twiglet, who belongs to Georgia, Peter’s teenage daughter. There’s no doubt, however, about who is top dog in this relationship. “The sad truth is that she outsmarts him most of the time!”

So how and when did Peter get into shooting?

“I was introduced to shooting at school. I loved it. I belonged to the Sea Scouts and then the CCF, and a passion for shooting in all its forms probably started there. This is why I am so keen to develop schemes that get youngsters shooting from an early age. Last summer, BASC provided a coaching line at the Essex International Scout and Girl Guide Jamboree. We coached almost 6,000 youngsters to shoot clays, and it was just so rewarding to see them queuing at the gates. It was the most popular event at the Jamboree, and proof that shooting can engage young minds if you can get it in front of them.”

Favourite Guns

As a child, was Peter allowed his own gun?

“I badgered my parents for an air rifle, but they were initially reluctant to let me have one. Anyway, I suppose it must have been apparent my interest wasn’t going to wane. They eventually let me have my first air rifle when I was about 12 – a Webley Hawk Mk II.”

Does Peter have a favourite gun?

“My favourite shotgun is the Scottish Round Action – so a Dickson or a McKay Brown. I’d love either! I’m lucky enough to own my favourite rifle – a Rigby .275. ”

Finally, I asked Peter about his proudest shooting moment. There was no hesitation.

“It was when my daughter, Georgia, shot her first grouse. She was twelve, and we were walking up at Dorback in Inverness-shire. It was the first time she’d been allowed cartridges rather than just carrying an empty .410, and the bird is now stuffed and has pride of place at home.”

To learn more about the work of the BASC, head to their official website.

The Big Interview: Scout The Doggie (Airsoft)

airsoft legend Scout The Doggie — John Welsh, aka Scout The Doggie, pictured here in civilian mode, with his young son.

This month, our correspondent Hazel Randall spoke to airsofting legend, Scout The Doggie about his many adventures in the sport.

It was a great pleasure to talk to Scout the Doggie, whose YouTube videos have inspired so many people to take up the game of airsoft. With almost 700,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel and over 200 million views of his airsoft videos, Scout’s popularity continues to draw thousands of visitors from the UK and abroad to Section 8, a 1,400-acre woodland skirmishing site in Scotland, where he does most of his filming.

Airsoft skirmishes

Originally designed for target practice, airsoft guns first made an appearance in Japan, circa 1980, and were introduced in the UK a decade later. Since then, airsoft equipment has been used for police and military training drill and, increasingly, for recreation. Registered airsoft sites are plentiful in the UK, with a growing number of enthusiasts gathering at weekends for skirmishes.

The appeal of airsoft skirmishing has a lot to do with the illusion of realism. Airsoft guns are replica weapons that launch spherical, non-metallic pellets, and the games are played out in unmodified woodland or disused industrial areas.

There is often no evidence that a pellet has hit a player; therefore the game relies on a system of honour, whereby a player who is ‘killed’ must declare the fact. Although some occasional cheating occurs, the airsoft code of honour is tight, and when dishonesty is discovered, it is never tolerated.

That’s not to say that the pellets are totally harmless:

“These guns will knock people’s teeth out. I’ve seen them embedded into players’ faces and ears, and jammed up noses, which is why many choose to wear full face masks”, Scout tells us.

Scout the Doggie

He’s one of the best known personalities in the rough-and-tough world of airsoft. Scout the Doggie, is a Scotsman who dominates the international YouTube airsoft scene with his exciting videos of simulated military battle.

A little daunted by the masked, gun-toting, gruff-voiced action men (and women) on the videos, I must say I was a trifle apprehensive about talking to the mysterious figure behind the camera. But

john welsh in ww2 uniform, airsofting in Scotland — Airsofting can sometimes involve re-enactment. Like this WWII Uniform. (Credit: John Welsh)

when I spoke to the real life person who adopts Scout as his ‘stage’ name, John Welsh’s gentle Scottish voice and friendly chuckle put me immediately at my ease.

John is a skilled film maker. Before his involvement in the world of airsoft, he made training videos for large companies. He had no training in the medium – unless you count the one-day course at the Apple store in Glasgow:

“That took about an hour!” John told me.

scout airsoft loadout section8 onsite — Scout at Section8, the Scottish airsofting location. (Credit: John Welsh)

John has always been an avid collector of music videos and has used his filming skills to capture rock legends such as AC/DC and the Sex Pistols on film. His extensive video library has contributed to media archives all over the world, and on several DVDs, John is credited for the footage he supplied.

So how and when did John get into airsoft skirmishing?

About ten years ago, he bought a Heckler & Koch MP5 airsoft rifle for a close friend’s birthday.

“I was really impressed with the quality of it. As kids, we’d had a lot of fun with airguns, and I suddenly got the urge to do a bit of shooting again. The first gun I bought for myself was a Tokyo Marui G3/SG1. There were many more after that!”. Another one of John’s favourite airsoft guns is the AGM MP40 rifle.

The first time John tried out airsoft, he went alone. “My expectations were exceeded. It was far better than I imagined – much more organised and just good clean fun.” He added, mischievously, “It’s great meeting new friends – and then shooting them!”

And the videos?

John was always keen to introduce friends to the world of airsoft, but found that some people were reluctant to give it a go. So, about a year after his own initiation into the game, he took a video of the action in order to share with his friends the fun that was to be had at a skirmish. He put a few of these videos onto YouTube and was surprised at their popularity.

In an airsoft game, when you’re ‘killed’, you have to drop out of play until a new game begins. During these periods of inaction, John would video his team mates, edit the footage, and post the videos on You Tube. He was beginning to get a name for himself, and it wasn’t John. Scout’s stage name was in fact taken from his beloved dog, a very dear white German Shepherd.

The popularity of Scout the Doggie’s videos grew so quickly and unexpectedly that John was soon in a position where strangers all over the world were familiar with his videos and the regular players who featured in Section 8 skirmishes. Other sites were keen to have Scout film their airsoft games, and airsoft manufacturers benefitted hugely from Scout’s product endorsements.

What are Scout the Doggie’s plans for the future?

“I’d love to visit the USA,” he told me. “Most of my views come from America, closely followed by the UK and Germany. So I’d maybe film at a few American airsoft events. But to be honest, I’d be happy just to spend most of my time meeting the people who watch my videos.”

You can find Scout’s youtube channel here.

Stay in tuned to the blog for more airsoft news, reviews and interviews.

Check out our interview with another airsoft celebrity, Femme Fatale Airsoft.

And take a look around our online airsoft store to put together your perfect loadout.

Gold for Pellpax Girl, Amy Brown, in Málaga

amy-pellpax-gold — Amy, sporting her Gold medal.

We are very proud to be sponsoring the talented young Olympic hopeful, Amy Brown. At just 19 years old, Amy has already achieved impressive results in the world of skeet shooting, and her personal best scores are rocketing.

After being scouted by an APSI (Association of Professional Shooting Instructors) coach in the summer of 2015, Amy was successful at the Target Tokyo trials and, later that year, competed in the British Championships, taking second place in the Junior Ladies’ category.

This year, representing England, Amy took first place in the Junior category at the Captain’s Cup against Scotland, achieving two personal bests. In awful weather conditions at Bisley Shooting Ground, in Surrey, Amy shot for Team GB, taking third in Juniors and 11^th overall. She also beat her competition personal best by six clays.

Later in the summer, Amy competed at the International Grand Prix in Holland, her first international competition, where she achieved ‘high gun’ position on both days and won team Gold. This success was closely followed by another international competition in Serbia.

In the summer of 2015, Amy passed ‘A’ levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, and Chemistry, and then took a gap year so that she could dedicate her time and effort to Olympic Skeet. Now, studying Law in her first year at Northumbria University in Newcastle, Amy is juggling her two worlds of shooting and academia; but this doesn’t seem to faze her. When Amy attends shooting events, tutors are sympathetic to her need for time out from her studies; and on her return, Amy just buckles down to work in order to catch up.

As well as shooting in competitions, Amy trains regularly, dividing her time between Bywell Shooting Ground in Northumberland, Beverley Clay Target Centre in East Yorkshire, and Auchterhouse Shooting Ground in Dundee, Scotland, where she receives instruction from her coach, Iain McGregor. She also works out at the university gym several times a week to maintain her stamina and upper body strength.

International competitions take Amy out of her comfort zone. In the late summer of this year, she flew to Málaga, where, doused in sun-screen, she sweated her way through the Junior Grand Prix in uncomfortably high temperatures. It wasn’t just the heat, however, that tested Amy’s resilience.

“I found it quite nerve-racking, competing against strangers. There were a few other British competitors, and I knew most of them, but there were so many people I’d never met before, and shooting in front of them made me nervous!”

However, Amy is a very determined young woman. I was surprised by the fact that she had booked her own plane ticket, accommodation, and car hire – daunting tasks for a 19-year-old. Amy is focused on success. She rises to every challenge that faces her and takes everything in her stride.

And how did Amy get on in Málaga? She won Gold in the Junior Ladies event.

You can follow Amy on Twitter, here.

David Ward on Norfolk Deer Management

David Ward of Norfolk Deer Management gives us insight into a slice of countryside life by telling us about his service.

My name is David Ward and I’m a professional deerstalker, trading under the name Norfolk Deer Management. I’m passionate about what I do, and I offer a free but professional service to farmers and landowners, managing deer numbers on their land. I simply keep the carcassof any deer that I shoot. I’m registered as a food business with North Norfolk District Council, and I process the carcass myself and supply the venison to local pubs and restaurants.

I’m looking for more land over which to manage deer numbers, so if you think you could make use of my free service, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me so we can have a chat about what you require and how I can help. I use a range of calibres in my work, the Browning X Bolt in .308 calibre being the mainstay. I also keep the rabbit numbers down on a couple of farms and use a CZ .22LR and CZ HMR17 for this work – both great calibres, despite the issues around the defects in HMR 17 ammunition.

Advising & Working With Pellpax

I load my own ammunition and was very happy to advise Pellpax on reloading supplies and equipment for them to stock. Pellpax is a Registered Firearms Dealer and offers a unique service in that they carry out face-to-face deliveries to their purchasers across the country every weekend. This includes powder and expanding ammunition. I have also agreed to carry out impartial reviews on some of the products they sell, and these can be found on my website.

As to the future: well, I’m looking to create a deer park. So I’m looking for property owners – of stately homes or events venues – who might want such an attraction on their land. It would make a great photo shoot backdrop to a wedding. Also I’m looking to rent the deer shooting rights from a large estate in order that I can take clients out to cull deer under my supervision. I’ll keep you updated on any developments.

If you’d like to contact David, you can find out more, and get in touch with him, over at his website>>>> http://www.norfolkdeermanagement.co.uk

Welcome To The Pellpax Blog!

Hello, friends and customers, it’s my pleasure as the Director of Pellpax to welcome you all to our new blog. To introduce ourselves, Pellpax is the leading retailer of airguns online. We sell a host of products, including airguns, bushcraft, archery gear, shotguns, watercraft equipment, and much more, to people across the UK, from our base in Norwich.

As a Registered Firearms Dealer we’re licensed to sell weapons, and we have a face to face service delivering airguns and shotguns to your door, with our very own team of drivers out every week. We have also recently acquired our explosives licence, allowing us to transport live ammunition. These services are unique among our online competitors, and makes us stand out from the crowd.

Due to a lot of hard work, ingenuity, and diligence, our business has grown massively in the past couple of years, and this is why we are now reaching out to firearms, outdoor and archery enthusiasts across the Britain with the launch of our very own blog.

Those people who are passionate about these subjects will get to read hints, tips, reviews, news and interviews as we aim to bring you the very best content.

We hope you enjoy it, and stay tuned, enjoy the read, and subscribe to our email updates for fresh content, offers, updates and more.