Hazel Randall, Author at Pellpax Blog

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.

Airgunning and Pest Control

This month we look at the a question which is often asked by airgunners. Understanding the rules, regulations and laws around pest control is an important part of being a responsible air rifle or air pistol shooter. Read on to find out more….

What animals are considered to be pests? What species can you shoot?

In some cases, the law is plain; in others, it’s a bit hazy. The UK’s strict gun laws, together with animal welfare legislation, have a tight rein over an individual’s right to shoot a non-domestic animal. And the definition of a ‘pest’ is not subjective.

Here are a few examples of some common UK wild animals that you might want to go to battle with.

Pigeons

The national population of woodpigeons has doubled over the last 25 years and has become a serious pest to the UK farming industry. The woodpigeon is prolific throughout Europe, but the UK population is unique in that it’s mostly non-migratory. This means, of course, that the birds never go away, and crop damage occurs throughout the year.

The growth of the woodpigeon population is directly related to the increase in oilseed rape farming. Traditionally grown purely as animal feed, oilseed rape has become a lucrative crop; and as the woodpigeon’s preferred food, the two species have flourished side-by-side. The herbivorous woodpigeon, however, is not fussy, and the annual cost of general crop damage runs into millions of pounds.

In towns and cities, feral pigeons congregate on roofs and ledges, their faeces dropping onto the ground. Due to the bacteria and ectoparasites present in pigeon droppings, they are considered to be a health hazard. As for the nuisance aspect, the build-up of debris from roosting pigeons can cause blockage of drainpipes and gutters, to the cost of freeholders and tenants.

It stands to reason that urban-dwelling pigeons cannot be shot, and there are several alternative systems in place (none of them particularly effective) to control the population. The shooting of woodpigeon in rural areas is controlled by general licences issued by government agencies, authorising the shooting of animals for specific purposes, such as the prevention of serious damage to crops and the preservation of public health.

Although you do not need to apply for general licences, you are required, by law, to abide by their terms and conditions. So it’s essential to inform yourself of these rules before you attempt hunting with your air rifle (check the BASC site for further details).

Grey Squirrels

**The grey squirrel is an opportunistic pest**

Because squirrels bury nuts, but do not remember where they buried them, they are very useful to tree populations due to the carefully dispersed seeds. But this doesn’t cut much ice in the popularity stakes. The harm done to woodland by the little grey squirrel far outstrips the benefits.

Grey squirrels are opportunist feeders, thriving on a wide variety of food, including berries, fruit, seeds, nuts, flowers, and leaf buds, fungi, insects, birds’ eggs, and fledglings. They also have a penchant for the phloem tissue (sweet, sap-filled layers) just beneath the bark of trees, which is responsible for the movement of sugars within the plant. Removal of bark and phloem tissue can cause permanent damage to the tree.

The grey squirrel is a carrier of the squirrel pox virus, an infection to which it is immune, but which is harmful to the rarer red squirrel. Carcasses showing signs of squirrel pox – scabs around the mouth, eyes, nose, feet, and genitalia – should be sent to the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) for investigation.

Free shooting of grey squirrels is generally accepted, but the Animal Welfare Act 2006 is clear: it is illegal to cause ‘unnecessary suffering’ to an animal under your care. So you must make a clean kill, and that typically means a head shot. Targeting your quarry using a scope, and using an powerful, accurate air rifle or pistol is essential. Alternatively, you can use a rimfire rifle or shotgun, if you have access to these. In 2010, the first person to be prosecuted in the UK for causing harm to a non-domestic animal was fined £1,500 for drowning a trapped squirrel.

Rabbits

Rabbits can be shot in the daytime by the occupier of the land and one other authorised person, who can be part of the household or staff, or an individual employed specifically for the control of rabbits for remuneration.

Moles

It is illegal to shoot moles.

Magpies

The magpie is a protected species. However, the law allows the killing of a magpie for the purpose of bird preservation, a concept which is vehemently supported by members of Songbird Survival, a charity that was set up to protect the declining songbird species in the UK. If you shoot a magpie, you may have to prove in a court of law that you had acted lawfully, which could be difficult, due to a lack of evidence that magpies do actually affect the conservation of other bird species.

Rats

Of the two species of rat in the UK, the most common is the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). They carry diseases – salmonella, listeria etc – which can spread to humans; they eat the eggs of ground-nesting birds; and they destroy property. They are not popular fellows.

Rats need to gnaw constantly in order to wear down their incisor teeth, which never stop growing. They cause floods by gnawing through lead pipes, dangerous gas leaks by chewing through gas pipes, and fires as a result of stripping insulation from electrical cables. It has been estimated that 25% of electrical fires in the UK are caused by rats.

The rat is included in the legal airgun quarry, so it is legal for a person authorised by the landowner or tenant to shoot rats with an air rifle or air pistol. The famous Crosman Rat Catcher is an example of an effective weapon to use in these situations.

When shooting in a confined area, take care not to allow pellets to stray beyond your boundary. Use food to coax your quarry to a spot in front of a backstop such as a brick wall or a carefully positioned concrete slab.

If you have a pest problem, then check out our range of pest control air rifle kits, here.

To learn more about pest control and the codes of practices around it, you can visit the BASC website.

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.

News: Pellpax Announces New Low Prices

The people of Britain have voted to leave the European Union and go it alone.

The pound has slumped, increasing the cost of imported goods. So what does life look like, post Brexit referendum, for businesses like Pellpax?

Many of the products Pellpax sell are imported. Does this mean, then, that Pellpax prices will go up? Apparently not: in fact, they’re going down. I had a chat with Managing Director, Darren Kirk.

What’s going on, Darren? Have you lost the plot?

Well, I agree, it does seem odd. But there really is good reason behind the madness! It’s all to do with passing on to our customers the benefits of Pellpax’s growth.

With two new warehouse units on the point of completion, we now have the extra space to hold stock, meaning that we can buy in larger quantities. The savings we make on bulk purchases will be reflected in the price tags. The fact that we are in a position to expand is down to the thousands of customers who have been loyal to us over the last few years.

But most of these reduced prices are barely above the cost price. Is it really feasible?

I know it sounds crazy. Yes, our margins are now smaller. Yes, we’re now putting lower prices on most of our goods; buying power is certainly one benefit of rapid growth. We aim to deliver products like airguns to your door more cheaply – or at least, at no greater expense – than if you were to buy locally.

The thing is, Hazel, we don’t want our customers to suffer from this political change when it comes to buying from us. Christmas is just around the corner. We want to be able to provide top quality goods at great prices. After all, it’s our customers who have made this possible: without them, there would be no Pellpax.

How will your delivery service be affected?

It won’t be affected, but I am able to lower our delivery charges. As you know, fuel prices have risen quite dramatically, due not only to the weak pound and higher import duty, but also to the simultaneous rise in the cost of oil. However, because of the increasing number of deliveries we do every week, we can actually reduce our delivery charge. Higher fuel costs are absorbed in the sheer volume of deliveries.

Another fantastic advantage of our unique delivery service is that we can always – or nearly always – squeeze in an extra delivery at the last minute. Our six vehicles cover the whole of the UK each week (with monthly visits to Scotland), so one of our drivers will be, at some point, only ten minutes away from any location. This is what Pellpax is all about: it’s about looking after our customers.

Pellpax delivery driver Chris tours the country each weekend.

Do you think that these low prices are sustainable?

They certainly won’t change in the next few months, unless I think I can reduce them further to stimulate further growth. What will happen after January, I really don’t know; a lot depends on the direction sterling takes. But I’m optimistic.

How will Pellpax’s expansion help to keep prices as low as they are?

With the two new warehouses, we’ll have the capacity to hold a wider variety of stock, and in greater quantity, so that everything on the website is always available. This also means that we can order more, but less frequently, from suppliers, reducing delivery costs into our warehouses.

New IT systems, written specifically for us, have improved the automated ordering process, and they also give us better control over inventories. If the excellent service we provide is enough to retain the loyalty and satisfaction of our customers, the result will be long-term low prices.

Learn more about our special Pellpax service, which bring airguns, shotguns and more delivered directly to your door, right here. And find out about what life is like for drivers on the delivery service here.

You can also discover more about the work of our correspondent, Hazel Randall, here. She offers copywriting services in Norwich, Norfolk and beyond.

Femmes Fatales : Clay Shooting For Girls

harriet-aimee-rose-and-chiara — **Harriet Aimee Rose and Chiara of the Femme Fatales at a recent shoot**

This month, our writer Hazel Randall spoke to Femme Fatales, a clay shooting community with a difference…..

Delving into the world-wide-web for information about ‘Femmes Fatales’, I came face to face with gentlemen’s magazines, rock bands, and some sort of cult; at one point I found myself on an ‘Asian girls dating site’. And then: bingo! I was looking at a group of smiling, fresh-faced women (fully clothed) – all toting guns.

Femmes Fatales is an online community for women clay shooters. The group was founded two years ago by Lydia Abdelaoui and Rachel Carrie. Unashamedly feminine, the Femmes Fatales state on their website’s homepage that they “have a love for high heels and lipstick, but also like the smell of gun oil and aren’t afraid to get their boots muddy.”

Employed by an ammunition producer, Lydia felt that she should have a go at shooting in order to understand a bit more about the world she was working in. She took to the sport like a duck to water, and continued to shoot regularly. On the circuit, Lydia met Rachel, and together they conceived the idea of an online community for women shooters, providing an opportunity for all women to take up the sport in a safe, relaxed environment.

group-photo-lincolnshire — **A group photo at a Femme Fatales clay shooting day in Lincolnshire**

Members of Femmes Fatales take it in turns to organise shooting events around the UK. On Saturday November 5^th, 35-year-old Chiara King will be hosting her first FF event at Orston Shooting Ground, Nottinghamshire. Chiara told me a bit about a typical FF shooting event.

“If you’re a beginner, or if you’ve never even held a gun before, there’s equipment available for you to use: you don’t have to own your own gun or bring ammunition. There are also well-qualified instructors, to coach beginners.” Chiara added, “But these events aren’t just for novices; we get a lot of world-class shots competing too.”

Competitors at the Femmes Fatales Cup in April this year included the current British Open Ladies champion, Hannah Gibson, and England team representative, Alexandra Skeggs, who won the competition.

The headline sponsor was clothing label, Holland Cooper, who provided the top prize: a beautiful Gold Label fur cape worth £1,000. The idea of the Femmes Fatales Cup – held annually at The Royal Berkshire Shooting School – is to bring together experienced lady clay shots, novices, and complete beginners at one event to celebrate women in shooting sports.

I asked Chiara about her own shooting background and her introduction to Femmes Fatales.

heather-todd — **Heather Todd, a Femme Fatales member, taking aim with a shotgun**

“I’ve been shooting for five years; my first time was when I went along to a ‘have-a-go’ clay night with my sister. I was living in Sheffield at that time, but after moving to Pocklington in East Yorkshire, I didn’t shoot for a while. Then I attended a couple of Femmes Fatales events, had a brilliant time, and got right back into shooting. I got to know lots of people and made new friends.”

The next FF event will be on Saturday, 29^th October at Bywell Shooting Ground in Felton, Northumberland, hosted by Laura Appleby. No experience is required to take part in the day, and all instruction, clays, safety wear, ear defenders and equipment will be provided. Experienced shots are welcome to bring their own shotgun and shotgun cartridges if they wish.

The Femmes Fatales Cup returns to The Royal Berkshire Shooting School on Saturday 29th April 2017.

I asked Lydia about plans for the future.

“We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing. What we’ve achieved in two years has far exceeded our expectations – we’re just taking each day as it comes, making the most of every opportunity we’re given, and having fun!”

You can learn more about Femme Fatales at their official site, here: http://www.femmes-fatales.co.uk

Find out more about the Orston Shooting Ground at http://www.orston.com

The Big Interview: Steven Richardson

**Steven Richardson, stationed in Afghanistan.**

This week, we take the opportunity to chat to our brave army veteran and Help For Heroes fundraiser, Steven Richardson…..

Afghanistan 2010, Operation Herrick 12: the role of mentoring and advising the Afghan army fell to the 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, Royal Scots Borderers. Among them was a young 22-year-old Steven Richardson (pictured opposite), whose life changed forever when an IED (improvised explosive device) exploded under his feet. He awoke, four days later, in The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, to discover that both of his legs had been amputated above the knee, and that he’d lost five fingers.

It had always been Steven’s ambition to serve in the British army. Impatient for recruitment, he’d asked his parents to give their consent when he was just 16 years old. They refused. But in 2006, when Steven turned 18, he was free to follow his dream, and he joined up immediately. His army career came to an end just four years later.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, is home to The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) – the primary receiving hospital for service personnel injured on operations. After a week of drifting in and out of consciousness, Steven began to take some small steps towards recovery. The first hurdle was sitting up.

“I’d been lying down for 10 days”, Steven explained. “When I first tried to sit up in bed, I nearly fainted; I just toppled over.”

During his four weeks at the Queen Elizabeth, Steven received a lot of physiotherapy, and he was soon ready to try out his first wheelchair. As a soldier, Steven had been a competent driver of all land vehicles; however, due to the loss of so many fingers, now even his handling of a wheelchair was somewhat erratic.

“I was like a ping-pong ball bouncing off the walls,” he told me, laughing.

Help For Heroes — **Steven pictured here on his hand bike**

A month at the RCDM was followed by physiotherapy and occupational therapy at Headley Court, a military-run rehabilitation centre for wounded service personnel, opened in June 2010 by HRH Prince William of Wales. Steven would spend four or five weeks at Headley Court, followed by two or three weeks at home. This pattern continued throughout his three years of rehabilitation.

In 2012, Steven met Jon-Paul Nevin, head of Strength and Conditioning at the Phoenix House Recovery Centre gym, at Tedworth House, in Wiltshire – a centre operated by Help for Heroes. Steven and JP (as he is known by his friends) were surprised to discover that they had a connection.

“We’d never met before,” Steven told me, “but it turned out we’d grown up in the same village – East Calder – and we went to the same schools. JP’s younger brother was in the year above me.”

JP had big plans: He intended to enter an eight-man team of injured soldiers into the 3,000-mile cycle relay race across the United States of America in June 2012. This would be the very first disabled team to enter the race. Steven wanted to be a part of it.

Training for this event took place at Tedworth House. Steven would spend a weekend or a week at a time at Tedworth, working out in the Phoenix Centre gym. Lots of men began training, hoping to be selected for the team. As Steven would be using a hand bike, it was important for him to build up his upper-body strength as well as his stamina. By the end of his training period, he was doing a bike ride every day. Steven was now in excellent shape – thoroughly deserving of his place in the team.

image1-2 — Steven pictured with Help For Heroes Race Across America team

Steven was one of four athletes in Team Battle Back to use a hand bike; the other three – Simon Harmer, Steve Arnold, and Joe Townsend – had all lost legs in explosions in Afghanistan. Between them, the eight men cycled 3051 miles over hilly terrain, crossing 12 states from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland. They raised almost £100,000 for Help for Heroes.

I asked Steven about his prosthetic legs – something along the lines of: “Do you have a pair?” With a chuckle, Steven said, “I have more legs now than I’ve ever had. In fact, I have a wardrobe full of them, lined up in pairs – it’s rather like a graveyard in there.” Knowing that Steven had been an expert marksman during his army career, I asked whether he still did any shooting. “A bit of pest control. I’m going out tonight, actually. I’ll take my five dogs with me for a run.”

“Five dogs?”

“Yes – springer spaniel, Labrador, Staffordshire terrier, German shepherd, and a collie-cross.”

I asked Steven if the loss of so many fingers caused difficulties in handling his rifle. “Well, I have four fingers on my left hand,” he told me, “and as I’m left-handed anyway, it’s not too awkward. I bought a .22 Rat Sniper air rifle from Pellpax, and I get on really well with that.”

Now Steven is moving on to the next phase of his life: he’s about to begin a course in sea kayaking at Glenmore Lodge, Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre. His plan is to set up in business as a sea kayaking guide, conducting day trips and overnight excursions around the Scottish coast.

“The thing is,” he said, “most of the best paddling is over on the west coast of Scotland, and I live on the east coast. But rather than move house, I’ll be mobile: I’ll meet clients wherever they wish to explore.” Steven Richardson is a strong and determined man. We wish him every success in his new career.

You can follow Steven’s adventures on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hopskipstump. And to learn more about Help For Heroes, head to their official site.

The Big Interview: Amy Brown

amy-brown-1 — Pellpax welcomes Amy Brown

Here at Pellpax, we are really proud to announce that we will be sponsoring 19-year-old Amy Brown.

Determined, intelligent, focused, and diligent, she’s a champion in the making. Look out for her at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo; we believe she’ll be there.

After passing ‘A’ levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, and Chemistry, Amy decided to take a gap year before starting university in order to dedicate her time and effort to Olympic Skeet.

Last year, Amy was travelling all over the country to train and compete with other top-quality shooters, including Olympic competitor, Amber Hill. But with the help of her supportive parents, who bought a touring caravan, Amy was able to train with her coach, Steve Bramley, for a week at a time at Doveridge Clay Sports Club in Derbyshire, which has hosted some of the world’s most prestigious clay shooting events.

Amy is now coached by Iain McGregor, who is based at Auchterhouse, in Dundee – voted by Clay Shooting Magazine readers as Scotland’s Favourite shooting ground. Iain is also coach to Drew Christie, a commonwealth silver medallist, and Sian Bruce, an international medallist who shoots for team GB.

Amy says, “Being able to train and compete alongside these excellent shots has provided me with great insight into how vital it is to maintain a high level of training at all times.”

Amy’s first step on her shooting career ladder was success at the Target Tokyo trials after being scouted by an APSI (Association of Professional Shooting Instructors) coach during the summer of 2015. During the autumn, Amy competed in the British Championships (Olympic Skeet), taking 2^nd place in the Junior Ladies’ category.

This summer, representing England, Amy took first place in the Junior category at the Captain’s Cup against Scotland. She also achieved two personal bests. In September, Amy will be competing in the Serbia Grand Prix – her first international competition.

Amy’s intensive training stands her in good stead. She says, “It’s made me mentally stronger and more capable of holding my nerve in competitions.”

But Amy’s focus isn’t restricted to her own advancement. She and her 16-year-old sister, Erin, run a ladies’ and girls’ shooting club that meets monthly to raise funds for various charities, including the Great North Air Ambulance and Bloodwise, an organisation that is striving to defeat all 137 types of blood cancer.

So when you attend local, national, and international shooting competitions, look out for our Amy, who will be wearing logoed Pellpax clothing. And keep an eye on the Pellpax blog page for updates on Amy’s progress.

So what does Amy hope to achieve by the end of this year?

“My goals for 2016 are to make a senior ladies’ final at the GB selection shoot in September, and also get into the top ten senior ladies for Olympic Skeet in Great Britain.

And in the next couple of years?

“I have my sights set on being selected for the commonwealth games in Australia 2018, and by the end of 2018 I want to be in the top ten for skeet women in Europe.”

Buyer’s Guide to Archery for Newbies

We have an extensive range of products in our archery store, and it can be intimidating for the newcomer. Where do you start? Buying your first bow is very exciting. A recurve bow is a beautiful object, and arrows come with various colours of fletches. But do you really know what you need for an enjoyable and rewarding archery experience?

First of all, you need to know what sort of bow you need. Let’s assume that we’re just looking at recurve bows, although we can help with How to Choose a Compound Bow guide too.

Left- or Right-Handed Bow?

If you’re right-handed, you’ll need a right-hand bow. This is a bow that you hold in your left hand. Your right (dominant) hand will pull back the string. On the left of the riser (the middle bit that you hold) is the arrow rest.

If you’re left-handed, you will shoot with a left-handed bow, held in the right hand. Your left (dominant) hand will pull back the string, and the arrow rest is on the right of the riser.

Bow Length

The next consideration is height. If you stand a strung bow in front of you, with the tip of the lower limb on the floor, the tip of the upper limb should reach the middle of your forehead, give or take an inch or so.

Draw Weight

The draw weight is the measurement of the force needed to pull the centre of the bowstring back to the corner of your mouth, with your bow arm fully extended. A man shooting for the first time will typically use a 28lb bow, and a woman will begin with a 24-poundage. As archers become stronger and more proficient, they increase the draw weight of their bows by changing the limbs.

Materials and design vary in the making of bow limbs. Stronger, stiffer limbs that have less give in them take more force to push away from the bowstring, and therefore the power in the arrow’s release is greater.

Arrow Length

It’s vital to source the right archery supplies, and there’s none more important than picking the right arrows. To find out how long your arrows should be, hold out your arms in front of you, fingers outstretched, and ask someone to measure the distance from your chest to fingertips. Add one inch, and this is approximately the length your arrows should be.

A person’s arm span is virtually equal to his own height. So a tall person will have a longer arm span than a short person. Basically, this means: long bow, long arrows; short bow, short arrows.

However, if you are in doubt, or are sharing arrows, it’s safest for everyone to use long arrows, avoiding the possibility of somebody tall using an arrow that’s too short. When an archer draws back his bowstring, the longer his arms, the further back the string (and arrow) will go. So if the arrow is not long enough, it will be drawn back beyond the riser and drop. There have been some very nasty accidents involving pierced hands and arms, caused by using arrows that are too short.

Other Archery Supplies

A bracer is worn on your bow arm (left arm if you are right handed, and vice versa). Its purpose is to protect the shooter’s inner forearm from the bowstring.

A finger tab is a cheap item – a partial glove, made of leather, to prevent soreness on the fingers of your pulling hand.

A bow stringer is a simple item, essential for assembling a bow correctly.

A bow rest isn’t an absolute must, but it’s a good idea to have somewhere safe to put your bow down when you’re not using it. A bow can get damaged when left leaning against a wall or lying on the ground.

At Pellpax’s archery store, we have a wide selection of recurve bows, arrows, accessories, and clothing. We also have a lot of expertise. Just ask!

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Air Rifle & Pistols

Have you got a passion for air rifle and air pistol shooting? Technical advancement in gun mechanics means that changes in shooting have been swift and numerous. Here are a few historical and scientific facts behind the popular sport.

Airguns Before Target Shooting

It’s known that airguns were used for hunting in the 15^th and 16^th century. They were expensive items, and therefore a rich man’s toy. The oldest preserved airgun dates from around 1580 and is housed in The Royal Armoury Museum in Stockholm, established in 1628 by King Gustavus Adolphus, who felt that his clothes from his campaign in Poland should be preserved for posterity. (The Swedish monarchy was never noted for its modesty.)

In 1780, Italian watchmaker and gunsmith, Girandoni Bartolomeo, invented a 51-calibre rifle, capable of firing up to 20 bullets a minute. The Girandoni rifle was widely used in Europe for big game hunting. A single shot could take down a deer or wild boar.

These early airguns had significant advantages over the primitive firearms of the times: they were quieter; they had no smoke or muzzle flash; they could be discharged in wet weather; and they could be discharged faster – i.e. more times per minute.

First Target Shooting with Airguns

Birmingham is the cradle of airgun target shooting.

In the 1890s, public houses in Birmingham began holding competitions, with prizes for the winning team (leg of mutton, for example) paid for by the losing team. By 1900, there were more than 4,000 rifle clubs and associations in Britain. A large number of these were in Birmingham. You may have even seen the likes of BSA mentioned in the Netflix series of Peaky Blinders.

The National Smallbore Rifle Association (NSRA)

The Society of Working Men’s Rifle Clubs (SWMRC) was established in 1901 to promote civilian rifle clubs in Britain. Its first president was Earl Roberts of Kandahar, who was also the first president of The Pilgrims Society, established in 1902 ‘to promote good will, good fellowship, and everlasting peace between the United States of America and Great Britain’. In 1903, the SWMRC amalgamated with the British Rifle League to become the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs (SMRC).

In 1947, the SMRC changed its name to the National Smallbore Rifle Association (NSRA). Based at The Lord Roberts Centre, in the grounds of the National Shooting Centre, Bisley Camp, Surrey, the NSRA is the governing body for all small-bore rifle and pistol target shooting in the UK.

The Diabolo Pellet

Picking the right shooting accessories for the job can make all the difference.

The diabolo pellet is designed with a forward weight bias, a pinched waist (or ‘wasp waist’), and a hollow skirt. The heavy nose keeps the pellet pointing in the right direction, while the pinched waist and hollow skirt produce a high air drag on the tail, which stabilises the pellet. A rifled bore provides additional stability by spinning the pellet, but a diabolo pellet can be fairly accurate even when discharged from a smoothbore gun. The word ‘diabolo’ originates from the Latin diabolus, meaning the Devil.

Supersonic Velocity

When the speed of sound is broken, a shock wave is created. So when a pellet is discharged at or above supersonic velocity (in normal conditions, that’s about 1,100 feet per second), it produces a shock wave behind it. As the pellet loses speed, the shock wave catches up with the pellet, causing it to tumble. This turbulence, of course, is detrimental to accurate shooting.

Experienced shooters ensure that their pellets leave the barrel at no more than about 900 feet per second, because turbulence can be created even when the sonic barrier is approached. Some guns are built for supersonic muzzle velocity, and when using one of these guns, an experienced shooter will select the heaviest pellets available in order to reduce muzzle velocity.

A wide range of air rifles and air pistols can be purchased from Pellpax, as well as pellets, specialist clothing, and all shooting accessories.

Starting At The BASC

Hunting

Favourite Guns

Airguns Before Target Shooting

First Target Shooting with Airguns

The National Smallbore Rifle Association (NSRA)

The Diabolo Pellet

Supersonic Velocity