Pellpax, Author at Pellpax Blog

Rabbit Hunting With An Air Rifle

If you’re interested in getting into rabbit hunting, there are a few basic tips you’ll need to know before your grab that hunting rifle and go on a mission.

1) it is legal to hunt rabbits without any kind of weapons licence, as long as you’re using a .177 or .22 air rifle, with an impact power of less than 12lb per cubic foot. Check out the Gov.UK site for legalities on the animals and weapons that can be used here in the UK.

If you’re interested in getting into rabbit hunting, there are a few basic tips you’ll need to know before your grab that hunting rifle and go on a mission.

Pellpax Rabbit Sniper Kit – Top Seller! £199.99

2) You’re gonna need some rabbits to hunt. This may involve getting the permission of a landowner, and, if required, enticing him by offering some of what you successfully catch.

3) In order to get a sense of where your airgun finds its centre, you’ll need to practice with target. A printed paper target is fine for this, along with a target holder / pellet catcher. There’s no replacement for understanding how your specific gun, and the pellets you have, perform in your hands, than to fire out a few practice shots like this, to get a ‘feel’ for it.

4) In order to be legally compliant with your target practice, you need to be at least 50 feet (15.2 m) away from the centre of roads or public areas. Any close than that, and you’re breaking the law here in the UK. Place your target and holder 30 metres or yards away.

5) Lay down on the floor, and use a bipod (check out our cool range!) to help you aim your weapon.

6) If you’d rather stand upright, that’s fine, but in either case, don’t hold the rifle too tightly, let it sit on your shoulder, and support the weight of it with your forward hand. This is because holding your rifle tightly can affect your aim.

7) Aim at the target for five seconds, breathe in, relax all muscles besides those which you’re using to holding the gun. While exhaling, stop for a couple of seconds, and hold your breath, and go ahead and squeeze the trigger. Count to five before moving the gun away from the target.

8) Adjust your sights, and repeat the process. Keep repeating the process until you feel you have the optimal setup, and are comfortable with your airgun. You must practice again and again. This is so that you don’t injure or wound an animal, and instead are able to kill it with one, accurate shot to the head.

9) Position yourself 20-30 metres from a rabbit hole, with warm clothing., etc, and wait.

10) Load your gun, and aim at the rabbit as it comes out of the hole. Wait for a minute to get a good angle on your shot. Stay perfectly still at this point. Aim for the back of the head, between the ears, as opposed to the body, as this may cause the rabbit unnecessary pain. If you’re aiming from the front, then shooting behind the eyes, and beneath the ears is best, as this is the most effective way to get an instant kill.

11) Use the process described earlier of breathing in, and then out, etc. to gradually adjust to your target, before firing. Ensure the bunny is further than two yards from the nearest rabbit hole, otherwise the rabbit may disappear before you can hit it.

12) Once you have hit the target, get the rabbit, and hold it in your hands for five seconds. If there is any movement in the body of the animal, fire once to the brain. Be careful not to shoot yourself! Alternately, hold the animal by its legs and hit it with a fast strike with a blunt object to the back of the neck.

If you want to take the plunge and purchase yourself a 22 air rifle and try out some rabbit hunting, then you can try our hugely popular Rabbit Sniper Kit, one of the best hunting rifles in the uk.

Bushcraft – An Introduction

Here at Pellpax, a significant part of our range is given over to outdoor, wildness and bushcraft goods. Stuff to help you eat, sleep, and survive in the great outdoors. This area has developed over time, but has become a source of fascination here in the UK thanks to TV survivalists like Ray Mears and Bear Grylls.

Here at Pellpax, a significant part of our range is given over to outdoor wildness in our UK bushcraft supplies store. Stuff to help you eat, sleep, and survive in the great outdoors.

Bushcraft has developed as a movement and hobby over quite a time – arguably it goes back to the beginning of man’s earliest origins. However, in recent times, it’s become a source of fascination here in the UK, thanks to TV survivalists like Ray Mears and Bear Grylls.

This has led to the development of blogs, outdoor survival courses, festivals, and shows across the UK. There are several broad disciplines within bushcraft. What follows is a quick overview of each of these, with some products to illustrate what you’ll need to survive your next outdoor adventure.

1. Get Water: Stay Hydrated

Geigerrig Pressurized Hydration Engine - 3 Litre £39.95 Code: PGR3LTR — Geigerrig Pressurized Hydration Engine – 3 Litre £39.95 Code: PGR3LTR

Water is one of your essential bodily needs, and you won’t last long without hydrating, particularly when exposed to the elements and weather. It’s also important for hygiene, without which you’ll find yourself becoming ill and unable to survive. You can bring your own water with the appropriate storage, or collect it, or even dig a well.

You can bring your own with the appropriate storage, or collect or even dig a well. We’ve got some great water reservoirs like this one by Geigerrig (£39.95).

A pressurized hydration engine, with a capacity of 3 litres, it’s great for those early morning showers, if you’ve got the storage capacity.

leatherman-classic-steripen-8666 — SteriPEN Classic £66.99 Code: PSPPF-RP-EF

Alternatively, if you’ve decided to travel light and go for water capture and collection, then you’ll need to purify your water in order to drink it.

You could invest in this purification kit by Steripen (below).

The Steripen Classic uses UV light to kill bacteria. It’s just one of the range of Steripen water purifiers and accessories that we sell. Check out this section for more.

2. Bring, find or make shelter

military-wire-saw-5420 — Military Wire Saw £4.99 Code: p158

Any stay in the elements is going to require shelter, the most basic of human requirements. If you are going to be adventurous and go beyond the modern method of using a collapsible tent, then you may choose to make your own shelter from wood and undergrowth that you’ve been able to cut or claim from the forest or nature itself.

You could use one of our huge range of machetes for this purpose, or our range of axes to help you hack off a branch or two.If you’re taking your bushcraft seriously and travelling light, you might want to pack this light, versatile chain saw.

A tarp may be a lightweight alternative to carrying a full tent. You could take this one (below), and even use your bushcraft skills to make it into a tent.

3. Camping Lanterns

When you’re in the outback, countryside, or your backyard, you’re going to need to be able to see when the sun goes down. Our range of Ultimate Survival lanterns (£27.99) will let you do this in style, coming in a range of four colours, with two variants that are longer lasting, for 10 and 30 day periods respectively. They are water resistant, and have 3 modes: low, high and SOS flash.

The entry model offers a whopping 91 hours of continuous with 4 AA batteries, which should be enough for most campaign trips, or tricky corners of your house like attic or garage, where some extra light could come in handy.

So, there you have it. The range of goods and products for sale in our bushcraft range is growing all the time. We deliver across Great Britain, and our staff are on call to give you all the help, advice and assistance you need with loading up for your next adventure. Check out the Pellpax UK bushcraft store, and, if you need help, call us today!

How To Shoot A Shotgun In Three Easy Steps

For those readers who are considering applying for a shotgun licence and getting themselves one from our huge and growing range, or those who already have, here’s a short and snappy guide to shooting correctly.

For those readers who are considering applying for a shotgun licence and getting themselves a shotgun for sale from one from our huge and growing range, or those who already have, here’s a short and snappy guide to shooting correctly.

1. Think Safety First: Treat All Shotguns As Loaded

President Barack Obama shoots clay targets on the range at Camp David, Md., Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House. — Responsible shotgun shooting looks like this. Here, President Barack Obama practices clay pigeon shooting at Camp David. Note the use of ear defenders and eye protection.

A shotgun is a powerful, and potentially lethal implement. That’s why it’s important to start from a place of treating it with great care. An oft-repeated rule is that you should always treat the shotgun as if it were loaded. It’s also important to use eye protection, and ear defenders. It’s vital to ensure the weapons is set to safety until in the firing position.

Vitally, you should make sure that the gun is never aimed at anyone, including yourself. It’s worth checking that a gun is not loaded or blocked when picking it up, putting it down or passing it to another person.

You should only touch the trigger if you are fully prepared to fire the weapon. Pointing it either up, or down will ensure no one gets hurt if the worst happens.

Source: Shooting UK.

2. Proper Form: Hold and Aim Correctly

Source: Wikiphoto http://www.wikihow.com/User:Wikiphoto — How To Hold A Gun. Source: Wikiphoto

The art of firing a shotgun is distinct and different from other projectile weapons. For example, some people say “rifles are aimed, shotguns are pointed”.

The essential grip involves holding the stock with one’s non-shooting hand, which should be placed around the middle. Make a V-shape with your forefinger and thumb, and sit the length of the gun firmly in this position.

Meanwhile, the hand with which you will fire the weapon should firmly hold the grip which is behind the trigger and guard of the shotgun. Your grip should be gentle but solid.

As for cradling the weapon, it should sit, in what has been described as the “pocket” of your shoulder. This will prevent the “kick” of the gun from causing bruising, etc., when fired.

Source: Gearpatrol, Wikihow

3. Fix Your Cheek To the Stock and Twist

A_typical_-American-_trap_shoot_scene — A typical US ‘Trap’ Shooting scene. Source: User: Jesrushton, Wikipedia.

In order to aim correctly, you will need to develop your cheek to stock aim. In other words, developing a level aim of the sight of the shotgun by keeping your cheek firmly and steadily next to the stock.

Once you have developed this through repetition and practice, when aiming at clays or birds, you will need to refine the “twist” of your waist as you follow your quarry.

These are, of course, just some of the starters for using a shotgun correctly. You will need to learn all about eye dominance, and the pros and cons of shooting “gun up” versus “gun down”.

You should also consider getting an instructor or attending a course to help you learn how to use your weapon accurately and safely. Check our our range of shotguns for sale to buy, and accessories. These include ear defenders and much more.

4 Top Accessories For Your Shotgun: Gun Cabinets, Bags and More

It’s a legal requirement of British Law that shotgun owners have a firearms certificate. Home Office guidelines go into detail, and suggest that owners keep their weapon stored in a safe. This keeps them away from children, and, potentially, from criminals would could break into your home.

Whether you’re an avid shotgun enthusiast or a beginner, there are some key accessories that are either vital, or a very useful addition to your weekends outdoors.

1. Gun Cabinets

It’s a legal requirement of British Law that shotgun owners have a shotgun certificate. Home Office guidelines go into detail, which insist that owners keep their weapon stored in a safe which is then secured to the floor or wall. This keeps them away from children, and, potentially, from criminals who might break into your home.

The standard to look out for is BS7558/92, as this means the cabinet has been tested rigorously, and weapons could not be removed within a set period of time. Thankfully, all of the cabinets we supply come from either Biometric, or Brattonsound, and both manufacturers conform to this high standard.

2. Bags

Bags can be both a status symbol, and a highly desirable accessory when out on a highland shoot with friends during hunting season. They’re also a practical way to keep your cartridges safe, clean and dry.

We stock some great bags to keep your cartridges ready for action, such as this beautiful Byland Leather Loader Bag by Croots. You can also check out our huge range of shotgun cartridges for sale.

3. Shotgun Cases

bisleyeconomyrifle — Bisley Economy Rifle Cover £17.99

Shotgun cases and slips come in a range of colours, designs and prices. They’re an essential piece of kit to keep your shotgun in peak condition, particularly if you’ve spent a considerable amount of money purchasing it. Here in the UK, it is also a legal requirement to keep your gun under cover when in public.

At the budget end of the market, you can purchase covers like Bisley’s Economy Rifle Cover. It’s black, robust and features a strap to help you carry your pride and joy.

If you’re in the mid range price bracket, in terms of what you can spend, then Uncle Mike’s Shotector II Cover is an example of a good quality weapon case which is waterproof, and floats, and has an LED Safe light to make it easy to find if dropped.

The breech, butt and muzzle have been reinforced to ensure your weapon is absolutely safe inside. The carry handle allows you to conveniently grip the bag, and there are pockets for storing shotgun accessories conveniently with the weapon.

Croots Malton Bridle Leather Slip £329.99

At the very top premium end of our range is the Malton Bridle Leather Slip by Croots, which is a thing of beauty. Tanned using traditional methods, processes, and materials, it is a great accessory for the hunting season, and comes in 30 and 32 inch lengths. Bags of this quality are rare, and while the price point reflects the quality of workmanship and materials, it’s also a once in a lifetime purchase that will give the careful owner years of pleasure alongside a quality weapon.

4. Recoil Pads

Shotguns deliver a kick upon firing which can cause flinching, sore shoulders and bruised cheeks. A recoil pad made from rubber and similar materials can be slipped on or attached to your weapon to mitigate this effect, and we sell a range of these in different types, colours and sizes.

These Microcell Recoil Pads by Cervalatti srl are a great example:

There are these and many other shotgun accessories in our store. And you can always give us a call for advice from one of our team of experts. If you want to check out our huge range of shotgun accessories for sale, head on over to the store.