Pellpax Blog

Brand Focus: BSA Guns

BSA (or Birmingham Small Arms company) are one of the oldest gun manufacturers in the UK, and throughout their history they have produced everything from firearms to bikes, cars and aircraft, so you can be sure that the standard of engineering that goes into each and every product today is top notch.

Some of the notable firearms that were produced at BSA were the .303 Browning Machine gun, of which they made 568,100 during WWII, and 1,250,000 .303 Lee Enfield Rifles during the same period. Of course, this was a massive help towards the war effort, and set BSA up with the knowledge and machinery to continue making some of the best rifles after the war finished.

A common name in the BSA air rifle range is the BSA Airsporter. The first model was produced in 1948, making the examples left today quite a collectable. Unfortunately that isn’t a model still in production today, but the BSA Meteor is the closest, with the first models being produced back in 1959.

The BSA Guns company which is trading today was purchased by Gamo back in 1986, and since then have been producing a range of air rifles in spring, gas ram, and PCP power plants for the demands of the modern shooter. They have also more recently introduced a range of accessories such as rifle bags, targets, shooting rests, slings and scopes to accompany their air rifles.

BSA Spring Rifles

BSA’s spring powered range consists of a few models such as the BSA Lightning, the BSA Meteor EVO, BSA Comet EVO, and the BSA Supersport SE. All are available in both .177 and .22 calibre andare ideal for uses such as hunting, pest control and target shooting.

The BSA Lightning is available in a few different models such as the Lighting SE, and the Lightning XL SE. The main difference between the two, is that the SE model has a silencer mounted on the end of the barrel, and the XL SE has a shrouded barrel with a ½inch UNF thread for the fitting of a standard silencer. The XL SE also has a slightly redesigned stock for improved ergonomics. Both rifles feature a Cold Hammer Forged barrel made in BSA’s Birmingham factory for excellent accuracy, and consistent for a wide range of uses.

Here’s a review of the Lightning SE, by Rick Eutsler, of Airgunweb:

Interested? We’ve got it for sale here

Other rifles in their spring range such as the Meteor EVO and Comet EVO are ideal for those on a smaller budget but still looking for a high quality rifle for pest control and hunting purposes. Both rifles are full power output and as such will be capable of humane dispatch at ranges up to around 40 meters. These two rifles are available in a Silentium model as well, which is a moulded silencer fixed to the end of the barrel to reduce the muzzle report when firing which is especially useful for stealthy shooting.

The Supersport SE is one of the more classic rifles in their lineup, and is a standard break barrel hunting rifle, with a sleek appearance and fast handling for those who demand the best from their spring rifle. The stock is made from a high grade of beech, which is finished in a dark stain for a quality look and finish, and fine checkering to the pistol grip and forestock make it perform effortless in both wet and dry conditions.

BSA Gas Ram Rifles

As well as their great range of spring rifles BSA also offer the Lightning in a gas ram rifle. The Lightning SE GRT and Lightning XL SE GRT are the models which incorporate this technology and the benefits over a standard spring rifle are that the power output from shot to shot is more consistent, and the gas ram doesn’t lose power over time like a standard spring, which can suffer fatigue.

The gas ram rifles look identical on the outside to a standard spring, but the insides are greatly different and perfect for those looking for a long term spring rifle that requires minimal maintenance, yet still delivers outstanding results.

PCP Rifles

Of course if you’re looking for the best products in BSAs line-up, then the PCP rifles are the best that they offer.

BSA introduced their first Pre Charged Pneumatic rifle back in 1999, and they have been refining and improving them ever since. Their range is some of the most competitive ones available on the market today. All BSA rifles use the same, reliable 10 shot magazine actioned via a bolt action system for quick and easy reloading.

Their base model today starts at the BSA Ultra SE, which is a compact yet high specification PCP that is very lightweight and easy to manoeuvre for both young and older shooters. The rifle has a very short BSA Cold Hammer Forged barrel, which is threaded with a ½inch UNF thread for the fitting of a silencer, and even though it is short, the accuracy is awesome and can land pellets within an inch group at 40 meters, and even better with a bit of practice. The only downside is that as the air cylinder is short, the shot count is around 50 in .22 calibre.

If you’re looking for something with a great shot count, but still just as compact, BSA have recently released the new BSA Ultra XL.

The Ultra XL has a slightly longer barrel and cylinder, a redesigned valve for greater efficiency, and a longer stock along with an adjustable cheek piece to improve shooting comfort. The XL allows around 80 shots in .22, which is much more appropriate for those longer shooting trips, meaning less time recharging, and more time shooting.

A step up from the Ultra is to the BSA Scorpion SE, which has a similar yet elongated stock, and the barrel and cylinder are much longer to increase the shot count to 100 shots per fill in .22. The resulting accuracy is far greater. The barrel is similar to the Ultra in that it is threaded for the fitting of a silencer, and comes fitted as standard with an air stripper. The Scorpion is available in a few different stock options, such as Beech, Walnut, Black Tactical and Camo, so there is a colour and finish for everyone!

The BSA R-10

Moving up from the Scorpion is the R-10 SE rifle, which a fairly new addition to the BSA line up, and is actually a redevelopment of a now discontinued rifle, the R-10 MK2. The BSA R-10 SE is a full size hunting rifle, with a large 200cc buddy bottle to provide over 250 shots in .22 calibre! This makes the R-10 ideal for those long hunting trips where you are often far away from a dive bottle to top it up.

This latest incarnation of the R-10 features a customizable shroud system, so you can have it with the shroud and silencer, or just the silencer to suit your requirements. An improved regulator system also means that it uses the air more efficiently and produces better accuracy over each fill. The stocks come in 4 choices, Walnut, Black Tactical, Camo, and Black Pepper Laminate.

The R-10 is a very impressive bit of kit, but if you’re looking for the flagship in BSAs range then look no further than the Gold Star SE. The action resembles the Scorpion SE, but features a range of improvements such as a new, super-efficient valve and regulator to provide more shots per fill, and unrivalled consistency and accuracy.

The barrel is an Enhanced Cold Hammer Forged barrel for better accuracy and precision, and comes as standard with an adjustable air stripper. The stocks come in 3 options, Red White & Blue Laminate, Black Pepper Laminate, and Walnut and all are finished to immensely high standards for the discerning shooter. The stocks are all multi adjustable and have an adjustable butt pad, cheek piece, and palm rest so you can adjust the rifle to your requirements.

The trigger is an improved match accurate unit which is multi adjustable, and everything is polished and tuned to very high standards for a smooth and enjoyable shooting experience.

BSA: A Quintessentially British Brand

All in all, BSA rifles are very well made in Birmingham in the UK which also assists if any problems should arise with your BSA rifle, although the quality they are made to ensures a very high level of reliability. Whether you’re looking for a low cost springer, or a top of the range PCP rifle, then BSA have something for everyone.

Learn more about BSA guns on their collections page, here. And check out the full range of BSA airguns and accessories here.

The Big Interview : Kelly Hardwick (Femme Fatale Airsoft)

Kelly Louise Hardwick is Femme Fatale Airsoft – one of the biggest names in the UK Airsofting community. She’s hugely popular on social media, blogs regularly, writes for the UK’s leading Airsoft publication and goes out to Airsofting events across the length and breadth of the country. We spoke to her about her experiences….

How are you?

I’m really good thank you.

How did FFA start?

I started Airsoft as a hobby in August 2014, and then I had a car accident, and lost my job in November of that year and created the blog to fill my spare time. It’s snowballed and snowballed since then (laughs). After the accident, I thought, I’m going to have a look at all the kit I wanted to buy when I was able to play again. And after searching the internet for around 9 hours, over two days, I was like ‘why isn’t there anything for women?’. And two, ‘there’s not really anything out there that encourages women’.

There was a massive gap in any information available to help women. And, there was a quote that was in a book that I read when I was 16 years old, that said ‘be the change you want to see in the world’, so I thought, ‘Why not?’.

The problem was, I was new to it anyway. So it’s been a massive, massive learning curve. And it’s been me trying to find me feet in airsoft, which I have, quite quickly.

What’s happened over the past two years for you then?

A lot! The blog has enabled me to travel, meet new people and be a part of some amazing experiences. One of the most notable would be that in July 2015, I got approached by Airsoft Action magazine, and I became the first female contributor to a UK Airsoft Publication. I’ve been lucky to travel internationally with them to the IWA in Nuremburg (annual trade show). It’s been crazy, absolutely crazy…I have travelled up to 800 miles at weekends to play airsoft. I love it, I absolutely love it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s been a crazy, crazy two years.

Just give us a ballpark on the Airsoft. How many sites have you been to?

femmeonsite — Kelly on top of a chopper, with some smoke grenades of the kind used in some airsoft adventures….

I would say I’ve probably been to about 20 to 30 sites, in the last two years. So my home site is Strikeforce CQB in Gloucester. That’s the site I play the most often. The furthest north I’ve been to is Edinburgh, in Dalkeith, that was a long trip! And then the furthest south I’ve been is the UCAP Sandpit in Kent. I play more southern sites than I do any other. I think the south has a better selection of CQB sites. I would say a lot of the northern sites are woodland, and I don’t play woodland too often.

Airsoft’s quite an unusual sport. How would you describe airsoft for the uninitiated?

How I had it described to be was that it’s like a real-life Call Of Duty, but you’re the player, if you see what I mean. It’s a fun hobby. Everyone’s really friendly. You shoot each other with plastic pellets, and they don’t hurt that much.

Tell us a bit more about the Airsoft community. It seems quite secret and underground. What is it like? Who goes?

I would say that one of the best things about Airsoft is the community. I think if you know about it, you know about it. If you’ve never heard of airsoft, you won’t have any idea. This one game can bring so many people together. You can get builders, doctors, people from all walks of life and we all run around woods, dressed as soldiers playing with toy guns! I think the advertising for the sites/shops are more prevalent than they used to be. Some people in general don’t really understand what we do but more people know about it now. I read in a newspaper article once that the UKARA website had around 15,000 people registered on it in 2012. And the industry as a whole has grown 5 fold since then so i
t’s constantly expanding, so more people know about it which is only a good thing.

On a normal game day, you’ll turn up at the site, get everything from your car and get your kit to the safe zone to get ready. Safe zones are anything from purpose built, to gazebos. Anything works. It’s a very odd sport (laughs). After that, once everyone has turned up, we all get kitted up, and sling plastic for a bit.

What is there out there, in terms of unusual or interesting Airsofting locations?

femme-asg — FFA checks out the CZ805 from ASG.

There are some that I’ve heard of that sound really interesting, I really want to play them but I haven’t had a chance yet such as Red 1 The Boat. I think the most interesting sites I’ve been to so far are the Mall in Reading, it’s a shopping mall, and it’s so strange! You’ve got all the shops, all the windows, all the escalators. The escalators don’t work because obviously, with BBs everywhere that would be dangerous. But, it’s bizarre because, you obviously recognise shopping centres in the daylight, when they’re really busy, but it’s really eerie to see it dark, with no one in it.

I’d say another interesting site I’ve been to is the Gaol in Rutland. It’s an old Category C men’s prison. So it’s not like high security, but all the cells are still there, all the gates, everything like that. It’s dead cool.

What is the gender balance like in the sport?

I would say, the gender balance is predominantly male, and it always has been. Do I think it always will be? Maybe. I think it takes a special sort of person to play airsoft. You have to enjoy getting shot at, and a little bit of pain! (laughs).

I think from when I first started two years ago, the industry has moved forward quite a lot. Back then, there wasn’t a lot of well known female players, and I spent ages looking for them! You’ve obviously got big name players like Desert Fox, Scout The Doggie, on the male side. There were only a couple of really female players making waves such as Unicorn Leah, Airsoft Hasmeen and Adella Relentless. And there weren’t many companies making tactical clothes for women, now, there’s a lot more coming into the market with brands such as 5-11 Tactical (http://www.511tactical.com) making a lot more women’s tactical clothing, which is great.

What’s it like being a woman Airsofter?

You have to learn how to put a load out together, and if you’ve not got thing specifically made for you, it can be quite difficult. It is nice to have that female presence online and on the field to help with any questions.

femme-fatale — Kelly has shown that girls can smash stereotypes in her alter ego as FFA

There’s one thing about women, as well, they seem to play harder than some of the guys do. It’s insane. Some of the women – and I make a point of meeting as many female Airsofters as I can, just so we can get more of a female solidarity thing going. Spice Girls / girl power sort of thing – and.. some of them are crazy. Absolutely crazy, and it’s amazing to see.

What does your loadout for your typical event consist of?

For my primaries, I have two favourites, my two go-tos. G&G sent me a custom CM16 SR-L. Basically, it’s a mash up between the first Black Rose, and the CM16 SRL with a Key Mod rail system. That’s my favourite gun to use. It’s got a custom Cerakoted real steel red dot sight, and it’s got a mini launcher – 40 BBs of pure terror, out of one tiny little launcher. And I’ve got my Scorpio Evo by ASG as well. That has no pink on it, so that’s my serious gun for games I can’t really take the pink one to. It’s a good all rounder.

As for my sidearms I’ve got two. I’ve got the WE, M&P the M Force one. It’s got a silver vented slide with a gold barrel. It’s got a pink grip. It’s very blingy! And then, for serious games I’ve got my CZ P-09, by ASG. That’s got no pink on it!

I was wondering how feminine you are with your presentation!

See people have an issue with the pink! Pink’s not my favourite colour, believe it or not. Purple is, but there’s not a lot of kit out there in purple, so pink’s a good substitute. Because it’s a fun hobby, I like to have fun loadouts. What’s the harm with a little pink here and a little pink there? (Laughs).

In terms of your ‘brand’, Femme Fatale Airsoft, it’s been very successful what do you plan to do next with it?

I’ve never really thought about it. Because it started out as a fun hobby. And I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun. I just take each day as it comes. One thing I like about it is I get to travel with it, I get to meet new people and obviously I’d say, representing the hobby in a positive light. I’ve no specific plans for where to take it next so we’ll see where it takes me.

You can follow Femme Fatale Airsoft on her blog. She’s also on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter.

BB Guns & Airsoft: A Guide

BB guns have been around since the 1900s, with Daisy being one of the first companies to manufacture them. Although the term “BB Guns” has become a very broad term, it was originally used to refer to 4.5mm ball bearings.

What is a BB Gun?

BB Guns are a type of air gun that shoots small ball bearings. The majority of the BB guns are CO2 powered and the ball bearings are often zinc or copper, or gold plated. This type of ammunition is often referred to as 4.5mm BBs. The term ‘BB gun’ was used to specifically describe air guns that fired ball bearings, but is usually misused to describe pellet guns. Some models like the Heckler & Koch P30 (see below) fire both BBs and pellets, giving you the best of both worlds, while others are strictly 4.5mm, like the Beretta Elite.

Daisy Guns

Daisy started in 1882 in Plymouth, Michigan as a windmill company. In 1886 they started to give away BB guns with each Windmill, but the gun became so popular they packed up the windmill business and sold just BB guns instead. One of their most famous BB guns was the Red Ryder Model. This was named after a comic strip and followed the design of lever action rifles. Even to this day the Red Ryder is still available to buy.

The U.S army trained recruits in safe firearms handling using the Daisy Model 99. This helped the soldiers learn to use, handle and quickly draw their weapons. The sights were removed from the BB gun during training and the technique’s name changed from Quick kill to Quick fire.

Competitive Shooting

There are many competitions for 4.5mm BB guns around the world. Daisy hold their own one each year. Their competition is a 5m target shooting contest and sees teams from all around America compete. To qualify for the daisy competition your team must place within the top 3 in a state championship.

Competitions like this exist in the UK as well and follow a similar structure. There are restrictions on power, BB grain etc. to ensure a fun, fair shoot for everyone.

gk7401-2993 — **The GHK GK74 Blowback, a great airsoft rifle**

The Law on BB Guns

A 4.5mm BB gun must be less than 6 ft/lbs (8.1 J) by law. If a BB gun is more powerful than this they count as a firearm and are illegal in the UK. Any BB gun under 0.737 ft/lbs (1 J) is not included in the firearms regulation but are included in the VCR Act.

In Scotland you must have an air weapons certificate to own a 4.5mm BB gun no matter the power form the 1^st of January 2017.

The last few important things to note about the law is that due to the 2006 Violent Crime Reduction Act all sales of new air guns must be done face to face either at a gun shop, or delivered to your door by us here at Pellpax, where we conduct the face to face transaction at your door, by delivering to you in person.

To buy either a 4.5mm or 6mm BB gun you must be at least 18 years of age and have ID to prove so. When transporting these guns you must do the following or it counts as an offence;

– The BB gun must not be loaded with ammunition or propellant
– They must be in a non-easy to reach area such as a boot
– Must be kept inside a bag or case

The Japanese airsoft craze

snipers — **Airsoft Snipers on a Milsim patrol**

In the early 1980s, airsoft guns were sold in Japan. They were known as soft-air which referred to the green gas they use. The main reason this craze took off was down to the fact you could hit humans without injury and they closely resembled real guns. Airsoft now has a variety of game modes such as C.Q.B (Close quarter Combat), Field, MilSim and historical reenactments. Airsoft has also been used by modern military and police organisations for training purposes.

Although BB guns used to refer to the 4.5mm made by Daisy Guns, the term has broadened in recent years and started to include airsoft guns as well.

Airsoft uses spring, gas, electric or co2 and come in a variety of powers. The WE 999k is a mid-range rifle firing at around 330fps and comes in either Gas or Electric. A higher end gas rifle is the GHK GK74 (pictured, above) which shoots at around 380fps and starts at £509.99.

hk-p30 — **The Heckler & Koch P30, a great example of an airsoft sidearm**

The biggest factor that separates an airsoft gun from a BB gun, is the ball bearing it shoots. Where airsoft uses plastic BBs that measure 6mm, BB Guns use 4.5mm made of copper or zinc. Although the terms use to be separate the definition of BB Guns has changed and now includes a variety of different guns. To get started in airsoft, you can pick a decent tub of 0.20g BBs up for £7.99 here. The 4.5mm BB comes in tubes of 1500 and are available here for £5.89.

Type of airsoft

Airsoft guns are often referred to as BB guns as they shoot 6mm plastic ball bearings. Today airsoft is bigger than ever with over 200 venues in the UK all offering a variety of game modes. Most venues offer basic game modes such as Capture the Flag, TDM, hostage rescue and more. Some venues offer more specialised game modes like planting the bomb, hostage rescue, president etc.

One type of airsoft that is growing in popularity is MilSim. This is an abbreviation for Military Simulation and is focused on providing the most realistic experience to players. These are often done over the weekend and last 1-3 days. Some of the most popular venues in the UK are Warzone and Airborne which offer events all year round.

To learn more check out our MilSim blog here. The official War Zone site is here. The official Airborne site is here.

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

Airgun Channels On YT : 5 Of The Best

One of the best ways to learn about shooting is by seeing and hearing about it from the experts. And a great way to do that is on video streaming sites like Youtube. You can learn everything from how to play guitar, to cooking a sunday roast on this mammoth video site. The stats are mind-blowing: 300 hours of video are uploaded to the site every single minute, and 3.25 billion hours of video are watched every month. Some of these focus on the world of shooting, with airgun reviews, features, and much more.

To help you sort the wheat from the chaff, we’ve put together this list of some of the best airgun channels out there.

1. The Airgun Show

Probably the most famous UK airgun show out there, presenter Mat Manning guides viewers through the world of guns, gear and more. With hunting, night shooting, field testing, exhibition visits and more, it’s a thorough, informative, and fun weekly show, and it hits the internet at 7.30pm every Tuesday.

2. The Airgun Gear Show

With 60,500+ subscribers and counting, this is a fun, slightly wacky, and fact packed show about airguns for aficionados and beginners alike. If you want to keep up to date with the latest developments and new releases by the major manufacturers like Weihrauch, BSA, Air Arms and more, then it’s a great place to start.

Check out the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/AirgunGearShow

3. Replica Airguns

This US channel showcases some of the finest looking replica airguns out there, from classic wild west handguns like the ASG Dan Wesson, to the modern looking military sidearms like the Sig Sauer P226 by ASG. It’s a fantastic resource, and, with 168,000 subscribers, a popular one.

4. Twang And Bang

Launched in 2012, this US channel is an exciting insight into the world of guns, with a mixture of full octane, real firearms, alongside some reviews and features on airguns. 286k subscribers tune in regularly to see eye opening features like this one, on the World’s Most Powerful Airgun, vs Wall Studs…

Check out the Twang And Bang channel here.

5. Airgun Web TV

Airgun fanatic Rick Eutsler shares his tips, reviews and features on everything airgun related. The content often takes in airguns beyond UK maximum power regulations, but due to the thoroughness and quality critique, it’s worth tuning in when Rick reviews airguns available for purchase here in the UK.

Olympics Rio 2016: Shooting & Archery Roundup

The Summer Olympics took place in Rio last month, with 11,000 athletes representing 207 Olympic Committees. USA won the overall trophy haul, with 46 gold medals, and 121 medals in total. Meanwhile, it produced an exciting set of results in the shooting and archery events.

Olympics Shooting Results

Team GB’s Ed Ling and Steve Scott both brought home bronze medals. Steve attained a perfect score of 30 in the double trap to beat team mate Tim Kneale. Scott’s career has been inspired by veteran British shooter George Digweed, as he told ShootingUK. “George Digweed was my idol and when I was working there (West Kent Shooting School) at 16 or 17, he was shooting Double Trap. I never knew about the discipline, but he asked me if I wanted to have a go and I got the bug for it. I thought ‘I’ll give this a go properly’.”

Fehaid Al-deehani won gold in the event, competing as an ‘independent Olympic Athlete’, while Italy’s Marco Innocenti took silver. Ed Ling got third place in the Men’s Trap shooting event, with the top place going to Josip Glasnovic, who was followed by Italy’s Giovanni Pellielo.

Olympics Archery Results

In archery, 128 athletes competed across 4 events, using recurve bows under World Archery rules. Korea restablished its supremacy in the event, taking back its crown from the USA, the country that aced the 2012 London Olympics, in the team event. The trio of Kim Woo-jin, Ku Bon-chan and Lee Seung-yun beat the US 6-0 to win their fourth title in the past 5 Olympics. Korea took all 4 golds avilable at the event, with Ku Bonchan and Chang Hyejin taking two each in the men’s and women’s individual competitions. Team GB’s Patrick Huston went out in the second round.

A world record was set by world number 2 archer Kim Woojin in the 72 arrow ranking round. You can see it here:

Stay tuned to our blog for more archery and shooting features, news and reviews coming your way.

Paralympics Rio 2016: Shooting & Archery Roundup

The Paralympics Took place in Rio earlier this month (Sept 2016), with competitors from around the world all contributing to the success of the games.

Team GB performing particularly well in the archery events. Jess Stretton won gold, defeating fellow Brit Jo Frith in the individual archery by 137-124. The 16 year old spoke to the BBC. “I had to try to tell myself to keep calm because I did feel under pressure and sometimes I can freak out because of that,” she said.

“I had to trick myself into thinking it was just another shooting session which was quite difficult – but I managed it.”

Frith’s appearance in the event was made all the more impressive by her health prior to the event. As she told World Archery:

“I’ve got a neurological problem. I couldn’t move and I was in more pain than usual. It was really chronic pain. The doctors here did everything they could and in the end it was getting pretty serious so they sent me off to the hospital for about two days,” Jenkins told the website.

“And then we came this morning to see whether I could pull my bow back and to see Whether I could shoot. It looked okay and not too painful. And so I just went for it really.”

Victoria Jenkins won bronze in the event, completing an impressive three medal haul for Team GB in the event.

Paralympics Shooting

Meanwhile, Iran’s female sporting shooter Sareh Javanmardi won a second gold in the P4 mixed 50-meter pistol SH1 in Rio, scoring 189.5 points to finish champion in the event. China’s Yang Chao, finished second with 186.5 to win silver, while Oleksii Denysiuk of Ukraine finished in third place to win bronze.

Indeed, women were strongly represented throughout the shooting events. Out of the six mixed shooting events, four gold medals went to the ladies, including Slovakia’s Veronika Vadovicova in R3 (mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1) and Slovenia’s Veselka Pevec in R4.

Girls With Guns: 5 Of The Best

#GirlsWithGuns is now a thing! If you’re passionate about shooting, you can’t have failed to notice that it’s often a man dominated hobby and sport. From hunting, to sport to pest control, it’s usually guys who are wielding the shotgun or airgun. But things are changing. With female shooting clubs and female shooters popping up in the media and all around the country, women’s participation in shooting has increased massively. Here we take a look at 5 of the biggest and best female shooters and clubs around.

Amber Hill

amber_baku_3 — Amber Hill on target at an ISSF event

The 18 year old British Skeet Shooting representative at this year’s Rio Olympics isn’t just a pretty face. She’s now seen doing glamorous photoshoots in tabloids and has 39k Instagram followers. But to passionate shooters like ourselves she’s better known as the girl who won Gold at her first Senior Olympic Skeet World Cup in 2013. Two years later she repeated the feat at ISSF World Cup Final in Cyprus. She capped it off by winning BBC Young Sports Personality that year, a major accolade.

Unfortunately she wasn’t able to hit her usual standards at Rio earlier this year in the Olympics, but she has time on her side, and will now be targeting silverware at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

Femme Fatale Airsoft

Midlands Airsofter Kelly Louise Hardwick is a passionate shooter and blogger who has built up a huge online following for this underground sport. Almost 29k Instagram followers keep up to date with her exploits in the world of MilSim, at airsoft get togethers around the country. She also does regular Youtube Q & As, like this one here.

If you want to learn about the hyper realistic world of airsoft combat, it’s worth looking out for her content. Her blog is here.

Shotgun And Chelsea Bun Club

This pioneering ladies shooting club recently celebrated its 5 year anniversary:

Set up by Victoria Knowles Lacks in 2011, the club has risen to success, providing a welcoming and inclusive place where women can experience up to 50 clay pigeon shooting events a year, hosted up and down the country.

With a strong social media presence, the club has made huge strides in encouraging ladies into the sport. They’ve even branched out into fly fishing events and have their own annual awards ceremony. You can learn more at their official site.

Jodie Marsh

Infamous glamour model, body builder, and TV personality Jodie Marsh recently took her hand to hunting, in a recent documentary for TLC, ‘Jodie Goes Hunting’. An unlikely advocate for the sport, Jodie is a fierce vegetarian who met famous game hunter Rachel Carrie (who co-founded Femme Fatales, see below) for the show, going on hunts, meeting people from her family and learning more about humane culling of animals. The show certainly raised the profile for hunting, reaching her 606k Twitter followers and opening up viewers unfamiliar with it.

Femme Fatales

Going by the handle @shewolfshoot on Twitter, like SCBC, Femme Fatales is another UK female-online shooting community. Their website states that they wish to ‘challenge the misconception that shooting is a man’s sport’ and challengers them to ‘‘not use being a girl as an excuse – use it as ammunition! – or more accurately: glammunition!”

With regular events up and down the country, as far apart as Northumberland and Somerset, the club provides an excellent method of entry for women looking for an exciting outdoor hobby into the world of clay shooting. You can learn more by heading to their official site, here.

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.”