The Airgun Show – hide shooting for magpies and squirrels, PLUS gas-ram plinking pistol on test

Transcript

00:00
welcome to the air gun show we’ve got a
00:01
gas RAM pistol and long eye relief scope
00:04
for review this week but before that I’m
00:06
using hide and decoy tactics to target
00:09
weary Magpies
00:16
[Applause]
00:17
[Music]
00:28
[Applause]
00:30
[Music]
00:44
[Music]
00:47
I wrote this morning on a woodland
00:52
permission that’s managed exclusively
00:53
for wildlife conservation now one big
00:56
problem that they have here is grey
00:58
squirrels now apart from raiding the
01:00
nests of songbirds they’re also causing
01:02
a lot of damage to trees including
01:03
poplars willows and field maple so it’s
01:06
actually damaging the habitat as a
01:08
consequence the owner here sets up
01:10
feeding stations a couple of times a
01:13
year to draw in those grey squirrels to
01:15
areas where I can target them over a
01:16
couple of campaigns and hammer down
01:19
their numbers now I’ve already been here
01:21
a few times during this latest in and
01:23
I’ve shot a lot of squirrels but one
01:25
thing I’ve also been noticing is quite
01:27
an abundance of Magpies now these are
01:29
crafty Birds but what I’m going to try
01:31
to do today is use decoy tactics and see
01:34
if we can’t account for one or two of
01:35
them
01:43
although I’m setting my sights on
01:45
Magpies I’m not actually going to use a
01:48
magpie decoy rather than trying to draw
01:51
the birds in with one of their own kind
01:53
I’m planning to stir them up with an
01:55
unwelcome intruder I’m using a little
02:01
owl decoy now these tactics tend to work
02:03
very well at this time of year during
02:05
the early spring when Magpies are
02:08
thinking about nesting they’re very very
02:10
territorial Birds and when they see a
02:13
raptor in this case a little owl on
02:15
their patch the hope is that those
02:18
territorial instincts will kick in and
02:20
it’ll make them want to mob this decoy
02:22
or at least get a very good close look
02:24
at it and give it a bearing
02:26
now hopefully during that time they’ll
02:28
be too distracted by the decoy to see me
02:30
in the hide and I’ll be able to get a
02:32
shot in that’s the plan anyway quite one
02:35
point worth mentioning when you’re
02:37
choosing a decoy like this go for one
02:39
with very piercing black and yellow eyes
02:42
because that seems to really signify
02:44
that that bird of prey that really
02:46
triggers that territorial instinct in
02:48
those Magpies all right let’s get back
02:50
to the hide
02:55
fortunately I don’t need to go to the
02:58
trouble of building a hide I set this
03:01
one up for squirrel shooting some time
03:03
ago so the local wildlife has had plenty
03:06
of time to get used to it
03:08
apart from being well positioned to
03:10
cover the feeding station it should also
03:12
put me in the right place if the Magpies
03:15
show up what the hide I’m using was
03:19
actually set up with the squirrel feeder
03:21
in mind it puts me about 25 metres away
03:24
from that incorporated it into a bank
03:27
which gives it quite a decent backdrop
03:29
I’ve also got a high seat that was
03:31
already here and I just thought I try to
03:33
incorporate that just to try and hide
03:36
any straight and natural-looking edges
03:38
to my hide there straight edges that are
03:40
already been taken for granted here and
03:42
behind me I’ve just stuffed in a few
03:44
Hazel offcuts from some recent coppicing
03:47
works here just to break up my outline a
03:49
little bit to anything that’s looking in
03:50
through the front of the hide now apart
03:54
from putting me within range of the
03:55
squirrel feeder this hide also puts me
03:58
within range of what I hope will be some
03:59
city trees that will prove useful if my
04:02
decoy tactics work I’ve got two looming
04:05
oaks and ashes here they’re quite nice
04:07
open trees and my hope is that if any
04:10
corvids are attracted by that owl decoy
04:12
they’ll flight into those trees before
04:14
they have the confidence to drop down to
04:15
the ground and that’s when I’ll get
04:17
chances at them now this is quite a
04:20
spice hide for targeting sharp-eyed
04:22
corvids but it’s been in position for
04:25
several weeks now so my hope is that
04:28
they’re just taking it for granted
04:30
however effective the hide is there’s no
04:33
getting away from the fact that Magpies
04:34
are very suspicious and twitchy Birds so
04:37
with that in mind I’ve put the short
04:39
track camera on the scope today now my
04:41
thinking is that if Nikki’s trying to
04:43
get the big camera trained on to them if
04:45
they come in
04:45
that’s extra movement that’s probably
04:47
going to catch their eye blow our cover
04:49
before I get a chance to take a shot but
04:51
if I’ve got this scope mounted camera
04:53
and I can flick that on hopefully that
04:55
will give us a chance of capturing those
04:56
kills without spooking the birds so I
05:00
just need to get my face covered up now
05:01
and hopefully that decoy will work its
05:03
magic
05:06
it’s easy to get lulled into a false
05:09
sense of security when you’re shooting
05:11
from a hide but sharp eye corvids don’t
05:14
miss a trick even though I’m hidden
05:16
behind a screen it’s still important to
05:19
wear a head net to keep my face and eyes
05:21
out of sight there are already crows
05:28
calling in the distance
05:29
these corvids are even more of a menace
05:32
than Magpies so I’ll be taking them if
05:34
they fall for the lure of the little owl
05:41
there’s nothing more I can do now I just
05:44
need to sit tight and hope that the
05:46
decoy works and there’s still grain in
05:49
the feeding station so I’m not ruling
05:51
out the chance of a squirrel nothing yet
05:57
but we are starting to get a few
05:59
songbirds visiting the feeder and to me
06:01
that’s a good sign it just suggests that
06:04
peace is returning to the woods after
06:05
that disturbance of our arrival some
06:08
words now I’ve got the confidence to
06:09
venture back out and hopefully the
06:11
fluttering from them will catch the eye
06:14
of squirrels maybe Magpies – and just
06:16
help to convince them that it is safe to
06:18
come out and feed this sort of ambush
06:25
does take patience but as long as you
06:28
get your tactics and timing right
06:30
persistence is usually rewarded with
06:33
shots
06:53
well hurt when kicked up a hell of a
06:55
spray of grain as that pellet hit home
06:57
and it actually looked like it was going
06:59
to expire in the feed tray thankfully it
07:02
flopped off and it’s actually splashed
07:04
down into the stream that’s just in
07:06
front of the feeder nay it wasn’t a
07:08
magpie but I’ll take that for a start I
07:17
sit it out confident that more
07:19
opportunities will come the only thing I
07:22
hadn’t factored in was a certain turn
07:25
for the worse with the weather I’ve just
07:32
had a really chaotic hour we sat here
07:35
weather was looking fine almighty rain
07:38
storm kicked in now we dashed out of it
07:40
as quickly as we could just to safe the
07:42
camera gear from getting wrecked we’ve
07:44
taken advantage of the time we’ve had a
07:46
quick brew in the car let the weather
07:48
pass over it’s looking great again now
07:51
so fingers crossed we’ll get some more
07:54
action
08:06
at last we get some interest from the
08:08
Magpies trouble is this one’s not
08:11
hanging around that was a typical
08:17
skittish magpie even with the short
08:20
track it wasn’t hanging around there now
08:22
it’s flown onto another cops just just
08:25
behind me I don’t think it had clocked
08:27
us I think it was just moving on
08:29
hopefully he’ll come back again later on
08:30
for another look at that decoy it’s not
08:41
long before I get another chance at a
08:43
magpie and this one looks more settled
09:03
I thought that one was going to be well
09:04
and truly hung up for a moment then it
09:06
was really cradled in those branches but
09:08
it’s dropped down I’m really chuffed
09:10
about that we don’t get a lot of Magpies
09:12
on camera I’ve got a feeling that’s only
09:14
our second one it came in pretty quickly
09:17
came in very quietly there any quite
09:19
slight birds so even with a legal limit
09:22
airgun I took it with a shot to the
09:24
upper chest
09:25
absolutely wall up dick it’s brought it
09:28
down nice and cleanly hopefully there’ll
09:31
be more along although I’d really wanted
09:40
to set up my stool for Magpies today it
09:42
turns out to be the squirrels that are
09:45
most obliging
10:07
I didn’t even see that one come in look
10:11
train it’s just on the side of the
10:13
feeder there I was going to wait for it
10:16
to come down and have a proper feed but
10:17
it looked pretty settled smacked it off
10:20
the tray the good saw didn’t whack to
10:22
the head that takes us up to a pair of
10:24
squirrels and it also sounds like it’s
10:26
really stirred at the Magpies I can hear
10:27
them calling again that last shot might
10:38
have got the Magpies chattering but they
10:40
refused to venture back within range and
10:42
time has beaten us before I could add
10:45
any more corvids to the tally right
10:49
we’re gonna have to wrap this session up
10:51
now well quite a limited time scale
10:53
today because they’ve got some digger
10:54
works about to happen just behind where
10:57
the feeder is they’re clearing out a
10:58
pond and it won’t really be safe for us
11:00
to shoot with that going on now although
11:02
that rainstorm did hit a hole into the
11:04
session I’m pleased with how it’s gone
11:06
always glad to get a magpie for the
11:08
cameras and we’ve also taken out two
11:10
more squirrels so it’s lest nest robbers
11:13
here and less tree damage to what it’s
11:16
going to pick up what we’ve had
11:21
a partial success with the Magpies there
11:49
plus a couple more gray squirrels
11:51
brought to book now it’s the airgun
11:54
shown use this is the egg and Chinese
11:58
[Music]
12:01
air can video czar back to normal after
12:04
falling victim to an apparent each you
12:05
perch two weeks ago in the situation
12:08
being dubbed as Armageddon several major
12:10
tunnels received strikes against their
12:12
content for apparently breaching
12:14
Community Guidelines
12:15
some even got taken down all together
12:18
YouTube restored most of the channels a
12:20
few days later but it’s not given any
12:22
reasons why they were taken down in the
12:24
first place
12:24
Vasc has asked youtube to explain itself
12:28
new basque chief executive Ian Bell has
12:31
used his first day on the job to call
12:32
the shooting to broaden its appeal he
12:35
said we need to educate people what it
12:37
is we do and why we do it and highlight
12:39
the benefits we bring to the economy and
12:41
the countryside and he said we should
12:43
also help people who might not
12:44
traditionally think about shooting get
12:46
involved in the sport and more we do
12:48
this he said the more our voice will be
12:50
heard shootings going to be even more
12:53
important to the environment after
12:55
breakfast that’s what Bosque has told
12:57
the government in response to its
12:58
25-year environmental plan sheeting
13:01
including air gunning is involved in the
13:04
management of two-thirds of the UK’s
13:05
rural and Basque said the 25-year plan
13:08
was a clear message that the government
13:10
wants to give the environment voice and
13:12
that sheeting can help the government
13:14
deliver on that ambition and finally if
13:17
you want to check out all the hottest
13:19
air getting gear don’t miss the latest
13:21
issue of egg and shooter magazine
13:23
it’s got 31 pages of new gear from the
13:26
daystate broke up Barack and more
13:28
plus a four-way review of top and hft
13:31
sites plus as a guide to hunting in the
13:34
rain managing recoil and perfecting your
13:36
target technique pick up a gun shooter
13:39
from good news agents or visit my
13:41
favorite magazines dr. dot uk’ that was
13:44
the egg and show news
13:51
[Music]
13:57
we’ve got a couple of review items on
14:00
the test bench this week and they go
14:02
together to make a brilliant plinking
14:04
combo it’s the Air Force one tornado n
14:07
Ram pistol and the PA oh topaz long eye
14:12
relief pistol scope starting with the
14:16
pistol it retails for a hundred and
14:18
nineteen pounds ninety-nine that’s not
14:21
cheap but I still think it’s fair to
14:23
class it as an affordable pistol
14:25
it feels very solidly built and the
14:29
finish of the metal work is good for a
14:31
pistol at this price point unscoped it
14:34
weighs just under 1.5 kilos and it’s 45
14:38
centimeters long that makes it a
14:41
relatively large pistol but thanks to
14:44
its sculpted hardwood grips which
14:46
feature checkering on either side it
14:49
feels good in the hand and it’s nice and
14:51
steady or name available in 177 and to
14:56
two calibers the tornado kick SATA
14:59
muzzle energy have around five and a
15:01
half foot pains certainly close enough
15:04
to the legal limit for my liking being a
15:06
relatively powerful pistol the cocking
15:09
stroke does take a bit of effort however
15:12
the cocking aid at the front of the
15:14
barrel which also serves as a sound
15:17
suppressor really helps by providing a
15:20
good solid grip the N ramen this pistols
15:25
name refers to its nitrogen Ram gas Ram
15:28
powerplant its firing cycle feels fast
15:31
but it’s still not as snappy as a lot of
15:34
gas Rams that I’ve used loading is
15:36
direct to the breech and you can quickly
15:39
get into a shoot cocked load shoot
15:42
routine which makes for a great phone on
15:44
the plinking range
15:48
the tornadoes trigger is a two-stage
15:50
unit while I would have preferred a
15:53
metal blade to the plastic one I will
15:55
concede that it’s more than adequate for
15:57
a plinking pistol on the test gun the
16:00
first stage is short and light and the
16:02
second stage is pretty heavy that said
16:06
it is about right because the last thing
16:08
you want on a plinking pistol is a hair
16:10
trigger there is a bit of creep in its
16:13
operation but it’s still very
16:14
predictable a button type safety catch
16:20
sits just above and behind the trigger
16:22
blade perfectly positioned for easy
16:25
operation with the Thurman index finger
16:27
it’s a manual setup and you push it in
16:30
from the left to make the gun safe and
16:32
then push it back from the right when
16:34
you’re ready to shoot the tornado comes
16:38
fitted with fiber optic open sights the
16:41
red front element is shielded by this
16:44
barrel shroud to prevent it from getting
16:46
knocked the green rear element is
16:49
adjustable for windage and elevation
16:52
you’ll need a small screwdriver to make
16:55
elevation adjustments but you can
16:57
quickly shift the windage by means of
17:00
the small dial on the right hand side
17:03
the open sights give sufficient accuracy
17:06
for plinking though it did take me a
17:08
while to find a pellet that really
17:10
suited the rifled barrel of the 177
17:13
calibre test gun iws super points
17:17
eventually emerged as one of its
17:19
favourites producing decent groups at 15
17:22
meters the review gun also came supplied
17:26
with a PA oh topaz long eye relief
17:29
pistol scope which retails for 89 pounds
17:32
99 that long eye relief makes this scope
17:36
absolutely perfect for pistol use
17:38
because it’s designed to be used at
17:40
arm’s length at 244 millimeters long and
17:46
weighing just 335 grams this scope is a
17:50
good size match for this pistol
17:52
unfortunately the supplied low mates
17:55
aren’t quite high enough to keep the
17:57
rear bail clear of the rear sight so
18:00
I’ve had to use a higher
18:01
set PA Oh slimmer two by twenty law my
18:06
relief pistol scope should be a better
18:08
choice for this pistol once you’ve got
18:11
it mounted though this is a great little
18:14
scope nitrogen purged it’s waterproof
18:17
fog proof and shockproof this is the two
18:21
to eight times thirty-two model and that
18:24
zoom range is just about perfect for
18:26
plinking the mil dot reticle doesn’t
18:29
really come into play when you’re
18:31
shooting at arm’s length but the finger
18:33
adjustable windage and elevation turrets
18:35
are great making for quick and easy tool
18:39
free adjustment this is no match pistol
18:42
and it’s not supposed to be but it is
18:45
accurate enough to justify the addition
18:47
of this bright little scope with the
18:50
topaz fitted I was able to achieve some
18:53
very handy groups at fifteen meters
18:55
while shooting rested if you’re looking
18:59
for a plinking pistol to enjoy some fun
19:01
gunning in the backyard as the evening
19:03
start getting longer the Air Force 1n
19:06
Ram tornado from the shooting party
19:08
won’t disappoint
19:10
it’s a solidly built pistol that should
19:13
last for years on top of that it packs a
19:16
real punch without making too much noise
19:18
so it shouldn’t get on your neighbors
19:20
nerves
19:32
that’s all for this week but we’ll be
19:35
back again in a fortnight thank you for
19:37
watching and please don’t forget to Like
19:39
us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
19:41
and if you aren’t already a member of
19:43
the BAS C have a look at their website
19:45
and check out the benefits you could be
19:47
taking advantage of through airgun
19:49
membership
19:57
[Applause]
20:02
you

 

Leave a Comment