Oh, I know, the topic is a thorny one. But there is little to joke about. In all activities where guns are used, especially hunting, either you follow precise safety protocols, or you get hurt. How many times do you hear or read in the media of “accident” or “fatality”?
Did You Know?
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Can your gun take alcohol?
Gotcha! You’ve been taken in by another sensationalist headline. Obviously, the subject of this article isn’t about whether your BAR could challenge Gerard Depardieu to a drinking contest, or if your B725 Grade 5 gets hangovers too. The subject of this article is quite different. Now that the Covid crisis has meant that we have to wash our hands more often than usual, could hydro-alcoholic gel damage your gun? We checked out some possible answers.
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Big game ammunition: grams or grains?
Ammunition weight is key. It impacts on the trajectory of the bullet and how well it penetrates the game.
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The effect the phases of the moon have on roedeer hunting
In order to be successful, there are a number of factors a roedeer hunter has to take into consideration: the most obvious being wind and sun. When dealing with suspicious animals, your smell or your shadow could give you away; but it is just as important to know the right time of day to be effective.
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Fawns in danger: drones to the rescue
Harvest time is a difficult period for wild animals. Many of them get caught up in the blades of combine harvesters. We might assume pheasants, partridges, rabbits and hares alone are affected, but larger game is not spared either. It is estimated that thousands of fawns meet this invidious fate each year. One association has decided to come to their aid.
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Gas-operated and inertia-operated systems: a brief explanation of semi-auto shotguns
The future looks bright for the semi-auto shotgun, a favourite among waterfowlers and pigeon and crow hunters. Gas-operated and recoil-operated versions both have their devotees. Browning has two of the most competitive models on the market in the gas-operated Maxus and the inertia-operated A5. Here is a quick look at how these two systems work, and their strengths and weaknesses.
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Straight, swan neck, Monte-Carlo, pistol: what’s it all about?
Gunsmiths often say that “the bullet comes from the gun; the kill comes from the stock”. The stock is in direct contact with the shooter and has to nestle perfectly in the pit of the shoulder to guarantee a certain level of performance. Everyone has heard of straight stocks, swan-necks, the Monte-Carlo, pistol grips, and others, but what do these names actually mean? Here’s a quick overview of some of these terms.
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In praise of the informal rough shoot (la billebaude)
Among the myriad hunting techniques, there is one that, in our view, is truly redolent of freedom and – we’ll just come right out and say it – rare authenticity. The advantage of this technique that has been adopted by modern-day wildlife photographers (unaware of its origins) and which inspired a famous work of literature by Henri Vincenot, is that it wraps its practitioners in a sweet uncertainty, requiring that they place themselves in the hands of chance in more ways than one.
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Shot Show 2019: Browning, more than just guns
Ask an American which monuments symbolise his country and he’ll tell you about the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, the Golden Gate Bridge, or the Hollywood sign on the hills above Los Angeles. Talk to him about brands that symbolise the American Dream, and there’s a good chance that Browning will be one of the first names mentioned.
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Browning Maxus: repeating excellence
It’s a nice title, isn’t it? I could just as easily have written “Browning Maxus, the best gas-operated semi-auto shotgun on the market”. But that just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
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Management of wild boar in the United Kingdom
If we take a quick look back at the history of wild boar in the UK, we find out that the original native wild boar were extinct somewhere around the 13th century. Since then, there have been several attempts to reintroduce wild boar by royal personages or members of the aristocracy.
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5 reasons to buy a Maral
Hunters like to shop as much as the fashion victims you see strutting around city centres. What could be nicer than casually browsing around a gun store you’ve never been to before while your other half is buying a pair of shoes in the shop next door (using her own credit card, phew!)? What greater thrill than shouldering a gun you’ve had your eye on for years? Nothing much, probably, except the actual hunt.
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Deer social structure
A lot of studies have been done about the social structure of deer by many great experts, doctors, and professors, who spent countless hours studying and writing PhD theses on the subject. So many different species, locations, areas and climates and everywhere the structure of deer society is different.
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African swine fever [part 1 in a series on game diseases]
There is one disease in this overview of illnesses affecting game that is garnering a lot of attention – and, unfortunately, we probably haven’t heard the last of it: African swine fever.
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Auto-5, BAR, B25, Hi-Power, 1900: focus on 5 Browning guns that have each sold over 1 million
John Moses Browning, the man who gave his name to our brand, is often called “the father of modern guns”. This man who held 128 patents is also behind four of the five Browning guns that have each sold over one million.
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B525 Liberty Light: large or small, all are equal and just as effective
All hunters and shooters have the right to the “best there is”. Yet even if the very best over and under shotguns are called B25, B15, Heritage, B725, B525 or Cynergy, it does sometimes happen that a shooter cannot find a stock that fits his shoulder. The grip may be too wide, the stock may be too long, the fore-end may be ill-adapted, the trigger may be too far away etc. For some shooters who are smaller than average hunters, such as women or younger people, micro stocks are not always enough. The only solution is to take the shotgun to the gunsmith.
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What makes Browning over-and-under shotguns so durable?
I often get the chance to work at hunting fairs in Europe, but whether in France, Germany, Sweden or England, one question comes up time after time. “Hello, I shoot with a B25 purchased in the 1960s and I wanted to know why Browning shotguns stand out from the rest with their extraordinary longevity”? Well, here are some of the answers.
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Fitting a scope : Tight and right
The best scope in the world is no good unless it’s mounted correctly so what’s it all about? There are two mounting options; fixed, and quick detachable (QD), this last is normally found on switch barrel/calibre rifles or where iron sights are also required. The basic setup is a pair of fixed, dovetail bases that screw to the top of the rifle’s receiver (bridges).
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The hunt: a boost to the economy!
Opponents of hunting are often hermetically sealed against any arguments that hunters might advance. Regulation? They either do not believe in it or do not want to believe. The support it provides to farmers and breeders? An unacceptable rural conspiracy, and so on…
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The Tourist Trade of Hunting in the UK
Though most British hunters feel that Africa, Europe etc are exotic locations for their sport, few perhaps know that the UK is in fact a highly desirable location for shooters from around the world.
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Lyme’s Disease – Be Tick Aware!
Ticks are present in many parts of the UK and across Europe and the number of reported cases of Lyme, though small, is rising each year. Lyme disease is the most common disease spread by ticks in the Northern Hemisphere. It is estimated to affect around 65,000 people a year in Europe. Infections are most common in the spring and early summer. The aim of this blog post is to raise awareness of lyme’s disease and to offer tips on how to avoid being bitten by ticks.
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Give It A Shot! – 5 Shooting Tips You Need To Know
Are you recently new to shooting? Wondering whether to start? Or even wanting to iron out those bad habits to avoid frustration in the field? Well, we’re here to help… We’ve collected together the most popular advice from our professionals experience to give you Browning’s Top 5 Shooting Tips!
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Gear Up For Cold Weather Hunting
As the winter months draw nearer for us all across Europe, hunting from October-February can be bitterly cold. Getting the most out of the winter months means being well prepared for when the weather turns ugly…