His father bought himself an air rifle, but it wasn’t long before 14-year-old Nick made it his own
MY FIRST STEPS
I started shooting airguns when my father purchased a Webley Hawk for him to use. As you can imagine, being 14, my younger brother and I were using it quite a lot more than he was.
We were both very competitive, and it wasn’t long before I was outshooting both my brother and my father. My next air rifle wasn’t until I was 35, when I purchased a Webley Xocet, just for a bit of plinking in the garden.
MY CURRENT GUN
I really got into airgun shooting after we moved house, and my new permissions were around sheep and horses, so my shotgun wasn’t usable. Through forums and Airgun Shooter magazine, I got the bug for tuning, and tuned the Xocet so that I could start hunting with it. I’ve not needed the shotgun since.
MY SHOOTING
I joined a club to practise in a safe environment before shooting live quarry. I always suggest to people to learn the capabilities and limitations of both you and the gun.
Practise before using it in the field, then when you think you’re ready, practise some more. Airgun hunting is precise, but requires good fieldcraft, which makes the hunt involving and fun.
MY INSIGHT
The Xocet was sold recently, which I think I might regret later, but my dad still owns the Hawk and we sometimes still plink with it when I visit. I now own two rifles, an Air Arms TX200 HC and a classic BSA Cadet as a project for my grandson when he’s older.
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