Reviews

Webley & Scott was one of our oldest gunmakers but sadly it ceased manufacturing in Britain in 2005 and all its airguns are now made in Turkey. It is a shame because the penultimate years bore some classic air rifles. This was largely influenced by the merger of Venom Arms custom shop that worked out…

Many of those who did military service will be acquainted with the skeleton Lee Enfield No. 4 bolt-action rifle action used as a training and demonstration aid. I first saw one as a teenager in the early 1960s when I joined the Army Cadets which, I admit, was much more for the technical interest in firearms and…

Bergara has a good reputation in this country primarily for its imported barrels that are used for many a custom rifle project. RUAG, however, now imports its range of sporting rifles and the new Bergara B14 rifle is set to make a few rival makers sit up and take notice. Available in a small range…

Recent years have seen the rise in influence of vintage style on modern culture. From clothes and hairstyles to interior and product design, the replication of an idealised past is a phenomenon seen throughout history. From Hesiod, Plato and Ovid envisioning a rustic, rural world free from toil or grief in the golden age of man, to…

Around 10 years ago, I reviewed a camouflaged Hatsan 20-bore semi-auto and commented at the time that to turn up with it on a formal gameshoot would be akin to introducing a young lady of dubious reputation to your very respectable mother and announcing marriage plans. To continue the analogy, that same young lady has matured into…

The Diana gun-works in Germany is one of the oldest air rifle makers in Europe. Formed in 1890, it celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2015, when it was taken over by German Sports Guns. (Read this review of the Diana Model 56) Diana has always produced air rifles for both the common shooter and the enthusiast,…

CZ has been part of the British shooting scene for decades, with its rimfire range almost a rite of passage for vermin shooters. Its full-bore rifles, too, have been well received, but the older styled designs around the Mauser-type bolt action, though very strong, never really matched the rimfire sales. Now CZ has been updating its…

This Marocchi SI 12 semi-auto, supplied by Viking Arms, is a gun that has had very little press in the UK – it should have, though. The company was founded by Stefano Marocchi in 1922. In the early days, the business made high-class components for side-by-side guns, then in the late 50s made an early cO2 operated semi-auto…

For those who still inhabit the world of muzzle-loading, there is always a keen interest in something different. The stranger it is, the more interest it generates and the Miquelet 8-Bore Percussion Muzzle-Loader does sport some unusual features. A noteworthy lock Its lock work follows an early and truly classic layout and is of the…

The game season might be finished but now’s the time to mount an onslaught against those birds and beasties which, given half a chance will steal game bird eggs and kill sitting hens come the nesting season

Even the most casual observer of the shotgun market in the UK cannot fail to have noticed the increasing appearance of Turkish guns on gunshop shelves up and down the country. With the seemingly endlessly popular and desirable Italian and Japanese-made guns from the likes of Beretta and Browning firmly sticking to their £1,500-plus price point, a…