GUN TRADE ASSOCIATION
It’s time to embrace steel
Each month the GTA’s Lin Oxley speaks to different players in the gun trade. This month she has been talking to Mike Holden, technical specialist at Chicherster Armoury...
M
ike Holden is the sales and technical specialist at Chichester Armoury and has over 40 years game and competitive shooting experience. Like most young lads, at 10 years of age his dad taught him air rifle skills, progressing to wildfowling, pigeon shooting, rabbit hunting and regularly attending and competing at clay grounds of Southern England. In his early teens he joined Pagham Wildfowlers and could be found during the season on the foreshore and reedbeds of the harbour as the sun rose as well as spending the summer exploring the saltmarsh and inland wetlands. These days he finds himself Vice Chair of the historic Chichester Wildfowlers Association, has introduced BASC Young Shots to wildfowling, is a CPSA instructor, and sells and fits a range of guns for a living, priding himself on bespoke attention for each customer. In his own words he’s ‘overly passionate’. As a wildfowler Mike has used steel shot for many years because lead has been banned on the foreshores in England and Wales, and the wetlands in Scotland. Passed in 2002, this legislation
70 | Tackle & Guns | Issue: 752
also made it illegal to shoot all ducks, geese and swans, the Eurasian Coot and Moorhens anywhere using lead. Geese over a stubble field in England must be shot with steel, whereas in Scotland lead can still be used over stubble fields.
What’s your view on the imminent lead ban Mike?
“I think it should be embraced as a technological step change for our pastimes and sport. Although the production of steel is behind the curve, the manufacturers have clearly invested heavily in product design. Steel production may be a reason to delay a strict ban however and so the transition period seems sensible to me. Alternatives such as bismuth is prohibitively expensive, so steel is the natural choice to replace lead. Early steel ammunition was bad, the loads weren’t right, there was no velocity, they were coupled with a big plastic wad. I have had the option to trial many different steel options on a range of quarry and in my experience, the modern options perform well.”
What equipment do you use to shoot with?
“I use a semi auto 3.5” for ducks and geese, and a Browning Ultra XS Pro for game. The cartridges I choose for wildfowling are Gamebore Mammoth Steel 3” 36gm x3s or, GMKs Federal Black Cloud in 36 or 42gm which is awesome! In my mind it performs as well as any lead load. It will cleanly kill geese at 40 yards and ducks at 50 yards. Wildfowling loads need higher pressure. Many of my friends choose Eley, Fiocchi and Gamebore cartridges.”
What are your customers concerns? “Their prime concern is cost. Everything else that they need, fuel, energy, food is going up right now. Shooting is a pastime, a luxury for some and culturally, socially, and environmentally very important to others. Alternatives appear expensive when 1000 lead cartridges can be bought for £400. Steel averages £620 for 1000 and a bismuth load would be £1700 for the same amount. Effectiveness is also a worry for them and damage risks
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