It’s a strange feeling, receiving your firearm certificate.

I should qualify that slightly leftfield statement by comparing the feeling to that of that strange feeling you get when your driving license lands on the doormat after you passed your test.

That feeling of: “Me? Allowed to drive on my own? On the Queen’s highway? Odd, I don’t feel any different from last week yet the nice man in whatever government department that deals with sort of thing has considered my case and has smiled benevolently down on me. What car can I afford….. “ and so on.

Buying your first car and driving off into the sunset, or in my case a half-hour snarl-up on the M4, is a magical feeling; It’s a mixture of excitement, apprehension and what I term the “Beadle Effect”.

The “Beadle Effect” is my term for that feeling you get when you do something, quite legitimately, that you were hitherto prevented from doing for whatever reason. Much like a police rapid response driver I suppose. It is the feeling of expecting the late, great Mr. Beadle to appear disguised as a traffic warden from behind a lamp-post to tell you it’s all been a big joke and of course Her Majesty's finest won’t let you drive on these ‘ere ‘ighways.

Now, it is fairly commonplace to see people in car without the boys in blue in hot pursuit on at least some of London’s roads and hence the Beadle Effect in respect of driving, in my experience, soon passes.

Consider then, the magnitude of the Beadle Effect experience when a young man takes his newly acquired certificate, the giddy heights of recent ownership whereof still warranting the odd scintilla of excitement, three hundred miles to deepest Devon where the incomparable Mr. Ian and fair Ms. Jo, for reason or reasons unknown, had once again agreed to put up with me for the weekend.

Although it generally admitted that a weekend spent in the company of such fine folk is a welcome treat at any time, this weekend I had an ulterior motive.

Long ago, when I first sent my application into the Met, I had applied for a .22 and two 308s, one for target and one for stalking.

A couple of weeks into the process Ian rang me up and said that a rifle known to him had just come up for sale and was I interested in a bargain.

I of course answered “depends” and he proceeded to paint a picture of a Tikka M690 deluxe in 30.06 that had, to use that old gunshop chestnut, fired 150 rounds in it’s life. I ummed and ahhed whereupon Ian slipped into the manner of a kindly yet insistent Drill Sergeant and convinced me to call up my FEO and make the necessary amendments to my application.

Whilst this was going on a disc in my back slipped unbidden and most
inconveniently, nigh on unmanning me to the extent that only now is the searing, howling agony of nerve pain in an area traditionally regarded as the sole preserve of comedy, the buttocks, subsiding. I still have to have an operation on it this week.

However, the most important consequence of my incapacity has been that I have had lot’s of time to get reloading bits and pieces, syndicate places and other shooting requisites in place before I picked up the gun.

A visit to the Sportsman’s in Exeter was arranged, where my new toy was waiting patiently for the day we would be together. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before what excellent and jolly fellows the folk down at the Sportsman are; one the same disappeared off and came back with my Tikka.

The formalities were cleared up and without making it too obvious we made our excuses and headed off to a range on the other side of Devon, near Street, to a private range run by a very decent fellow named Steve ( my apologies, his surname escapes me at the moment).

Drill Sergeant Ian took over and showed me how the various bits of the rifle did what they did, how to take it apart, how far to take it apart, what I must never do and finally what I should do.

He set it up on the sand bags and bore-sighted it, explaining how increasing the sighting radius resulted in greater accuracy. The result of the first 5 shots at 50 yards are shown in the following link: target 1

The first shot is immediately to the left of the square. Ian called out “8 clicks right”. I adjusted the Meopta 7x50 ‘scope and the second shot landed to the left of shot number one.

“16 clicks to your other right” came the call “and 8 up”.

I couldn’t think of anything clever to say at this point and therefore made the adjustments as carefully and subtly as possible, all the time trying to avoid the terrible aspect of those raised eyebrows.

It was no good though, I could feel them.

Concentrating now, Shot 3 landed in the middle of the group immediately above the target square. A quick glance showed Ian preoccupied with the spotting scope and to my great satisfaction shots four and five landed in a neat cluster ½” above and below shot 3.

There was much rejoicing. Amid the hand-shaking and back-slapping Jo retired to the warmth of the pickup and we set off to fix a target at 100 yards.

Four shots into that resulted in the following: target 2
Suffice to say both Ian and I were very happy bunnies!

I’ll post some picture of the rifle itself when I’ve finished polishing it.

All in all it is a very nice rifle. It looks good, shoots well and I know the history. The Meopta scope is fantastic, the lowlight performance gives up very little to the German bruisers IMHO and the tracking can be seen to be very accurate.

Oh, and the whole lot including sling came to £350.

My thanks go once again to Ian and Jo for all of their kindness over the past few months and on the weekend especially.

The results of their kindness of course speak for themselves.

Regards,

Amir

Nice one, glad you're sorted. Now only to baptise the new acquisition properly!

This thread needs a pic of the rifle in question.

Best regard Chris

... and a note that his first group at 100 measures .4" centre to centre. Not bad for his first attempt at reloading for the 30'06!

Glad you like it bud!

Rgds Ian

quote:

Originally posted by IanF:
... and a note that his first group at 100 measures .4" centre to centre. Not bad for his first attempt at reloading for the 30'06!

Glad you like it bud!

Rgds Ian

Yet again I am in your debt Sir! ( insert taking-hat-off smiley here )

Regards,

Amir

quote:

Originally posted by Husqvarna M98:
This thread needs a pic of the rifle in question.

Best regard Chris

I will glady, after i've finished polishing it!

I need something to do for the months of inactivity ahead....

Regards,

Amir

Amir,

Congratulations on your first rifle.You write very well and to read finely written prose is a reward in itself.

The Steve you spoke of, will he be Steve Beatty of Ivy Thorn shooting range? I heard that he is an excellent shotgun coach.

Best-
Locksley,R

Well done Ghu

Obviousy Ian has kept you on the straight and narrow.

You have got yourelf a bargain and a super rifle aswell and it obviously shoots brilliantly.

Now you are sorted whenever you are ready come up to our bit for a "bit of a do".

Best

Jon

Congratulations Amir, I hope you enjoy the new rifle and clearly you are not going to have any problems hitting the target with it.

I know what you mean about the odd feeling of now being able to wander around (in a restricted sort of way of course) with a rifle. I had exactly the same odd feeling the first time I went out on my own with the rifle over my shoulder and I'm only starting to get used to it. I guess that says something about our society, perhaps people in parts of the USA get the same odd feeling when they first wander around without a rifle :-)

Get yourself sorted for a trip to Scotland in the autumn/winter for reds on the hill and get yourself an stag or hind with the new rifle. In the mean time work at getting the back better for the trip, and good luck with the operation I hope you are 100% recovered in short order.

Congratulations Amir! I am looking forward to seeing pictures of your new rifle. Ginger and I enjoyed meeting you last May and are glad to hear you are up and running with your new rifle and reloading.

Hood job mate!!

Don't polish the stock to fast, I'd hate for you to ave an accidental discharge!!


FB

Pictures!! Pictures!!

And, Congratulations.

Amir revelling in playing with his new baby!



Still waiting for those photos of a freshly polished Tikka Mr GH!

Rgds Ian

All smiles,

I wonder what they have been up to,

a pic of that range shed brings back fond memories

Good shooting, Amir, so when are you back in front of a computer?

Best regards to all, Chris