Gun Craziness
 

Took the dogs for a walk down by the canal today, decided we`d go through the woods and down towards the river. On the way there I heard a bang in the distance, at first I thought it was someone banging on the shipping containers Brian Barnes has, but as I got further away from them, the bangs got louder, and more like gunfire. Being the nosey sod I am, I decided to investigate. There were three chaps with a gun not sure what they were shooting at but fortunately it was away from me, then they just walked off from there vehicle, leaving the gun unattended on the bonnet.:eek:
Shooting in a place like that, where there are a lot of public footpaths is bad enough, but to leave a gun unattended is just plain stupid.
Anyone know what kind of gun that is.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Maybe they were American tourists !

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Can't really say at that distance, but I'd assume it's probably an Anshuetz or something similar a competition/ Hunting rifle.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

What ever it is it, looking at the size of the magazine floor plate to be a fairly large calibre. It is illegal any way, weapons of that size or even as small as .22, can only be used in certain places, and that location is not one of them. The number plate should be enlarged and handed to the police. Those 3 idiots are just bring shooting into more disrepute.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

I'd say it's a good quality air rifle. BSA do that shape of checkering on the stock and the barrel diameter doesn't look right for a full firearm.
A FAC power air rifle can make a heck of a crack!
Whatever, they shouldn't be shooting anything in a public access area and they sure as hell shouldn't be leaving it unattended!
You have their reg. number , give the photo to the police.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

I`m no gun expert, but do air rifles give off smoke from the barrell?

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Ah, now that's interesting. An air rifle can smoke if you put gun oil in the air chamber and barrel(compression, like a diesel engine) but it's just for effect.
I can't see these guys making smoke for fun so you have a very interesting photo there. Definitely a police job!

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Retlaw, there are bolt action air rifles and the barrel looks a bit light for a .303 but you know a lot more about rifles than I do.
Interesting, on gpicks last photo showing the smoke they've fitted a silencer.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Re: Gun Craziness
 

This is where they were, and the direction they were shooting, would this be classed as public access area? They were shooting in the direction of Dunkenhalgh Way but the road is quite a bit higher up.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

If that`s what that is, it didn`t work cos it was loud as hell.
This is where is was when I first heard them. Approx 300m away.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

They certainly weren't just playing. That's a sand bag on the jacket on the bonnet.
It's to rest the rifle on to steady it for an accurate shot. In the photo with the smoke the guy is resting the rifle on it.
You don't bring that sort of stuff unless you're a serious shooter- of something!They're on open ground and very near the motorway- iffy.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

The level of the road doesn't matter, a ricochet could go in any direction and still be lethal at one mile. Who ever they are if they have the slightest knowledge of the firearms act they would know they are out of order, if it is an illegal firearm then those three are bloody idiots. AND silencers also need special permits.
Strikes me that some one could be selling an illegal rifle, and the buyer wanted to try it out. Those photo's need to be handed over to the plod pronto.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

I didn`t mention the height of the road to try to excuse them, just it isn`t obvious to anyone who doesn`t know the area.
I think you`re right, it`s definitely something for Dibble to look into. There could be anyone walking round there, I regularly walk through them woods, luckily I took a different direction today.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

It's not just for effect at all. You don't want dieseling in an air rifle, it makes them inconsistent and very inaccurate

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Had another walk down that way today to see if I could find any clues as to the type of gun this is.
I found the target and what I think is the box that held the ammunition. I`ve measured the holes in the target, some are 3mm but the small one is 2mm, what`s probably more significant is that the "bullet" went through approx an inch and half of chipboard.
Couldn`t make out many words on the packaging, but the ones I could were - smoke, paintball site and some stuff in French.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Such tiny holes in the target, even for .177 or .22 air-rifle pellets. 303 shells are about 7.7 mm.

That area is sometimes used by paintballers - this, we suppose, legal. Another nearby legal activity is the use of shotguns on land less than a mile away on most Sundays. This latter a source of some trouble to dog-walkers - well, perhaps just to me. The rescued Staffordshire doesn't like the noise.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

It's unlikely to be an air rifle with that penetration. Possibly a .22 rifle

Re: Gun Craziness
 

From the size of the bolt & the magazine floor plate on those pictures, plus the effect on the target backing, it could be Winchester .276. Anyway we may find out if the plod ever get on the case.
Neil if that had been a .22 the silencer would have worked, and the shots would not have been heard, unless your thinking .22 varmit.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

No car till late on today, so couldn`t get over to greenbank. I will be passing that way on the way home tomorrow and have the pics on a USB for them.
Just hope they`re a bit more interested in these than they were of the dog tied to the back of a flatback.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

I was only talking about size, I don't know much at all about real firearms except the government of the day wasted a fortune making hand guns illegal and gun crime has increased since

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Granted. Even the Crosman, that pump-gun of my youth, would penetrate a few centimetres of wood only at close range after ten pumps. The effect on a milk-bottle was interesting - a hole on both sides and the bottle left standing. What puzzles is the reported two or three millimetre holes in the target. The .22 inch pellet or bullet would leave a larger entry.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

I went down there hoping to find a shell or two, but there was none. The white target was made of polystyrene and I ripped a portion off and still have it. I`ll take a pic tomorrow with something to show scale. The chipboard looks like an old piece of kitchen worktop, this pic has the dogs lead next to it to show scale, the red part of the lead is just over an inch.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

I wish you luck with the plan to involve police - read your contribution about dog tied to flatback and thought it entirely worthy though police gave no reaction.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

That`s the impression I got at the time, leave it with us, we`ll look into it. I expect this will be much the same, but if I say nothing and next time someone`s hurt then it will be partly my fault for doing nothing.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Hello. I'm a reporter at the Lancashire Telegraph.

As you might imagine, I've read this forum with great interest.

Please could the OP give me a call

Here is a link to our contact page http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/aboutus/contactus/

Re: Gun Craziness
 

The police should do something as that is breaking the law even if it is only an air gun! I once saw armed Police near were I live and e-mailed my MP - that day I was sent a e-mail from the Superintendant - explaining what they were doing! So if the Police don't respond - may be the MP will do something about it.

Also these guys could be poachers - practicing for shooting them from lay - bys etc

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Its all very well the local paper wishing to get involved, but,
If the men in the photos are dealing in illegal firearms, the Discovery is listed on the DVLA website so it does not look like a false plate, they might not be too happy to hear that they have been caught. If they are dealing in illegal firearms, they may be dangerous individuals.
If Retlaw is right and I am inclined to believe him, after all he has more knowledge that most of us here, then the police should take this very seriously, this is no place for newspapers and their sensationalism. The safety of gpick24 is paramount.
Of course I could just be scaremongering or experiencing paranoia, I do hope so

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Thanks for the concern BoeingGuy, but I went to the police anyway. At first the lady at the desk seemed quite concerned, she wouldn`t take the USB stick though for fear it might contain a virus, so had to show her the pics on the camera. She took the REG No. of the LR and asked if another officer could view the pics on the camera. I had quite a wait which makes me think the were checking out the REG, when this other officer checked out the pics he said it was definitely an air rifle and as they were on private property it`s not an issue. He was also certain they were farmers (apparently he could tell from there overalls).
I think they maybe got in touch with the owner of the Land Rover and asked what had been going on, but they didn`t say as much, just the impression I got.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

That copper who said it was an air rifle after seeing those pictures is an idiot, I'd like to see an air rifle that looks like the rifle what was being fired and left unattended, that can punch its way thro a piece of work top.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

I have no doubt you are right Retlaw, most on here know your expertise in such matters and I would trust your judgement over his, but I know next to nothing about guns myself, what arguement could I have with him "someone I`ve shown the pics to on an internet forum told me it`s not an air rifle" , I showed him all the pics, the smoke, silencer, the worktop that it went through, but he wasn`t having any of it.

Gun Craziness
 

It seems there are plenty of bolt action air rifles out there:-
http://m.gunstar.co.uk/Air-rifles-fo...-Guns?redirm=1

Re: Gun Craziness
 

That was pointed out quite early on in the thread by Gordon, but the floor plate (not sure what that is), smoke from the barrell and that it shot through an inch and half of kitchen worktop suggested to some it probably isn`t an air rifle. Doesn`t really matter now, the police have been shown the pics and it`s their opinion on what it is that counts.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

They are all precharged pneumatics, you can can see the air tank on them.
They are very quiet and have no spring and piston so no smoke if incorrectly lubricated.

If you see them shooting again and you are concerned for public safety just dial 999

Re: Gun Craziness
 

That`s what they said I should have done. The more I look at the pics of bolt action air rifles, the more i`m convinced this isn`t one. They all seem to have a second "barrel" underneath the main barrel
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=e...rifle&tbm=isch
presumably this is where the compressed air would be stored.
There was one exception, the Brocock Predator, which is banned in the UK.

The closest i`ve found that looks like the rifle in the pics I posted is this one.

Sporting Rifle M70 American Style | Zastava-arms

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Most people fit a silencer to PCP's especially if using it for hunting, they are so effective you only hear a click from the trigger and the pellet whistling through the air.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Does look a lot like a Model 70 ... maybe a Remington 700 or a Savage14/114 American Classic ... I have a 70, chambered for the 22 -250 ... 4000 ft/sec, a great varmint gun:alright:. Looks a lot like it ... although mine is a pre-'64 model, and there were changes (not for the better) made in models made after that year. The 70 is available in a whole bunch of calibres ... I think the 22 Hornet is the smallest.

But it's such a damn fine looking gun that there are probably all kinds of knock offs.

Re: Gun Craziness
 

gpick, if you hear your front door being broken down at 6am some morning, don't worry.

You're not being burgled, it's just the police coming to arrest you for being on private property!

Re: Gun Craziness
 

It is an issue if they didn't have permission to shoot there, without permission makes it an offence under the firearms act. If they do or it's his land and the rifle is legal than I don't see a problem. They had their backs to the public footpath and the road is a couple of hundred yards away and uphill so they had a safe backstop

Re: Gun Craziness
 

I wasn`t, I was on a public footpath. :p

Re: Gun Craziness
 

We'll get you somehow!

How about 'Wasting Police time'?

We can't be letting you interfere with pursuits of the landed gentry!

Re: Gun Craziness
 

They`ve got to find me first. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-fc/hiding.gif http://metaldetectingforum.com/image...ies/police.gif

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Looking around Church would be a good starting point ;)

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Time to arm yourself there, bud. May I suggest a Winchester Defender:alright:

Re: Gun Craziness
 

They`d only know that if they were members here, anyhow, i`m a master of disguise.
See I`m yellow now.http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/us...655/hiding.gif

Re: Gun Craziness
 

It seems to show your rough location even if not logged in. (On the left, under the username)

Re: Gun Craziness
 

Sorted.:D