Green Wellies and Baler Twine

I'm refering to the in my opinion unfounded dislike toward semi auto's.

Why are they frowned upon by the shooting fraternity?
Why can't you turn up to a driven day with a Hatsan or Mossman? Why would you be treated like a leper? They are more than capable of doing the same job as a Berreta or Purdey.

I have read several articles in the shooting press on this and have come to the conclusion that its just snobbery. These people have no rock solid incriminating evidence against these guns other than they can't tell if they are loaded, frankly a pathetic excuse but it seems to be all they have got when put on the spot.
Even a top shelf browning should never be classed as safe with the safety on. All the safety does is lock the trigger, the firing pins are still engaged. But they argue that you should walk around with the gun broken, Agreed, on a semi you get a flag which goes in the breach indicating that your gun is unloaded....and they argue that the flag could fall out and you might not notice, so you would not notice a fluorescent orange flag was no longer sticking out the side of you gun eh? if your eyes are that bad then you should not even have a gun.
And don't get me started on their opinions of camouflaged semi auto's?
They are what they are but if you need to practice on say the bolting rabbits down the clay shoots then why should you take another gun with you and not the semi just because the Browning boys don't like em. Semi's fire lower than O/U's for obvious reasons, no point practising with an O/U but using the semi out in the field.

Rant over. Very Happy

Agree with you mate but just realised whikst trying to type a response that I am very, very drunk Wink

Later

I had both O/U's and a semi auto......used em both for Pigeons and both for clays.....

the Clay fraternity are for want of a better word...arses....most are of the "all the gear and no idea" group.....turn up with top wack gear, clothes cartridges etc...and still could'nt hit a cows arse with a shovel whilst sitting on it.....

granted not all Clay shooters are like that....but the majority are....

I once slapped one who turned up at a Clay shoot, pissed as a rat and first clay fired down the line trying to sight the clay and decided he would hit it when it had all but stopped in midair...the knob............i then slapped the range officer for letting him on in the first place.....my right cos it was my life the f*ckin idiot nearly wiped out......

I shot in a round at the Weston game fair a few years ago with a borrowed O/U i had never fired before, wearing jeans and a standard Barbour jacket..was a last minute thing as my mate dropped out.....and came 1st in my round.....

I then retired from the comp cos i get bored with shooting at things that travel on a predetermined trajectory.....i know i can shoot, I don't need a bloody trophy to prove it...

the same goes with Fly fishing.....both "sports" attract people who in another existance were very small penises........a small select few do have natural talent, but rarely the cash to compliment it and thus have to put up with onanists with with too much money and not enough civility berating them because they have had natural talent gifted to them.....and not bought...

Now...well I shoot to please me, and i fish to please me.......

let your shooting do the talking fella...that normally shuts em up......

was working over kelbrook a little while ago,with my lad,took our guns over with us,just incase we finished early,we did,so up to kelbrook shooting ground we went,you shuda seen some faces up there when we drove up in a scaffolding wagon,dirty as a fire back and dressed like scarecrows,had fifty rounds and went home,a good day in any standards. :lol:ps, semi autos aswell.