Icon Logo Gun Mart

Nockover Hunter Rabbit & Pigeon Targets

Nockover Hunter Rabbit & Pigeon Targets

There can be few airgunners who haven’t seen or at one time used a knockdown reactive target. It was Nockover Targets who, after years of tweaking and modifying their design took out a patent to cover the ‘over centre’ mechanism. This was accepted and approved by the B. F. T. A (British Field Target Association) resulting in those manufactured by Nockover quickly becoming the standard competition target used in events throughout the world.

Here I’m looking at their very challenging Hunter Practice Rabbit (HPR) and the Double Pigeon with Reducing Wing.

Shoot The Rabbit

First up is the HPR. Incidentally, to save on repetition, like most targets in the company’s comprehensive range it is largely made from lasercut, 3mm zinc-coated steel. The body profiles of the targets are double bolted to ‘H’ shape profile, angle iron bases with securing holes at the corners. The killzones on the HPR are two 20mm diameter holes drilled through the profile plate.

story continues below...

Interestingly, the upper kill-zone is correctly positioned for taking down an adult live rabbit with a side on head shot. The lower is challenging but not exactly anatomically correct for a heart/lung shot.

The apertures in the profile plate are set 4” apart from c-t-c and are challenging, yet very easy to use. Hit the head kill-zone disc at the rear of the profile plate and it falls away to rest on the upper ‘paddle’of the lever attached to the lower disc. When you then hit the lower disc, it swings back and resets the upper disc. This mechanical design is basically the same for all of Nockover’s cordless resettable targets and works faultlessly time after time.

Pigeon Wings

The Double Pigeon with reducing wing, though simple to use, is quite ingenious. The target is reset in the usual way by placing a pellet through the ‘aperture’ of the main body plate into the 40mm disc behind. However, a ‘kill’ is signified not by hitting a disc above, but by actually hitting the head of the metal pigeon itself. Hit this above the neck and as it is hinged it falls over. The shooter can then utilise the very similar cordless re-settable mechanism by hitting the 40mm reset disc so the head pops back up.

What makes this even more challenging is the moveable wing. This allows you to reduce the standard 40mm reset aperture to 25 or 15mm due to it having two pre-drilled reducer holes. It is secured by a bolt and lock nut so it can easily be swung across so that either aperture can cover and reduce the original to the size preferred.

  • Nockover Hunter Rabbit & Pigeon Targets - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Nockover Hunter Rabbit & Pigeon Targets - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Nockover Hunter Rabbit & Pigeon Targets - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Nockover Hunter Rabbit & Pigeon Targets - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

gun
features

  • Name: Hunter Practice Rabbit and Double Pigeon with Reducing Wing
  • Price: £24.99 & £23.95 respectively
  • Contact: Nockover Targets www.nockover-targets.co.uk
Arrow