Our experts select accessories that are perfect for the firearms shooter…
K.F. Graham Engineering High Seat
Using a high seat is the perfect way to target quarry with a rifle and they are ideal for fox control and deer management and, as you are shooting down, safety is improved. These high seats are made in Suffolk and there are single, double, lean-to and free-standing models available.
Made from fully-welded, box section steel, they are hot-dipped galvanised and there’s a fully adjustable shooting-rail for enhanced accuracy. The ladder of each seat is made in two halves for ease of transport and any seat can be made into a free-standing seat with the addition of the correct leg-kit. The height is 10ft but each seat can also be made into a 'low seat' (5ft) with the edition of a foot-bracket, providing a perfect solution for fox and rabbit shooting. They can make bespoke seats to customer’s specification, as long as they meet current health and safety specifications.
Prices: Lean to Single - £275, Lean to Double - £325, Leg Kit £110, Low Seat Bracket £35
Contact: kfgrahamengineering.co.uk
Reviewer: Graham Allen
Pro Shot Cleaning Patches and Jags
Keeping your rifle’s bore in tip-top condition is the key to accuracy and allowing copper fouling to accumulate can cause groups to open and consistency suffer. There are various cleaning solutions available, but they all need to be applied to the interior of the barrel to work. Cloth patches are the perfect way of coating the bore with the cleaning solution and the residue obviously needs to be removed once it has done its job. Pro Shot Patches are calibre specific and are pushed through the barrel using brass spear point jags, which are also sized to the bore. The jags are screwed onto a plastic-coated cleaning rod, which stops damage to the rifle. Once the bore is clean, a layer of oil can be applied to prevent rust but must be cleared before the rifle is fired by pushing dry patches through.
Price: From £8.50
Contact: 1967spud.com
Reviewer: Graham Allen
Prvi Partizan 223 Rem Ammunition
Prvi Partizan (PPU) 223 Rem MATCH line ammunition consists of 69 and 75-grain BTHP loads and cases are Boxer-primed, so can be reloaded easily once fired. PPU quote the following speeds for the two loads; 69-grain 2837fps and 75-grain 2723fps.
In a Southern Gun Company Speedmaster, with a 1 in 8 twist barrel, the 69s were averaging 2608fps with an impressive extreme velocity spread (ES) of 28fps. Groups however exceeded the inch with an average of 1.25-inches and might suit a 1-9-inch twist rate better. Switching to the 75s was a real eye opener, as I have never had such good results with this weight before. Speed was quicker than the 69s at 2658fps and an ES of 19fps; very respectable indeed! Groups too were awesome, with an average of 0.65-inches, with a best of 0.5-inches but nothing over 0.70-inches either. Primary extraction was not an issue either, with empties coming out with no effort.
Price: £65.65 per 100 (either weight)
Contact: henrykrank.com
Reviewer: Pete Moore
Ase Utra Jet-Z CQBS Bore Lock moderator
This system consists of an all-steel Ase Utra Jet-Z CQBS moderator and a special muzzle adaptor. Normally, you match the thread on the moddy to that of the rifle’s muzzle, but in this case the system is set up for the standard AR15/M16 ½ x 28 UNEF thread. To fit, remove the standard AR flash hider and screw on the mounting collar, which consists of a four-prong unit with an exterior thread for the moderator. A screw-on cover is provided when not in use. At the rear of the moderator is a sliding collar, which is locked by a catch. Behind this are three, equidistant teeth that engage with splines at the base of the mounting collar. To fit, push the mount nut forward and screw the moderator on to the mounting collar until it stops. Press the catch on the side of the mount nut and pull it back until it engages with the splines to lock it in place. The nut has four positions, to allow it to locate correctly. In use, I could discern no significant group shift when the can was fired, removed then replaced and shot again and moderation was excellent.
Price: £518
Contact: jacksonrifles.com
Reviewer: Pete Moore
Bush Light Stable Sticks
Stable Sticks are a new range of rifle shooting supports, available in four design variants. The standard sticks are a regular quad-legged unit, with adjustable height for taking shots with great confidence over terrain where an elevated shooting position is just not possible. Bush Light, Mountain (with three part instead of two part extending legs) and a Monteria version that is simply a ‘V’ setup; to give some support to the gun, yet retain greater manoeuvrability and flexibility. Lighter weight makes one-handed manipulation easier and at just under 600-grams, they are approximately half the weight of fully adjustable options. The aluminium leg tubes are 13mm in diameter, so significantly smaller than the 17mm ones elsewhere and bolts look to be M4, rather than M5, with hinges made from polymers rather than aluminium at the joints. Full height of 163cm (64-inches) from the hard-anodised aluminium feet to the upper rest is about right for me at 5-foot 11-inches (180cm) The front leg pairing hinge on a short fibre reinforced injection moulded polymer bridge providing 90mm (3.5-inches) later support for the forend. It has a rubber inlay to offer some cushioned grip for side to side tracking capability, while aiming without any slippage or noise.
I would suggest the Bush Light Stable Sticks are ideal for those of lighter build, because they will not offer the brutal strength and rigidity of beefier models when walking but to well-practised shooters, the lighter weight is enviable and a little quieter too, because of the multiple rubber-wrapped points that silence all contact between the tubes.
Price: £120
Contact: gmk.co.uk
Reviewer: Chris Parkin
GECO 8x42 Binoculars
German Precision Optics is a relatively new name but certainly carry every single hallmark of quality. The lenses and prisms within the twin tubed body follow the familiar roof prism design and utilise a full magnesium body with a single hinged bridge with a fairly hard, twin texture polymeric armour. Each objective lens is set back 10mm within it and the hinge is smooth, yet stiff enough to maintain position. The right side ocular lens shows the dioptre adjustment and at 100-metres, the field of view is 142-metres. GECO supply a semi-hard case with a full zippered circumference opening the clamshell case.
Each eyecup has three positions for eye relief and I found the 8x42s a pleasure to use and the field of view most appealing, which on an 8x optics, allows for wide scanning of terrain before concentrating in on specific detail that the ED glass’s resolution had no issue displaying.
The 670g weight adds a sense of meaty quality to the item in its otherwise very compact 145mm overall length. In full daylight, I had no issue whatsoever in discerning colours and shapes blending into backgrounds. These are an excellent pair of binoculars that will make a constant companion. Only the last few minutes of daylight can justify spending two-three times more.
Price: £386.00
Contact: ruag.co.uk
Reviewer: Chris Parkin
Cannae Triplex Acies 3 Rifle Bag
This rifle bag is built for ‘3 Gun’ shooters and is 44-inches long and 13.5-inches high, so it can accommodate two fullbore rifles, as there’s a removable, padded central divider that allows two rifles to be carried at the same time without fear of damage and there are adjustable straps to hold each end of the gun in position. I found it best to stow the guns facing different ways, so that the weight is more evenly distributed. One side has a zipped pocket at the end that has an extension which can be pulled out to provide an additional 10-inches of length. The bag has heavy-duty YKK main zip that opens out, so that the bag can lay flat on the ground and could be used as a shooting mat. There is a zipped pocket on the rear that houses the adjustable, rucksack-style straps and there are carry handles stitched to the sides; if you want to use the Acies as a drag bag, there are grab handles stitched on both ends. There are two large (17- x 11-inch) zip up pockets on the front of the bag, one has pockets for four AR15 sized magazines and a larger pouch for miscellaneous items; the exterior has Molle attachment points and a padded, zip-up pouch for shooting glasses. The other pocket has eight pistol mag pouches inside and Velcro fastened straps to hold a pistol; the exterior has more Molle strips. Between these pockets is a Velcro-closed pouch for a pair of hearing protectors.
Price: £139.99
Contact: scottcountry.co.uk
Reviewer: Graham Allen
KGD620 Rifle Cleaning Blister Pack
The KG Blister Pack contains the four most commonly used products from the range. A 118ml bottle of ‘No.1’ carbon remover is used to swab through the barrel and then the ‘No.12’ eradicates all traces of copper. These water-based cleaners are free from ammonia and safe from damaging firearm finishes or the rifle’s bore. These containers feature long, clear spouts, capable of dispensing individual drops of liquid for economical use with secure press fit lids to prevent spillage if they fall on their sides. KG’s ‘No.3’ degreaser is for all over cleaning in a 15oz. spray can, ensuring everything is clean down to the bare metal, before a final wipe over with ‘No.4’, from its 59ml container protects metal surfaces from corrosion. The oil also lubricates small detailed components and prevents carbon adhesion to the bore when passed through on a final cleaning patch.
Price: £46
Contact: vikingarms.com
Reviewer: Chris Parkin
Kestrel Elite Weather Meter with Applied Ballistics
Kestrels’ latest evolution of the weather station includes the latest Applied Ballistics software, ‘Link’ Ballistics connectivity with a smart device. The Elite is a lot faster than the previous model and the ‘Link’ ballistics connectivity improves range and speed over standard Bluetooth. Setup for individual rifles takes about two-minutes with the expected inputs of calibre, muzzle velocity, bullet length, barrel twist rate, bullet weight etc. etc. but perhaps most pivotal, there is now a bullet database incorporated for you to choose your projectile and whether you want to run G1, G7 or Custom ballistic coefficients.
As well as chronographed inputs, the Kestrel will work out approximated muzzle velocity from your input drops at longer ranges. The nine-button keypad is tactile and faster in use now with a choice of white or red backlit screen illumination after dark.
In use, the Elite does what the old Horus and Applied ballistics versions of the 4500 did, you input range to target, direction of fire and then point the Kestrel into the wind to assess all other atmospheric variables, alongside wind speed, to give you an elevation and windage value to dial into your scope’s turrets for an INITIAL firing solution. As well as all ballistic profiles and updates in a database being made easier, it allows you to tripod mount the Kestrel away from your firing position, partly to keep it out of the cover you are choosing to shoot from but mostly so that in the wind vane mount, it constantly rotates to maintain accurate wind heading and speed. Minutes of Angle or Mrad are fully supported, with all variables easily swapped between metric or imperial units. Up to five targets can be run at any time with the ability to swap instantly between any of the programmed rifles. The Elite is available without the Link capability, but I see this as a false economy and a waste of the capabilities of the ‘linked’ tool with the additional wind vane mount, so I would personally recommend against this option. You can use the Elite wearing gloves, in the dark, with simple batteries and it’s waterproof.
Price £636 (£549.60 without Link connectivity) Wind Vane Mount £66.00 (fits to regular ¼-inch tripod thread)
Contact: r-p-r.co.uk
Reviewer: Chris Parkin
Brattonsound Ammo Safe
Brattonsound have been making gunsafes since 1982 and they are manufactured and distributed in the UK and include a 3-year on-site warranty. They are all built and tested to BS7558 (the British Standard for gunsafes) and they have sold more than 360,000! Keeping ammo secure, as well as guns, is a legal requirement and the Sentinel ammo safe offers fantastic value for money and incorporates many security features other manufacturers overlook. The Sentinel ammo safe has super strong, seven lever safe deadlocks, with forged a steel bolt and a reinforced casing. Note: The above safes are not suitable for the storage of black powder.
There are three sizes available, with the smallest version being the PA5 5 Pistol or Ammo safe, which is 388mm high, 268mm wide and 244mm deep. The PD7 7 Pistol or Ammo (extra deep) is 388mm wide, 407mm high and 320mm deep. The SC2S Bulk Storage Safe with 2 shelves is 916mm high, 407mm wide and 320 deep.
Prices: PA5 - £132, PD7 - £161, SC2S - £240
Contact: brattonsound.co.uk
Reviewer: Graham Allen
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