shotgun & dog

Remmie 223

hello all
I just got in to hunting last year when i bought my rifle. I have had soom good success against the red fella's to date dew in no little part to what i have learned on here. Unfortunatly the madness has go hold of me & now i want to do some game shooting next year. Im thinking aboud baikal u/o at under 600 euros in duffy's in galway, seems like very good value for money??? I will be mostly after pheasants & thinking about a springer????
I would like to buy a pup & train him myself but i have no experience gun dogs ( the reason for a pup is i have to get the missus on board) . Am i biting off more than i can chew??? Any advice would be greatly appreciated:)

endasmail

hell no
get the pup ,train it yourself
just read up on it ,very fulfilling to train your own dog and watch it hunt

No6

I am about a year ahead of you!!, I got my springer last february, shes just over a year old now. I havn't done half as much training as I thought I would and she is nothing like those english trial dogs you see being trained on you tube. She is also quite small but she loves to please, has a great nose and will hunt phesants all day, she flushed six on my walk this morning (no gun!! of course) I have shot a few over her this year and she's been brilliant and what I reckon its down to is pure luck that I got a dog out of the litter that just wants to hunt all day long, my brother in law and a friend got two brothers from the same litter and they are nowhere near as good so far but they will probably improve as they get older male dogs take a few years to settle down. Springers do need a good bit of time and lots of excercise, I live in the country so mine can run around outside all day and can be walked off the lead most of the time but they are great fun and make good family dogs too. have fun!!

Remmie 223

I live in the country as well no6 but for the last 2 years working
In dublin monday to friday . But thats about to change next month
Cant wait to get back to full time country life. I have plenty of space
For a dog to run around. You know those dog fences that give dog a
Little shock if he tries to leave an area? Would they do any harm when
Training a dog?

JackSnipe

Hi Remmie 223,
I think you might be going in at the deep end, If I were you I would be looking out for a working pointer or setter, these should also give you a better chance at knocking birds. you can get good bargins at the end of the season from those "pot hunters" who don't want to keep a dog during the off season. A pup can be OK, but can also wreck your head, you don't need this starting out.

On the Gun, the Bakial sounds a bit on the expensive side, and can be heavy, you must consider that you will be carring this around for 6-7 hours over rough terain, so look for a light gun.

Remmie 223

Thanks jasksnipe
What would your advice be about shotgun? . I havent fully gone off
The idea of a pup but Where would you recomend going for a mature
Dog?

JackSnipe

I would look out for a second hand game gun, a Side by Side tends to be lighter then over and under, but have a good look around all the dealers near you and make sure the gun fits you.

Remmie 223

Any brand of shotgun i should look out for ?

Xplor.er

depends on your budget.
lanber and bettinsoli are great starter guns and can be got for under €1000 new. beretta or browning by far the best but tend to be dearer. look around to see whats available and what fits you.

blackstairsboy

I would definatley say start with a pup and my advice would be a springer for a beginner. I am not a pointer or setter man so maybe my view is biased but it is one shared with a lot of other men I know. I would not take one of those dogs at the end of the season whatever the breed if I was paid. Simple fact is people do not part with well trained adult dogs for small money. There has to be a catch. Before someone says it yes there is the occaisional exception but that is all it is an exception. A well bred springer pup will cost between 100 and 200 euro which is good value for money. Training is great fun and a relationship is formed with the dog that can never be achieved by buying an adult dog. There is no great secret to training springers well. Just find someone who knows there stuff and stick with there advice. There are a lot of self proclaimed experts out there who will fill you with sh1te. For instance I had a fellow tell me when I was starting at this game to never call the dog back to you as you will ruin him from hunting. Me being naive at the time listened to the half wit and ended up with an uncontrollable useless dog. Someone in your area who has nice dogs will help you out.

As for the gun the baikal is a good offer.Although never going to win any beauty contests you can be sure it will never let you down. If you like the feel of it and it seems to suit you then by all means work away. I never dealt with Duffy's so I do not know if there is someone there to tell you if the gun suits you but you should bring someone along that know the score if you are buying a gun. For 600 euro you will have a brand new gun with chokes and the lot so it is a very good offer. Weight may be a factor but that is for you to decide. One mans heavy gun is another mans light gun so see what you think as it will be you who will be using it.

I do not claim to be an expert on any of this I only speak from experience and I hope I do not come across as being arrogant. If you want any advice on springers do send a pm because I should be able to help you on that.

snipe02

there is a lad on here selling spaniel training dvds in the shooting\for sale section that would be a great help to ya and just go for it best of luck with everything

snipe02

you can get good bargins at the end of the season from those "pot hunters" who don't want to keep a dog during the off season. why buy someone elses dirt and miss out on the learning expierience of training a pup making mistakes and learning from them getting a far greater bond with your dog it will make you a better dog trainer for the future as someone else said read up as much as you can find a good breeder near where you live and ask can you go back to them if you need help most will be happy to do so

macl

I bought a Baikal this year from the same spot. A O/U Baikal sporter. Its a little on the heavy side but that said a lovely gun. Auto ejectors and v easy to clean and keep.

Once you have 6 or 12 months done with your first gun I think you'll have a better feel for what works for you (hopefully having gotten to shoot some of your friend's shotguns) and you can buy again.

Remmie 223

I don't want to spend too much on my first shotgun. If i have to trade up in a year, at least i will have some experience then, and know better what i am looking for. So maybe second hand baikal ? It should not have lost much value in a year if i was trading in?

Feidhlim Dignan

if your buying a bakial buy it second hand cos it will work like new anyway and wont cost as much. as you said your self it wont lose value like a new gun.

i started shooting when i was 16 with my dads gun and got a spriner pup when i was 18, didnt do a whole lot of training with her but she picked it up herself kindof.

best advice is just go for it you wont regret it once you get into it

Remmie 223

lanber o/u single trigger at 350 euro's local dealer going to look at it this evening . Are they any good?

Remmie 223

lanber single trigger 350 euro's local dealer. Going to look at it this evening . Are they any good?

tonytoc11

I bought a lanber o/u single trigger for 380 and have it about 3 weeks. I presume it's the same model as your looking at. Cant complain so far...nice and light and fits perfect. Perfect starter shotgun in my opinion. On the Baikal side, theres a new side by side baikal in Landers for 399