COOKING WITH CAPERCAILLIE

To say that a capercaillie tastes of turpentine is absolutely wrong. A capercaillie breast tastes like juicy beef. I know because I eat it every year. Håkan Schön, Sweden retaining rubber ring as on my BSA Scorpion. A little bump on the bolt is required to fit them into the barrel but they were virtually equal accuracy fired forwards or backwards in my rifle. Maybe Mat could review some copper pellets compared to lead alloy, which seem to be available now?

R Mccafferty, by email to Bruce Potts or ask competent riflesmiths/gunsmiths they will all confirm this.

I know of a case when a shooter returned from a zeroing session at a range and returned his Sako A7 rifle, which was less than six months old, to his gun cabinet with the moderator still attached as he was late returning home that evening. Due to work he forgot about the rifle for a fortnight and when he next went to use it was only able to remove the moderator with great difficulty. Examination of the crown revealed extensive damage caused by the corrosive mixture, which extended some way down the barrel.

The damage was so extensive that his gunsmith was not able to simply shorten and re-thread the barrel and the barrel had to be replaced at a cost of nearly £700. I have heard of others who have experienced similar issues but to not such a great extent, usually only the moderator becoming extremely difficult to remove and sometimes requiring a gunsmith’s attention to rectify matters. I store all my rifles with moderators removed and muzzle protectors fitted, muzzle down as an additional precaution.

Mike Evans, by email

Graham Downing responds: I am not surprised that, in the case cited by Mr Evans, the moderator was seized to the barrel. It is self-evident that due to the forgetfulness of the shooter, the moderator was not removed after shooting and the threads were not properly cleaned and oiled. This is nothing less than a recipe for disaster. I repeat that it is essential that the film of combustion residue is thoroughly removed from the threads and crown of the rifle immediately following its use with a moderator and a light application of oil is applied, each and every time.

Of course, Mr Evans is quite at liberty to store his rifles with the moderators either on or off, provided that, at the early hour before going stalking, he can guarantee that the moderator that he selects to use has the same thread profile and calibre as the rifle.

Why the .17HMR is becoming more popular than the .22.

The capercaillie looks as good as it tastes – or does it?