Bloody hell! One of them has got a video camera mounted on top, and one of them has a telescopic sight so enormous, it needs a smaller stargazer-style attachment just to figure out what part of the universe the sight is pointed at! Have they introduced computers for guns yet, that will work out ballistic trajectories for you so that you don't have to take them into account at ranges of 2 miles.
:smile: The video camera is a digital night vision scope. I use it on the .22 exclusively for rabbit control as that rifle is virtually silent. Digital NV (not just for rifle scopes) has really taken off in a big way. Its cheaper to produce and requires less sophisticated optics than the military-derived image intensifiers which can be burnt out by accidental exposure to strong light. So this scope can be used in daylight and dusk. It does have a video feature on it but I've never felt the need to film what I shoot. It needs an Infra red illuminator to work and has one (not shown in the picture) which looks exactly the same as the lamp fitted on the scope of the rifle below. It emits an invisible IR beam with just a red dot visible at the target. The lamp below is a bright visible spectrum red LED which will illuminate to about 250 yards and works with a conventional daylight scope. The huge scope is a 5.5-22 X 56 Niteforce. They were designed as long range military sniping scopes and are widely used by forces around the world and they make great value field and target scopes. Most of the front of the tube is actually a sun shield. It prevents flare on higher magnification and it helps protect the lens. Those scopes are about £1800 to buy so it pays to look after them. Its too much scope for that rifle really which is never used beyond 300 yards. At that distance I don't need to go above 12X magnification. But it was a S/H bargain (£900) and the .222 is an extremely accurate round so I do take it target shooting at a club sometimes and then that scope comes into its own. Yes they have produced scopes and rangefinders with built-in ballistic calculators. You can even reprogramme some of them from a computer. But they are a guide at best and I wouldn't rely on them. Ballistics is a highly complex science with a huge number of variables. There is no substitute for knowing your own rifle, your own ammunition and learning to judge range and shot placement for yourself.
I know. I need a new cabinet as well. Outgrown that one. I did have an FAC air-rifle too but it was crap. I want to add a .22-250 at renewal time. And one day I'll treat myself to a decent shotgun as well. But I do like my old Spanish thing. It only cost me £40 but its tidy, fits me perfectly and I can hit things with it which is what matters.
It stamped FIBAR (Espania) on the chambers. I'm not a shotgun expert so that doesn't mean much to me. Its a cheap gun with non-descript lacquered woodwork but its solidly made. The action is tight and positive and there's not a hint of movement on the comb. The bores are in excellent condition and well in proof. Maybe I've got a long neck but I find nine out of ten shotguns don't have enough drop to the heel for me. I invariably find when mounted that I'm looking down onto the barrel rib instead of along it so for me the gun shoots high. I know a chap who's a part-time RFD and sells cheaper guns and I went round one day to have a look at what he'd got. It was the usual story, all the shotguns had too shallow a drop. Then I tried this one and it was perfect. Bought it on the spot and it shoots better than any shotgun I've ever owned.
