The cutting edge

Whilst the law seems to be doing everything in it's power to prevent the carrying and use of knives, which I hasten to add there is no room in society or anywhere else for a knife in the high street of our towns and cities, however the need to have a good knife with you when out in the field day or night is part of your essential kit. As from 1st June 2010 any company selling non domestic knives will have to apply for a KDL (Knife Dealer Licence) from there local council licensing sub-commitee, fortunatley this as yet ONLY applies to Scotland, but how long before this law is passed here in the England and Wales? How this will stop any one using a knife for an unlawful act, we can only guess, as this law does not cover anyone purchasing a standard kitchen knife!! and there will be a cost for the licence of £110 valid for three years. I am sure this will effect online sales as the responsability will be with the seller to make sure they have taken all precautions to ensure the purchaser is over 18! So I ask, is a credit card purchase proof enough? I am not sure it will be! This licence will cover items such as the "Leatherman Tool" which many people class as a work tool, But it has a blade, which makes it come under this new sale of goods act.  we will have to wait and see what comes next...............

So what type of knife do you choose? low cost, plastic handle and sheath or top of the range damascus blade with bone handle and full leather sheath? well that really depends on your own circumstances and size of your wallet as prices do range from £10 to £500 and am sure more if you look hard enough. Then do you go for a quality folding knife or a fixed blade? well I suppose that depends on what you need the item for, however the main point is that a quality blade and handle have to be the first consideration. Having an index finger stop is important to prevent your hand sliding down the handle onto a very sharp blade (well it should be sharp as what is the point in having a blunt knife??) I have shown some examples of medium priced knives which are suitable for field use and wont break the bank.

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As you can see in this knife has a stop at the end of the handle prior to the blade to prevent hand slipping during it's use.

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This knife however only has a very small stop and caution when using this item should be adhered to.

Both these knives are ideal for general use such as cleaning your shot quarry (Rabbits) etc. Should you be one of the many who partake in the fine art of Deer Stalking, without doubt a knife is an essential part of your kit and having a good knife for grollaching purposes is vital and one that will keep an edge for the duration of the preparation.

This is one of the popular style of knives people use for all round work.

Note the thumb hole for extra grip and how short the blade is so as not to go to far into the animal and damage any internal organs.

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Whatever type of knife you choose keeping it clean and free from virul bacteria, not just the blade and handle but what about the sheath? particularly leather ones, there is no point keeping the blade clean and placing in a dirty sheath, so what can we do?

Keeping a tub of High level disinfectant wipes handy should be as essential part of your kit as a scope is to your rifle, these can be used to clean your knife and hands, better still wear latex free gloves (Nitril) to prevent leaving blood staines on your equipment and vehicle, there is no shame in wearing gloves and will help stop the spread of diseases.

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 These wipes made by a UK based company will keep your hands and equipment virus free and as I am sure a lot of you will know it is very difficult to clean blood away, these will do this and kill any virus such as Rabbit Flu, Norovirus, Bird Flu TB to name a few.

 Leather Protector, which also kills bacteria that may come from your hands or the knife blade (well only if you don't use the wipes above?) Suitable for any leather product, rifle slings, cartridge belts and bags, gun slips, knife sheaths.





Thank you for your time reading this and look forward to reading your comments.
We are always looking for more products for our site so if there is anythning you would like to see please leave a message.

Phil

End of season

Now the the season has ended for another year, there is still the question about if the shooting season should be moved. With February always proving a cold, wet and snowy month (remember 1963, worst snow fall ever and yes the month i was born) is there a case for moving the shooting season on 1 month? therfore shooting from begining of November to end of February. One question no doubt will take years to answer let alone implement.

So now the seaon is over what next? Well for the land owners, game keepers etc they can have a rest before getting on with cleaning / disinfecting the rearing pens and feeders etc so can be stored cleaned and ready fior the start of the season. So what product should you use?

There are a few available but unfortunately they all need mixing and usually water with powder which gives of an awfull and possible dangerous aroma, well we have found a very good product which from there spec sheets is far better then anything else available (unless you know different!!?) this product is made in the UK and shipped worldwide to help in the prevention of notifiable diseases such as TB, Bird Flu and more, the best part is it is mixing a liquid to a liquid which make it far better for you. When mixed this product will last for upto 6 months thus reducing waste, can be used for boot washes, cleaning cattle troughs, barns and equipment. Safe to use around animals and is DEFRA Approved.

http://www.fieldandmoor.co.uk/Hygiene_and_First_Aid/c22/p121/DERFA_Approved_Agrigene_High_Level_Disinfectant/product_info.html

So, as a shooter, what do we do next?? well i am sure the farmers and land owners will be onlt to pleased for us to offer our services for vermin control ie rabbits, foxes, pigeons etc, whether you are a shotgun or rifle user they all need keeping under control. Lamping rabbits and foxes at night can be very enjoyable if you go out in pairs, not only for the company but one with the rifle one with the lamp. If you are going out alone the having the use of a night vision scope can be the most usefull piece of kit you can have next to a gun. I have used the ATN PS22 for nearly 12 months and is superb in every way, light, compact easy to take on and off and it works!

While the cost may be more than some what to spend, why not buy between a few friends and share the cost as it is fully flexible to fit all scope sizes as all you need to do is purchase the correct shims to fit individual scopes.

Look forward to hearing your views and comments.

Phil