Shoot briefs can go on too long. But a particularly memorable one was limited to this, “Safe and sporting, please. Safe and sporting.” It seemed to summarise the essence of what it means to be a good Gun.
“Sporting behaviour means to be fair and respectful”
To be accused of unsafe or unsporting behaviour is about as damning as it gets. The concept of unsafe has changed very little since gunpowder was invented but I was interested to consider recently, when challenged by a reader, how the concept of ‘unsporting’ evolves.
In most dictionary definitions, sporting behaviour means to be fair and respectful. For us as shooters, this tends to pertain to fellow Guns and the collected field. And, just as importantly, it applies to our attitude to our quarry. So deliberately taking another’s