Queen Elizabeth II and hunting/shooting sports

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orpington

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Please refer to the below:

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/big-game/queen-elizabeth-ii-a-badass-hunter

Queen Elizabeth took a stag at age 19, which would have been 1945 or 1946, at Balmoral.

Does anyone know the details?? Especially with regards to the rifle used? Caliber? Make? Presumably it would have been a double rifle, manufactured by Purdey or Holland & Holland.

Also, the attached article states the following:

“The queen “joined the guns” at Balmoral, meaning she participated in bird hunting at the estate…”

Does anyone know to what extent she participated? Bystander or active shooter?

She had no objection to the following:

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/International/story?id=82100&page=1
 
A day after she was criticized for wringing the neck of a pheasant that had been peppered with shot, the queen went to church on Sunday wearing pheasant feathers in her hat.

I have more respect in her now than I did before I read that. Long lived the Queen.

What’s the “right” thing to do, let it slowly bleed out prolonging suffering?
 
As far as I know all the male royals hunt, and apparently some of the females. What do they think they do up in Balmoral?

Princess Anne was big into fox hunting in her younger days.

Ditzy Meghan tried to stop Harry from hunting. :fire: She's the one all about fake victimhood and complaining.

Heart-warming story on Prince William:

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/anim...-year-old-son-prince-george-on-a-grouse-hunt/

Lucky kid.....

I have more respect in her now than I did before I read that. Long lived the Queen.

What’s the “right” thing to do, let it slowly bleed out prolonging suffering?

The animal rights wackos would say the right thing to do would be to not hunt, just pay someone else to kill the animals you buy at the grocery and eat at restaurants.
 
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There are pictures of the Queen as a young lady - perhaps when she was in the auxiliary service - shooting an Enfield. A much recent one with her shooting that bull pup army service rifle.
 
They all hunt, just refuse to let the "commoners" enjoy.

Royals own all game.

Anybody can hunt in the UK, it's just a rich man's game, becoming more like that over here. Not a whole lot of hunting land there, there are 67 million people in an area the size of my state which has less than 2 million.
 
I've seen several photos of her shooting posted in various places since her death. Including one that appeared to be within the last few years of her shooting what appeared to be a full auto rifle sitting on a bench. In the rain no less while surrounded by military personnel. But I've not read any details of her hunting.
 
I've seen several photos of her shooting posted in various places since her death. Including one that appeared to be within the last few years of her shooting what appeared to be a full auto rifle sitting on a bench. In the rain no less while surrounded by military personnel. But I've not read any details of her hunting.

I take it that you didn’t click on the OP’s link?

The one that opens with this photo.;)
FD48B851-D5FD-485C-A04B-1101978948D7.jpeg
 
The late Queen was a keen deer stalker and the pheasant shoot at Sandringham is well know as a premier shoot. The queen also had a very keen interest in gun dogs having her own gun dog kennels. It could have been a Rigby rifle used by the queen as I seem to recall they were gun makers by appointment to the Queen.
Long live the King.
 
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I take it that you didn’t click on the OP’s link?

No, was in a hurry this morning and just read the text. I assumed the link lead to a long article that I didn't have time to read at the time
 
No, was in a hurry this morning and just read the text. I assumed the link lead to a long article that I didn't have time to read at the time

No worries jmr. I was just jerking your chain a little bit. :)
 
Any idea what the caliber of choice might have been for a petite 5’ 4” tall 19 year old female to take a stag in the Scottish Highlands?

I’m impressed! You can say what you want about the royal family but Queen Elizabeth DID rake a stag and I cannot prove that she didn’t shoot driven pheasant on at least one occasion or even from time to time. You are lucky to get ANY 19 year old, regardless of gender, interested in hunting or the shooting sports today.

Not to mention her contribution to the war effort as a truck mechanic:

https://www.autoweek.com/news/people/a41123474/remembering-queen-elizabeth-ii-wwii-mechanic/
 
Any idea what the caliber of choice might have been for a petite 5’ 4” tall 19 year old female to take a stag in the Scottish Highlands?

I’m impressed! You can say what you want about the royal family but Queen Elizabeth DID rake a stag and I cannot prove that she didn’t shoot driven pheasant on at least one occasion or even from time to time. You are lucky to get ANY 19 year old, regardless of gender, interested in hunting or the shooting sports today.

Not to mention her contribution to the war effort as a truck mechanic:

https://www.autoweek.com/news/people/a41123474/remembering-queen-elizabeth-ii-wwii-mechanic/
If it was a Rigby she was using? Rigby were rifle makers to the queen till the late 1990's when the Rigby name went to the US. It could well be that she used the .275 rigby (7x57 mauser) a mild shooting round that would have suited her stature. Rigby imported a rifle for me in the latter part of the 70's . A strange little shop in a cellar location in pall mall. I seem to recall they had Corbetts famous tiger killing rifle hanging up on the wall behind the counter . Boss , Holland & Holland, Thomas Blands and Churchills all had shops in easy walking distants of Rigbys. Happy days.
 
Purdey isn’t too far away either, as is Boss. But Holland & Holland had the best retail shop.
 
Purdey isn’t too far away either, as is Boss. But Holland & Holland had the best retail shop.
Back in the 70's the H&H shop in Bruton St was an amazing place ,full of old world charm. Visited about 10+ years ago and it had lost that Victorian charm. I understand they have a showroom as part of the Berreta show rooms now. Boss were in Cork St and a late friend of mine was a good friend of their factory foreman. After several changes of ownership Rigby are still in business. Thomas Blands back in the 70's was one of the few places in the UK that sold reloading gear. Mines still going strong after 45+ years.
 
Back in the 70's the H&H shop in Bruton St was an amazing place ,full of old world charm. Visited about 10+ years ago and it had lost that Victorian charm. I understand they have a showroom as part of the Berreta show rooms now. Boss were in Cork St and a late friend of mine was a good friend of their factory foreman. After several changes of ownership Rigby are still in business. Thomas Blands back in the 70's was one of the few places in the UK that sold reloading gear. Mines still going strong after 45+ years.

Old world manufactured guns, hand fit, bespoke, made with care and artistic perfection have character and feel like nothing else. But the truth of the matter is they’ll never be as precise, repeatable or reliable as one that’s CNC machined.
 
Very true. The CNC machines have bought affordable and quality rifles to the ordinary hunter, shooter. Many years ago I had a visit to H&H's factory at Kensal Green. At that time still very Victorian in its looks and working methods with shotguns and double rifles still made by hand. I think today even H&H use CNC machines for some of there work even if the guns are finished by hand.
Again quite a few years ago I was back at the company I worked for office and the big boss asked if I would like to see his new acquisitions. He had bought a cased pair of Purdey sidelock 20 bores. After I had fondled them and shot a few imaginary grouse out of the sky back in the case they went. Guns way beyond my pay grade. I've had to comfort myself with my lowly Merkel but I have shot quite a few pheasant with that East German made gun.
 
I watched a video of Royals shooting driven birds. The men shot and the females reloaded.
 
I visited Balmoral Castle in 1989 while I was visiting my relatives on my father's side of the family. Quite an impressive place and when I was there part of it was open to tourists, but not the royal family section of it, anyway. This thread reminded me of a large banquet hall type room there that must have had at least 50 mounted deer racks on the wall, all done European style, of course. In some ways, you could consider Balmoral Castle to be a deer camp fit for a king, or queen. The royals have quite a lot of acreage on the estate, and I heard that game is plentiful. They probably have their own gamekeepers and other staff as part of regular crew there. If I were a member of the British royalty, I'd spend a lot of time up at "deer camp", or is that "deer castle"?
 
I have no idea what rifle the Queen used. I do know that they commonly use cartridges like the 5.6×52mmR (also known as the Savage .22 High Power) and more modern .22 Centerfire cartridges. The deer are small and recoil, nearby populations, are taken into consideration. Even now excessive (large) calibers are frowned upon. Also, firing a rifle without a sound suppressor (unregulated like in the USA) is considered rude.

Good Luck
 
I visited Balmoral Castle in 1989 while I was visiting my relatives on my father's side of the family. Quite an impressive place and when I was there part of it was open to tourists, but not the royal family section of it, anyway. This thread reminded me of a large banquet hall type room there that must have had at least 50 mounted deer racks on the wall, all done European style, of course. In some ways, you could consider Balmoral Castle to be a deer camp fit for a king, or queen. The royals have quite a lot of acreage on the estate, and I heard that game is plentiful. They probably have their own gamekeepers and other staff as part of regular crew there. If I were a member of the British royalty, I'd spend a lot of time up at "deer camp", or is that "deer castle"?
I was Impressed when I visited Balmoral. Not bad for a hunting lodge. I had a quick Google and it says Balmoral is 50000 acres. I do know they have their own team of stalkers, ghilles and game keeper. It was a team of Balmoral game keepers who stood vigil over the queens coffin whilst it was at Balmoral.
 
I have no idea what rifle the Queen used. I do know that they commonly use cartridges like the 5.6×52mmR (also known as the Savage .22 High Power) and more modern .22 Centerfire cartridges. The deer are small and recoil, nearby populations, are taken into consideration. Even now excessive (large) calibers are frowned upon. Also, firing a rifle without a sound suppressor (unregulated like in the USA) is considered rude.

Good Luck
.222, .223 and a few other cf.22 can be used to shoot roe deer in Scotland. The Cf.22 can only be used on Muntjac and Chinese water deer, not roe deer in England. Any deer bigger than roe in Scotland .243 is the minimum. .243 for Roe and bigger in England.
Calibres .243 up to .30-06 are commonly on deer in the UK. Suppessors are common, They need to go on your Fire arms certificate as a weapons part.
Suppressors in Norway have been licence free for a while and as of 1st July are licence free in Sweden as well.
England being a small over crowded country suppressors do keep the disturbance from rifle shots down. They do have a large deer population in the UK and with six species there is something to hunt all year.
 
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