Thunder Equipment Goes Global!

Selby Game Fair

Thunder Equipment expands internationally with product spotlights at Selby Game Fairs

Tony Price Article
Tony Price, renowned dog trainer in the UK, just released an article for Sporting Gun Magazine.

The only dummy launcher Ive used for gundog training has been the good old hand-held variety powered by a blank .22 rimfire cartridge. Excellent it is too.

More recently Ive heard lots about the new generation of remote dummy launchers being imported here by a company called Gun Dog Kit. I never seen them in action so I was intrigued to find out more when they asked if I would like to watch the latest model being put through its paces. What I wanted to discover most of all was how my more experienced dogs would get on with it?

For a start my concern when it came out of the box was that the five dummies supplied are made from plastic with a centre grip and I wasnt sure whether the dogs would be keen on picking them.

In the end this didnt prove a problem and I soon discovered that if the need arises you can wrap a small strip of rabbit fur around the middle of the dummy without affecting the launching process. I went to the kennel and got the first dog out; how would he react to the machine? I didnt need to worry on this score - all I had to do to get his full attention was press the duck button on the remote transmitter, the very realistic quacking noise did the trick every time!

All I can say about the sound of the dummy being fired is that its more of a dull thud rather than the normal crack you get from a .22 blank dummy launcher. Its actually a cross between normal gun fire and the sound of a gas gun bird scarer. This did not worry any of my dogs and much to my surprise they all picked the dummies without the need to add fur.

A very useful feature of this gas-powered machine is that the remote transmitter works from up to 1,000 yards away and the launcher can be set to throw short, medium or long retrieves out to 90 yards.

From a handlers point of view I can see how the Thunder 500 can advance the training of any gundog - no longer do all retrieves have to be hand-thrown by you, or fired from a hand-held dummy launcher. Now you can position yourself, the dog and machine in all sorts of ways to reproduce the retrieves and conditions you get while shooting, picking-up or in competitive field trials and tests.

The whole thing was fairly compact, easy to carry with the supplied shoulder strap and took just minutes to set up. Even with an asking price of around £800 I can see this launcher creating a lot of interest. For more information contact: Gun Dog Kit, tel 07900 216842 or visit www.gundogkit.co.uk

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