Textiles & Luggage is a trillion-pound Question: how did you get started? Two of the global industry. It comes as no surprise the longest exhibitors at the show could be your manufacturers launch vast collections at the reason for getting into the shooting sport. For British Shooting Show, this year being no many, an airgun has been a long standing go- exception, Highland Outdoors, Deerhunter, to option. One brand that has set standards is ShooterKing and Croots all manufacturing with Birmingham Small Arms (BSA), they have been global distribution networks. manufacturing for longer than many of us have been alive! Birmingham has long standing The world of optics, this being a science and engagement with the gun trade boasting its own education all of its own! The importance placed prof house, this year, BSA enter their 15th year on the show from the optics manufactures is of exhibiting at the British Shooting Show, as evident by the sheer number of manufacturers for something special BSA have produced some that attend making it the largest gathering of absolutely stunning airguns, this year being no optics that takes place in the UK for example, exception! Swarovski, Leica, Schmidt & Bender, Pulsar, Hikmicro & Pard etc making up a very small Air Arms, are a true British manufacturer, when percentage of the enormous manufacturers raw material enters one end of the factory, a footprint exhibiting at the show. stunning British-made item departs the other. Air Arms is a long-standing family run company Lots of shotgun & rifle shooters take part in combining a vast knowledge of engineering many sporting activities, from Olympic shooting, procedures combined with an unprecedented local competitions, sometimes with the whole experience of competition airguns. Combine family taking part, team events are held at some these two elements and you have the finest magnificent locations the length and breadth competition and high performance product. of the UK. Stalking the Highlands for your prize Long established brands like Umarex, Daystate, trophy experience, or merely owning such items Weihrauch, FX, Brocock, Tesro and many more, and admiring them as an art form in its own right, form just part of over 60 airgun ranges at the albeit it’s not a canvas. Over the past hundred show! years this sector has grown exponentially. This time, old practice still remains as buoyant today Whilst you are contemplating and digesting this as it did in times of old. The world renowned small but informative smorgasbord of delights, Westley Richards & Co still produce handmade the gun trade remains strong, healthy and works of art! These really are true to the term ‘art’! buoyant! On a different plane and also a feast to the eye, Browning, Beretta, Blaser, Caesar Guerini, Perazzi custom departments have a loyal following and for many years have produced products that fall well within the art form, The British Shooting show is proud to have such wonderful manufacturers year on year exhibiting, enabling the visitor to experience these extraordinary products. 51 BSS
LEAD ALTERNATIVES GAMEBORE’S GOT IT COVERED STEEL Steel is approximately 30% less dense than Lead, so the standard, single-based powders usually used with lead shot simply will not generate the same results with steel. A double-based powder with a more progressive burn is an absolute necessity to maintain the momentum of the pellets downrange. KNOWLEDGE IS Our experience of loading steel shot spans four POWDER decades, supplying high performance hunting loads for European and American markets where With the ongoing and much debated phasing out steel is widely used. Over that time, our engineers of lead shot, shooters are learning how to adapt have searched far and wide, trying and testing all to the use of steel. While it’s common knowledge propellants available worldwide, finally deciding that using a steel pellet two sizes larger than your on the very best; Alliant powder, sourced from usual lead shot size is necessary to compensate the USA where steel shot is the most popular for the difference in density between the two pellet for hunting. metals, little has been said about the type of powder required to effectively propel steel pellets Exclusive to Gamebore in the United Kingdom at the required energy where it matters most - and not available in any other British made downrange. cartridge brand, Alliant double based propellants produce performance and pressures that are unmatched by any other non-lead load. Single based powders simply do not generate the necessary pressures and energy to make steel shot effective on high birds, so it’s important to choose an ammunition that utilises a specialist, double based propellant. 52 BSS
LANDOWNER APPROVED WAD THE...? There’s nothing worse than turning up to a shoot only to be told that your cartridges aren’t allowed! The humble wad is often overlooked – however, So it’s important to choose a wad that’s accepted with the transition to steel shot it has become by the landowner or estate manager. The Bio a component that shooters must give great Wad has been approved for use at some of the consideration to when choosing a cartridge. The country’s most prestigious estates thanks to its three important things to consider are; performance on high birds and the relatively short time it takes to degrade compared with 1) Protection, 2) Performance, and 3) Bio- some of the alternative ‘green’ wads on the Degradability. market that take years. Firstly, it is imperative that the pellets don’t come “For those Guns who were sceptical in to contact with the barrels of the gun. about using steel we have no hesitation The shot must be fully contained within a wad cup recommending and endorsing Gamebore’s throughout its journey down the barrels. 12 bore Dark Storm Precision Steel Bio The Gamebore Bio Wad provides this protection Wad No 3’s and No 4’s. They are hugely thanks to its specially engineered petals effective on our high birds. We have shot incorporating unique 45 degree overlapping over 80 days with the majority of our Guns edges which prevent stray pellets poking through the gaps as the wad moves down the barrel. using steel since September and with Furthermore, the length of each petal is ribbed one exception, all have been thrilled with for reduced surface friction, meaning faster, the results! Most Guns have converted smoother passage down the barrel, plus extra to using steel on other shoots, not just at cushioning between the wad and the barrel wall. Warter. Using steel shot ensures all our game goes into the food chain which is the way forward for Game Shooting. Well done Gamebore on a super product.” - Frank Croft Head Keeper Warter Priory Estate. But our ‘Bio Wad’ is far more than just a standard protective wad cup; it has Gamebore’s inimitable Quad Seal technology built in. An innovative, four-ring gas seal developed to give increased striking energy, improved ballistic consistency and reduced recoil, delivering a level of ballistic performance not previously achievable with steel shot. Bio Wad also has great green credentials; Made using a 100% environmentally friendly, water soluble material, it begins to break down immediately and is gone within a season or much quicker in wet weather conditions, lessening not only the impact on the environment but also its visual impact in the field. 53 BSS
BISMUTH Bismuth is the closest material to lead with a density of 9.6grm/cm3, and its softness makes it entirely suitable for use with fibre wads and with any choke. Produced and perfected in-house at Gamebore for total quality control, using a unique process to ensure it performs like lead. We recommend using one size larger than your usual lead load, to maintain distance and energy. The latest addition to our award-winning Dark Storm Bismuth HD with Quad Seal range, our ultra-high performance Bismuth HD game load has been developed especially for the most testing of high birds. Delivering a 15% higher performance than its steel counterpart, 12G Dark Storm Bismuth HD is the ultimate in non-lead ammunition for game. DENSITY Lead 11grm/cm3 Bismuth 9.6grm/cm3 Steel 7.9grm/cm3 54 BSS
Set your sights on next year 16th - 18th February 2024 at the NEC, Birmingham shootingshow.co.uk #BSS24 The British Shooting Show Brand Ambassadors Jonny Carter Dave Carrie Lloyd Pattison Russ Douglas Chris Parkin 55 BSS
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