British Shooting Show: Busiest Weekend of the Year!

Thanks to Sam’s patience, this year for the first time I attended all three days of the British Shooting Show, and what a trip it was! Last year, I was able to upload 15 videos over two days, including as many as possible during day one, literally mid-show. As part of the British Shooting Show Press Team, by getting as many videos as possible online as soon as possible, I help to share some of what’s on display and especially new, so that folk swithering about attending will get off their bums and come along for days two and three.  

This year, I did that on the Friday and Saturday, then on the Sunday – sadly no day four – I concentrated on just recording as many more videos as my aching body would allow. These I then compiled and uploaded over the next few days, hotel WiFi and tiredness permitting. My phone was literally scalding hot at times at the show, as it combined videos then uploaded them directly to YouTube, all in my pocket as I moved to the next stand, after yet another much-needed sit down. 

A huge thank-you to all my readers and viewers who took the time to thank me for my honest reviews, including the ones filmed with Bruce and Billy, my co-conspirators for all things night-vision and thermal-related. Scan my Flickr QR code with your smartphone and you’ll see the 144 photos I remembered to take between filming, and you might recognise yourself or your friends in some of the selfies. Of course, my own enthusiasm on the day stems from a love of all things gun-related, especially anything new in the world of airguns and hi-tech day and night scopes. On that subject, there was no shortage of awesome stuff to check out, and once again, I missed loads of stands thanks to running out of time, despite attending all three days. 

NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD 

This year’s show moved from Hall 3 to 5, due to being on a different weekend to the usual one, but I believe next year we’re back to Hall 3, and the usual third weekend in February (14th, 15th & 16th). The show wasn’t smaller than usual, far from it, but just a different shape; i.e. a lot longer front to back than side to side. As always, there was a huge mix of entertainment on offer, as well as hardware aplenty, with live shows in the arena, cooking demonstrations in one corner and even a skilled gunsmith tap-tapping away for hours with her mini hammer and chisels, engraving the side plate of a rather splendid action. 

One bonus this year was that the aisles were generally wider than usual, which really helped access for those of us with limited mobility. I spoke both to a few fellow crutch-users  – handing out my DIY Flexyfoot crutch stoppers recommendation cards at every opportunity – and a few in mobility scooters. Thankfully, I didn’t fall this year, although a week later once back in the borders, we stopped in Moffat for a leg stretch and I slipped on a slimy green pavement. A week on and the bruises from that are slowly fading, although I still have no idea how my back(-side) is bruised, after breaking my forward fall with my arms! 

HONOURED PRIZEGIVER 

I was honoured this year when Chris Roberts of CDR Guns – UK importers for AirMaks Arms – kindly invited me to pick their lucky winner each afternoon at 3pm, for their daily, free moderator raffle. Each afternoon on the AirMaks stand, I fished a random name out of the bucket, then if they weren’t still present, or weren’t still in the arena when I called – tut tut – I’d choose another. Eventually, each day, a lucky winner (over-18s only) was chosen to receive a free AirMaks moderator. They’d pose for a photo with me, then Chris completed his brief paperwork, as face-to-face RFD transfers are required for UK moderator sales and transfers these days. 

MY HIGHLIGHTS 

I may have sadly missed loads of stands that were on my to-do list, or simply caught my eye in passing, but my highlights this year included the following: 

First handling of the two new Pard thermal scopes, and two new multi-spectral scopes, on the Sportsman Gun Centre (SGC) stand. 

• Meeting the visiting Chinese development team from Arken Optics – more on this below. 
• Getting the low-down on the impressive, new, classically-styled FX DRS rifle, from no less than FX’ Johann himself. 

• AirMaks new Krait Lite rifle and Katran N, which although intended for rimfire PRS competition, will also be available in UK sub-12 formats. 

• Paul Hodson of HIKMICRO taking me through their four exciting latest NV/thermal products. I meant to go back to chat about their M15 trail cam, but ran out of time.  

More high-tech NV and thermal wizardry from InfiRay, Thermtec and Night Pearl, some of which I hope to test and review soon. 

• Weihrauch UK’s three new 125-year anniversary, limited-edition rifles, resplendent in their shiny red and black stocks. 

• Five different hi-tech 10-metre PCP competition pistols from John Rothery Wholesalers, one or two of which I hope to review here for you soon.  

• Nate, who’d brought his very simple and lightweight ‘Nate Chrony’ all the way from Australia especially for the show; a simple muzzle-mounted 3D-printed device that can be fitted to any airgun. 

• RTI Arms’ Mora PCP, a massive beast of a bullpup air rifle, clearly aimed at the FAC airgunning market, on the Highland Outdoors stand. 

  

   

STUNNING CLARITY 

I knew Arken Optics were looking forward to their first presentation at the show, and having already reviewed their ground-breaking compact Zulus ZHD520R scope, I was keen to see more from them. I wasn’t disappointed, and true to their promises, they presented two; the ZHD312R, the lower-mag’/wider-angle 3-12x sibling of the former scope. They also brought along two pre-production versions of their ‘Thermal Night’ (or TN) scope, the TNC225. This stands for Thermal-Night (and day) Compact, plus the model ID. This little beauty has been the talk of the Airgun Forum recently, partly thanks to its rumoured, but now confirmed, £1k price tag! The TNC wins no beauty contests, but for compact functionality it’ll be hard to beat, incorporating an HD day-and-night sensor, IR illuminator, laser rangefinder/ballistic calculator AND a thermal lens. 

The team are on a mini tour of the UK right now, which started with a visit to Aberdeen last week, then the central belt. I’ve already uploaded a video ‘Arken Optics in Bruce’s man cave’ following this, and our Grampian Pest Control buddy, Billy, currently has ‘our’ loaner example units of the ZHD312R and TNC225. His eyes lit up when he tried the TNC because he has a few jobs where the ability to detect and then target rabbits lurking in the shadowy gloom under bushes in daylight, will be priceless. I’m waiting to hear how he gets on, then I might have some sample footage on my channel before long – good luck Billy!   

Further south within Scotland, the team joined Stuart, of @Vermin Control Scotland channel, for the TNC’s first trial-by-ratting. Stuart already shared a taster of the footage with me and it’s seriously impressive, hence I’m really looking forward to reviewing this properly, and I’m probably going to have to buy one. In such a target-rich environment as the waste dump, the ability to scan back and forth to spot live targets literally glowing in the thermal view, then instantly target them via either that or the digital NV view, can’t be understated. 

JOB DONE FOR THIS YEAR 

Nate, of Nate Chrony, kindly emailed me yesterday: ‘You talk yourself down way too much!  Despite ‘you only having 8k subscribers’ there were multiple people that came up to us the next day, after having watched your video and were keen as mustard to find out more. I also got other sales due to your video – so I can personally confirm that you had a solid and direct impact on my booth! These people were also NOT going to come to the show at all – they only came due to your video. A huge thank you, keep on doing exactly what you do – it’s a long, hard road, but keep chipping away at it.’  I was taken aback by Nate’s kind email, but at least reassured that I had reached some people, exactly as intended. All I can add is, tickets for the 2025 British Shooting Show are already on sale, so as their short trailer asks, ‘If you’re not there, where are you?’ 

I hope this has been interesting, and that whether using an open-sighted pistol, or the latest high-tech scope-equipped rifle, you enjoy your shooting.