6 exciting products we saw at the British Shooting Show

On Friday 17th Feb the GunsOnPegs team made the annual pilgrimage to Birmingham’s NEC for the British Shooting Show, a gathering of shooting and hunting brands from the UK and beyond, as well as country lifestyle aficionados. The event is the first chance in the calendar year to get a first view of some of the new products that are coming to market in the year. Here are some of the coolest new products that we came across at the show

Stunning & unique Blaser F3 shotgun

One of the first stands one encountered at the show was the Blaser stand, where the team were proudly displaying a unique F3, ‘The Pheasant’, is the first in a series of four commissioned by Coombe Farm Sporting in Somerset.

The gun features some of the most innovative and beautiful engraving we have ever seen on a shotgun. Sitting somewhere between a gamescene and a ‘pattern’ the designs on each gun are of the feathers of different game birds: pheasant, woodcock, grey partridge and grouse. 

The design covers the whole action frame as well as the trigger guard and toplever., while the bird’s head is featured on the underside. The hand-engraved design was executed in Blaser’s custom shop by master engraver Dieter Stübler, taking around 70 painstaking hours to complete.

High performance competition clay load from Gamebore

It is always exciting to see what innovations Gamebore are bringing to the table, and this one is sure to excite the enthusiastic clay shots amongst you. 

Designed for competition shooters, with the toughest FITASC and sporting clay targets in mind, the Dark Storm Onyx builds upon the technology behind the hugely popular Dark Storm loads. It combines the Quad Seal’s improved gas seal with a high density Polyethylene wad, giving a better seal than standard plastic wad loads and ultra high performance when it comes to consistency, pattern and felt recoil.

The loads also feature Gamebore’s Diamond Shot Xtra, a harder pellet that’s graded even harder for even better uniformity in size and roundness.

Bettws Hall stash

Whether you’ve shot there, or just want people to think you’ve shot there, the Bettws Hall quarter-zip sweatshirts are a refreshing alternative to a branded gilet.

Made from ultra-soft cotton and embroidered with ‘Bettws Hall’ on the chest, these are the first products in the new Bettws Hall clothing collection.

Super lightweight rifles by Christensen

Of all the stands at the British Shooting Show, Highland Outdoors’ two-story edifice was not only the easiest to spot, but among the most interesting. Packed with shotguns, rifles, scopes and more, there was so much to look at that we were a little overwhelmed. As such, we asked Steve Kelly to pick one product that he thought we should see. 

He recommended the super-light rifles from US manufacturer Christensen, such as the Ridgeline FFT (pictured above). Made using a unique ‘Flash Forged Technology’ the carbon fibre stock makes the rifles astonishingly light, perfect for stalking Scotland’s more challenging terrain or trips to mountainous regions abroad.

Handheld thermal spotters

When it came to optics, there was lots to choose from and drool over, but one product that struck us was the Khales TI35+ handheld thermal imager. An update to last year’s TI35, the ‘+’ not only signifies the dramatically improved sensor resolution, but also the 2x optical magnification and up to 8x digital zoom. 

Lightweight, ergonomic design and simplicity (only two buttons to operate the thing!) add to the appeal, as do the three integrated colour modes.

Pies fit for princes

Perhaps the most revelatory stand we encountered at the British Shooting Show had nothing much to do with shooting, and everything to do with filling one’s stomach. Rose Cottage Pantry had long queues all day, and with good reason. Their game pies are unimpeachable, but the hot water crust pork and stilton pies were quite simply the best pies I have ever eaten. So good that I had to take some home with me.

Rose Cottage Pantry can be found at farmers markets and game fairs throughout the year - if you spot them, make sure you give them a try!